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This had gone on long enough.

Willow had been willing to wait a few days to see if the problem solved itself. But predictably, it did not. When a chair has a loose leg it does not magically mend itself by repeatedly sitting on it. More often than not, the seat’s leg gives out and drops its occupant onto their butt. Normally rickety chairs weren’t a problem for a girl that was unbound by gravity, but metaphorical chairs like the one she was standing on were. Metaphorically, the light bulb needed to be changed. Metaphorically, she could not fly and had to stand on her toes to reach the bulb. Metaphorically, someone could kick the chair out from under her, turn on the light, or do any number of unpleasant things to make her abort her task. The worst part was that no one person was responsible for all of these potential negative scenarios. The second worst part was that everything that was brought about was done so by a single dark magical girl. 

The feline magical girl was hovering over a building, grasping a mogall in both hands. She was shaking it vigorously. 

[color=ff1493]"Evil Eye!"[/color] She called into the creature. [color=ff1493]"Reveal yourself!"[/color] 

Ever since her phone got stolen, she was hesitant to draw it out while transformed. Especially since the monkeys had taken up residence in the place. They were good at hiding, and even Willow was seldom the one who noticed them before they noticed her. 

Evil Eye didn't know what it was Willow wanted, but she didn't seem to sense any enemies around, so it wasn't that kind of emergency. [color=firebrick][b]"Of all the ways to reach me,"[/b][/color] the girl's voice drifted in on a sigh as she floated up from the nearby alley and slowly settled, like a weary old balloon that had been kicked, onto a bench on the roof. [color=firebrick][b]"Call, text, Lime..."[/b][/color] She began listing them off with her fingers. [color=firebrick][b]"Natter, Concord, Loom... hell, even Snipe."[/b][/color] Her half-lidded eyes, at once mildly annoyed and amused, settled on Willow. [color=firebrick][b]"It's a bit late for an open door policy, but you could've tried knocking. So many options! And you chose violence. Should I have brought backup?"[/b][/color] she teased lightheartedly, patting the seat next to her.

Willow did not turn to look at Evil Eye. She immediately burst into light and teleported on the edge of the roof where Evil Eye had invited her to sit. The mogall was sent reeling. Its iris circled as it gained its bearings before floating off. 

[color=ff1493]"Why would I use Concord?"[/color] She practically spat out the words, and didn’t look at Evil Eye as she spoke. [color=ff1493]"Nobody uses Concord, and if you do, you should be ashamed of yourself."[/color] Willow kept her arms crossed and kicked her feet off the edge. [color=ff1493]"Whatever. The point is I couldn’t make it to the big meeting, and I understand there’s been a change in how we’re going to operate, ah-gain!"[/color] She swung her head so that she was looking straight at Evil Eye. [color=ff1493]"I appreciate that Schrade and I are still on the same team, but why the heck did you lump yourself in with us?"[/color] 

Evil Eye tilted her head to look at Willow and blinked. [color=firebrick][b]"Who said it was my decision?"[/b][/color] she inquired, joining her in swinging her legs restlessly. [color=firebrick][b]"Actually, hold that thought—if I had my dream team picks, who do [i]you[/i] think I'd have gone with?"[/b][/color]

[color=ff1493]"I don’t know!"[/color] The liar threw out her hands. [color=ff1493]"It’s not like I peeked inside your super secret diary or anything! The one that’s pink, is covered in way too much glitter, and is locked tight with a rhinestone studded key."[/color] She huffed. [color=ff1493]"I get why you’d want to be by Rei’s side, but then why hang onto me? I knew the whole Hizuki/Willow combo wasn’t going to last, but…"[/color] She lifted a finger under her chin. [color=ff1493]"Hmmm, there really aren’t a lot of people in the detention club that understand you, are there?"[/color] 

