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[h3][b][color=DAA520]Camelot[/color][/b][/h3][/center]

Before Camelot's eyes, Wilhelmina seemed to shake herself from whatever funk Ethereal Rose's onslaught of words her visited upon her, before she lunged forward and stole a quick hug from the knight. In all honestly, with the shorter girl's presently human strength, Camelot couldn't even feel the pressure of it beyond the most minute acknowledgement that something was touching her. Nonetheless, she did her best to allow some give on her end to reciprocate the gesture, carefully patting the younger blonde on the back, before the latter pulled away. At her assertion of greetings, Camelot couldn't help a wry smile, [color=DAA520]"I could have sworn we'd spoken just this morning, but in all honesty, it [i]has[/i] been a long day... night... [i]whatever[/i]."[/color] She shrugged.

Mina's denial of Camelot's offer of transport and subsequent endorsement of her to Ethereal Rose elicited a nod and small chuckle. [color=DAA520]"Well, if that's all it is, just make sure you stay with the group, I suppose. Safety in numbers and all that. I'll be running overwatch from the rooftops. If there's trouble, I'll be able to jump in. It should be safe for the rest of you to detransform then on the way back to Marrywell. I'll wait to do so myself till everyone's safe. You never know what could happen this late..."[/color] She glanced at the horizon, where the sky was beginning to lighten. [color=DAA520]"Or early, I suppose."[/color]

Shaking her head with a small laugh at Ethereal Rose's own offer to carry [i]her[/i], she smirked. [color=DAA520]"I [i]quite[/i] assure you, Ethereal Rose, I'm probably one of the least in need of such aid, considering I didn't get the opportunity to put even half as much effort as my comrades into eliminating the enemy tonight."[/color] Glancing up at the... [i]thing[/i] looming above their heads, she smirked impishly. Despite the Beast's appearance, she was experienced with monstrosities that go bump in the night and thus... [i]relatively[/i] unbothered, aside from a gut cautioning feeling and small headache if she stared directly at him/it for too long, but even then, the warmth of her Scabbard's healing seemed to mitigate whatever that strange effect was. She hadn't gotten the chance to see it fight much from such a distance as Big Ben, but she suspected that this was one Legend she wouldn't be best advised testing her strength against unless she had little choice in the matter. Her instincts seemed quite insistent on that. [color=DAA520]"You might be better off offering such aid to the others. Your big friend certainly has enough limbs for everyone!"[/color] She chuckled and then raised a brow at the rapid-fire self-excusal of her friend, missing some of what was said over the end of her own speech, as Wilhelmina... fled(?) towards the larger group. Camelot frowned at the rather uncharacteristic blow-off. Sure, Ethereal Rose was a bit [i]talkative[/i], but with Camelot there to deflect some of that energy, Wilhelmina should have no issues doing her usual socialite thing. So, what was [i]that[/i] all about?

[color=DAA520]"Must be extra tired today,"[/color] Camelot mused aloud in tentative conclusion, rubbing her chin with one hand. She turned back to Ethereal Rose. [color=DAA520]"Well, as I said, since I'm the only one here who didn't have to give their all duking it out, I've got energy to spare, and I'll be spending it keeping an eye out for any last-minute dangers that might pop out at the returning heroes. You're perfectly welcome to join me, but I imagine you must want to get acquainted with the rest of them."[/color] She grinned. [color=DAA520]"It'll mostly be a lot of boring, chilly waiting with me, while the others take a civilian pace. I can't imagine that dress -as gorgeous as it is- does a whole lot for you against the cold, even with the protection of your transformation. Civvy clothes might suit you better right now, but again,"[/color] she gave a final nod and turned away. [color=DAA520]"Offer's open."[/color]

Glancing around at the magically reconstituting construction site, Camelot found herself frowning at the distinct absence of the fox-eared Magical Girl in any capacity. Had her welcoming beckoning been ignored or just misread? Sighing, she leaped again to the rooftops and settled in for the expectation of a half-hour escort mission, fiddling with the strange gold coin all the while.

