STATUS:
To those I RP with, I haven't dropped off of the face of the earth, just had a mental health crash but am recovering. Now to catch up on posting.
8 mos ago
Current
To those I RP with, I haven't dropped off of the face of the earth, just had a mental health crash but am recovering. Now to catch up on posting.
7
likes
8 mos ago
The worst thing about mental illness is you have to look after yourself a disgusting amount. I know it's the only way to actually be in a fit state to look out for others, but it still feels wrong.
4
likes
9 mos ago
Emeth: Then I'll be that friend who's the opposite kind of annoying, whispering "Do it, you know you want to..."
5
likes
9 mos ago
Judging by the Internet's definitions of introversion and extraversion, you'd think everyone's either an extreme hermit or a party animal with no in between.
6
likes
9 mos ago
Krystal: All part and parcel of the job.
4
likes
Bio
A frazzled British thirtysomething cat mum with something of a tea addiction.
I like a wide range of RP genres, but have two absolute favourites: Pokemon and magical girls. (If someone manages to combine the two, I'll be VERY happy!) I post fairly regularly, but sometimes shit mental health days crop up - if that causes any delays, I'll try to resume posting ASAP.
Thinking over possibilities, Fuyuko frowned. "It could be some kind of trick," she said, her voice only just audible. She peered around as she ventured further into the forest, but there was no sign of the girl. Nonetheless, she kept her guard up. At every rustle, every movement of a woodland animal, she tensed. That smile... That had been the look of someone toying with her and Hikari, most likely, no matter how innocent it had seemed.
"If she's a magical girl, though, that fits the theory of the house being an archetype," she continued. "Hmm... Maybe her concept is ghosts, and her archetype is a haunted house - an obake yashiki." She thought of the traditional summer attractions, the ghost and yokai animatronics within meant to 'bring on the chills' and counter the heat. The masked watcher, with their mechanical movements, could very well be part of the house if that were the case.
It was just a speculation, and it wouldn't do to cling to it too rigidly. Still, it was something to consider.
Fuyuko wanted to smack herself upside the head. Of all details to overlook, it had to be a crucial one. "Well, she'll probably guess we're in the forest, but if she's having trouble finding us..." She glanced down at the path, deep in thought. She could rise up in mist form upon getting notice that her ally had arrived, but what if yesterday's luck didn't hold out? What if she attracted more than just Shining Fist's attention?
She sighed. Inconvenient as it was, it seemed inevitable. It was that or try to give directions by text, possibly getting Shining Fist even more lost in the process. "There is a signal I could give her," she admitted, looking back up, "but..."
Her eyes darted from Hikari to another figure, one who hadn't been there a moment ago. A little girl, doll-like with spiralling curls and a parasol. Just as quickly as she'd appeared, the child vanished.
Blinking at the empty space, Fuyuko nodded as Hikari asked if she'd seen the girl. She almost wished she'd asked Noriko to come along after all, her sister having more insight into identities than she did. Fuyuko herself could only glean one hint.
"That's... exactly what the house did," she whispered. Did the little girl have something to do with the mansion, and by extension, the watcher?
"You know us so well," Freya called to Raymond, keeping up that smile as she waved back. "Later!" Once he'd left, she turned the grin towards Renard. Given how little time he'd taken to finish a burger, he had his usual appetite back. Another good sign.
"Free snacks, huh?" she said, eyes glinting. "How's that for a good start to the week after all?" She had to take Raymond's example, act positive, even if she didn't feel it. Sweets would only help so much, but at least after Eira and Erika had further lowered the mood, others were set on uplifting it. Freya let out a soft purr. The sound of purring, it was said, could be therapeutic - and as she thought this, Hayes' advice came to mind.
"The job of heroes is also to reassure the people you save."
She doubted she'd been the one to save Renard, no matter what he'd insisted. He'd proven more than capable of fighting on his own. Still, wasn't reassuring him simply her duty as a friend?
"Onwards and upwards," she said. Moving forward wouldn't be easy, but maybe this was their first step.
Carrying the tray of food, Seika kept up her cheery act, even though Hitomi's silence stung worse than any insult. She'd been at this job for longest, yet she had to force her smiles and greetings just as much as her former friend did. Would this get any easier for the two of them? Only time would tell.
At the sound of a thud, she whirled round. With a gasp, she stepped forward, arm outstretched to help Hitomi up. Instead of reaching out, the other girl crawled back. The next second, a torrent of lemonade splashed all over Seika, drenching her from head to foot. Ice cubes bounced off of her, clattering to the floor where several broken glasses lay.
