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Anime Expo
As frequently occurs on some weekend or another, a celebration of sorts, this time by fans and for fans, of their favorite forms of fiction and entertainment. A relatively small anime convention can be found in an event hall just off the city's main streets. Whether its intended primarily to advertise, or fan-run, it likely would hardly be noticed were the event not advertised as free.
To this end, a small crowd works their way through the large, glass doors up front, dressed in a wide variety of outfits, these cosplayers form a new sort of normal as they rush into the hall, eager to see the sights.
Off to the side of the hall itself. a young girl leans against a pillar, long brown ponytail trapped between the wall and her light-purple hoodie. The rather short girl's attention is on her phone, though she glances around occasionally. She has what almost looks like a cigarette in her mouth, though no smoke comes out of it.
Walks up to the strange girl and talks to her, noticing the cigerette in her mouth.
Excuse me, miss, aren't you a little young to smoke? This isn't America, you should abide by the laws
(edited by Germany)
A portal opens up away from the building, and a short 12 year old looking girl with her long, blonde hair in twintails, walks out wearing a black and gold cloak and carrying what seems to be a witches staff. Though anyone who didn't see the portal would probably assume she's just another cosplayer
I see. So this is the "convention" I've heard about.... This will be interesting to observe....
She'd then approach the building before noticing an unusual trace of magic leading her to the short girl, causing her to and approach said girl in question
......................................
She'd stare at the girl for a while before speaking an a cheerful voice that matched her looks
Aren'cha gonna join in the funs?
star rides up to the convention on her motorunicycle, dressed up like a princess.
Woohoo! Anime, fuck yeah!
she procedes to stuff her cycle in her hammerspace and look around.
Ina is all decked out in a cosplay of a Vulpix for the convention.
"Oh man, I'm so excited for this! I've been waiting all year!"
Germany sideglances at Ina.
Oh god, a furry! Die, scum!
Germany pulls out an assault rifle and opens fire on the vulpix
*Unlike the abnormality starting to build, Marie was there relatively normally. She had set up some kind of display for a new anime. Some Magical Girl deconstruction, very grim, very dark.*
I can't believe I have to set this up. At least I don't need to actually work this thing.
*She then sets off down the side hallway, cable in hand, seeking an 'eclectic loutwit' when she finds the smoking girl.*
Hey, what are you doing here?
*It wasn't a friendly question, it was very much a "why are you breaking the law in a random hallway and getting in my way" question.*
Teddie shows up. He just wanted to go for not much reason.
"Hm, getting a strange sense of deja vu here."
He resists the impulse to shoot at children.
The girl gives Germany a quick glare before taking the stick out of her mouth with her left hand, showing a small, silver ring on her finger before sighing.
Girl: Its not an actual cigarette idiot. Just made to look like one. Supposed to look cool. I'm not really buyin' that part, but it doesn't taste too bad.
The girl looks back over to Sakura, doesn't look too impressive so far, but there's little more to say for it, the girl grins a little as she scratches her back
Girl: Nah, I'm only here for a few friends of mine. I'll just be a bit of a wallflower this time. Maybe later.
The girl grins at Mariko, before putting the stick back in her mouth. In spite of her age, she gives Mariko a confident "just you try it" sort of look, not bothering to say further on the subject
Star and Ina presumably enter the convention, they never specified, but I have no reason to believe otherwise either.
They enter to find a rather small convention, one that seems to have been sectioned off rather well. Off to their left are two general areas, small ones crammed together, one for games and another for music, taking over the entire left wall. There are booths for a variety of smaller games, like the super-hard Spirit series or the ever-popular Tales games serving as the main draw. There's a group of Pokemon cosplayers, but no booth from them unfortunately
As for the music, its primarily vocaloid merchandise, all the most popular ones, with a few smaller vocaloids squeezing in at the end
Off across the convention hall, with by far the biggest section, is the manga group, while no makers themselves bothered to come, there are still a wide variety of manga sellers, or fans trading to take up the space.
Finally, to their right would be the actual anime section, one for discussing their favorite shows and to help meet other fans, as with the manga group, none of the biggest names have come to the convention, instead it seems to mostly be small anime makers trying to get their name out
Ina decides to go to the game section first, just to get it out of the way.
...heaven. I'm in heaven. Anime heaven.
star walks over to the music section and tries to buy as much merch as she can...but will probably have to wait in line for awhile.
Fortunately, the gun that Germany had was just a cosplay one. He left his real one at home. He totally didn't intend to kill innocent children
The entire country of Germany manages to get in line, just in front of Star
(edited by Germany)
Sakura sees the ring and cuts straight to the point, looking at it and speaking as if she's speaking directly to the ring itself
Curious ring...
I ask that you allow me to examine it closely.
It interests me greatly....
*Marie notices the ring. She also notices the daring look she was given. She's no wallflower, so she bites hard on the bait.*
Nice ring, I don't think it matches your 'tough girl' persona, though.
A man in a trenchcoat with a wizard's staff would wander into the building, it's been a while since he's hit up a con and the last time was related to a damn case anyways. He can't exactly deal in tech, but he's been known to pick up the odd manga volume here and there... Until he notices Negona and another girl, most would write off the staff but to him? That's magic, obvious magic at that. Harry would walk up to them with a curious look on his face.
"So, what's a pair of kids who've got clear magical power doing here? And one of looking at that fancy ring... Something's off there, but I'm not prying into it. Gotta admit though, I really hope you kids didn't bring trouble with ya cause I actually didn't come looking for a case."
Amidst the various games and cosplayers, Ina finds another girl, dressed relatively normally. Light-blue hair waving in the wind as she looks about, almost as though looking for something or another. After a few seconds, the girl breathes a sigh of relief and gets in line
As for Star and Germany, as they wait in line, another girl, wearing a loose black jacket and checkered skirt, tries to push her way through the line, apparently focused on something or another, the girl ultimately speaks up
Jacket-girl: Out of the way, you can wait a few more seconds for your CD.
Rude to be sure.
The girl outside initially recoils, putting her left hand in her hoodie pocket and shouting at Negona
Girl outside: Not a chance, this is... A family thing. Most certainly not handing it off to some random loser.
The girl glares back at Marie, much fun as it might be to fight her, there are more important things, so the girl chuckles faintly before pointing at Marie with her right
Girl outside: And how about you huh? Pretty sure you oughta have better things to do than pester some random girl standing outside.
Finally, the girl casts Dresden a sideways glance, guess these things attract all sorts of people, though he still seems a little old. Regardless, the girl smirks and leans back against the nearby wall
Girl outside: Most certainly not intending to. So far so good, unless miss four-eyes over here wants to start a fight. THen I'd have to oblige.
"Hm?"
Ina wonders what the line is for, but gets on it anyways out of curiosity.
Well that's good. He could do without a magic brawl starting though, be best to keep anything like that from happening. And beyond that, something about the ring seems odd to him... Harry sighs internally and opens The Sight, magic flowing through his eyes as he looks at the hand with the girl's ring. Assuming that it's something magical, The Sight would show him whatever's hidden below the surface of that jewel.
"Hmm, well that's fine with me then. If somebody were to start up a fight, well I would be forced to try and stop it as quickly as possible. Kinda my job to deal with weird crap that comes up after all."
Hmm...she doesn't seem very nice...but she doea stick out...and when somebody sticks out, they normally have some kind of power...
while Star waits in line, she channels her magic into the air to sense for others who have magic powers.
The man in the white hoodie takes to the scene, his camera in tow. He offers some patrons a chance for a photo op, but even if they accept, he seems to be dragged away by something. He notices Harry on the case.
"Yo, Gramps! Didn't think you were into these kinds of things!"
Sakura gives the girl a dangerous look and the magic in the air becomes agitated as she begins to lightly glow before it all stops, the child closing her eyes and muttering
No... it's far too early to throw away civility.
Responding to the man, Sakura turns to him and sizes him up with her eyes, then speaks with a deeper, more mature voice than her body would suggest
I see, it seems there's no point in pretense.
She gives an introductory bow
Sakura Negona, Witch. Seeker of Knowledge.
I seek no hostility, however, this girl is in acquisition of a magic I have never seen, and I wish to study it thoroughly.
Star would no doubt sense Harry's power, he's about as subtle as a damn flame in the night even for a Wizard. Of course, upon hearing Gou the man would turn around and greet him with a smile.
"You would be amazed at the kinda stuff I like, who knows maybe one day I'll try and get a D&D group going or something? Suffice to say, being a Wizard does not in fact stop me from being a total nerd too."
Seeking knowledge is all good well and fine, but magic users keep their secrets for a reason.
Harry wouldn't trust some stranger with all his toys either, and for some reason, he's betting that gem is more important than his Blasting Rod.
"Harry Dresden, Wizard. Knowledge is fun times and all I get that, but would you just hand over all your secrets to someone ya barely know? I know I sure as hell wouldn't, so I can't exactly say I blame her for being a bit twitchy about it. No means no after all! So let's not get into a Wizard's duel or some crap over this alright?"