[hr]

In the end, Ethereal Rose did, in fact, accept her offer of companionship and conversation for the journey.

Thankfully, aside from a bracingly enthusiastic conversation, the journey proceeded without incident overall, and Camelot couldn't help but scoff at the sight of the sun rising -almost as if dramatically cued- from behind Marrywell Academy. Between the glorious castle-like appearance of the structure itself and the certain endorsement of Lumiere and the others during the journey itself, Camelot could only sigh in resignation at the conclusion that the newbie would be quite wholly taken with it all.

Leaping down to the gates in a final bound, Camelot also chose to ignore the strange feeling she'd always gotten from day one, the sense of abject security in passing through these gates, in living in this castle, as if this was the only natural thing to do. It was just a flipping school and [i]nothing[/i] more, appearances be damned, and any "Kingly" fantasies of ruling from it could fuck right off as usual.

Striding over to the group, Camelot braced for some of the usual questions and odd looks she tended to get from newbies, as she sighed and released her transformation. With a golden ripple, shower of azure motes and a feeling like stepping out of a warm body of water, the blue-eyed blonde Caucasian knight melted away into a Japanese Goth, no less tall but certainly less of an individual of abject gravitas. If she stood out for anything in particular in the sea of schoolgirls, it was her lack of a uniform. That was only natural; after all, it wasn't like she'd originally headed out for her Round Table feast an hour and change prior in flimsy, chilly school garb. What she wore outside of class hours was entirely her own business, and even during them, she wasn't about to wear a damned skirt.
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Grunting in discomfort at the renewed chill, Chinami Nadakai tucked the gold coin into the pocket of her jeans, tugged her leather jacket's collar a bit lighter around her neck and shoved her hands into its pockets, as she sidled up to the group and silently fell into step beside Wilhelmina, mostly tuning out the rapid apologies from her friend towards Olivia. Stepping into the rather ostentatious school grounds, Chinami barely managed to not roll her at the expressions of astonishment from the redheaded newbie; now that she'd actually heard her voice, however, it was quite easy to peg her for a Scott.

Funny how that "rough-and-tumble" Scottish stereotype was getting turned on its head by her overall so far, but then again, whether by coincidence or design, Grimoires tended to choose Magical Girls that would fall in line with the current Grand Ministry system. Alters were unusual on their own. Alters that were willing to walk the party line were rarer still. And those like Camelot and Stripes, normal Magical Girls with a bone to pick with the current system? They were the rarest type of all, in her experience, but they all existed nonetheless.

Point being, ironically, actual Magical Girls were where stereotypes went to die. Chinami had long since learned to not judge a book by its cover and to not be surprised by finding some hidden depth of her fellows. They were not idealized heroes. They were just people, a bunch of girls imbued with extraordinary power, and they had all the faults and shortcomings any other person would. It just so happened that Grimoires liked picking people that overall thought... a certain way. And unfortunately, the Ministry seemed to make assumptions about how they could operate based on that stereotype.

Frankly, Chinami could only assume that the only reason she was chosen, despite her general reluctance, was that she was somehow [i]just that compatible[/i]. Between her martial talent and refusal to walk any path of justice but her own, the Grimoire had apparently seen something in her, and she wasn't really sure how she felt about that. Flattered? Unnerved? Apparently, the damned thing thought she'd make a worthy successor to Arthur's legacy, but that was not particularly a legacy she wanted to inherit. Helping people and making their lives better was more than enough; she didn't need or want the responsibilities going all the way would entail.

Speaking of expectations and the refusal to meet them...

Chinami was rather glad she was walking at the front of the group. It meant that the newbies were unable to see when she, without significantly altering her pace, casually stepped slightly in front of Wilhelmina and glowered witheringly at several schoolgirls, who were sending unkind looks the Alter's way. Chinami made no secret of their friendship, nor her favor and support of all the other Alters that wandered the Academy's halls for that matter, and she certainly made no effort to hide her intolerance for the discrimination they faced.

