Mahou Madness!

Mahou-Shoujo

Useless Goddess
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. One post per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
  3. 1-3 posts per week
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
  2. Transgender
Genres
Yuri, Magical Girl, High Fantasy, Sci-fi, Ray-gun Gothic, Mecha, Steam punk. Scifi Apocalyptic,
It was late in the afternoon at the mostly empty school, the students and teachers having already left to go home, and the security guard wouldn't arrive for another hour at least, if he even did at all, no one ever really broke into schools after all, normally no students would be allowed in at this time either, but of course that wasn't the case that day...
Lucas Tasman was walking through the halls, adorned in a somewhat fancy Victorian style dress, the drama club had been busy with other things and needed someone to test out the new outfits the sewing and cosplay clubs had made them for a school play, for whatever reason they had decided it should be Lucas that spent all afternoon trying them on... Something he insisted was ridiculous... But didn't refuse.
He had to admit they were quite... Comfortable, and part way through testing he had left to go to the toilet, not seeing a need to change since the school was empty anyway... Though he DID have a weird tooth ache as he walked....

As it turned out he was far from alone, within the school was a chimera roaming the halls! Walking on many legs the winged centipede creature was about as large as a car, with mandibles that could easily cut through metal, it was looking for something it sensed... An unawakened magical girl, full of energy and completely defenseless, of course it had ignored the male in the school... And instead would encounter a far from defenseless target, as of course, a chimera can be sensed by any magical girl in range, which was just one it seemed, but that was more than enough for a single target, especially when it was actively moving towards her.
 
Namiko Kasahara cursed her luck.

She had no right to of course, and she knew it. If she wasn’t here—hadn’t slept for much too long, somehow being left alone or unnoticed by her peers—she didn’t know what would’ve happened. As soon as she peeked her head out of the classroom she was met by the sight of a chimera, rearing its ugly head and sauntering down the hall, its mandiles and antennae and wings waving liberally. If left alone, it could have caused some kind of disaster. But still...work. She finally got a little bit more rest, and—what?—more work right at her doorstep. Just like her time in the AAD.

But what was it here for…?

With a sigh, her still-drowsy mind managed some preliminary calculations as she went through the transformation process, her school uniform being replaced with a frilly brown dress, matching her hair, skirt as round as an upside-down teacup. Chimera fifteen meters away, moving slowly—ten away, now, probably. Maybe faster, closer, if she messed up. She’d love to use a shotgun or an SMG, something maneuverable, but she wasn’t about to risk pellets or 600 RPM of forty-five millimeter rounds if she wasn’t aware of possible civilian presence. She’d need to be precise.

Roanoke, then, she thought, pulling her signature rifle out from under her skirt. Long-barreled, three-oh-eight. It would take some patience, but she could line up a few good shots and have it winded long enough to get it up close with something punchier. As long as she kept circling the walls and shooting, she’d be able to kill it.

Probably, anyways. It was always probably, no guarantees. That was the number one rule to magical girls, though others might disagree.

She punched a clip into her rifle, sighed, and, swinging open the class door, dove straight into the hallway, her eyes down Roanoke’s silver iron sights, polished like the gleaming tip of a sword. They glinted in the amber glow of the late afternoon. The centipede’s alien face loomed ominously in front of her. Time seemed to slow, bending to her will, as she aimed

(windspeedirrelevantfivemetersaim2point5cmtothelefttwelvemillimetersupwardsaccountingformovement)

and fired, straight into the middle of the chimera’s face.
 
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The chimera seemed completely unaware of her presence, too focused on the confusing scent of a magical girl who wasn't a magical girl, and had just about reached the gymnasium, seemingly searching for ground it could dig through to try looking under the school for it's elusive prey, fortunately for whoever was in charge of cleaning and maintaining the school, it never got that chance, for right when it spotted it's prey finally... A magical girl rolled out and fired right through it's head, splattering the weird organ goop that seemed to fill many chimera all over the walls and causing it to fall to the ground, twitching as it's physical form began to melt away, greasy black smoke flowing through the halls and leaving nothing but it's core, a black crystal laying on the ground, there were people who paid for those things, Orphan would give a small bounty to any of it's members who brought one home, though from the apparent weakness of the chimera and small, chipped size of the crystal, it couldn't be worth more than a couple hundred dollars at most...

