Anza

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

"Magical Empress?" Tokiko covered her mouth with one hand, stifling a laugh. "Wow, okay. I get wanting to brag about your strength, but isn't that a bit much? Maybe 'arrogance' is your Concept?" She raised an eyebrow. "No, wait, wait— how about 'crippling insecurity?' Of course someone with a Concept like that would need to puff herself up with every other word!"

This 'magical empress' was pissing Tokiko off enough that a part of her wanted to start a fight there and then, but she held herself back. For all her overblown posturing, Kagami wasn't weak. Tokiko had heard bits and pieces about her from other magical girls both on the chatroom and offline, and what little she knew was enough to be sure that this was an opponent leagues above the pair she'd fought earlier. Maybe Tokiko could take her— raw power wasn't everything, after all —but it wouldn't be easy, and even if she won she'd be left weakened enough that another magical girl might show up to pick her off. It's too risky to go all-out so early in the Hex Night... Besides, I don't want to have to use 'that' until the last possible moment.

And then there was Hikari. Dumb, irritating, and totally-not-cute (okay maybe a little cute) Hikari. Given how she'd behaved earlier, there was a high chance she'd try to help if Tokiko took on Kagami, and in a battle of that level there was no way a newbie magical girl would avoid getting hurt. And... Fine, I'll admit it: I don't want her to get hurt! I- I mean, it'd be a waste if she got taken out now, after all that time I spent explaining things, right? Plus she owes me a free lunch!

So she bit down on her pride and rage, and turned away. "Come on, Hikari. If she's not going to attack us... we should just leave." Then, under her breath, "I'll beat her up some other time, when I'm ready."

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

"Wha—" Tokiko glanced around in surprise, wondering who had interrupted their conversation, and found the street deserted. Empty asphalt stretched out beneath the gloom of a darkening sky, still and silent but for a single, violet-clad figure who was unmistakably a magical girl. Tokiko had been so caught up in explaining things that she hadn't noticed they'd walked into a quiet area... And opened themselves up to being ambushed all over again!

Even so, her eyes narrowed. This doesn't make sense. How had this person been able to identify them while they were still in their civilian identities? "You..." she grumbled, finally looking the intruder in the eye, "How long have you been eavesdropping? It's rude to listen in on a private conversation without announcing yourself, you know?" All the anger that had vanished from her voice while talking to Hikari now came surging back with a vengeance. "Stalker! Creep! Detestable public nuisance! Go find someone else to harass!"

She casually unslung one strap of her bag, putting the tools inside within reach if she needed them. If this girl was who Tokiko thought she was, then things could get hairy if it came to a fight. Geez, just how many more irritations am I going to have to deal with today?

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

Tokiko couldn't help but look a little smug as Hikari kept on asking questions. "You do realize I don't have to tell you any of this, right?" Then she sighed. "Fiiiine. I guess it wasn't your fault that fairy left you in the dark like that. But you better pay me back for this, okay? Buy me lunch tomorrow... or something." She turned a little red. "Ah, whatever."

With that, she launched onward into more exposition. "So shades are the reason we have magical girls in the first place, see? They're what happens when you take all the bad juju, the negative emotions and stuff that humans produce everyday, and clump them together until they manifest a physical form." Her hands waved in the air, gesturing to accompany her words. "They're kind of like these creepy... black... things. You could think of them as monsters, I guess, even if that's not exactly right. Most of the smaller ones act kind of like ghosts, haunting a specific place and making people feel gloomy or angry, sometimes stealing and breaking things. The bigger ones act more aggressive, though. They'll start stalking humans and even attacking them, and people can get seriously hurt." She shuddered. "Thankfully they mostly only come out at night, but even so... The strong ones can be really scary, and since they're just clumps of emotions, you can't kill them even if you shoot them with a gun."

Her voice had lowered slightly as she spoke, as if she were telling a spooky story. Which, in a way, she was. Tokiko figured that a lot of the old legends, about ghouls and monsters and man-eating giant spiders and stuff, were probably a result of ancient humans interacting with shades. Maybe there were fewer magical girls back then...

"But!" She suddenly brightened up, pointing one index finger at herself and the other at Hikari. "Shades are super weak against magic! So the fairies choose pure-hearted girls to become magical girls, so we can hunt them down and get rid of them before they grow too big and dangerous. We're like guardians, protecting our home towns against the monsters in the night and keeping everyone safe and happy! Though Tokyo is a big town, so you obviously need a lot of magical girls here."

She fell quiet for a moment as they passed an older couple on the street, then went on. "I could honestly go on all day about the details, but that's not so important for Hex Night, so... Archtypes and Concepts, then." She scratched her head, trying to figure out how best to explain.