Chinami couldn't possibly care less what reasoning any one person might have or the context for their beliefs. Whether it was because of rumors or of unease with the commonly warped mindsets of such Magical Girls. Whether it was because of the reputation of a couple bad apples that were genuinely villainous instead of just opposed to the structure of the Grand Ministry. Whether it was because of the ominous unknown that was the source of such warped powers or simple elitism and prejudice towards those with "imperfect" legends. Hell, even when it was merely jealousy because some little wannabe queen bee couldn't get in good with the new "King Arthur", who chose Alters over everyone else.

Chinami didn't care. All that mattered was that those petty little shits couldn't look past completely irrelevant aspects and treat the innocent girls, who didn't choose this life to begin with, with dignity and respect. Frankly, even [i]Wilhelmina[/i], the girl who basically won the Alter Grimoire lottery in the form of a [i]better ending[/i], who had both a genuinely good heart and not a whit of mental influence that could be seen from her Altered Legend... That even [i]she[/i] got as much disdain as she did meant there was something seriously [i]wrong[/i] here.

Granted, a fair portion of it was probably the aforementioned "Mean Girls" (because, really, not even Magical Girls were free of them in a school setting) being jealous of Mina taking Chinami's loyalty and thus unintentionally forming quite the social power block in combination with other Alters... and anyone else Chinami decided to take a liking to, but that was hardly the point. Not all the disdain she got was from that alone.

And speaking of [i]other[/i] people who were disinclined to meet expectations...

A familiar redhead that fled with GREAT JUSTICE from the shackles of bureaucracy was making quite the ruckus, as the group made their way closer to the Academy's main building. Rushing past the group with a jaunty wave and comment, before swan diving into a bush, Charlotte made quite the spectacle of herself. With one arm, Chinami gently guided Wilhelmina to the side, as she sidestepped the recklessly chasing Academy officials, whose disgraceful disregard for anything but catching their target saw them bull over a small Japanese-looking girl.

A wonderful first impression on the part of the Academy staff. Truly.

Chinami sighed aloud at the redheaded newbie's understandable question and Lucette's thinly veiled verbal poke at Chinami, herself, by way of her answer, not that she expected most anyone else to pick up on that through the French girl's outward congeniality. It was all about wording and context, and it wasn't like the two of them exactly broadcasted their little rift to all and sundry.

Elaborating on Lucette's statement, Chinami spoke up for the benefit of all the present newbies, [color=DAA520]"Magical Girls draw their power from fairy tales, legends and myths of old; Grimoires, we call them."[/color] She reached into her black jacket and slipped a small leather-bound purple and gold book from an inner pocket, the words "Le Morte d'Arthur" writ across the front cover. [color=DAA520]"Basically, think of a Grimoire like a sort of... semi-sentient magical item. They search for a proper wielder, call out to them, and them imbue them with power. They won't work for just anyone. As far as others are concerned, they might as well be any old copy of the regular book."[/color]

Returning the Grimoire to her pocket, she smirked wryly over the commotion raised by the Academy staff. [color=DAA520]"Ozma, otherwise known as "The Crimson Comet" has been around for a [i]while[/i], long enough that no one really knows where she came from or even what she actually [i]does[/i]. What I [i]can[/i] say is that she's practically advertised as the "ideal Magical Girl" 'round these parts... on paper at least; everyone eventually finds their own niche."[/color] Chinami shrugged. [color=DAA520]"As a Magical Girl, you'd have to basically live under a rock to not know who Ozma is. Honestly, between her and Miss 'Angel with a Laser' over there, it's hard to say whose been around longer, and really? That's how it's best left. The Wizard of Oz's [i]whole thing[/i] is being mysterious, so I'd recommend just letting Charlotte have her fun and enjoying the benefits."[/color] Chinami grinned conspiratorially.

After all, Ozma's powers might literally depend on it.