Gou smiles, and gets a big goofy grin ready.
"Nah, I figured if you were a wizard you'd be a massive nerd. Just didn't think you'd like anime in particular. Thought you'd be more into comics and all that jazz!"
Ina enters a line for one of the few actual makers here. She ends up in the largest nearby line, one for autographs from the main artist of the Tales games. It might take a while, but the person themself seems friendly enough, if a bit hasty to get through the line, much like everyone else.
Star would detect 4 other people with some sort of ability in the convention itself, including the girl who just rudely pushed by her, now out of the crowd, the jacket-wearing girl grins and waves farewell before running off towards the games
Harry's Sight would show the girl herself to be entirely soulless, even emptier of any sort of potential than the average person.
Instead, it all seems to be stored in the ring she's currently trying to hide. The girl looks at him for a second before remarking
Girl: My eyes are up here gramps. You better not be thinkin' of anything weird.
The girl seems to grow a bit more wary... Or maybe even eager, she gives Negona a cocky grin.... Only to stop when Negona... Introduces herself. Witch? Never a good sign, at best its probably a straight-up lie
Girl: You can call me Amethyst for now. Better not cause any trouble, alright? Here to relax a bit after all.
Waiting in the anime expo line is a blue haired young man dressed as Jean Pierre Polnareff from the JoJo series. He couldn't exactly get the hair right, so he kept his hair as normal. He crosses his arms while taking a glance around at the others in the line.
"Can this damn line go any slower? It feels like I've been waiting in this line forever."
hmm...a good amount of magic users, and one is a girl...i think i heard something about a team of magic users made up of four girls...something about there being trouble wherever they go...but i don't have enough data to conclude that they're here. Perhaps...wow, underlines for thoughts? Weird.
star releases more magic into the air to detect for any abnormalities...while still waiting in line.
Ah that explains it. Harry laughs and shrugs.
"Normally speaking yes, but with all the time I've spent around here lately I've been looking into some of the local stuff! Can't really watch anime, but manga doesn't burst into flames from being around me."
As the man closes the Sight he'd look a bit pale, seeing an empty body... No soul, mother of god that gem is a Phylactery. A frigging Lich outta D&D that still has skin, and seemingly isn't evil. Either way, Harry would look at the girl's face while avoiding her eyes, more out of habit given he doubts he can Soulgaze someone whose soul is in a rock.
"Sorry sorry, just needed to... Confirm a guess of mine is all, don't worry kid. I'm not one to try and take important magical items from people unless they use those to try and kill me. Long as that doesn't happen, then we're good. I won't lie and say I'm not curious, but I'll not pry at you."
True enough, however, experience has taught me that some her age are naive enough to do just that.
But it seems she isn't such a fool.
I on the other hand, would depart such knowledge, providing I be given something of equal value in return.
She turns to the girl
I have already stated my intentions. I'll not "Cause Trouble" Unless the long term benefits become worth the effort.
It was perhaps Ill of me to expect your cooperation without giving you recompense.
Name your price.
I have magical items, artefacts, currency of all types, and much more.
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
"Wait a second.... Isnt this the line for one of the artists of the Tales games!? Yes!"
Ina loves the Tales franchise. She's extremely excited.
Surprisingly, there isn't a line to enter the con, just a few people bickering outside it. Inside the con are three main sections
Off to hid left are two general areas, small ones crammed together, one for games and another for music, taking over the entire left wall. There are booths for a variety of smaller games, like the super-hard Spirit series or the ever-popular Tales games serving as the main draw. There's a group of Pokemon cosplayers, but no booth from them unfortunately
As for the music, its primarily vocaloid merchandise, all the most popular ones, with a few smaller vocaloids squeezing in at the end
Off across the convention hall, with by far the biggest section, is the manga group, while no makers themselves bothered to come, there are still a wide variety of manga sellers, or fans trading to take up the space.
Finally, to his right would be the actual anime section, one for discussing their favorite shows and to help meet other fans, as with the manga group, none of the biggest names have come to the convention, instead it seems to mostly be small anime makers trying to get their name out
Star would sense the exact same magic as earlier, except maybe with Jiyu's added in. The line is progressing rather well, letting her make it to the first booth, for the ever popular Miku vocaloid, with a few CDs scattered around a variety of plushes and figurines
Amethyst raises an eyebrow at Dresden.. That's.... Oddly specific denial, but the old guy's clearly not doing very well, with a huff the girl turns to glare back at Sakura
Amethyst: Look, how about you just take gramps over here and get moving before I show you what I can really do, alright?.... Second thought, might be best for you to scram, not sure if I trust you hangin' around us.
Ina makes it about halfway down the line uneventfully before a young girl, loose black jacket displaying her long white shirt tries to push by them
jacket girl: Why are there so many lines anyways? Seriously, outta the way idiots.
Huh. Nothing. Guess they aren't here...or maybe they are here and nothing is happening! Oh hey, I'm first now. Wonder when something is going to go wrong like it usually does when a bunch of people are around.
Star promptly buys one of everything she doesn't has and pays for it, moving to the next booth.
Having thought that the bickering people were apart of the line, Jiyu would slip right past them and into the building. Once he got in, he would stop to take a small look around at the interior with his arms crossed.
"Not bad. I thought this place would look like a total wreck."
Not knowing where to go first, Jiyu would head over to the manga section just to check it out.
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
The girl responds as usual, her expression nor voice changing, completely unperturbed by Amethysts hostility
Your circular thought patterns confuse me.
You request that I "cause no trouble" yet threaten to do so yourself once you become too agitated.
Finally, her expression changes to one of a calm, slightly malicious grin
I believe I will stay.
A demonstration of your abilities and brand of magic would be absolutely delightful.
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
".....Wow, this is a really long line... "
Ina gets knocked off balance when the girl in the jacket pushes through her. She almost falls our of the line, actually. She doesn't see her though.
"What the...."
Kid is paranoid, very much so... But he can't blame her with this Negona around, this is starting to look like he's going to have to play peacekeeper again. Joy of joys.
"Kid I'm inclined to agree with Amethyst, just walk away and leave it be. That isn't the kinda magic that someone sane would ever hand over to another person. And as much as I'm willing to throw down anywhere when needed, a con full of bystanders is not the place for this madness. We're magic users, not wild animals, aren't we?"
Harry just sighs. What is with this kid and wanting to see a fight so badly? Well, at the very least he could always try and drag them to the Nevernever... Not that he can be sure where they'd come out. Hmm, for now, it'd be best to just try and minimize damage if a fight starts.
"I like to think I'm a pretty laid-back guy, but if innocent people start getting hurt I won't be able to just let it go ya know? So please, if it really does have to be like that at least go somewhere that isn't full of civilians before starting. Besides, all the best duels happen in desolate areas with no one around!"
Gou reaches into his pocket and taps the shoulder of the detective. He holds a miniature bike with a stop sign emblazoned upon one of the wheels.
"Don't worry, Gramps. Worst comes to worst we'll get an easy break."
He reaches somewhere behind his bag and retrieves what looks like the front end of a small motorcycle, but it bears a strong semblance of a gun too. He takes care that it avoids prying eyes, or at least that it looks like a toy.
(edited by Gou_Shijima)
The next booth Star visits is similar to the previous, this one for the vocaloid Mayu, another girl around her age, blonde hair and wearing a long, black dress seems to be holding up the line, Star can faintly overhear part of the girl's conversation with the one running the booth
blonde girl: A.. Are you serious? I can get it online for easily half this
Boothe guy: Take it or leave it, and fast. Line's not going to wait
The girl seems to be looking at one of the little dolls, perhaps the vocaloid's gothic style is what attracted her, or the doll's rabbit plush of its own.
Jiyu goes to the manga section, much as could be expected. The fans seems to have sectioned themselves off without actual managerial interference. There's at least one group trading around JoJo comics, another with Dragon Ball, and more interestingly what seems to be a "miscellaneous" group discussing whatever comes to mind.
That little incident over with, Ina would soon manage to make it to the front of the line, where the artist themself, a little worn out, extends a hand towards Ina with a smile
Artist: Thank you for coming to show your support, is there anything I can help you with?
Amethyst closes her eyes, trying to hide her left eye's twitch, the girl's hands shift underneath the hoodie pocket
Amethyst: Just remember you asked for it... Al-
That's about as far as it gets before Dresden interrupts her. Magic user? Well, truth be told most of her friends can probably take care of themselves well enough. And the old guy probably won't try anything at least. So the girl grins at Dresden
Amethyst: Only if you take up watchin' for me, alright? I'd be GLAD to go outside to teach her a lesson, but I can't really leave the area, y'know? You and your little pal
Gou's got a point there... Still, it's best to avoid people being in danger where they can. If they can't? Keep the risk as low as possible.
"Got a point there, and somehow I get the sense I don't need to worry too much about your safety... Mach speed was it?"
