[h2]Honda Ami[/h2]

The schoolgirl's frown deepened as she devoured the sushi. Not because the food was bad; in many regards it was perfectly acceptable, but because of the... unhelpfulness of Assassin's answer. "I know we need to find somewhere to stay, I was hoping you might have some idea of how to do it. We could just ask people, but that would put them in danger..."

That was one thing that had been emphasised well enough that it had driven her to take part in the war at all. Magi--and wasn't it strange that people like that could even exist? It was still hard to believe, even with one of the Shinsengumi attached to her person--apparently had no qualms about killing people to get what they wanted and she didn't want to introduce that sort of trouble to her family. In fact, since she'd been informed, Ami had been extremely reluctant to part from a weapon [i]just in case[/i], even for the length of a plane flight--though rationally, anyone wanting to get her there would have just shot down the plane.

For instance, with the sushi eaten, one hand was back around the sheathed sword.

[hr]

[h2]"Caster"[/h2]

There it was--a pull that she'd once or twice resisted to see what happened, keeping an eye on her Master. The results had been... less than pleasant. Nobody ever wanted to meet an older version of herself, [i]especially[/i] one apparently so thoughtless as to forget that their entire arrangement was for the sake of knowledge and the improvement of humanity. Kezia had no intention of going down [i]that[/i] route if she could help it.

But at least that alternate her [i]had[/i] been a Caster. Not that it had been good news for her Master...

She allowed the ritual to pull her along, guiding the exit location of the portal to a catacomb chamber she'd walked a thousand times. But a summoning had to [i]look[/i] impressive, and Kezia helped it along, slowing the rift's opening just a second longer to briefly show the backdrop of stars, doing nothing to suppress the [url=https://www.myinstants.com/instant/re-zero-whoaaayeeeaaayaaai/]eerie noise[/url] that her contract seemed to engender as a constant reminder...

And for her own part, it only took a small trick of magecraft to generate a cloud of voluminous smoke as Kezia herself passed through, sitting perched upon a broom, and looking once again at her Master's face. Alive. [i]Very much alive.[/i] And if she could do anything about it, she'd be keeping the short girl that way. There weren't going to be any mistakes this time.

"I guess that you can call me Caster, if you want."