Seika stood in stunned silence. Despite the cold liquid, her cheeks burned as the customers' eyes seemed to pierce into her. What a joke she must look like. A chuckle from beside her confirmed this thought. Her blush deepening, she turned her glare on Hitomi. Of course. The one thing that could liven her up just had to be this.
Her jaw clenched, then unclenched. More memories rushed back, of childhood food fights and shared laughter over blunders. Once, they'd both have burst into fits of giggles after something like this. Was Hitomi making fun of her, or in a way, was she prompting her to join in? For a moment, Seika's lips twitched. Then, she put her mask of professionalism back in place.
"I do apologise." She bowed to the customers, dripping everywhere as she did so. "Excuse my colleague, she's new here." The customers were having none of it, remaining polite as they could while paying and making a quick exit. Sighing, Seika put aside the ruined snacks, setting to work cleaning up the glass with a dustpan and brush. "So much for careful," she mumbled to Hitomi. "You ok, at least?"
Disappear. Fuyuko grimaced at the word. "Uh, well... It kind of did," she muttered. "All I got was a glimpse." She cast her eyes downwards, at the path, at her shuffling feet. That hadn't exactly been the reassurance a teammate needed. "I-I guess there's a chance it's still in there though..."
She took refuge in silence once more. The more she spoke, the more it sounded like she was leading Hoshino on a wild goose chase. All she did was nod in response to her comments.
At another buzz from her phone, she grabbed the device from her pocket. It couldn't be Noriko, nobody could reply that quickly, so instead it had to be... She sighed in relief when she saw her guess was correct.
She read over the message, her heart growing heavy. Family. As much as she and Hoshino needed assistance right now, Fuyuko of all people knew how precious family time was, and how taken for granted. She couldn't take that away from Shining Fist. With another sigh, she typed her own text.
"That's ok, and thank you. Don't worry, we'll be alright for now."
Putting her phone away, she hoped they would be, without Shining Fist around. The armoured warrior knew most about this. Lack of knowledge of a situation didn't tend to help it any.
"That was the girl I was working with yesterday," Fuyuko told Hikari as they neared the darkening shapes of the trees. "She's busy with family right now, but she should be here soon."
For all her attempt to make the message sound like good news, Fuyuko felt that all she'd done was reinforce the uncertainty.
Throughout the shift, Seika barely spoke any more than Hitomi did. Concealing irritation behind her professional poise, she gave the occasional mutter of advice. "Look, this is how you carry them," she'd huff, demonstrating how to balance several trays, inwardly cringing as she wiped Hitomi's coffee mishaps off of tables. "And be welcoming. Hold your head high, put up a smile."
Said smile, for her, took more effort than it used to. How easy it had once been for both of them to relax, laugh, chat for hours as if nothing could get in the way of their friendship. Seika swallowed the lump in her throat so it wouldn't choke up her bright customer service tone. If only she'd done that with her comments back then, instead of letting them loose in anger.
"Is it really such a problem to see me happy?"
She shuddered at her own words echoing through her head. Sure, Hitomi had been acting out of order, but why had they both kept adding fuel to the fire until it destroyed everything between them? With that in mind, as well as how tough her first few shifts had been, she held back excessive harshness. Not that doing so made things any less awkward. The tension was likely palpable through the entire room.
The hours dragged on, finally leaving just two customers left to serve. "Nearly done," Seika sighed, handing a tray of glasses and a jug of lemonade to Hitomi, then picking up one with snacks. The comment may have sounded reassuring from another person, and maybe on some level Seika had meant it that way. Instead, it came out weary, with more than a hint of relief. "Even so, be careful this time. Just because the shift's almost over doesn't mean you need to rush."
When Aedre asked about Sophia, Amber leaned in and whispered back. "Well she seems like she wants people to watch, but let's give her some space." Every battle was a learning curve, and the more experience Sophia had, the better her chances were. Still, bearing in mind the cracks in the other trainer's porcelain doll facade, Amber stayed behind, letting her walk ahead. Too much encouragement could be misread as pressure.
Looking over as Nyxx approached the group, Amber smiled, her expression turning strained as she tried to shrug off the morbid joke. "Hey again." Her eyes widened at the gleam of a badge. "Congratulations! Let's think about it this way, the more challenges we get through by choice like this, the more prepared we'll be for any unexpected ones." She could only hope this would be the case.
Sophia, to say the least, was rather less impressed. She stopped in her tracks, open-mouthed, staring in utter shock at the badge. "Wha...? But..." she sputtered when she could bring herself to speak. "How? Just freaking how? What happened to having to work for success?!" All her efforts, and a total slacker had somehow managed to get a badge first? It was some kind of fluke, it had to be. "Hmph... Well you've had your moment to shine. Now watch as I take my turn." Despite Lacey placing her hand on her leg, presumably urging her to calm down, Sophia marched forward, ponytails swishing as she sped up her pace.