Harry would look over at the "toy" in Gou's hands. Something tells him that thing is a weapon in its own right. But upon hearing the girl's request, Harry would nod. Favor for a favor huh, a very Fae concept and one he's quite used to dealing with.
"Yeah, I can do that for you. Looking out for people is in my line of work anyways, so you tell me what I'm watching for you and I'd be happy to take care of things. We got a deal then?"
Harry would smile at the girl, he's not exactly a fan of the mindless violence she's about to engage in. But at least the kid is reasonable enough to listen to what he's saying. On that note,
he'd hold his out to her.
Negona turns her attention to Dresden as he speaks, the same expression on her face
You speak as if you have an amount of knowledge of this power. Therefore I give my offer to you as well.
I wish only to learn.
The method through which I do not care.
Whether I am told, shown, or must force the knowledge out, the only difference is the amount of effort I must put forth to obtain such knowledge.
She returns her gaze to Amethyst
Well then, shall I create a Reality Marble for you to demonstrate to me in?
hmm...i wonder if they're selling any anime food around here...that isn't pocky. Seriously, you find that stuff way too often around here. And that girl sticks out as well...hmm...
Star channels her magic into the air again, pointing it at the girl in a non-murderous manner to detect for magic while waiting for her to go.
Let's see if i can find the source...
Looking around, Jiyu looked a bit uninterested of most of the things he laid his eyes upon in the area, but when he saw the strange "micsellaneous" group discussing something, he immediately got interested. Not wanting to approach them head on, Jiyu walked over to a wall that was near the group to eavesdrop on them. Not wanting to make it obvious that he was eavesdropping, Jiyu pulled out his smartphone and pretended to be looking at something on it.
Amethyst casually shakes Dresden's hand, before pointing to just inside the hall
Amethyst: I've got a few friends in there, not really interested in the anime scene myself, but I promised to bring 'em and make sure nothing went wrong. So just... If you see somethin' overly suspicious take care of it, cool?
With that, Amethyst would let go of Dresden's hand, taking her hands out of her hoodie pocket to crack her knuckles, careful to keep her hands close together notably her ring seems to be missing.
Amethyst:I was just plannin' on heading outside, but whatever works for you. I did technically challenge ya' I guess you can choose the place. Just make it snappy.
Star notices the girl herself doesn't seem to have any magic at all herself. Rather, its all focused in a small object on her right hand, the object itself is concealed so Star can't confirm what it is, but there are only so many things to guess.
After a few more seconds of arguing, the girl walks out into the main floor in a huff.
Blonde: Stingy little.....
With that done, the line is able to start moving again. Sweet.
Jiyu approaches the group of nerds.... I mean manga enthusiasts, discussing some kind of series he likely hasn't heard of. The conversation goes something like this
nerd 1: Personally I thought the whole "shadow" thing was kinda out there. I mean, seriously? Didn't seem to come from anywhere
Nerd 2: Man, who cares if it makes sense? It led to some really great scenes. Especially the part where they get rejected by their best friend, after all their hard work to be together too.
Ina shakes his hand and pulls out a copy of Tales of symphonia.
"I was wondering if you could sign my copy of Tales of Symphonia? It's my favorite in the series!"
hmm...seems to be a magical girl if i had to take a guess...of course, i function on the principles of magical girls, just without the range of the gems, the energy needed to use magic, and the way the gems can break so easily. But...wait, why did i explain that in my head? Ah, i lost my train of thought. Damn. Oh well, I'm first in line again.
Star procedes to buy everything she doesn't have and moves on to the next booth.
Jiyu glanced over to the group confusingly. He had no clue what they were chatting about. He was most confused about the "Shadow" thing they mentioned. Could they be referring to- nah, why would they know about those types of shadows? Curious about learning more, Jiyu looked back down at his phone, continuing to eavesdrop on the group.
Harry would nod at the girl and shoot her a thumbs up, looking out for anything too suscept is detective work 101 after all. So this kinda stuff should be right up his alley after all.
"No problem, I'll be sure to deal with any hosts of fallen angels I see running around and such."
With that, Dresden would begin walking around the building where Amethyst had pointed to. He's mostly watching out for anything... Off looking. But after his little meeting with the last soul gem, he'd be looking out for anyone else with similar magic to the girl he'd been speaking with.
"Geez, Liches a possible Warlock and who knows what else. I come to this place to relax, and instead end up dealing with the kinda crap case files are made of."
Wonderful!
Well then, let us make haste!
Negona's staff blinks with light as she taps it onto the floor, and the two would find themselves in an empty space, a black void with a white floor.
However, to Dresden, they would both instantly be swallowed up by a black orb only visible to magic users, only large enough to fit both of them in
Gou whistles at the spectacle, elbowing his boss with a joking grin.
"Guess she has more balls than you, eh? Don't worry about it, Gramps. People like her end up ruining their lives nine times outta ten. No point in knowin' something and not knowin' things that matter am I right, or am I right?"
Gou pockets the motorcycle and bags the gun.
"If it's consensual far be it from me to go interruptin'."
Harry would shrug at that, he's known such people himself and he can't really argue with Gou's little speech...
"Yeah, I told her I'd look out for anything weird going on after all. No time for getting involved right? As for ruining their lives, well I'd love to say that I can fix everyone's problems we both know that's not possible. Instead, I'll do what I can and hope for the best."
He'd then raise his hand to his chin and think for a moment. It almost seems like Gou would know anyway somehow, and if he didn't why does he need to? But... Whatever that girl is, other/s like Amethyst exist, and if Gou has to deal with one it would be best to know.
"Speaking of knowing things though, ever heard the idea of a Lich? Our new friend Amethyst appears to be exactly that as far as I can tell, a person who keeps her soul in an object... I wonder how that came to be."
The artist maintains their smile as they nod, taking a pen and signing their name along the back cover, careful not to write over the focus of the scene, instead touching only the background
Artist: That's actually the game that made me want to join the team. Only got in around Zestiria. So of course, as one of the younger guys, they made it my job to come to these sort of things. Still, its nice to see my work appreciated
That annoyance done, the next booth is a bit of a departure from the previous two, this one being for a real person.. Though one Star's never heard of before. Seems like they're a real small-time idol working on their popularity. The artist themself is around, waving at passerby, but almost no one seems interested.
A third.... Manga enthusiast joins the previous two in conversation, smiling widely
nerd 3: Don't you just love a tragedy? Makes it feel a little more real, though I guess that's not always a good thing.
nerd 1: Yeah, imagine if this Magical Girl stuff was real, that would be pretty messed up.
nerd 2: I've got a little sister about that age. Would hate to have to worry about her like that.
Amethyst blinks, glancing around the marble for a moment, it almost seems to go on forever huh? Means there's not a wall to hit their opponent against, nor anything to break for that matter. Amethyst grins, opening her hands enough to let a small, light-purple gem show through
Amethyst: Allow me.
As soon as those words escape her mouth, Amethyst is covered by a faint purple light. The light lasts for a few seconds, before Amethyst emerges, dashing towards Negona. Now dressed in a tight-fitting, light-purple suit with long white stripes going down the sides, adorned only with a single purple brooch. a pair of similarly-colored gauntlets flash onto her hands as the girl shouts
Amethyst: And here ya go.
Amethyst would reach Negona in a matter of seconds, swinging her left arm down in an attempt to smack Negona onto the ground.
As for Harry and Gou, after the reality marble forms, Harry goes near the convention entrance, where Amethyst had pointed, to keep watch. Surely enough, another girl, with medium-length blue hair who's not too far under Amethyst's age, would initially approach the spot, only to raise an eyebrow to find some old guy there instead. The girl takes a deep breath, before glancing around the area, almost as though searching for something
Of course, since Harry's looking for it, it would be almost impossible to miss the girl's lack of a soul in her body, much as Amethyst had
(edited by Incubator)
Gou laughs, like, really loudly.
"Seriously, you geezer! You know about anime, but you don't know about magical girls? Probably made a deal like those two numbskulls you saw the other day, just the deal they make is a bit more fair. Probably. It varies depending on who you ask. 'Course, never met one face to face myself. They were more fiction where I come from, but y'know, so are a lot of things that happen here so, I'll just go ahead and guess that stuff you'd read about or see on TV is reality here."
Gou sighs contentedly.
"Judging how this place ain't gone to hell it's safe to assume she's one of the good ones. Again, probably. Don't get me wrong I've been tricked before, but when you screw around with magic, subtlety isn't really first priority."
hmm...well, she looks like she needs some help. Mmm...ehh, fuck it. I've got plenty of money. Should be enough to help her off the ground a bit.
star places a stack of yen bills on the counter, waves, takes a picture of the idol, and walks to the next booth.
well, that's my good deed of the day.
Fiction is real huh... Bob had mentioned that worlds, where things which don't exist are real, were a thing a few times before. In theory, he should be able to grasp the idea, but even so, it's a bit iffy to understand at best.
"True enough, that's not utterly unknown to me but it is a tad hard to really grasp the extent of at times. As for magical girls... Never heard of one whose soul ain't in their body, but I haven't heard of every possible idea either."