Lucas had finally been returning from the toilet, prepared to pack up and go home, after changing of course, but had needed to take a long route back... Purely to make sure he didn't accidentally catch the dress on anything by going outside of course! He couldn't risk ruining something that so many people worked hard on... He would just need to suffer wearing it a little longer!
Then of course he stumbled on a sight that made him sure he was dreaming... A massive, winged centipede charging down the halls... Before he could scream in what would have no doubt been an incredibly manly and not at all high pitched tone... A girl rolled out of the classroom and shot it in the head, dispatching the creature in a single shot... This was familiar... It was... Just like that night, when he saw those girls fighting with incredible looking powers and weapons... And he knew that girl!

"Namiko?..."
He called out, if not for the way she handled that giant monster Lucas would have though she was secretly a cosplayer or something... But no, there was zero doubt that she was the same as those other girls... Something he could most liken to a magical girl...
"That... What was that?! How did you... Where did you get that gun from? And those clothes... What?!"
He was in shock as he tried to form coherent questions, this was so cool... His classmate was basically a super hero... The fact he was in a dress in front of a classmate other than the drama club temporarily eluded him.
And that wasn't all that was out of mind... Hiding behind the centipede had been another chimera! Much older than the one that had fallen it knew to hide and plan sneak attacks, and as soon as the magical girl's back was turned it charged, the horse like creature swinging a scorpion's tail right into her back, sure her magical defenses would take a lot of the damage, but it was still unexpected and managed to partially piece her barrier as she was smacked into the lockers lining the hall.
 
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The aftermath of killing a chimera was always one of Namiko’s least favorite parts of the whole business. The mucous goop that leaked from their bodies always made her feel dirty even when she didn’t come into direct contact with it. Beholding the slime now dripping, squirming, slugging down the walls, she said a quick prayer on behalf of the janitor who’d have to deal with this mess. At least it wouldn’t be her; not now.

She picked herself up off the ground with a sigh of relief, dusting off her dress, and thought about what she’d do when she got home; she’d probably want to turn in the shard, get her payday, maybe use it to—

“Namiko?”

She turned. There was a kid there in a frilly dress, not all that dissimilar from hers, mouth gaping. "That... What was that?! How did you... Where did you get that gun from? And those clothes... What?!"

A normal reaction, all things considered. She opted for a sheepish grin. “Yeah...I can explain…” Namiko paused and squinted. “Wait a second...don’t I know you?” Her eyes widened. “Luca—”

A sharp force struck her in her back, sending her barreling towards the lockers. Most of the hit was absorbed by her magical shield, but it didn’t absorb the shock. With a large clang, she struck the center of one of the lockers, making a huge dent right in the center. Pain shot through her body. “Gh—!”

She looked weakly up. Lo and behold, another chimera stood, neighing victoriously and rearing its legs into the air, its scorpion tail waving wildly behind it. It glared at her, eyes full of mindless contempt, ready to charge.

Groaning, she pulled herself off the locker and, dropping Roanoke (which disintegrated immediately), she drew a short-barreled shotgun out from under her skirt and clutched it, panting. She glanced at Lucas and smiled weakly. “You...might wanna get farther away. Might get a bit...ugly.”

And, as if on cue, the chimera let out a huge roar and charged towards her. With a deep breath, Namiko began to engage, circling the walls—literally, running on the walls—and firing shots in the chimera’s direction.

This wasn’t her preferred manner of fighting—but then again, this wasn’t her preferred situation. Injuries tend to crimp many possible courses of action. Moves that were once plausible become literally impossible. A girl cornered thinks not of strategy, not rationally, but irrationally, animalistically—of survival. It was clear where Namiko’s mind was.
 
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It was odd how chimera corpses worked, the main body would always disintegrate into nothing but smoke, which itself would eventually completely dissipate... Leaving only a slightly unpleasant smell kind of like rotting meat, but anything blown off before the creature died would just stay around, and also seemed to result in smaller cores... Like the core was more of a compressed state than a piece present on the chimera.
And that goo was so hard to clean... The janitor was likely going to demand a raise, at least chemical checks checks would come back as just a mixture of whatever creatures made up the chimera rather than some magical beast that would give away magical girls to the world, with how they were already exploited no way that would end well...

Lucas was surprised that she said she could explain, this was definitely Naimko though, she even recognized him! Though that look of shock was odd... He was often there late with drama club stuff so his presence wasn't that weird...
He didn't get to hear an explanation as she was suddenly swept into the lockers, several of them bursting open from the crushing force and spilling their contents, looks like someone was keeping some odd looking leaves in there...
Rather than run Lucas was stunned, watching the fight intently, it was like something out of a dream or movie!