[color=firebrick][b]"Nope,"[/b][/color] Evil Eye remarked plainly. [color=firebrick][b]"And it's better that they don't—especially Hizuki."[/b][/color] Gingerly, she reached a hand into her pocket and retrieved a stick of black cherry gum, popping it into her mouth as easily as Suki might a cigarette. She held the bag of contraband out to Willow, too, for her to pick one she liked. What was she supposed to say to her? [color=firebrick][b][i]No one wants to work with you, Willow, so I'm taking one for the team.[/i][/b][/color] She scoffed inwardly as she imagined herself saying it. It wasn't wrong, per se, but that had been the natural conclusion of her process, not the starting point. [color=firebrick][b]"All the teams scattered into pieces with their own priorities, and even the ones who tried to stick with their groups had trouble keeping up. So I tried to match people based on a combination of their willingness to work together and their movement abilities."[/b][/color] She peered over the edge of the roof at the street below, at all the people going their own way. Even if they could see the girls, it was doubtful they'd pay them any attention, with their eyes glued to their phones or to the pavement.

[color=ff1493]"Your first mistake was thinking you could manage chaos. Plot twist: You can’t."[/color] Willow rummaged around before pulling back her hand. Though she had helped herself to a few. Blackberry, peach, cherry, and lemon were sticking between each of her fingers. She even had the gall to reach a second time for a single blackberry, which she was able to unwrap in one hand with a single motion. [color=ff1493]"Good luck placing Tsubomi in any team. I don’t think anyone moves as slow as she does, unless you count being missing like an absent father as slow."[/color] She grinned to herself.

Evil Eye watched Willow pilfer nearly half the bag with a smirk. She seemed rather pleased about something. [color=firebrick][b]"True. I've always been a terrible manager, but always ended up as one, because no one else was willing to step up to the plate to try."[/b][/color] She blew a bubble and popped it. [color=firebrick][b]"If Tsubomi gets out of her funk, it won't be because a change in teams solved the problem, it'll be because Suki and Haruna have what it takes to solve the problem I decided to give them."[/b][/color]

[color=ff1493]"Like I said, good luck with that."[/color] The feline girl began licking the bubble gum, but didn’t chew any of it. [color=ff1493]"Ah, but I don’t really care. Hizuki mentioned that she had a crush on someone in the club. Since most everyone’s willing to move heaven and earth for the girl, I wasn’t sure if you were trying to play matchmaker."[/color]

Evil Eye tilted her head in thought at the mention of Hizuki having a crush. [color=firebrick][b]"This is the first I'm hearing about a crush,"[/b][/color] she half-lied. She knew that Roche had one, but not Hizuki. [color=firebrick][b]"Young girls give their hearts away so easily. Nothing good would come from playing matchmaker. We've got bigger fish to fry, and one we're trying to not get fried by."[/b][/color]

[color=ff1493]"I think the GEMs are a bigger problem than some dark girl Rei could crush like an insect."[/color] She started mushing the bubblegum together and shaping it with her hands. [color=ff1493]"Come to think of it, she could kick the GEMs asses too. But I gotta give them credit, they actually seem like they enjoy being around each other. And they can work towards a single goal. Makes you question if dark girls are really the apex they think they are, huh? There’s gotta be a reason Rei’s got her club here and not in the city of light."[/color] She continued to massage the bubblegum shapes in her hands. [color=ff1493]"If I could have any team I wanted, who do you think I’d want on it? And uh, you wouldn’t happen to have any apple gum, would you?"[/color]

[color=firebrick][b]"In a team of three, you'd want Rei and Suki. Isn't it obvious?"[/b][/color] 

[color=ff1493]"You’re half right, but I’ve already got Tsubomi and Suki as band mates."[/color]

Evil Eye tilted the bag upside-down and spilled all of the candies out onto the space between them. There was just one green apple left, which Willow quickly snatched up. [color=firebrick][b]"Of course we are superior to them. We're stronger, and we know more about the world and about ourselves. There are just fewer of us than them. They have the numbers. Ashbringer has a team, too, and they're probably better."[/b][/color] There wasn't a hint of doubt in Evil Eye's tone.