Heh, subtlety is often not something magic users focus on, to say the least.
"Yeah, Fiction is real huh... Bob had mentioned that worlds, where things which don't exist are real, were a thing a few times before. In theory, he should be able to grasp the idea, but even so, it's a bit iffy to understand at best.
"True enough, that's not utterly unknown to me but it is a tad hard to really grasp the extent of at times. As for magical girls... Never heard of one whose soul ain't in their body, but I haven't heard of every possible idea either."
Heh, subtlety is often not something magic users focus on, to say the least.
"Yeah, Amethyst seems the type to not bother with being subtle more so than most are. Dark Magic types tend to either blow things up or mess with minds. She strikes me as the former if anything."
Upon spotting the magical girl walking up to them, however, Harry's chat with Gou would be cut short as he waves and greets the young woman with blue hair.
"Looking for Amethyst I assume? She had a slight disagreement with someone here. So they went... Somewhere less populated to settle things. And the name's Harry Dresden by the way, nice to meet you."
"...Hm?"
Upon hearing the term "Magical girl" being thrown out by one of the nerds, Jiyu would glance over at the group once again. He tried to recall where he heard the phrase from and who it was referring to, but he couldn't think of anything relating to both of those. He gives a small shrug before looking back down at his phone yet again.
Negona wouldn't move to dodge, as she sees Amethyst dash, she anticipates a physical attack and mutters <reveno>
A magical shell covers Negona in half a second, just as Amethyst reaches, she'd find the force of her punch reflected back at her own face the moment her attack touches the shell</reveno>
I see, so that ring is a gem, and I'd wager that the gem is the source of your magic, seeing as how you used it to transform...
Now then, I shall retaliate.
<Paso>
Upon speaking Sakura takes a single step back, only to arrive 10 ft away from where she stood
<Fajro Sfero>
Five balls of flame, each about the size of a human head would form around Negona and home in on Amethyst as Negona points her staff at her
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
The unknown idol gives star a thumbs up for the picture, before shouting at them as they go
Idol: Wait, didn't you want any merchandise? Not even gonna say a word?
Should she choose to ignore them, Star would find a more general merch seller up next, with a variety of stars and music, though the man running it is obviously no one famous himself
After an awkward moment of silence, the nerds decide to change the topic of conversation, instead starting to talk about one of the more popular series, SerpentOrb
nerd 1: So, I take it you've read up on the newest issue, right?
nerd 2: Yeah, I still like it and all... But.....
nerd 3: Starting to get a little... Formulaic, right?
nerd 2: Right.
The blue-haired girl gulps, glancing around once more and looking to Dresden and sighing
blue-hair: I told her not to get into trouble, why would she run off like that? Oh well... C... Can you help me... A... Nother girl's been following me.... I... Bit of a long story, just don't let them know I left, alright?
With that, the blue-haired girl would walk around the pillar Dresden would be standing near, making a bit of a hiding place for herself, much as she might want to be unnoticed, she hangs around for a while
Amethyst is blown back a few feet by the force of her own hit, scowling before starting to charge again. Of course, as soon as she does Sakura warps a long distance backwards.
Amethyst: How did... Hey, get back here!!!
Amethyst looks up at the fireballs for a moment, but doesn't change her course, instead she seems to start ignoring them, covering her face with her gauntlets while running at Sakura. Amethyst seems to take the fireballs without any effort, in fact, they almost seem to dissapate harmlessly an instant before touching her, though the heat is probably still uncomfortable. No particularly noticable magic would appear during this time, meaning it is likely some kind of passive effect
Ah, sure, I'll take something. Keep the change. Hope you gain more fame.
Star buys a plushy of the idol and moves onto the next booth, buys everything she doesn't have, moves to the next in the line, rinse and repeat.
Hah, don't get into trouble? That's unlikely at best from what he's seen so far. And what's this about somebody following her? Are we talking a stalking case here?
"Yeah no problem, if I see anybody looking for ya I'll point them in the wrong direction if you want. And if you've got any issues with actual stalking, I guess I could look into it... I am a detective after all."
Harry would then casually lean back against the pillar, searching the crowd for anyone who seems to be heading toward him. To be exact any young girls doing that, he's not exactly expecting anyone to show up, but it doesn't hurt to stay wary.
Hmm....
The gauntlets seem to provide some protection....
Likely both magical and physical.....
Sakura would stand still, allowing her to come close, predicting that she's going for another punch, Sakura would wait until she moves her arms to throw the punch before speaking <Glacio Kuglo> causing a lightning fast bullet of ice to shoot from Negona's staff at Amethysts left kneecap
Nothing of note happens in the next few booths Star visits, ending the music section with a rather sad 7 booths in total. However, that still leaves the rest of the place to explore at least.
The blue-haired girl shifts nervously, taking a deep breath before speaking up
blue-hair: W... Well... Actually.... Its about another friend of mine. I mean, you've met Amethyst, right? She.... Got into a bad situation recently and has been acting weird ever since.... I.... Got a bit of a warning about it actually... So I've been trying to avoid her....
no one of note comes out of the expo, leaving the girl to simply look down for a moment, as though in silent mourning
Naturally, Amethyst would begin to throw a left hook, only to be interrupted by a sudden blast. Amethyst immediately jumps, not nearly fast enough to get out of the way, but enough that the bullet would be able to change her momentum a little, giving Amethyst a vertical spin with which she tries to bring the back of her left heel down on Sakura
Amethyst: Stop with the daydreaming and focus, it barely means anything if you're distracted the whole time.
As the group changed the topic, Jiyu would seem uninterested in hearing them chat about things anymore and walk away from the manga section.
"That got boring after a while..."
Jiyu would think of where to go next before making his way to the video game section.
Excuse me?
Daydreaming?
As the kick hits, the shell would briefly reappear as she makes contact with it, cracking slightly as it once again Reflects the force of her kick before vanishing once again
<Tranĉu Kuglo>
Another bullet, this time a strange, unrecognizable color, fires at the girls outstretched leg, should it hit, it would act as if she was slashed full on in the spot of impact
I am doing no such thing.
I am simply observing your powers and magic.
As is my goal.
Her casual tone doesn't slip in the slightest
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
star makes her way over to the video game section, carrying a lot of bags...before suddenly not by dropping them all in her hammerspace.
fuck carrying bags.
Another of her's huh... Well, Harry would be happy to look into this if needed.
"Want me to check it out? I deal in detective work so trying to figure out what someone is doing isn't anything new for me. Just say the word and I'll do what I can to see what's up."
Hopefully if he has to resort to Looking again it'll be fairly harmless. But, he's never one to bet on these things being fun.
Most notable in the video game section is a long line leading to one of the artists behind the Tales series, there are several smaller booths, mostly from indie game developers along the side.
Star would also notice the unruly, black-jacketed girl who pushed her aside earlier walking towards the center of the expo floor, she glances around, eyes wary before sighing and scratching the back of her head
jacket girl: Could have sworn she was around here earlier. Gah what a mess....
Naturally, the force of her kick being deflected would cause Amethyst to flip back, reverse of her approach and allow the girl to land on her feet. Somewhat disgruntled, Amethyst sighs
Amethyst: For cryin out loud.. This is worse than the time I fought Sapphire.
Amethyst is more prepared for a leg shot this time, rather than make any reflexive attempt to dodge it, Amethyst makes sure to run straight into the bullet, though it comes nowhere near her gauntlets, it too vanishes mere instants before striking her. Rather than aim for Negona herself, Amethyst reaches out with her right in an attempt to grab Negona's staff
Amethyst: Just face me head-on, none of this shielding crap, its a huge waste of everyone's time
The blue-haired girl looks back to Dresden... She had really said too much already. But whoever they were apparently Amethyst trusted them... Kinda. Or maybe she was looking for an excuse to get into a fight. Wouldn't put it past her. Still, she's said this much.....
blue-haired girl: I... Sorry, I shouldn't have said this much... I.. Don't want you to try anything, but if you could confirm anything.... I guess that would be nice.... Just... Don't try to fight them or anything.... I... I'm not sure if I could stand it.
Star looks around for any other booths in the game section.
So you say, yet you have a sort of shielding or antimagic of your own.
<Komforto>
Negona allows her staff to be grabbed, even letting go of it herself, however, the moment she speaks the spell, the staff itself would seemingly become sharper than a swords edge, regardless of where it was grabbed
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
Harry would run a hand through his hair and sigh, Winter Knight aside he's never been one to start a fight. That being said...
"If she doesn't attack me then I'm not starting anything. I'll defend myself if I have to but it's not a detective's job to go out and start a fight. Beyond that though, what an I trying to confirm here? Can't take a case without knowing what to look for, especially not one related to the supernatural."
Best to just be blunt about what he knows, she might not even realize that he understands... Hell, do these kids even know what they are? He can't help wanting to ask, but it sounds like a bad idea.
