"Yep, barriers are a pretty universal feature," Tokiko said, gesturing vaguely at the buildings around them as if to indicate all the magical girls out there. "Just about everyone has them, though there's some who don't know how to use them or just don't bother. How strong they are varies, though, depending on your other powers. For example, close-range types like you will usually have tougher shields." She scowled briefly. "And mine are so weak they're almost useless... though I make up for it with range and versatility."

She stopped to yawn, surprised at how tired she felt. [i]It's been a long day...[/i] But the Hex Night was only beginning. Forget other magical girls, she might die of exhaustion before this was all over.

"Anyhow, even if more concept-specific stuff can be tricky to figure out, a barrier is pretty simple. You just have to think about something you really want to protect, and [i]pop![/i] Barrier." She smiled. "Of course, the [i]hard[/i] part is knowing when to use them. Hiding behind a barrier for too long just drains your magical energy, and even the strongest ones will break if you give your opponent time to charge up a big attack. You want to do it like boxing, see, you want to have your guard up when the enemy attacks and then, [i]BAM![/i] You go right on the offensive and hit them super hard—"

She kept going, her skinny arms coming up and making vague boxing motions, punching the air. For a moment, all traces of her usual surly demeanor seemed to disappear, and she looked almost happy to be getting to explain all this stuff to someone who was actually interested.

Honami Tokiko, as it turned out, was not only experienced with all this magical girl stuff, but a bit of a geek about it as well.

[@VitaVitaAR]