The fight was not going well for Namiko, the horse seemed to have thick armor plates beneath it's fur that was making damage hard to deal, and she couldn't really use any super heavy weapons in the tight confines of the school, it didn't help that there was both an innocent bystander nearby AND the chimera was crazy fast, able to charge quicker than she could run, and it's tail added quite a bit of extra range meaning she constantly needed to shift it's position... Plus... She was weakening, the tail strike must have left some poison behind that was slowing Namiko's reflexes, opening her up to another tail strike.
 
Things were getting worse and worse by the millisecond. She was semi-drowsy, speed already wasn't her strong suit, and the chimera was gaining on her, fast. Its tail had grazed her multiple times, and that, compounded with the initial hit, started to make her feel weak, drowsy: a side effect of the poison secreted in its tail.

The chimera whinnied and threw its tail right at Namiko, at the exact moment she was preparing to jump to another wall. It tore through her already weak shield, ripped through her left sleeve, and cut a deep wound in Namiko's arm. She cried and dropped her gun and jumped back, clutching her arm; blood leaked through her fingers, reddening her brown sleeves until they looked like red clay. But she couldn't stop moving; otherwise she would die. She jumped frantically from wall to wall, thinking desperately for something that might save her:

ObjectPossible UseProbable Outcome

Windows​

Jump out, luring chimera into a more open area​

Chimera is close behind+has long tail; will probably stab me straight through the chest. Death.​

Lockers​

Knock over as an impediment/possibly crush or otherwise occupy chimera​

Too weak, would take too long. Death.​

Classrooms​

Might be able to temporarily elude the chimera if hidden​

Stupid. Death. Takes too long. Something, something. THINK.

Shard?​

Money???​

What the hell can I use the shard for? If there was an unawakened magical girl here, I might be able to get some help, but—​

By chance, her eyes grazed over the kid in a dress, who stood there gaping despite her warning. Her mind worked quick. A chimera was here at school. Assuming it wasn't just here by random chance...it presumably wasn't here for her, otherwise it would've gotten her much sooner, when she was still asleep. It was wandering the halls, so it wasn't someone in the classrooms, and there wasn't many people here in the after hours anyways; so that meant...maybe, just maybe...

A plan formed immediately in her brain. A bad plan, a flimsy plan, but a better plan than no plan at all. What did she have to lose? If she was wrong she'd probably die, and if she was right she might live. She ignored the voice in her head that recognized the kid as Lucas. Couldn't be. She'd never seen him in a dress before; why would he be in one now? They looked girly enough, anyways, and goddammit, she needed to believe, just this once. Idealism makes a return when hope is lost; a man talks about health only when he is sick.

She ran up the wall, up to the ceiling. The chimera followed, growling, slobbering, more dog than horse than scorpion. She primed herself; her legs ached screamed, protested under her weight. She ignored them, and jumped off, right past the chimera, towards the floor. Towards the shard. Now on the ground she quickly spotted the kid and kicked the shard towards them; right on time, because as she jumped away she felt a cold spear of air whiz past her shoulder and saw a sharp tail where she was only a split-second before.

She ran for dear life, running, running, over under walls, jumped across the hall, ignoring the pain searing every appendage in her body. She could only barely muster the breath to speak; but she shouted to the girl, "HEY! If you want to help...if you don't want to run...please, help! Touch—" the chimera lunged at her, missing her by mere inches "—the shard! Please!"
 
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Lucas was starting to get worried, though at first he had assumed this was going to go like all the anime with the magical girl wiping the floor with the monster and running off into the night, maybe striking a cool victory pose... But no, in fact it seemed more like one of those dark magical girl shows... Because she was clearly losing! Taking hit after hit... And if she went down Lucas was undoubtedly next... After all what could he do against that freakish scorpion horse thing?
He was already looking for an escape... Yeah it was cowardly but what could he do? The again... Surely... If he could just distract it maybe she could get away or even take it out! Either way... He wasn't going to run and let a classmate get killed in school!
Grabbing a bat from one of the busted lockers, he prepared to charge the armored creature... Glad he had just gone to the toilet because otherwise he would have already pissed himself, and good luck explaining that to the club...