Seeing the long line, Jiyu would grow curious about what it leads to. With a shrug, Jiyu would make his way over to the line and patiently wait for it to move on while humming a tune.
The proprietor of one of the indie booths waves to Star in an effort to get their attention
Booth guy: You look like a reasonable gal, can I interest you in a free demo?
Jiyu's gonna have to wait in line another post, but on his way towards the front he would be able to see it is some kind of autographing segment involving someone behind the Tales series, at least that's what the sign near the booth claims.
As Amethyst wasn't expecting much from the staff, it initially cuts well into her gauntlet, before the girl tosses it aside, hand bleeding slightly from the trick. The girl huffs
Amethyst: look, I dunno exactly how this crap works. We've all got somethin' different, mine just so happens to let me ignore a lot of attacks. Convenient, since it lets me just rush in there, like this.
With the staff presumably out of the way, Amethyst starts by trying to sweep Negona's feet out from under her, if it worked she would follow up with an elbow to knock Negona to the ground
The blue-haired girl pauses for a moment, before checking on her phone. After reading over it,
the girl nervously replies
blue-hair: I... I don't really know. I was just told it wasn't really her... I haven't really seen anything wrong with her. She's just been a little... Clingy.... I... I'm sorry, I can't really give more, just... Something feels wrong.
The girl doesn't get to say much more before another girl comes out of the expo, wearing what looks like most of a school uniform, black school jacket open to reveal her simple white blouse and checkered skirt. The blue-haired girl immediately returns to her hiding as the other girl approaches. They seem to be in somewhat of a sour mood, though they also don't seem to be particularly surprised by Harry's presence there. Instead, the girl coldly asks
jacket girl: Hey, wasn't there supposed to be someone else here? I sure hope nothing happened to her. hope nothing happened to her. You wouldn't happen to have seen anyone about my age around here, would you old man?
whether or not she noticed Dresden talking earlier, the girl seems reluctant to give much away at this time. Dresden would likely notice her own silver ring on the girl's right hand, this one with a deep emerald green jewel embedded in it
Hmm?
Star walks over to the indie dev.
Sure, what's the game?
I see. So you don't even understand your own magic.
That's a shame, I'll only be able to obtain cursory knowledge about your magic from this battle then.
Sakura would jump over the sweep, the shell briefly appearing as her leg passes through it, before it blocks the elbow, cracking almost completely as it reflects the force of both attacks in one blast
Now then, since you don't know your own magic, you must have been given it.
Where did you acquire this gemstone?
Who gifted you this power?
<Tranĉu Kaptilo>
Negona draws a line with her finger, and 5 Magical circles appear on the floor where she pointed before leaping backwards
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
Harry would look at her curiously... Something feels off about this one, not quite like the other magical girls. The man opens the Sight once again, looking for any differences compared to the magical girl he'd seen before. This time, however, he'd make a point to simply greet her normally despite his mystical search.
"A friend of yours? You mean Amethyst? She was here for a bit, but she had some things to settle with somebody. Beyond her, I haven't seen anybody like that, kid."
Harry's lying through his teeth of course, but there wouldn't be so much as a blink to tip him off. He's gotten a good bit of practice with lying as of late, and the story isn't too hard to buy...
Assuming she didn't overhear him talking to the other girl that is, if that's the case well he's screwed from the start.
A girl walks casually with her hands in her pocket, lurking the anime expo.
Hahhh... Mona-chan had to go see his friends today... I wanted to go with him today... Oh well. Maybe tomorrow...
The girl shrugs and kicks a can that someone dropped on the ground. While she wanted to come with her SO, looks like she had to look for another way to have fun. Which shouldn't be too hard.
Hmmmm... Now where is the doujin both this year...?
Senri roamed the expo in search of general things. Mostly doujins, but perhaps there was some manga she never read before, or a game to get for cheap... Maybe something multiplayer to enjoy with Mona and the maid. That would be kickass.
Seeing the Tales sign, which is a game that's not familiar to him, Jiyu steps out of line and starts to walk past the indie game booths, looking at them while passing by, rather than learning about the game.
The dev grins, briefly searching the area beneath his booth for a simple gaming computer, program apparently already loaded up
booth guy: Its a dungeon crawler, but unlike most of them you don't actually level up as the game goes on. So you start off easily dispatching everything in your way, and then the game slowly becomes harder and harder.
From her position on the ground, Amethyst is blown back, rolling a few feet before managing to catch and right herself again. The girl is starting to breath heavily, eye twitching. If anything Negona's utter calm is gettin' more and more annoying as this goes on.
Amethyst: The hell do you care? Are you even paying attention, or trying? What on Earth is wrong with you?
With that, Amethyst would dash straight for Negona, likely stepping over the circles in the process
Unlike the previous Magical Girls, the girl with the jacket would still have some amount of a soul left in her body. It seems to be split almost evenly between the body and the gem, as though unsure of how it should be. In addition, the girl's body almost seems bruised or beaten, as though she's recently gone through something, yet he would know its not nearly enough to slow the girl down.... It feels like there's something more, but he wouldn't be able to see much more like this. The girl sighs and crosses her arms
jacket girl: Go figure, she's never been a responsible one.
With that, the girl's eyes would curiously seek Dresden's own, looking out the corner as though trying to stare through him
jacket girl: you know, you can tell me anything. I won't get mad at you. We're not nearly as close as you might think.
The manga section's doujin selection is rather small, tucked away in a corner, its more a gathering of people awkwardly trying to avoid the same subject. Seems most of them are a bit nervous about talking about this stuff in public, yet they also clearly have a shared interest in it.
Another reason they might be awkward is the little blonde girl, roughly 14 years old wearing a long, black dress. She remains near the group, as though trying to see what they're doing, but doesn't speak up. Senri may notice the pure, silver ring on her left hand.
Finally, Jiyu walks by the booths of indie developers, one of them reaches out to get his attention
booth guy: Hey, can I get you to try my latest game? Its a more realistic take on swordfighting, haven't gotten much attention for it yet though
Hmm, interesting. You still get equips, right?
Bruised and beaten... That's never a good sign, and the bits of soul in her body lead him to think something is very wrong here. He could likely try a Soulgaze, but that would involve letting on some of what he is to this girl. Besides, he's been toying about with the Sight enough, no need to add something else on top of it.
"What's there to tell, kid? I really haven't got a clue about anything going on here. Heck, I just came to enjoy myself and look at things ya know! I may not seem the type, but I'm actually a fan of this kinda stuff."
True, but the bit about being a detective he'll leave out, the bit about being a wizard more so.
He'd feel bad about lying so much, if not for the fact that he's almost sure this one is something not quite normal even for her kind...
As Amethyst runs over the circles, they would release their spells, if successful, they would lacerate (or even shred) her legs
As I have said before, I only wish to gain knowledge of your magic, but it seems I'll learn only the very basics from you.
However, even a little knowledge is worth this encounter, but to continue would simply waste my time.
<Materialigi>
Negona's staff would vanish, and re-materialize in her hand as she taps it onto the floor and speaks <Forigi Sorĉas> causing all magic in a 10 Ft Radius of Sakura to be cancelled in an instant, this of course, also would cancel her shell and cause her reality marble to collapse, sending the two back to the convention
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
Jiyu looks over to the indie developer that's tryIng to get his attention. He hasn't really done anything at this convention other than eavesdropping on a group of nerds so he'd might as well try out this game just to do something for once.
"Sure, why not? Trying out a game could probably cure my boredom."
He walks up to the booth with his arms crossed.
the developer with Star nods
dev: Not in the demo of course, and for the most part they just offer other options, like a bow being ranged, but it can't go through enemies, a lance being slower but larger, the important thing is that your character never actually gets better.
As for Jiyu, the man grins and pulls out his own computer, this time turning it around to reveal a simple, grid-based game, with three blue units, and two red
dev: This is only a demo, but the idea here is for a game where numbers matter. You'll often be put against stronger enemies, so you have to work out how to best lure them into traps. This is a simple one of course, but good enough for a demo, probably ready to beta test.
The girl would of course notice Dresden avoiding her eyes, but with little more to go on its not too important. She gives him a sly grin before remarking
jacket girl: You know, I hate liars. Most people do. I already told you you could tell me anything.
Its hard to tell whether she's bluffing or not, but the girl gives Dresden a wary sideways glance,
before looking back out into the expo
jacket girl: So then, what really happened to Amethyst? I know her a lot better than you do, she wouldn't just run off for no reason.
The girl raises her voice, as though trying to make sure anyone around could hear. Including,
of course, the blue-haired girl hiding not too far away from them.
Unfortunately for her that's about when Negona's marble collapses, leaving Amethyst collapsed on the floor, her legs injured, but still functional. Negona would be able to see the jacket-wearing girl talking to Dresden, though she missed the conversation so far. Amethyst doesn't seem to be moving.
Senri finds the doujin region of the Expo, and starts scouting around. Perhaps she could find some yuri of a certain magical girl anime, or a certain one about a rabbit cafe... She remained quiet as well as everyone else, but she didn't have much of a sense of shame. Senri was more open-minded than the typical Japanese, so naturally.