"An Archetype is simple: every magical girl has a weapon, and that weapon is their Archetype. For you that's probably your hammer, and Tsukimi had her spear... but it can be a wand, a book, a machine gun, or even a living creature." She gestured at herself with that last part. "What your Archetype is depends on your Concept, which is like the general 'theme' of your power. See, every magical girl gets a power and costume based around an idea." She waved her hands vaguely in the air. "So, uh... Naoko's Concept would probably be 'Oni,' and mine is 'Mad Scientist.' I'm not sure about you or Tsukimi, though, or Sonya... A Concept can be almost anything, but I think the requirements are that it has to be 'something specific enough to crystallize as a unique idea,' and 'something existing in the public consciousness of humans.' For instance, a fictional story could become a Concept, but only if it's been published and read by enough people."

She shrugged. "That's getting into my theories, though. The important thing is that your power is based on some kind of idea, and your weapon is something related to that idea. Archetypes can have their own abilities as well, though it's usually easiest to use them if you know what they actually are. Like your hammer, maybe..." She stopped, shaking her head. "...never mind. It's probably best if you figured that part out for yourself."

She took a long breath. Aaaaah, that was a lot! She'd probably been a bit more long-winded than she needed to, as well, since she was kind of a nerd about these things. She turned to Hikari with a slight look of concern. "I... That all made sense, right?"

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

"Hmmm?" Tokiko was snapped out of her train of thought by a seemingly obvious question. Oh, right, she's still new. Am I going to have to explain everything to her?

"Nah," she replied, her voice gradually becoming more comfortable as they spoke more. "Our magic responds to our thoughts and instincts, which makes it pretty intuitive once you get a grip on it, but nobody knows all their powers from the start. Sometimes a fairy will stick around and teach a newbie some of the basics, but in general it's like any other skill. You figure it out by trying it out, and get better with practice and experience."

She stopped briefly to yawn, still a little tired from the fight before. "Some of us have it easy... like Naoko. Her whole thing is just jumping around and smashing stuff, and superheating her body or whatever. And then you have girls like me, with weird or conditional powers that express themselves differently depending on the situation." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "It's been years for me, and there are still permutations I haven't gotten to try yet!" She'd gone through most cheap and ordinary machines she could find to figure out which ones could be upgraded into something useful, but endless possibilities still lay tantalizingly out of reach. What if I used my power on a fighter jet? Or a particle accelerator? Or a nuclear missile? And that wasn't even taking into account the possible combinations...

"Anyways," she continued with a frown, wondering why the heck she was giving away so much info for free, "that's why the situation is so bad for you right now. If you don't know your Concept and Archetype, then even if they're strong, you'll still be outclassed by more experienced magical girls who can properly use their powers. If I were you I'd find somewhere safe for the first night or two, and work on training yourself. Use a sparring partner, or find some weak shades you can beat up without putting yourself at risk."

She blinked suddenly. "Wait, you don't know what shades are, do you?" Then slapped one hand against her forehead. "Gaaah! Those damn fairies should just write an instruction manual!"

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

Tokiko shrugged. "Ah, is that it? I was curious whether your strike before was influenced by some kind of life experience, but it seems it was just luck." How hard could it be to swing a hammer anyway? Tokiko could probably have done it better herself! If she had any physical strength whatsoever... Damn it, why did my Archetype have to get all the raw power?

"... and besides that," she continued, "I have a theory that the kind of person you are before you first transform can influence what kind of magical girl you become. So in your case, maybe something about you led to you being more of a brute-force type?" Her eyes drifted upwards, lost in thought. "Though I'd need more data to confirm. It's not that often I get to know another magical girl in her regular identity. Maybe if I put out a survey form..." She laughed a little at the thought. "Then again, I probably wouldn't get anywhere. Magic wouldn't be magic if you could break it down with rules and statistics, right?"

@VitaVitaAR

Fate/esoterica

The Allfather's blessings... With those three words, the pieces snapped together. A powerful warrior, ancient, female, wielding a spear and speaking in the name of Sigföðr, Odin, king of the Norse Gods and Father of Victory and War. Kazamyr exhaled, in awe of what he had just witnessed. Never mind the danger, I should have come along! Should have been there myself! Imagine that— to witness a Valkyrie in the flesh!

Of course, that didn't answer everything; there remained the matter of which Valkyrie had been summoned here in Redrock. But that field only contained a few significant possibilities, and once he had some time to think and research, it wouldn't take him long to narrow it down to one. Grinning, he whispered gleefully to his Servant, this time via telepathy rather than a bird. "Well played, Rider! Your mind is every bit as keen as your reputation would claim..."

