The white-haired girl quietly stared back at Nico, wordlessly, as she spoke. She didn't respond immediately, looking down at her hands, for a moment, then back to the other girl.

Finally, she spoke. Her voice was soft, without much tone or inflection. It was either with little emotion, or simply emotionally dead. Given the situation, either could have been accurate.

"... Someone came to stop me?"

She didn't move from the building's edge, but she didn't step off of it either. At the very least, if she had been planning to jump, she hadn't done so yet.

"How did you know I was up here?" the girl questioned again, this time her voice carrying the slightest hint of insistence as she did. It was strange, if Nico were to pay attention she'd be able to discern that the shade-like feeling was coming from the exact spot the girl stood in. As if it was coming from the girl herself. "I didn't tell anyone. No-one's supposed to know yet."

She glanced off the edge of the building again. She was mostly expressionless, still, but there was a deadness to her eyes that made the worst interpretation of the situation all the more likely.

"So how did you know...?"

It certainly seemed as if she was still planning on jumping.

At least, if that was really what was going on here.

[@Ammokkx]

[hr]

At the attacks aimed towards it, the mantis-like shade shut its upper half, concealing the flame-like orbs as it leaned forward, preparing to scuttle away with a metallic, grating sound.

But it staggered when its legs were struck by the wisps, flames singing its body and causing it to stumble, unable to continue its attempt to escape. Soon, they were followed by the winding vines, locking it in place even as it struggled.

Its upper body bent backwards when the javelins of water struck it in the torso, blowing two holes through its shifting, shadowy body. And if that wasn't enough, the followup blast of flames washed over it, searing through its upper half. For a moment it was silhouetted in the flames, before slowly evaporating, wiped away by the intense heat.

And yet...

It was still standing. The dark, hazy remains of its torso swirled around a brilliant, blazing orange orb, which flashed once with a high-pitched whine, before erupting with negative energy. A beam of light exploded from its surface, sounding almost like a child's scream as it tore through the air. It burned through the street, tearing towards the nearest of the assembled magical girls...!

[@Shiyonichi][@LuckyBlackCat][@FrogRFlowR][@AzureKnight]

[hr]

"Hisako," the pink-clad magical girl replied, glancing around the park as she did. Thankfully, she didn't sense anything from the direction of the pond, but depending on where the shade was located that didn't necessarily mean it was somewhere they would be able to react easily, nor that it was necessarily not in the water.

But a natural space like this was marginally less likely to have active shades, especially at this time of day.

"If it's in the water, Sweep Up should be able to get it out!" she declared, her eyes sparkling as she raised her bamboo broom. It glowed slightly brighter at the mention of what was presumably one of her attacks.

The vague negative presence of a shade could be detected, after a few moments of searching it seemed to be a short distance to the north.

[@Raineh Daze]