Senri spotted a salesartist selling a fluffy doujin of an an anime she liked. She blushed, thinking of those two in a romantic situation and went to approach... That's when the small blonde girl caught her eye.
She was cute. Really cute. This was like a scene out of some cheesy visual novel... Alas, commitment. But a ring on her finger... Surely, someone that young isn't married? that wouldn't be very cool. She probably shouldn't, but she was too curious about the girl at this point.
She approached the girl gently, keeping a distance from her in case she was the shy type. Atleast close enough to where it would be clear to distinguish her from the crowd.
Oi. Do you like this series? I can buy a copy for both of us. On me!
Senri tried to be friendly as she gestured toward the doujin she was scouting earlier. At any rate, she probably shouldn't wander this kind of place alone. Too many weirdos.
Negona would immediately glance at the girls, attempting to sense if they had similar magic to Amethyst before speaking
Ah, Hello there.
Perfect timing, we have just finished a very enlightening sparring session.
You two both seem to have similar magics to her.
She gestures to Amethyst
Tell me, for I am curious, where did you acquire this gemstone that gives you your magic?
She looks at both the blue haired girl and the jacket girl, directing her words to both of them, a calm smile on her face
Jiyu looks down at the simple game demo on the computer, inspecting it. It kind of reminds him of a familiar game that he has played before but slightly different.
"Hmm, by my game knowledge I'm gonna guess that the blue guys are good and the red guys are bad. Or is it like that one online shooter with the hats where it's vice versa?"
Shrugging, Jiyu moves the three blue units towards the red units.
"Like I said, she had some things to settle with somebody kid. Which is to say a fight, I thought that was implied? If not, forgive me for assuming you could figure out things without em being spoon-fed to you."
He can't help from being sarcastic and snide at this point, the kid's grinding his gears all the wrong ways and it's gotten beyond the level of just being nice about it. Does she want to see his damn eyes? No, that's just now how things are done frankly.
"Harry Dresden, Wizard. And unless you feel like showing me whatever's lurking in your damn soul I suggest not looking into my eyes kid, not to say that I really want to know what's in there either but well, fair warning you won't really enjoy what you find."
He'd then turn to the two who returned, he isn't exactly shocked to see that Negona seems to have won-ish. That one strikes him as somebody dangerous, likely to violate the Laws of Magic even. But he's not Morgan, and he won't start shooting without proof.
"Welcome back by the way, hope you kids had fun with your little match."
Hm?
The blonde girl swiftly turns around to face Senri, scratching the back of her head. The blonde girl gives her a childish grin before coming a bit closer to look at the doujin Senri pointed out
blonde girls: I... You don't need to go that far. I was just... Trying to see what this place was about and I got a lot of weird looks. At least you're friendly.
The girl huffs, glaring in the direction of a seemingly random person. Whatever their interaction, its clear the blonde isn't fond of them.
The developer nods, and his three units advance towards the reds, forming a sort of triangle. Similarly, the red units advance towards his, careful to stay directly next to each other as they do so. You could just barely reach the other group in the next turn.
dev: Alright, here's where things get interesting. If you look at their stats, the opponent has more attack and health than you. In addition, whenever an attack is initiated, the opponent gets to counter if they manage to survive it. However, if multiple units are around one, they can attack together. This can help you take out your opponents before they can retaliate.
Negona's little scan shows a girl whose power is almost exactly like Amethyst's hiding behind a nearby pillar, probably only some twenty or thirty feet away. The blue-haired girl nervously shifts, trying to find a better place to remain hidden. As for the jacket-wearing girl, her energy would feel notably different from either of the others, more intense, and flowing throughout her body as well as in the ring, almost as if it doesn't know where it should be exactly.
The jacket-wearing girl seems satisfied with the answer, it was really a just in case. She had kinda hoped to get whatever he was trying to hide, even if it meant suggesting something far worse. At first she thought she might have hit the mark by accident, only to realize that Negona and Amethyst were back in the area. Nothing for it now I guess. Still, the girl's eyes light up when Negona mentions "you two"
jacket girl: And what exactly do you mean by that? Trust me, that old guy and I have nothing in common. We were just having a friendly little chat and all. Would have been better if you waited a few minutes.
The girl casually leans back a little, both hands behind her head. She doesn't seem to care much about what happened to Amethyst, at least not until the girl starts to stir
It was informative. However it would seem she's the type to punch first and think later, easily provoked, and Ill suited for making tactical decisions during combat.
However, I have learned some key facts.
The Magick stems from the Gemstone, and it was given to them by someone else. Likely non-human, and therefore they do not seem to fully understand their own magic.
Therefore must find the giver to learn more.
And judging by the reaction to antimagic, along with the difference between the two, and this jacketed girl, I assume that the gem houses not only magic, but their souls as well, seeing as how my antimagic has cut this girls soul away from her body temporarily.
Listening to the jacketed girl, Negona points at the pillar the blue haired girl is hiding behind
I mean the girl with a similar power to her's, hiding behind that pillar.
Now then, I believe that I asked you a question about the acquisition of your magic?
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
"Alright, let's try this out. Actually..."
Jiyu moves one unit towards the enemy and ends his turn. What could he be planning?
No problem. If anyone gives you trouble, tell me and I'll kick their ass.
Senri flashes a confident wink to the girl.
I guess you're from overseas? it can be tough alone in that circumstance. Do you wanna walk together? we can share works and recommend stuff we haven't seen before.
Dresden just utters a curse under his breath upon hearing the girl speak so bluntly about their souls being in these gems. He didn't really know if the kids were aware, and he's almost sure that they didn't want people finding out about it.
"You didn't have to go and say anything about the souls, I was keeping it under wraps for a reason ya know."
As for the girl behind the pillar, Dresden would turn to look there as surprise crosses over his face. There's a convincing reaction as the man feigns surprise, only someone pretty damn skilled in reading a person would realize that he is not in fact shocked to hear this.
"And geez, what are you doing back there? Anyway, name's Harry Dresden and I'm pretty sure nobody here bites yeah? Come on out."
There's another message hidden in those words, one that hopefully only the kid with blue hair would understand... Finally, he turns to Negona and gives the woman an annoyed look. He's getting just a bit tired of this knowledge chaser.
"Anyway, maybe you've pushed at people trying to get info enough for tonight Negona? I get that you want to learn, but there's something to be said for having a bit of tact don't you think? I know a spirit of knowledge who's less pushy about learning things than you.'"
The blonde girl laughs nervously, she's most certainly not new to the place, that much is for certain. The girl smiles back at Senri, taking a few deep breaths before replying
A... Actually I do come from around here... Its just... My parents aren't home that often, so I've been sneaking out to stuff like this. Still...
The blonde girl glances around momentarily, almost as though searching for someone. She doesn't seem to find anything, and so she looks back up at Senri
I guess I can go with you for a little bit. I... Haven't gotten out of the house much until recently so I'm still new to a lot of things
pushing his unit a little closer to the enemy, on their turn the two opponents split up. One moving directly above Jiyu's lone unit, and waiting. The other, moves directly below Jiyu's unit, before both units turn to the lone one, and fire, destroying it instantly
dev: As you can see, surrounding a unit provides a bit more of a bonus, hard to protect yourself from both sides after all.
The jacket-wearing girl hardly seems to have cared about the whole soul bit, she simply shrugs it off, not entirely true for her, not anymore at least.
On the other hand, Amethyst, having regained consciousness to "You didn't have to go and say anything about the souls", quickly gets back on her feet. The girl takes a deep breath, looking down at her hands... Ok... That was new... That was very weird, and new. Calming herself down, Amethyst looks over to Emerald and scoffs
Amethyst: Don't believe a word these nutjobs say. They're the kinda people I was warnin' ya about. In fact, you should be thankful I was around to keep her from getting in.
Amethyst's comment forces the jacket-wearing girl to tear her eyes away from the pillar, looking back to Amethyst instead. The girl runs over to Amethyst, now that she's fully conscious, and looks at her injured legs
jacket girl: Don't you think you're overdoing it a little? You promised you weren't going to fight anyone.
Amethyst: You'd rather I let a nutjob poke around in there with Argent and Sapphire?
Speaking of the blue-haired girl. Unfortunately the author here doesn't get the message, so I seriously doubt she would. Regardless, her cover blown and Harry in agreement, Sapphire steps out from behind the pillar, trembling slightly. The blue-haired girl doesn't say a word, in fact she seems to be trying to sneak over towards Harry
"Thanks for the tip."
With a confident smrik, Jiyu moves both of his units up and uses both of them to attack one of the enemies. Even though he made a bad decision, he's stil determined to at least K.O. one of the enemies.
On the contrary, I believe I have been rather polite in my questioning. Especially considering the amount of resistance I have been presented.
Unless there is some context I am missing, but that is irrelevant to my mission.
I only wish for the answers to my questions.