Now what? He'd been planning on going after Caster, but due to the risk of losing his familiar he hadn't been able to keep eyes on her since she emerged from the catacombs, and with the delay caused by Lancer's appearance, there was no guarantee she'd even be in the same place. Besides which, there might be other teams hanging around there as well, just waiting to ambush or spy on us.

The familiar on the lamppost ruffled its feathers once again. "Well, that could have gone worse... but the timing was bad. Dawn isn't far off, and I'm afraid Caster's team has likely moved from where I last spied them." It punctuated its annoyance by clicking its claws against the hard metal beneath. "No matter, we'll have plenty of nights to hunt them yet." It dipped its head briefly towards the Master of Assassin. "Stay safe, and try not to expose yourself during the day. Blend in with the locals, wear what they wear, avoid speaking Japanese where others might hear you. It would be a shame if my ally were to get caught before we can even show off our combined strength, no? Now, Rider, let's take our leave."

The familiar took off, flapping its wings and quickly ascending into the warm summer night. As it glided just over the young Master's head, however, it whispered down at her, just loud enough to hear but too quiet to be caught by any unanticipated eavesdroppers:

"Eleven PM tomorrow, under the old bridge on Morrison Boulevard." It cawed once, louder now. "See you there!"

With that, it flapped again, rising further and further until it disappeared into the gloom.

@King Cosmos@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

We're not walking home together, thought Tokiko, as she and Hikari walked home together. We just happen to be heading in the same direction, that's all. Which they technically were. Side by side. At the same pace. I-it's for protection, that's all! If more magical girls come and attack us, then we'll be able to fight together! Though magical girls wouldn't be able to find them easily while they were in civilian form. Well, it's not like I asked to walk together or anything. She just started following me! So irritating! Gritting her teeth and staring straight ahead, Tokiko urged herself to walk a little faster, and leave the other girl behind. To drag her feet, until Hikari ended up pulling ahead. Or just turn down some random corner and pretend that she was going a different way.

Each time she pictured it, though, there was a sinking in her stomach, a sadness in her eyes. I guess... it isn't so bad, when she's not trying to lecture me. She seized hold of the excuse. That's right! We're not really walking together, but so long as she keeps quiet there's no need to try and avoid her. In fact, I'm not even going to pay any attention to her at all!

... five seconds later, she glanced sideways at Hikari, then immediately looked back towards the road ahead, her cheeks reddening a little from the sheer audacity of the gesture. Was she looking at me? I don't think she was looking at me... It had been hard to tell, but the shorter girl had looked contemplative, as if she had a lot on her mind. Which made sense, given that she'd just been introduced to the world of magical girls with only the briefest of crash-courses to orient her. Good! If she's wrapped up in her own thoughts, then I don't have to worry about her annoying me or anything. All I have to do is keep quiet.

... twenty seconds later, she cleared her throat. "So..."

They'd reached the end of the secluded alleyway now, and were back on a larger street. Not too busy, but there were people walking around here and there, so she kept her voice low. "Um. I've seen better, but... you weren't bad with that hammer back there." Her hands silently clenched into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms as she struggled to find the right words. There were plenty that came to mind, like 'Hah, of course an idiot like you would use such a brutish weapon,' or 'But I was the one who actually did all the work in that fight!' Except... she'd seen enough of Hikari in the past half an hour to know that cruel words wouldn't scare her away. It'd just make her fight back, and then they'd be hissing and growling at each other all over again. Which wouldn't be a very magical girl way to act at all.

So she bit her tongue, and forced herself to keep her tone level. "Do... you do any martial arts or stuff like that?" Tokiko wasn't sure if there were any fighting styles involving hammers. Hammer-fu? Hammer Kenpo? "Or, um... sports?"

No, I'm definitely not trying to start a conversation. This is strictly information gathering!

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

The instant Hikari voiced her agreement, Tokiko's eyes lit up with joy.

Not that she herself was aware of this; since she was too busy thinking things like ugh, why did I ask her that, she's obviously just going to be a pain in the ass later on, and trying her best to keep her expression serious and ignore how elated she actually felt.

Maybe that same feeling was why she didn't try to mock or tease as Hikari stumbled her way through another basic essential for magical girls. Turning back was easy, about as simple and painless as could be. Tokiko, though, hated it every time, that feeling of stepping out of her manic magical girl persona and turning back into that weird, awkward teenager who wasn't worth the air she breathed. But if she's turning back, and we're doing the phone thing, it might be weird if I stayed like this... fine, I'll get it over with.

She stretched out a hand to one side, and her Archetype dutifully handed back the twisted taser device she'd used in the fight before. As it dropped into Tokiko's palm, the strange machine came apart once again, reconstructing itself in its original, mundane form.