"Sophia!" Amber called, but there was no getting through to her. Hopefully she wouldn't be too rash about this. Shaking her head, Amber turned to the others, engrossed in conversation about their Pokemon. "I agree, training Pokemon seems to be the best way to learn about them, especially their battle techniques." She smiled over at Ty. "I'm Amber, and yes I'm a researcher too. The geography and technological progress of Kosei means a lot of fossils to find and revive. When you think about it, fossil Pokemon and Ghost types have a lot in common. They're both relics of the past, and can provide insight into it."
She gave Chalcedony and Larimar a fond glance before continuing. "Although it isn't just fossil Pokemon I'm studying. It's Pokemon in general, and the many forms of potential that can be brought out. Like the skill you're helping your Scyther build."
The gym came into view, a place to put said potential to the test. Amber's stomach tightened with nerves, not just at the thought of the league challenge, but at the greater, more dangerous ones she'd mentioned earlier. It would be reassuring, she reminded herself, to track progress. To be able to prove to her family that she could cope with any further bumps in the road. "Well, I'm sticking to my original plan," she replied to Aedre, "and Ty, I take it you're going to go for it too?"
In any case, it was clear who'd try first.
The monastery may have been a haven of calm and humility, but Sophia strutted in like a celebrity down a red carpet. She raised an eyebrow at a woman in front of her, a trenchcoat-clad, purple-haired trainer who tried - and in her opinion, failed - to put on a flair for the dramatic. Clearly only one person here could pull that off. Rolling her eyes as the woman yelled about glory, Sophia strode in front of her, tilting her head and putting her hands on her hips.
Walking alongside Hikari, Fuyuko nodded back. Her parents would understand if they knew - especially if aware of her reason for becoming a magical girl - but it was better for most people to believe magic and monsters a myth. Noriko understood completely, although Fuyuko kept quiet. Newcomers were unlikely to take part in events as monumental as the Hex Night, and therefore unlikely to target other magical girls. Still, best not to mention more than she had to. For all she knew, others could be watching and listening.
"We've got to keep a look out," she whispered, peering from side to side down the streets. "I don't know if this watcher appears before the evening, but even so..." Her muscles tightened, her body primed to transform at any moment if she needed to. The nearer she and Hikari drew, the more the choice felt like the right thing. Not only did a creep like that have to be stopped, her carelessness yesterday could mean Noriko and Sophia were targets. She had to make sure they didn't suffer for her screw-up. Nonetheless, trepidation clawed its way up her spine with every step. What if she got Hikari into trouble too? She wasn't a natural leader, not like Shining Fist. Where was Shining Fist, anyway?
Hearing a ping from her blazer pocket, she pulled out her phone. The gauntlet-wielding magical girl still hadn't gotten back to her, but Noriko had. With a sigh, Fuyuko read the message.
"Sort of? Wait, what's this? What's going on? The girl you were talking to, who is she? I know you can deal with whatever happens, but please be careful. And please, please, don't get caught up in anything too major, no matter how much you want to help everyone."
Fuyuko stared. She hadn't expected such an undertone of cynicism from her sister. Yet another reminder of how dire the situation was. She clenched the phone as she thought how to word her reply, then started typing.
"It's alright, there are reasons why I doubt she means any harm. We're just searching for someone who might be causing a few too many issues for magical girls right now - that watcher in the rabbit mask from yesterday. We'll stop them as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please stay safe yourself, and keep Kiyoshi with you as often as you can."
Pocketing her phone once she'd sent the message, she looked up at the distant woodland. That sense of foreboding grew as the last part of Noriko's message played through her mind. Yes, she did want to help as much as possible, but was the Hex Night a time to do so?
She knew the answer even as she continued along the path.
A frazzled British thirtysomething cat mum with something of a tea addiction.
I like a wide range of RP genres, but have two absolute favourites: Pokemon and magical girls. (If someone manages to combine the two, I'll be VERY happy!) I post fairly regularly, but sometimes shit mental health days crop up - if that causes any delays, I'll try to resume posting ASAP.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">A frazzled British thirtysomething cat mum with something of a tea addiction. <br><br>I like a wide range of RP genres, but have two absolute favourites: Pokemon and magical girls. (If someone manages to combine the two, I'll be VERY happy!) I post fairly regularly, but sometimes shit mental health days crop up - if that causes any delays, I'll try to resume posting ASAP.</div>
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