[color=ff1493]"Probably."[/color] Willow emphasized. [color=ff1493]"Though I think the GEMs have an advantage in that they seem to know more about each other. Must be a light girl thing. Hizuki wanted to know where Suki was, and I wouldn’t tell her. Despite this, she managed to find them before I even arrived, and I knew exactly where she was."[/color] She sighed. [color=ff1493]"Well, whatever. Regardless of what you say, I think you paired us together because you know I’m the only one who can understand you."[/color] She presented her hands to Evil Eye, which had the licked and molded bubble gums in it. Only now it looked like two magical girls. Blackberry for their clothes, peach for their flesh, cherry for red accents and eyes, and lemon for one of the gum figurine’s blond hair. The apple one seemed to be unused, or maybe it was that tiny bulge in the side of Willow’s cheek.

[color=firebrick][b]"Really,"[/b][/color] Evil Eye replied with no small amount of skepticism. She was mildly curious why Willow would not tell Hizuki where Suki was, but decided to say nothing. It had to be some form of teasing. [color=firebrick][b]"And what, exactly, makes you think you do—or that you're the only one?"[/b][/color]

[color=ff1493]"I think it’s plain enough to see we have a lot of similarities."[/color] She grasped Gum!Evil Eye in one hand and Gum!Willow in the other. [color=ff1493]"We can both fly, summon creatures, yadda yadda. Even the things that make us different are kind of similar, like how I’m the little sister and you’re the older one. And sisters always know each other’s secrets."[/color] The figures wobbled side to side in Willow’s hand. It wasn’t hard to picture them having a conversation. [color=ff1493]"And even without that, I believe you like cats, do you not?"[/color] 

Evil Eye snickered. [color=firebrick][b]"Well, sure. I love cats. That's hardly a secret, though."[/b][/color] 

[color=ff1493]"Love, eh? That’s a pretty strong word."[/color]

She watched Willow play with her food, considering the girl. She'd predicted, quite correctly, that she would take a bunch of flavors and mash them together—though she hadn't expected her to play with the resulting amalgamations like dolls—and she hadn't been sure exactly [i]why[/i] she predicted Willow would do that. Now, she thought, it was because that seemed like exactly the kind of thing an excitable child would do. [color=firebrick][b]"But you, a little sister? That's the first I've heard of it."[/b][/color] If it was in regards to the girls within the Detention Club, Evil Eye rather thought Willow reminded her of a neglected middle child, not a little sister—but she wasn't going to say that. [color=firebrick][b]"You're right, though. Our similarities make us fit to work together."[/b][/color] And, she was willing to try—but that part had been implied earlier, and didn't need to be said.

[color=ff1493]"It’s all metaphorical, my dear Watson."[/color] She put her toys off to the side and leaned backwards to stretch. [color=ff1493]"Well! I feel a lot better about the prospect of us teaming up now. Here I thought you were trying to pull something weird, but I was just overthinking things."[/color] She rolled her head side to side. [color=ff1493]"I’m also glad you weren’t trying to deepen Hizuki’s relationship with Acid Drop or Oros. Because she seems to like those two. I probably don’t look it but I get jealous easily."[/color] 

[color=firebrick][b]"I don't think you have anything to worry about,"[/b][/color] Evil Eye replied simply. Of all the Detention Club girls, if she had to tier them by readiness for a relationship, Suki was racing her to the bottom, and Tsubomi... was Tsubomi. Hizuki was the only one in that group with any hope of pulling it off. [color=firebrick][b][i]She does seem like the type to let someone take her out on a pity date, but...[/i] "Suki didn't seem that interested,"[/b][/color] she decided.

[color=ff1493]"That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!"[/color] She stood up. [color=ff1493]"I think I’m going to call our little meeting adjourned. Until next time!"[/color] Willow dove off the  roof and fell towards the people below, only to glide away between two buildings. The pedestrians didn’t look up for a moment. 

The only hint that Willow had been in the area was the gum figures she had made, which were standing where she had been sitting moments prior. Only they seemed to be holding hands now, or their hands had been fused together in some horrific accident.

Evil Eye peered over the edge of the roof to watch Willow fly away. For a moment she sat there, chewing her gum until the last faint hint of its short-lived flavor was gone. Then, she stuck it beneath the bench, to join a mound of others. [color=firebrick][b]"Yeah. Way too similar,"[/b][/color] she mused, as she too floated away.