Mahou Madness!

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Lucas sat alone in a darker corner of the room, focusing on school work and occasionally seeming to brush at his head or gasp as if something had just hit him, that would usually earn some giggles from some of the others in class, he did eventually give up on the work, struggling way too much with the insanely over complex and honestly useless mathematics and instead played some random game on his phone for the duration of class, earbuds in to block out other noise... The teacher saw this but didn't say anything, instead just shaking their head.

When she got up Lucas had already run out of the classroom and headed down another hall towards the toilets, with three of the boys who had been giggling waiting outside and then seeming to 'escort' him down to one of the empty classrooms... Something was clearly going on here and they certainly didn't seem like any friends of Lucas!

If she listened their voices would be audible through the cheap walls of the school.
"What did we tell you Tasman? We don't want girls in the boys's toilets..."
One said rather patronizingly, as if he was talking to a child.
"But I'm a boy... We share PE you would have seen me!"
That was Lucas..."Heh, I don't know about you but we don't go looking at people's junk... And listen to you! Your voice is even girlier~"

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko watched Lucas wander out. Probably just going to the toilet, she thought. Nothing else. Not wanting to get away from her.

Almost against her will her legs straightened out under her and took off after him, leaving an open box of macaroni sitting on her desk. She barely got out of the classroom when she saw Lucas and...three boys, who she'd never seen before. She knew their type, though. Lean and stringy, with the mean pale sneering faces of people who'd spent one too many hours on 4chan, and treated life like a 3D imageboard. They herded him into one of the classrooms. Lucas, for his part, seemed nervous but familiar, as if this had happened before.

She walked up to the classroom and listened close through the doors; which, frankly, was superfluous, because everyone could hear them spitting venom, even if they were only halfway down the hall.

Bullying. How many times had this happened without her noticing? Without anyone noticing? Or did they notice but not care? She looked down the hall to see she wasn't alone. Some people passed right by the class, but only gave a pitying glance through the window of the class before moving on. Some didn't even do that much. Someone even raised their phone to the window to snap a photo, but hurried away when Namiko glanced at them.

Why?

Namiko was not easily angered, even as a kid. She was always smiling, ready to empathize even the villain. Even now, older and more jaded, she still believed in those old ideals, deep down. But emotions are emotions and rage is rage and this was this and she was mad. The searing explosive rage of an ideologue, an ideologue who was also a soldier.

Her hands moved by themselves. They pulled the sliding door open quite casually, and the ribbing boys in question turned to see her smiling visage standing in the doorway. "Hey guys~!" she said cheerfully. "What's going on here? What sort of party? What sort of powwow?" She slid up on one of the desks and smiled radiantly at them, her legs crossed, her face leaning close as if supremely interested.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

The boys kept up their jeers and taunts as she was thinking, it seemed they didn't intend any physical harm, but likely intended to keep it up for most if not all of lunch, was that why Lucas had been so hungry the previous day? He didn't eat food at school? It did make sense, he didn't seem to carry a large bag either, just a small pack that could fit on one of the somewhat secure lockers at the school, like he was fearing it would be taken.
The classroom walls while not accomplishing much, seemed to do the trick as even a teacher or two passed without reacting... Out of sight out of mind it seemed... Though she had seen them stop other bullies before, so something was different in this situation...

The boys seemed genuinely shocked at someone entering, usually everyone avoided them when they went after Lucas... But this girl had entered and seemed completely calm and confident.
They soon recovered though, their ratlike faces forming into sneers.
"Heh... So girls DO travel in packs... You should leave this sissy alone... What was your name again? Namiko?"
Seems they knew her at least.
"Don't worry though, we wouldn't hit a girl so Tasman here won't get hurt~"
Their words caused Lucas to look down, not bothering with a defense.

 

[twinkletide]

"Oh! The great lampooner speaks. He knows my name, my face. Wonderful!" Her smile only grew wider. "You guys really don't like girls, huh? "

She slid off the desk and stared them straight in their faces. "What is wrong with you people?" she asked. The smile hadn't left her face, and it grew clear that the smile, like all her other smiles, was only a mask to hide what was underneath; in this case searing rage, melancholy, the melancholy of familiarity and of memory. "What's your Freudian excuse? Leave him alone. Who cares what he is?"