And when you have a goal, and there are obstacles preventing you from attaining your goal, doesn't everyone become "pushy"? After all, if you never push, you'll simply never reach your goal.
Upon being ignored a third time, Negona would begin to glow again, the magic in the air almost building up as she snaps her fingers, magical Vines appearing to bind the jacketed girl
Excuse me.
I believe I asked you a question.
I was even generous enough to give you some information in return.
I do not take well to having my information stolen by rock-minded fools.
I have been polite in my inquisition. But refusal to co-operate will result in me taking less than moral action to obtain my answers.
You would do well to not bring about my ire.
Her voice and expression darkens as she speaks, the words themselves imparting the feeling of danger
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
Well, Negona is good at making friends isn't she? Not that she would seem to care... And wonderful, the kid's inching toward him, seems she didn't realize that he was trying to hint at how it'd be best if she acts like she's never met him before. Geez, what else could that intro have meant? Either way... And suddenly little miss knowledge obsessed pulls out a damn magic spell.
"Kid. I suggest putting the spells down real fast before this goes any further, you aren't doing anything to show me that you're not a danger to everyone around you and dealing with people who use Magic the wrong way is kinda my job... Now, I really don't want anything to have to happen here ya know? But pushing people around isn't fine with me."
Magic flows through the air as Harry speaks, and there's a chill wind suddenly blowing despite the fact that they're indoors. If Negona were searching still, she might notice the fact that the magic around him has taken on an air of ice around itself at this point.
"I'm not exactly too keen on throwing down in front of people didn't I say that? But if you want to take "Less than moral action" in front of me? Yeah, I'll have to do something about that lady. I don't know what kind of teachers you had in Magic, but mine always taught me to ya know, do the right thing?"
Is that so? sorry about that. I kinda used to be a shut in too, so I get it. You got a friend in me now atleast, so, I can break you out anytime.
Senri chuckles, having fun with the younger girl. She seems like she's enjoying herself more than before with this small girl by her side. She notices her looking around and raises a last in curiosity.
Are you looking for anything in particular?
The girl blushes a little, before shaking her head
N.. No. I had a few friends I came here with. We split up in the convention, but its been a little while so I'm starting to....
That's when the girl notices a commotion near the front entrance, they look that way for a moment, but ultimately shake their head. Hopefully its nothing important.
A... Anyways.. Its fine. Couldn't have really gone anywhere anyways.
sure enough, Jiyu's own flanking maneuver is able to take out the upper opponent without too much trouble. Unfortunately, this leaves the bottom one with a free shot, leaving Jiyu and his opponent at 1 and 1
Naturally, all three of the girls take note of Negona's.... Temper. the jacket girl glances around, before starting to remove her ring. They were asking where we got these after all, if it comes to a fight, it'll come to a fight.
Frustrated, Amethyst huffs, striking out where some of the vines would connect to the floor before shouting
Amethyst: Have you heard about a little thing called subtlety? We got it from a white rat named Kyubey. You'll know him if you see him. Now will you please buzz off?
The blue-haired girl recoils, before taking a deep breath, it would be a shame for a fight to break out here, but regardless, especially with.... "her friend" in danger, she needs to do something, so the blue-haired girl immediately runs towards the jacket-wearing girl
blue-hair: H... Hey, let go of her
The jacket-wearing girl smiles at the thought, of course they'd be concerned... But unfortunately now's a bad time. But that's fine. She can be patient. Instead, the girl tries to get out of the vines
jacket: Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.
Don't say that; you can go anywhere you want! you're your own person. You can go anywhere you want. All you need is to just do it. You just need the strength to do so. Come on, now where do ya wanna go?
Senri smiles, holding Risako's hand to encourage her. This girl reminds her of herself when she was younger and weaker... She hoped to help her.
...............
Not as detailed as I would usually accept, however....
With a pleased expression, she releases the vines before Amethyst hits them and her magic calms down
This is not yet worth making an enemy over.
I apologize for pushing boundaries, perhaps I am being hasty in the eyes of a human.
I shall rethink my method of dealing with these liches.
I shall take my leave from you four as of now and rethink my methodology.
Thank you for your patience.
If you happen to find a woman who uses my name, I would ask that you invoke the name "Scivolemo".
Half of myself is missing, likely that is the location of my patience.
Now then, on to continue my original mission and observe this "convention".
She would give them all a bow and walk off towards the convention, expanding her sense radius towards the building, seeking any others with the same magic Gemstones
"I need some serious luck on my side to win this..."
Jiyu attacks the last opponent with his last unit, hoping for the best to happen.
Harry just sighs in relief as the cold wind flowing through the building dies down.
"Glad to hear that, I really didn't want to make any new foes tonight either so this works out best for all of us! Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cat to feed so goodbye everyone."
With that the would walk off to the nearest doorway, only rather than entering it like a sane person he holds his hands over it and makes a motion as if he's pulling across the thing while uttering a word.
"Aparturum."
A glowing gateway takes form in the doorway for a moment and Harry walks through, as soon as the Wizard vanishes any trace of his portal would be gone as well. With that, he's had quite enough for one day.
It occurs to the blonde girl that she might be giving off the wrong idea now. Nervously, she slips her hand away from Senri's and laughs
No no... Its nothing like that. Really, I'm fine now... It just.... Used to be harder for me....
The girl pauses for a moment... She never actually thought she'd end up explaining her past to someone, was kinda trying to forget it herself in a way.. And even if she did, how? Regardless, the girl tries her best
A... I actually was blind most of my life... Its only through a.... Bit of a miracle that I've been able to come out on my own, and finally understand what it is I've been missing.
With that... Over with, however well she may have done, the girl would put both hands behind her back, shifting her weight between her legs
A... Anyways, I've already made some good friends. So its not that I really need anything... I just... Well, I'm still adjusting a bit I guess.
thanks to everyone leaving the front, I have an excuse to not describe this. Yay. Anyways, Negona enters the hall and scans it, finding only three more magic signatures that point out. Two of them are near each other in the manga section, the smaller of which somewhat resembles the girls outside.
As for Jiyu, his unit charges the final enemy, blasting into it and taking out roughly half of their health. Unfortunately, this leaves his unit open to a counterattack, his opponent automatically taking out Jiyu's weaker one. The developer pats Jiyu on the back, as though trying to reassure him with a smile
Dev: As you can see, the first strike can mean a lot in this game, but I'm sure you'll get them another time. UNfortunately it looks like we might be closing the place soon.
Negona would make her way to the smaller signature returning, to acting like the child her appearance suggests
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
Senri listens to the girls story. Her expression becomes sympathetic... She's been through a lot,
but being blind, never seeing anything, it's foreign to her. She would feel bad for comparing or trying to understand... Instead, she just nods and smiles.
The world is, well, it's not all beautiful... There's good and bad things. But, the beautiful things in life are worth living for. Atleast, that's what I think. Once you find something to live for, life becomes that much better.
Senri smiles. She never thought she'd get into this kinda conversation upon coming here... She looks down at the girl with a smile.
I'm Senri. Senri Suzuko... But we're friends now, so you don't have to use my family name. and, do you wanna sit down? I'm sure it'd be more comfortable than standing awkwardly like this, atleast.
Jiyu turns to the game developer with a small smile.
"That game was fun. I'm looking forward to it's release. Also, you mentioned that this place is closing soon? Because I was gonna leave after that game was over anyway."
The girl smiles back at Senri, nodding her head before cheerfully exclaiming
You can call me Risako, Kohiyo Risako. Glad to meet you Senri-san
Risako laughs a little, before scratching the back of her head.
Now that you mention it, I have been walking around for a while, I guess it would be nice to sit down somewhere. D... Did you have anything in mind?
Before too long Negona would come across the pair, seeing both Senri and the blonde girl in lively conversation, passerby giving them a moderate berth as they continue on their business
Hmm....
Negona waits, considering the best way to approach the situation before acting
<Ĉarmo>
Upon casting this spell upon herself, anyone who she speaks with would find her much more likable, even to the point of divulging information they would normally only tell to friends. A simple, but effective Charm spell
Umm~
Excuse me?
She would walk up to the two, curiosity on her face, voice high like a child's
Umm..... do either of you have.... uhh.....
She looks around, before leaning in closely, whispering
A magic ring thingy?
A monkey in a coat and hat and glasses walks into the building looking around hiding a pack of cigars and a handgun
"Fish sticks"
(edited by Spykey)
Then, I'll call you Risako-chan, if that's fine with you!
Senri smiled and patted Risako on the head. She was too cute not to pat atleast once.
Come on, the food court should still be open. I'll treat you to anything you want, damn the expense~
It was then that the duo was approached by Negona. Was this a cosplayer? Or another Nexus antic? Regardless, she stood slightly ahead of Risako protectively, holding her hand.
The Charm spell... Had some effect. Senri smirked.
Why hello there, cute stuff~ is that outfit something you made? It's quite dashing. I cannot sew, unfortunately.
As Negona leans in, Senri blushes a bit. She's taken aback, but maintains her expression. This girl was cute, but she wanted something for sure.
