Member
BrokenPromise
twave
IAmTheIsland
RisingRobin
Alara sat and smiled as the other girls entered the bar one by one. Greeting each girl that entered with a wave and beckoning them inside. Though really, she had to give it to everyone for quickly correcting Soma's mistake. It was nice that everyone was looking out for another. Sometime in the midst of it though, Alara went ahead and took it upon herself to slip away. She left a bit of her savings in the room for the team to do as they pleased. Transforming into her magical girl self and phasing out before anyone could stop her. She wasn't going to ruin everyone's time afterall, and surely there were some nightmares out and about even on today of all days.
Thankfully, the apologies and cleaning meant a crisis averted. Now to relax... To the extent that Tama ever relaxed. As she headed back towards the reserved room, a pulsing sensation between her shoulder blades nagged at her. It was as if her magic had other ideas, wanted to be used instead of caged in a crystal while Nightmares roamed the city. Tama slowed her footsteps, glancing towards the exit. No, she was here for a reason, she reminded herself. Overwork led to burnout, which led to desperation, which led... nowhere good. It was a wonder the other light girls still trusted her. Shaking her head, she turned away from the lobby and hurried to the karaoke bar.
At first, she stayed seated next to Yurei, sipping a cup of the green tea she'd brought along and trying - hoping - to leave the singing to others. She'd only just gotten out of an unwanted spotlight, away from her parents bragging about what a charming young lady they'd raised, by deliberately failing when they'd demanded she sing. As bad as she felt about having shown them up, at least she'd succeeded in getting kicked out of the Christmas gathering and fulfilling her promise to Luna. Even if she'd done her best, they'd have picked apart the slightest of mistakes once the dinner ended, as well as a whole host of other things about her. Better to spend time with friends who valued each other, than be put on display like some precious but useless trinket.
As the night went on, though, encouragements wore at her. She sighed and stood up. "Alright, alright. Seems unwavering determination really is a core magical girl trait." Despite her reluctance, getting up on stage for her friends was nothing like facing the scrutinising stares of her family. As she sang the first lines, in tune this time, her body started to ease from its rigid posture. Maybe taking some time out was worth it after all...
Her voice faltered as she noticed the empty chair. Of course. Trust Yurei to sneak out and about as usual... With good reason. For all the festivities, there could be more Nightmares around than on any other night. Would an evening of fun for the group mean one of tragedy for others? Trying to push away the thought, Tama resumed the song, but the lines kept evading her. The more duty weighed on her mind, the more the tingle in her upper back intensified. "Ah!" The yelp, amplified by the microphone, echoed through the room as she doubled over. The flesh around her gem had started searing with pain, the buildup of power almost too much to bear.
There was no way her reaction had gone unnoticed, but how would she explain it without guilt tripping her teammates?
Yui sat down on the couch, letting a deep breathe out of satisfaction after all this work they had just done over at the front of the bar. Soma really was something...but even as she thought this, never once did she even consider blaming, looking douwn on or being even slightly angry - it was not her fault. Also, friends sticked for one another! "I-I'll have some too, then!" Yui announced as Tama and Yurei served themselves some tea. It was not to last though, as she was first on the stage.
Her face quite red and hesitant, she nevertheless managed to choose a songand sing it through. Apparently, Yui had a voice that was more...surprising than most could have thought. There was something about Karaoke with friends...it took away most of her shyness faster than she could have imagined and without it, her voice surprised even herself. Now, she did miss quite a couple notes, but all in all she was pretty happy just having been able to go along with such a fast paced song. The song itself was qite good, and Yui thought she might actually keep it in mind...
Not surprising though was the speed with which she jumped off of the stage to go hide back beside Yurei. "Tama, your turn ! Show us how it's done!" she clamoured with the others, pushing her onward. "Th-that is...if you feel like it...! Of course..."
Her stare glued to Tama and the scene in general, Yui missed Yurei's departure. Something which she would be mad at herself at a later date, to be sure. However, the reason why she was staring was not only for the skills of her friend in singing but also because she thought to have noticed Tama feeling unwell. The more the song went on, the more she seemed out of it. Upon hearing her yelp, Yui stood up with a "Tama!" and ran to her friend.
"A-are you fine, Tama?"
>:3
Something small, warm and furry was brushing up against Tama's leg. By the sensation alone, it would have been easy for the Magical Girl to recognize the shape and form of a Mascot. Were it not for the televised head, it might have provided some semblance of comfort in Tama's time of apparent anguish; but that was what her friends were for after all. Noting Yui rushing to help her, the Mascot backed off from its nuzzling to sit patiently a way's away, tail curled over its paws.
>.>
Soma didn’t even think about the fact she was tracking mud even though she was just out in the fields, digging holes and refilling them for the better part of the evening and only just remembered about the party with no time to change. She didn’t resist, nor did she care much when she had to leave her boots, they were of no use here and the replacements were comfortable a good change in her already sore and aching feet. She also remembered to check her coat in at the door on the rack before heading back to the other making note to take her prize from the coat pocket; a tattered book that looked like it could turn to dust at any moment. Walking back down the hall to the rest of the girls and taking a seat at whatever was closest to the exit and sat down and began to look through the thing that had given her so much trouble to find.
“Fuckin cypher text, ” she said under her breath
"Ugh..." Her mind racing for an excuse, Tama spoke through gritted teeth. "Y-Yeah, I'll be ok, it's just, uh... The heating. Sitting by the radiator was a bad idea. I-I might need a moment to get some air..." She cringed at her pathetic attempt at a lie. The room's temperature was just fine, but she needed some reason to slip out without bringing down the mood for the others. They deserved to take it easy, whereas she had a responsibility to put right past wrongs.
Before she could leave the stage, she felt something rub against her leg. Something equal parts soft fuzz and hard angles. Wincing at the TV knocking against her ankle, she looked down and groaned at the sight of the mascot, which distanced itself as Yui drew closer.
"Well, I take it you're not here to join in the celebrations," Tama muttered, steely eyes fixed on the cat. No need for her to worry about killing the festive joy, this little critter would surely do so all by itself, if the appearance of a mascot meant what it usually meant. "Or to be the bearer of glad tidings. Are we needed somewhere? Yurei... Luna... Are they in trouble?"
Luna had certainly been gone a long time. Probably fighting Nightmares, with Yurei at her side, but if there was anything the rest of the team could do to help...