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Hah? Of course we do... We like normal girls, not this weird one that goes into the guy's bathroom and changes with us... And probably stares at our junk too!"
One of the guys declared before looking her up and down with an all too familiar look, one of attraction and... Amusement?
"You for example aren't bad... I wouldn't mind if YOU wanted to change with the boys..."
His words actually seemed to surprise the other two, they didn't want to piss off someone who had a reputation as a tough girl...

"WE care! It's not right for a boy to look and sound like that, it's not healthy and it's not right..."
One of them declared, seeming to think he had just created a great argument... Clearly not the smartest guy around...
"And what, you saying he IS a girl huh? Shoulda known..."
They boy was interrupted by Lucas speaking up.
"I'm not a girl! I'm a boy... You all know this... Why does everyone keep calling me that?!"
He asked in a voice that while loud...Cracked a little and came out squeaky and high pitched.

 

[twinkletide]

"Sorry, I'm not into bestiality." Namiko replied to the boy who was obviously flirting with her. Yeah, sure. Boys and their priapism.

She turned to the boys, her hair whipping dramatically behind her, her face now devoid of mirth or smiles. She glanced at Lucas sadly before turning back to them. "Listen. I'm only gonna warn you once. Leave Lucas alone. I'm not saying he's a girl, I'm saying it doesn't matter what he is." Her eyes moved past them to Lucas, who was looking down. "C'mon, Lucas. Let's go. If we hurry we can still eat."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Bestiality?..."
One of the guys asked, clearly not getting it.
"Dude! She's calling you a beast! She's pretty bad at these insults! Totally complimented you... And if she doesn't want a beast of a man that must mean she's a total les!"
That was quite a leap of logic that actually made the most quiet of the bullies look down a little, actually she seemed to be a girl under her thick jumper with the hood pulled up.

They didn't say anything else as Lucas left with Namiko, he kinda wanted to grab her hand but thought it might be a bit childish and instead clasped his hands together in front of him, still looking down.
"Uhh... Thanks... You didn't need to do that, I'm used to it really.."
He assured her.
"And... They might target you now as well... That's why I don't go to my other friends...."

 

[twinkletide]

"It's no problem. I'm not scared of some punks. I grew up in an orphanage, so I know their type." Her smile was completely warm and genuine now, entirely pure. Nostalgic, almost. "If they ever mess with you again, tell me, okay? I told you yesterday that I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Namiko came to a sudden halt. Did he just...? "Did you say...'other' friends?" She turned to him, grinning; playful but also genuinely happy. "So I'm a friend, huh?"

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Whoa... You're really cool... And an orphan? That's so sad... My parents are always busy and don't talk to me much but at least they are still alive and taking care of me... Financially that is".
He was tempted to hug but was still stinging from being called a girl so much, why was it such an insult to them that he was a bit girly? It didn't hurt anyone and that's just how it was.
"Yeah, I'll tell you... Thanks".
He smiled happily, the expression changing his face completely from the sullen, embarrassed expression to a shining picture, with just a few stray tears here and there, it seemed Lucas had been crying... That wouldn't have discouraged the bullies at all...

He suddenly jumped, nodding shyly.
"Y..yeah... I mean, I'd like to be friends... You're cool and saved me twice now... But I get it if you don't want to be friends, I'm fine with just talking to you about magical stuff only..."

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko grinned. "No that's...that's wonderful. I'd like that," she said, and continued walking as if there were nothing else to say. If you looked close at her heels, you could see the slightest hint of a skip in her stride.

Finally they arrived at the classroom. Namiko glanced at Lucas. Didn't he seem rather...small? She didn't like to indulge the point of view of those bullies, but he did seem petite. "So, what are you having for lunch? We have about fifteen minutes left, so if you eat quickly you can finish before the bell rings."