If Chinami was a betting woman, she'd put good money on Ozma's abilities being memetic in nature, based around either how little others knew about her and/or how much she could [i]convince[/i] people they knew about her. It would be exactly the sort of thing to be in line with how the original Wizard of Oz functioned. His magic worked as long as you [i]believed[/i] it worked. It was that simple. The best thing for everyone involved was continuing to support and promote the mystery. There was no sense or good will in possibly screwing over a comrade just to satisfy her own curiosity. And by this point in time, the rumors around Charlotte ran so wild that if her powers really [i]were[/i] memetic in nature? Well, Fable or not, she could probably make a Mythic Grimoire do a spit-take and call bullshit.

Of course, it was perfectly possibly that Chinami was massively high balling her expectations, but in general, she wouldn't be surprised if her absurd speculation was actually correct.

Chinami mostly tuned out the rest of Lucette's platitudes and reassurances towards the group, before the diminutive snowy-haired girl excused herself and bustled away. In all honesty, she would never really get used to the strangeness of someone that looked 15 speaking like they were older than her... and somehow deserved her respect. And sure, as a veteran of the eternal war with the Pageless and just generally elder individual, she was perhaps entitled to [i]some[/i] level of consideration, but... It was a subtle thing, perhaps even just Chinami's own biases coloring her perceptions towards someone so obviously close to the Grand Ministry's higher ups, but from day one, she had never managed to perceive Lucette's words as anything but almost... condescending.

And again, were she with someone she could truly trust, Chinami would be plenty willing to admit her own bias, but this was seemingly more than a gut feeling of her own making. Even her Grimoire-born instincts of a Knight and King seemed to be twigged. It was just this vague sense that something was [i]off[/i], but she could never quite point to anything in particular. At least early on.

But the more she spoke with her, reluctantly interacted with Lucette, the more that sense of unease grew, that sense of [i]disconnect[/i] grated at her. It was only when she discovered the Round Table and began feeding the homeless with it that a real rift was opened between them. It was only then when confronted and chastised for it, that Chinami realized the unease she'd been feeling was that of being under the gaze of someone who was inclined to numerically weigh lives.

That was the stark difference between them: a soldier vs a hero.

Chinami didn't want to say that Lucette had lost touch with the common man in her near century of existence, but she suspected that such a transition was well in progress. Where Lucette seemingly looked to the big picture, Chinami refused to forget the little guy, even if it cost her. She simply refused to abandon anyone. It was hard, inconvenient and inefficient, but that was what being a hero meant to her.

Broadly summarized, it was Lucette's seeming advocation for what could only be described as the "Greater Good" that Chinami refused to comply with. It was stupid when she read Harry Potter, and it was stupid now. Just like Dumbledore, Lucette may have had good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions and the path paved with them...

Just like it was morally atrocious to engage in anything close to the act of "Obliviation" for the sake of protecting... who exactly? The people? The Magical Girls? Or perhaps merely the Grand Ministry. Plainly speaking, even disregarding the evil inherent in mind control, Chinami firmly believed that the people, the commonfolk, [i]deserved to know[/i] what they were threatened by. They had the right to prepare, to know that the night was dangerous, to be able to exert some personal control over such a potentially lethal aspect of their lives. Magic knowledge belonged to everyone, not just the elite few; that was her stance.

Granted, there [i]was[/i] some nuance to be had in her perspective. The widespread knowledge of Magical Girls could potentially prompt governments to draft rather targeted legislation, so managing public opinion would be important to keep Magical Girls from becoming corporate or federal entities. But at the end of the day, the sheer anonymity, concentrated power and lack of oversight the Grand Ministry currently held was utterly unacceptable to an American like her, and living two years within their system while reaping the benefits still wasn't anywhere close to being able to change that stance.

The gaggle of Marrywell students seemed to have finally given up on locating Charlotte, and one of them even had the good grace to help up the Japanese girl they'd bowled over. Chinami listened silently and no less unnerved than any time she'd witnessed it before, as the Marrywell students presented orientation papers to what was apparently the [i]three[/i] brand new students among them.