Senri recalled the ring on Risako's finger, but, surely that's not magic. Right? This might be just a chuunibyo.
Hmmm? Magic ring? Maybe you'd be best checking out the Last Fantasy convention down the way. There's a lot of rings around, you know? And not many are magic.
Senri felt herself being emotionally twisted in some way... What is this? Her training and high charisma allowed her to atleast dance around the question. She didn't want Risako-chan to be in danger, on the chance that that was indeed it.
"Ya know what I GOT A SPEACH FOR YA FUCKERS!"
The monkey shows his gun and fires it off
"Freeze bitch!"
A Momkey rolls into the expo and aims his pistol at the Spykey.
An AK-47 is whipped out and shooting the momkey
Risako blushes a little, recoiling from the head pat. The girl blinks for a moment, before Negona catches her attention, Risako leans closer to hear, as well as a convenient excuse not to get too close to Senri, before stepping back and stuttering
T... That's a weirdly specific question... Bu....
Risako was about to say more when she accidentally bumps into Senri, reminding herself of the other girl's presence. Negona seemed friendly but... Wait, didn't Amethyst say something about... Risako remains silent for a moment, finally realizing she gave out her actual name.... Hopefully that won't come back, but.... She can't really say anything in front of someone she's just met.
Instead, Risako tries to put her left hand, upon which her silver ring rests, in a pocket, only to realize her dress doesn't have any. After that, Risako steps to the side, trying to hide her hand behind her back, noticably flustered
I... I don't know what you're talking about. A... A... Are you ok?
With a press of a button, the Momkey's pistol instantly changes into a yellow lightsaber. A second later, he would cut all of the incoming bullets in half with it.
"Your bullets are fucking weak!"
A giant monkey mech appears from the sky and pulls out a lightsaber wearing a cape and smoking a banana
Using the force, along with the power of god, Momkey throws the mech out of the building heading to god knows where.
(edited by Police_Momkey)
"CECIL YOU WILL DIE!"
N-no.....
I mean..... magic rings like the girls outside have.
They said something about a..... Q B?
I..... i gotta find this Q B thingy.... or.....
She clutches her staff lightly with both hands, shrinking herself back and putting on a worried face
"He'll" get mad......
And it's..... scary.... when he's mad......
She begins to tear up lightly, looking down at the ground
P-please help me?
(edited by Sakura_Negona)
A detective wearing a brown fedora as well as a light tan suit and tie walks into the room. "LAPD," As soon as he says that, he flashes his badge. "we heard there was a Gundam trafficking ring here, you know anything about this?"
"my work here is done. i'm out bitches!"
Adjusting his sunglasses, the Momkey summons his unicycle, hops on it, and yeets the fuck out of the building.
(edited by Police_Momkey)
Q...B?
Senri's expression twists into a concerned one. Was this QB some kind of authoritative figure blackmailing her?
Senri looks to Risako and how nervous she is. And also that she's hiding her hand... Regardless of implications, it's clear Risako may be in danger. She looks back to the girl.
Tell me, miss; who is "he"? If someone is hurting you, I think I know someone who can help... And if I find this ring you're looking for, I'll be sure to let you know.
Senri slyly moved her hand and crossed her fingers for Risako to see.
Risako shifts a bit, certain to keep her hands behind her back, if there's anything she can do to help out, that would be great... And supposedly this girl had talked to Amethyst out front... Well... Probably. She might have meant another girl. So it should be ok, right? She's about to open her mouth when Senri catches her attention again. Risako takes a deep breath
Um... I... I think I might have heard about this... "Q B".. Thing. But... I couldn't tell you where they'd be. T... They just seem to go wherever they want... S... Sorry I can't help more.
The whole situation feels a little weird to her, between these two nice people she's just met, rather than focus on one or the other, Risako decides to keep some distance from both of them
..................
I-i can't say....
He'll know..... he always does....
And then..... then......
Her little body shakes as tears fall front her eyes
W-will you see it again?
If.... if you do.... can you do something for m-me?
She reaches in her pocket and holds out a small nut
If... you see it again...
Can you throw this..... on the ground?
I'll.... I'll hide... until then....
Maybe.... he won't find me......
Risako looks up at Negona again, eyes starting to water, before bringing her right hand out from behind her back in order to accept the nut
I... I guess I can. Y... Are you sure you'll be ok?
Risako tilts her head a little, as though trying to read Negona, but ultimately doesn't seem to find anything
Senri noticed Risako backing off and looked concerned. Did she do something wrong? This situation was becoming awkward... She didn't want Risako to be scared of her, or let this girl be abused by some prick.
She looks to Negona with a stern expression.
I just need a name. I can take care of this person... You don't have to worry about them anymore... Let us help you.
Senri examines the but in Risako's hand in contemplation from a distance.
Is this a smokebomb? Surely it isn't an ordinary nut... all you have to do is tell me who I'm looking for, and this won't be a problem.
(edited by Senri_Suzuko)
Negona seems intimidated by senri's expression
I-i-I can't! H-h-he'll know......
I'll be fine..... J-just.....
She perks up, almost as if she heard something that frightens her
I-I have to go now!
He'll come after me.......
I-I'm sorry!
Picking up her staff, she runs off into the crowd
W-Wait!
Senri's first instinct is to run after her, but she first looks at Risako. She couldn't tell who needed her more right now...
Risako-chan... I saw that ring you're wearing... Is someone after you? you can tell me. I won't sell you out. I know you haven't known me for that long, but I want to understand. I want to help you.
Risako starts to go after Negona, only to stop when she hears Senri. Someone after her? She doesn't see any reason why, but then again... She'd always been warned against people, maybe there's a reason for it? A chill runs down the young girl's spine
I.... I don't think so... A.... At least... No one ever said anything about it... But....
before she can say more, another girl around her age emerges from the crowd, wearing a simple short-sleeved t-shirt that matches her light blue hair. She immediately approaches the pair and reaches out for Risako's hand
blue-hair: There you are, we've been looking for you all over... We should get going. You... You've missed a lot.
Senri was suspicious. It was probably just her friend, but she had to make sure... It seemed that something odd was going on at this years Expo.
Risako-chan... This is your friend, right? you trust them?
Senri looked Risako in the eyes, her blue eyes looking directly into hers. Senri should be able to tell the honesty in her expression, even if she was wrapped up in something dangerous.
Risako nods excitedly, apparently eager enough to share about them
Risako: This is my friend, Tsu-
The blue-haired girl doesn't let Risako get any further before covering her mouth witha sigh
blue-hair: Stop that. You know we're not supposed to give out our real names... Actually, how did she....
The blue-haired girl glares at Senri for a moment, as though trying to figure something out, letting go of Risako in the meantime, while Risako shifts nervously between her legs, both hands hidden behind her back. The blue-haired girl sighs
blue-hair: Its a good thing Amethyst isn't here, she'd probably flip out. As for you miss. You can call me Sapphire. And this isn't Risako, she's Argent. Its just a bit of a safety thing...
The blue-haired girl looks around behind her, as though looking for someone, but ultimately doesn't seem to find anything
Senri listens intently, nodding her head. She didn't really like the way the girl touched Risako like that, but as long as she didn't hurt her, she'd let it pass for now.
I see. Sapphire-chan? well met.
Senri bows lightly.
I am Senri Suzuko. I was showing Risako-chan a lovely time around the Expo, as she seemed lonely. If it's fine, Risako-chan is still Risako-chan to me; though if she objects, I understand.
I can tell you guys have some secrets. We all have our little secrets, don't we...?
Senri smiled, but to a keen eye there was something... odd behind it. Like those words carried more weight than just a phrase. She didn't seem to have any ill will though.
Sapphire takes a deep breath, apparently somewhat relieved, the girl looks back at Senri... The person Risako was with, but with how nervous the other girl usually is its probably fine. So Sapphire bows in return
Sapphire: Pleasure to meat you Suzuko-san.... I... Well, I can't really stop you just...
Now that she's forced to actually deal with another person outside of her friends, Sapphire begins trailing off a bit, Risako opens one of her eyes, glad she's not in trouble, at least not yet. Noticing her friend's plight, the girl tugs on Sapphire's arm
Risako: A... Anyways, wasn't there something you needed to tell me.
Saved from her stumbling, Sapphire, nods and grabs Risako's arm
Sapphire: Yeah, its time for us to go now, convention's starting to wind down anyways. We're supposed to meet Emerald and Amethyst out front so we can go together.
With that, Risako smiles and waves to Senri as she's dragged off towards the front
Risako: T.. Thanks Senri-san. I hope to see you again some time, farewell!!!
Senri smiled and waves the girls off.
Later, Risako-chan, Sapphire-chan!
What peculiar girls, Senri thought. She wondered if she'd ever see those two again... Perhaps she'd keep an eye on Risako as she's "working", if possible.
It's getting late. Senri decides to head back home and see if Mona is back from his trip. She had quite the souvenir story for him.