Hikari's bag had vanished as part of her magical girl transformation, but the same rule didn't apply to Tokiko— a quirk of her Concept, probably, since her power worked by enhancing non-magical devices. As it turned out, her backpack barely held anything for school, just a couple of notebooks, a calculator, and some pencils and pens. The rest was filled by a mismatched arsenal of junk: broken circuitboards, tangled charging cables, two battery packs, a handheld radio transmitter, a small flashlight, a cigarette lighter, a hot glue gun... All could be glimpsed for just a moment as she stashed the taser away.

"Aaaaah?" The monstergirl, who'd been standing patiently to one side throughout most of the conversation, seemed to sense what was coming next.

"Yeah." Tokiko sighed. "You did all right out there, Eve."

"Aaaaah!" The Archetype grinned. As green light began to crackle around her, she turned towards Hikari and cheerfully waved. Then, with a sudden flash, the light swallowed her up, and Eve was gone.

Tokiko transformed back in the same moment, her thin rectangular glasses shifting to wide, round frames, her flared white coat replaced by a rumpled school uniform. Her hair was still black, still messy, but where it had be a wild, electric kind of messy, now it just looked... tangled. Unbrushed. Uncared for.

"Yep." Fishing her phone out of a pocket, she tapped in Hikari's number with the frenetic speed of someone who clearly spent too much time online. Almost as soon as the number was in, Hikari's phone buzzed with a new text, a bright blue link popping up on her screen.

"It's a chatroom for magical girls," Tokiko explained, her voice quieter and more subdued now that she was in her civilian form. "You might need an app or something to open it... ahhh, you'll figure it out." She scratched her hair with one hand. "Lots of magical girls in Tokyo use this, so it could be useful to look, even if you don't post much. Though with Hex Night going on you might get some people posting misinformation to throw off their enemies, so be careful what you believe..."

Just two ordinary girls, standing opposite one another in ordinary clothes, talking, exchanging phone numbers. Tokiko's heart started to beat a little faster as she considered the situation. It's like we're friends, right? This is the kind of thing friends do. Almost as soon as the thought popped up, it was quashed. No. Honami Tokiko doesn't have friends. And even if she did, they'd only disappoint her in the end. She turned away, not sure where to look, not sure what to say.

"Ummm..." Hesitant, she pointed in the direction they'd been walking before the magical girl attack. "I'm going that way. Were you going that way?"

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

It took a while for Hikari to reply. When she did, it wasn't with questions at all, but rather a loud declaration of intent. Of course, that's exactly what a magical girl would say in this situation... Tokiko shrugged, and glanced away, looking a little hurt.

"Fine! Do whatever you want. Even if it's dumb, it's not like I can stop you..."

And then Tokiko did something extraordinary: she actually shut up. For just a moment, at least. Awkward silence filled the alleyway as she stopped to consider, the sound of distant cars barely audible as the sky darkened overhead. Her hands clutched at one another, fidgeting. Finally, she raised her head to look back at Hikari.

"G-gimme your phone number."

@VitaVitaAR

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

Tokiko stuck her tongue out at the departing magical girl, muttering to herself under her breath. "Oooooh, look at meee, I might get upseeeet! If you wanna make a threat, then just make a threat, geez..." Still, all grumpiness aside, it would help to have Tsukimi and Naoko out of her hair. Assuming that Sonya had the power to back up all her talk.

And now... The fairy had vanished, leaving Tokiko alone in the alleyway with her monster and Hikari. Ugh... of course she just sallies off and leaves me to babysit the new girl. The mad scientist scrunched up her brow, then turned on the shorter magical girl.

"All right, you want an explanation?" She pounded one fist into her palm. "Then listen up! Because I'm not gonna say of this twice! Hex Night is a giant battle royale between magical girls that gets held every twenty years, to keep us all in fighting shape and stop too much bad juju from building up in the world. Or something. Basically we're all gonna be beating the crap out of each other for the next few weeks, and the last girl standing, who's obviously gonna be me, gets a wish for whatever she wants. If you're participating you get a little glass marble to show you're in the competition, and if someone breaks it, you're out. But even if you're not directly competing, you can still join in to help out another magical girl... Like, for example a truly selfless one who put herself through so much trouble just to keep a poor newbie from being skewered by a spear, hint hint."

She stopped to take a breath. "I think that's it? Oh, and also you can't murder anyone or fight in front of civilians." She put her hands on her hips and glared. "Any questions?"

Tokiko's monstergirl tentatively raised a hand. "Oooo?"

"I wasn't asking you, silly!"

@VitaVitaAR