[h2]Abigail Hood[/h2]

Elsewhere in Nerima, a large dog--presumably a Wolfhound, although it wasn't like many were around to identify the breed--sat patiently outside of a convenience store. A few minutes passed before its owner returned with a bag, the dog obediently falling in line as she started walking towards one of the ward's larger parks. The young woman was unusual for two reasons: one, being a physically distinctive foreigner, and two, being a magical girl who was [i]not[/i] already transformed.

Abigail had been earlier, for a short stint in looking for any new Shades that had made an appearance, but no anonymous costumed figure was really going to buy some sort of snack. Not that she was sure exactly [i]what[/i] it was... the packaging proclaimed bread of some sort, but it didn't look like bread? It was certainly coated in bread [i]crumbs[/i] but it seemed distinctly more fried. Unwrapping and taking a bite confirmed that, yes, this was definitely a fried product. Filled with the sweet, slightly unfamiliar Japanese curry. So, not bread by any normal reckoning, how was it called that?

It was still somewhat amusing, the idea of magical girls using a chat group--though, obviously, with so many of them around there had to be some sort of communication--but Abigail had quickly gotten used to it and quickly sent a message that she was planning to hunt down a shade that had escaped into Musashiseki Park a few days ago. It would help if whoever had last seen it was available to make sure it was identified, but...

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too hard to find her, loitering at a park entrance near people's homes was quite awkward. It [i]was[/i] only just down the road from Higashi-Fushimi station, though maybe staying there at the convenience store was a better idea. Too late to go back now.

Runaway Shades... maybe it was Abigail's prior experience biasing her, but too many of the magical girls she had met didn't regard hunting them down before they grew stronger with as much importance as stopping any new Shades that might be causing trouble. It could easily be a matter of perspective; back home, it was a lot more likely that the occasional Shade would give you the slip for several nights before it got pinned down. The countryside had lots of places to hide and far fewer shades overall, it wasn't surprising that more time was spent searching for them.

In a way, this park was a return to form. Even if it was mostly dominated by the pond and trees alongside carefully lined out paths, it was at least less [i]concrete[/i] filled than her usual fights.