It seemed that the Japanese girl they'd knocked over was... probably the fox girl?

Raising a single brow, Chinami leaned over to look at the papers, spotting only two names she'd not heard thus far.

Suzuya Kuzunoha, who with such a name was obviously the Japanese girl, would be roomed with Olivia.

And Nessie Burns... who'd be roomed with [i]Lucette[/i].

Chinami fought to keep a disdainful and resigned look from crossing her face, as she exhaled quietly and stepped away. Sure, when you read Harry Potter as a kid, it was magical and wonderful to have people mysteriously know who you were and prepared to accommodate you with a magical new life. But as an adult? It was extraordinarily [i]creepy[/i] and intrusive, [i]very much so[/i] for someone as private and independence-inclined as Chinami. Just... She hardly had words to describe just how badly such things rubbed her, and the Marrywell student's causal comment on the Grand Minister "seeing all" certainly didn't help [i]anything[/i].

Eventually, the logistical conversation wound down, and the Marrywell students rejoined the masses. Sighing, Chinami started a bit at the sudden presence of a hand on her shoulder and a jovial voice. Brows furrowing, Chinami resisted the urge to squirm at her personal space being invaded by the returning Charlotte. One of her hands twitched violently with the urge to brush the offending appendage off, but thankfully, Charlotte didn't linger for more than a moment longer.

Like anyone else, Chinami barely knew much beyond the surface about the relatively independent Magical Girl. Frankly, she and the redhead weren't friends, not according to her own perception anyway. At best, at a [i]stretch[/i], one might call them friendly acquaintances. But as with Lucette, Charlotte was very much a creature of the Grand Ministry, and as such, Chinami had no intention of getting any closer to her than she absolutely had to.

That aside, unlike Lucette, at least the two of them didn't clash when it came to priorities. So, while Charlotte may have been a bit too energetic for her tastes, Chinami had no issue humoring her for the most part so long as she didn't push her social boundaries too much.

Chinami pursed her lips lightly at the subtle dismissal from the Wizard of Oz's wielder, but she nodded amicably regardless.

This was all part of the orientation process after all, nothing she hadn't seen before or could particularly contribute positively to, and there was no sense cluttering things up unnecessarily. If there was anything Charlotte was well known for in particular around Marrywell, it was being at the forefront of introductions, the "Face of the Institution" as it were, despite not actually teaching there. And when she wasn't doing that, she was often out being the one to personally recruit new Magical Girls. Indeed, it was for these reasons of [i]sheer involvement[/i] in the initial impressions stage of every Magical Girl's journey that Chinami could safely say that you had to either live under a rock or be somehow (un)lucky enough to slip her attention to not know who the redhead was.

So, given that Charlotte would have things quite handled here, Chinami had no issues busying off to rest...

There was just one [i]itsy bitsy[/i] problem with that.

If she entered Magical Girl form at any point for even a small amount of time, the Scabbard would indiscriminately heal away her exhaustion in the course of removing all that physically ailed her.

In other words, her sleep schedule was, to put it plainly, absolutely [i]fucked[/i].

This wasn't to say that she didn't sleep regularly, [i]daily[/i] even, but it could be difficult to force herself to rest even six hours a day, especially after being made fresh as a daisy every dawn and dusk when she went to summon the Round Table. Regardless, it was something that she did her best to put up with, simply because sleeping, [i]resting[/i] was just plain mentally healthy. Sure, she had the [i]capacity[/i] to be a 24/7 hero, but destroying herself with mental stress wouldn't help anyone.

So, what the hell was she going to do for the next couple hours, while she was still so physically rested that it would basically be impossible to so much as nap? Video games? Catch up on some of her followed fanfics?

The [color=DAA520]solidus of the realm[/color] in her pocket made its presence known once more with the shift of her leg.

Nodding again to Charlotte and sending a brief two-fingered parting wave to the rest of the group -and a smile towards Mina and Olivia, Chinami strode away wordlessly.