LuckyBlackCat

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess bit her lip. Laura's question resonated with her, even if the counsellor didn't know about the danger she and Roxy were in. "Well... To be honest, I need to get back into some kind of exercise routine anyway," she said with a slight laugh. During the first few years of isolation, she'd taken self-care more seriously, going for regular brisk walks around the woods to ward off stir-craziness. Eventually, though, it had seemed mechanical and pointless. It wouldn't any more, but Laura had picked up right away that fitness wasn't the main reason. Protection was.

"But now you mention it," Jess continued, "I guess suddenly getting thrown back into the world can do that. I mean I didn't feel like it before." Guarding the truth as carefully as she could, she let only parts of it show, not that even that came easily. As someone who'd tried to solve her own problems in the past, opening up heightened the sense of vulnerability that Laura had brought to light. Asking for help wasn't a failing, she'd come to realise that, but she needed to be strong for the upcoming weekend. For Roxy.

Maybe the training would help with that, at least. As would the increased bond from the questions, as long as they weren't too personal. She could only hope this would help both of them move forward instead of set them back.

"About the questions, thanks," she said, despite her worries. "And you too, Roxy, thank you. I'll just stick with the basics for now. Kicks, punches, escaping holds." She gave Roxy a little smile. "Any activities you want to try?"

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

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@VitaVitaAR

"The watcher even moved like a robot," Fuyuko replied, keeping watch for any sign of the girl, the house, or the person with the rabbit mask. As things were, this seemed the most likely explanation, although she couldn't shake the fear of leading Hikari the wrong way with her theory. "It's just a possibility, though. We've got to look out for any more hints."

She pondered Hikari's words, trying to recall the child's appearance. Having only glimpsed her for a split second, details eluded her. Sighing, she swept a glance through the dappled shadows once more. Nothing.

It was then that Hikari piped up. At her question, Fuyuko's pensive look returned. Draw out the girl? It would be a great deal easier if they knew the first thing about her. All they could do was work with what they had. "Uh well... She might be more drawn to us if we're in our magical girl forms," she suggested. The watcher certainly had been, she thought with a shudder. At least there probably wouldn't be any other magical girls in the forest, not at this time of day.

With a deep breath and a tentative step forward, she focused. Snow swirled as magic flowed through her body like ice water, turning her hair white, lengthening her school uniform into a kimono. The flurry died down, leaving her in her rather more conspicuous form. Tension tightened its grip, but she kept advancing. As much as she hated drawing attention at the best of times, let alone during the Hex Night, this mission made it a necessity. She just hoped she didn't draw the wrong kind.

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

---

@VitaVitaAR

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.

Pokemon Spiral

@OtomostheCrazy Oh yeah, been there done that. Good luck with the job search, and I hope things ease up soon.

Btw, there's now a Discord link in the zeroth post of the OOC, if that'd make chatting and updates easier.

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

---

@VitaVitaAR

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?

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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@pkken @Heartfillia

"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.

After the Dawn (LuckyBlackCat and SimpleWriter)

~ Imamura, Seika ~

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?"

Pokemon Spiral

@OtomostheCrazy Nah, nothing to be ashamed of! Is everything ok?

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

---

@VitaVitaAR

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.

After the Dawn (LuckyBlackCat and SimpleWriter)

~ Imamura, Seika ~

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."