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

He let a relieved and very clearly happy smile appear on his face for a minute at hearing that he hadn't misread the situation and she did want to be friends after all, he liked having a friend who would and could stand up against bullies like that.
He didn't talk either until they arrived at class and she spoke to him.

"Well... Actually I don't have anything with me... I never usually get time to eat anyway so I didn't see a point..."
He admitted with a shrug, sitting down to wait for class to start up again, as sad as it was he didn't have much of a lunch time ritual other than trying to escape the bullies as quick as possible, or maybe go to the toilet if he needed to.

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko watched Lucas go back to his seat in pity. No lunch...? And there it was again, in a flash - urban streets, rain, a childhood sandwiched between stones and gastric acid. A streetwise starving as ascetic as it was forced.

She rummaged through her pack. Did she have anything other than this box of pasta? Because to be honest, the macaroni contained therein wasn't what you'd call appetizing. Some would even call it disgusting. It was microwavable pasta that was microwaved, placed in the refrigerator overnight and then microwaved again for school. It had the radioactive hue of a yellow highlighter and the consistency of baked beans. She couldn't give it to Lucas on a good conscience.

Biting her lip, she made an internal oath to buy Lucas more fast food after school and ate her lunch, taking occasional peeks at Lucas out of the corner of her eye.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Lucas seemed content not eating lunch, He was used to it after all and made sure to have a big after school meal, since he was usually too out of it to eat anything more than a bowl of cereal or maybe some toast in the mornings... He should probably change that honestly, it was likely the reason for his stunted growth.

He was playing games on his phone like usual until class started and he put it away to focus on school work, a couple of the girls he hung out with coming over to sit near him, so at least he wasn't alone during class usually... And they mentioned something about club meetings and more prototypes from the sewing club, that seemed to make him oddly pleased.

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko saw a few girls congregating towards Lucas during class. It was interesting. She hadn't paid much attention to Lucas before, so everything was new. She recognized a few of the girls, and they seemed to be friendly to Lucas, which was good.

Soon class was over. Soon after that, school was over. She packed up her things and walked up to Lucas. "Hey, Lucas," she coughed, "I have to talk to you about...you know. Are you free?"

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Lucas actually chatted with the girls casually when they had finished their work, the teacher not bothering to assign extra, really they were so lazy it would be a miracle if any of the class actually passed, well, that's what last minute study crunches were for...

Lucas waved away the girls he had been talking to as she approached and nodded.
"Yeah! Club isn't running today cause of the damage in the hall... They haven't quite finished repairs in there yet..."
He explained, hands held behind his back for some reason.
"Uhh... So I guess I will just follow you right?"

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko nodded solemnly. As they walked out of the school, towards the train station, Namiko asked "So are those your friends? And I didn't know you were part of a club."

They boarded the train, going southbound towards the low-income area where the base was. Namiko scanned the faces of the people of the train, counted them, to see how many of them would get off before their stop. It was a kind of game she played every time she commuted to the base. Almost invariably the train ended up empty, or mostly so. At least this time Lucas was here with her.

As if sensing their destination the sky began to grey, clouds clustering together for warmth, rubbing shoulders. Their pursuit for company left the world below cold and arid. The view through the windows blurred into one bleary panoramic image, buildings passing by, becoming less and less affluent, shorter.

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

"Oh! You saw them?"
He asked, as if surprised that she had bothered to take note of who he hung out with.
"Yeah... Well, sort of friends anyway, and I am part of the drama club, you know, the ones that do plays and stuff... Though mostly they just get me to put on costumes... It makes me feel kinda like a doll sometimes..."
He admitted, though oddly didn't seem entirely displeased with the situation.
"Uhh... That's why I was wearing a dress... J..just in case you got the wrong idea..."

Lucas seemed to get a little motion sick on the train but didn't get too bad, though he was still obviously happy to get off of it, seems he didn't use public transport much, though honestly some of those trains could make anyone feel sick.
"Hahh... This place... I don't think I have ever even seen it up close before"
Lucas admitted, looking around as if he was seeing some new exciting place... Seriously that kid was way too sheltered.

