Member
BrokenPromise
twave
IAmTheIsland
RisingRobin❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅
@A Lowly Wretch
As Noriko swept her hair back - or rather, raised the strand of wolf fur to her eyes - Fuyuko's stomach clenched. Someone like her sister wearing such a solemn expression was bad news. Beside them, Kiyoshi gave a low growl. Before anyone in the group could respond further, the silent figure was off, with oddly robotic movements.
"Oh geez..." Noriko stared at the vacant space, her grip on the wolf hair visibly tightening. "This isn't good..."
If Fuyuko could have gone any paler, she would have. Wisps of mist started to trail from her kimono and the tips of her hair, as if she were about to evaporate. "What... What did you see?" she whispered.
The okuri-okami raised his head. "I'm afraid we didn't get a good look," he explained, "but there was certainly something off about them. Something cold, empty."
Whoever it was may not have attacked, but it was clear they didn't want to be friends with the group any time soon. The incredibly conspicuous group. A shudder of guilt and embarrassment ran through Fuyuko. How stupid could she get? Bringing a concealed magical girl out into the open and forgetting to de-transform, as if that wasn't bound to attract attention? She and her sister should have left before this could happen. Or they should have all reverted to their civilian forms. Now who knew what kind of mess they were in...
"I'm sorry! We didn't mean to get you noticed! I-I'll change back right away, if that helps," Fuyuko blurted, barely able to look Sophia in the eye. Of course it wouldn't help, it was too late, but she let powdery snow whirl around her, turning her hair mousy brown and replacing her kimono with much less remarkable clothing.
"Eheh, don't blame yourself sis, I messed this one up big time," Noriko said. Her smile had returned, but not her usual one, more of a strained rictus. "You ready, Kiyoshi?" The wolf nodded, leaping into the light that surrounded her and disappearing. In a matter of seconds, the younger sister had taken on her regular appearance too.
Fuyuko scanned the area with that cautious blue gaze, one feature that remained consistent between her usual form and her magical one. "Uh..." She glanced at Sophia, then at Noriko, who peered into the forest, still keeping guard. Even while de-transformed, Noriko retained enhanced night vision, which was undoubtedly how she'd seen through Sophia's shadow veil. Nonetheless, she wouldn't be able to see people's true natures without her Archetype around, and in any case, the masked figure had managed to sneak past her detection magic at its full power. Cold and empty, Kiyoshi had said... Maybe the watcher's lack of emotion had made them difficult to pick up on.
"Let's find somewhere safer," Fuyuko suggested, eyes darting around for possible places. Somewhere a wheelchair user would be able to easily access, and where they weren't likely to be followed. The problem was, would anywhere fit the latter requirement? If trouble arose, the three of them would be capable of fighting back together, but risks couldn't be taken tonight of all nights.