 

[twinkletide]

Namiko liked to listen to Lucas talk. It was calming, in a way. If variety was the spice of life, his voice was like sugar.

She sat dutifully, spine straight, until finally the train pulled into the station. Nobody else got off. Nobody else was on the train.

They stepped off onto the platform, into the cold embrace of an overcast afternoon. The station was near empty, and everyone who was there looked dead-eyed, bored, waiting on the end of shifts or for another train or - one would assume - death. Though Namiko wondered briefly if her impression of the station - this cold, dead desert - would be different if she thought, instead, that this was a normal, middle class area of the city. Because it wasn't, honestly, all that different from what you'd see in a New York subway or the dock of a Japanese bullet train, no more dirty or lifeless or despairing; only greyer, more reserved, a taciturn spirit looming over the proceedings like an underworld above. What separated them was only the difference between white-hot noise and frigid silence, which is nearer than some would think.

Lucas looked fascinated. That was strange. She was almost sure he'd be scared, clinging to her shoulders, or at least disconcerted. But his stare had a childlike innocence to it, the innocence of discovery.

They walked out of the station, through lines of streets with crumbling elder structures peering down at them through shattered eyeglasses. Namiko pulled out a whole stack of hundred-yen coins she kept in her pocket. Every time she passed someone she flipped them a single coin, whether or not they explicitly requested them. Some of them tipped their hats at them as they walked past; some nodded; most didn't acknowledge them at all, whether because they were asleep or for a more profound reason. Either way, it seemed to fulfill an unspoken agreement between them, a social contract, like flipping coins into Charon's ferry.

Namiko and Lucas walked in solemn, patient quiet, each step a whisper, every extraneous sound the crunch of broken glass. Occasionally Namiko glanced at Lucas, almost as if she were waiting for something; a word, a question, a little gesture.

"We're almost there." Namiko's words smashed their silence. She looked at him fully now, taking in the full view of him. "Are you ready? Nervous?"

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Lucas stayed quiet, just staring for a good chunk of the walk, taking in the increasingly obvious poverty of the area, this was no longer something new and interesting, but rather, something wholly depressing, he suddenly felt guilty complaining about his parents working all the time, at least he had a nice house and a decent amount of money to sped on nice things.
"This place... It's pretty sad, all these people living like this... I wish I could help them".
He did end up putting a couple of notes in someone's cup, but seemed to mostly have cards rather than physical cash.

He seemed surprisingly calm as she asked that, answering at first with a slow nod and a small grin.
"Yeah... I am ready, and just a little nervous... You said these people want magical girls to rule right? So they should be nice to us... At least I think they should, even if I am well... A little different to most".

The base seemed like any other worn down building from the outside, except this one was locked by a keypad... And when the code was entered revealed a much more cared for interior, the first room was a sort of sitting area, with Pharah sitting at a desk, and there were three doors that Namiko knew led to a basic med bay, a room with beds for magical girls who needed them, and a kitchen.
Seeing them enter Pharah got up to greet the two.
"Oh! Namiko! Good to see you today... Good job with those chimera by the way..."
She always seemed to know who did what in the world of magical girls, apparently tapping into Orphan's intelligence network to do so.
"And just who is this little cutie?~ Could she be the new magical girl Kana said she detected?"
Kana was one of the other magical girls who operated in that area, though she didn't really interact with Namiko often.

 

[twinkletide]

The base always struck Namiko as grotesquely well maintained for such a low-income area. Of course, logically there was no reason why a major base of Orphan should acquiesce to the mood and atmosphere of their austere surroundings, but it hit some sort of low growling nerve in her, so she could never feel wholly comfortable.

Luckily, the people she liked better. Pharah jumped up from her desk the moment she saw them, as if she'd been expecting them, and immediately ogled Lucas. And, of course, she always had to remind them of her oracular sight, noting their achievements of the previous day.

She didn't quite get everything right, though. Namiko cleared her throat. "Magical boy actually. The first. But, yes. I think he'll be a valuable addition to the family." She smiled at Lucas and patted his head.