He was surprised by her kicking the shard at him, was it some kind of weapon? Maybe a rare artifact that had to be kept away from the monster?
As he reached for it he was momentarily stunned... Was she... Running away?!
Seeing what looked like the only fighter there abandoning him to his fate was like a punch in the gut...
"Well, at least I can die looking pretty..."
What the hell was THAT though exactly? He shook his head clear of weird thoughts and took hold of the shard, the change was near instant, he felt strong... Really strong...

A moment later he began a transformation, his costume dress melting away, leaving him nude for just a moment before his body changed as well! He became thinner, and his hair grew longer! Then a rainbow light covered him and formed into clothing, a sleeveless shirt, Hair ties and some sort of cape... And then a skirt and heels...
"Wait, that's not... Oh no".
Whatever was going on here thought he was a magical girl! With no chance to complain her found himself finished, and facing the sudden full attention of the chimera.
Not used to heels he stumbled a little, then fell forwards and made contact with it, his fist hitting it's face and pushing the chimera back with a snap, the first awakening was usually like this, all the unfocused magic being released in a few short (often accidental) attacks, still though, now they were on the ground and the chimera was recovering, rearing up to stomp on Lucas and revealing a weak spot... Right beneath the tail was an unarmored spot!
 
Namiko grinned through the pain when she saw the familiar flash of a magical girl transformation sparking behind her. The girl had changed almost completely; her hair was longer, and she was wearing a gaudy superhero costume, as befitting a magical girl. The look of shock on the girl’s face said it all; she hadn’t seen one many times before, a new magical girl, but she understood completely when her peers said it put a smile on their face to see it happen for the first time.

Unfortunately, the chimera took notice in a very different way, and galloped snarling after its new target. The girl tripped over herself and accidentally threw a fist at the chimera; the unstable magical energy of which made the chimera snap back against a shock wave that rippled the nearby lockers like paper. But the force of it pushed her down on her butt, and she could only look up, horrified, at the recovered chimera lifting its huge black legs like a guillotine…

Which was a big mistake. Because Namiko was paying very close attention, and she had Roanoke pressed against her bad shoulder, its stock like a strip of gauze. She stood on the ceiling upside-down, staring down the sights, looking, waiting...aiming…

And she fired; a straight shot right under the chimera’s tail, that spun on its axis and tore straight through its ass.
 
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Lucas covered his face with his hands as if it would save him from the incoming stomp, admittedly there was a decent chance of that actually working since his excess magical energy was burning off in any way it could, creating an incredibly powerful barrier, if only there was a way to make all transformations so powerful, but no, the first one where magic formed new pathways in the body was the only time it could work like that...
He took what he thought his last action would be... Screaming in a tone far more feminine than he had expected.

Of course it wasn't his last action though as the rifle round tore through most of the chimera's body, a distressed neigh issuing forth before it crumpled in a pile, it's inner workings reduced to a fine goo... Splattering Lucas on the ground, at least magical transformations seemed to include a cleaning service... But that goo was a horrible thing to be covered in, especially as the rotting and compression process worked, creating a larger shard than the centipede, it seemed this was a higher grade chimera! It had likely been forcing the weaker one to act as it's guard, or developed a simple pack mentality.

"Whoa... This is... So cool..."
Shocked by the battle their true thoughts leaked through as the transformation ended, no longer sensing any danger and having exhausted most of the initial burst of magical energy, as they returned to normal Lucas stumbled a little.
"Whoa... Kinda... Dizzy..."
At least he didn't pass out, it wouldn't be the first time a magical girl did that.
 
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Namiko sighed, letting her hands hang low and Roanoke dissipate. That was...close. If it weren't for that kid, she didn't know what would've happened.

She dropped off the ceiling, landing neatly on the ground, and walked towards the girl, who had just turned back into normal and was stumbling around in a daze, in order to congratulate and/or thank her.

And paused. Because now, getting a closer look at the girl's face and free from the irrational shroud of desperation, she realized that they were not a girl at all, but Lucas. Her first guess had been correct.

She stopped. What did it matter? He helped her, after all. She was more worried about him, and what he thought about all this. She didn't have any experience training new magical girls, but she figured - drawing from the endless hereditary experience of all leaders of time past - that he, as with everyone new to something, had questions.

"Hey, Lucas," she said softly, tranforming back into her regular form, and held him on his shoulder to steady him. She'd have to clean her uniform later, but she figured it would be best to talk to him like this. (Plus, it would help her heal her frankly nasty wounds a lot quicker.) She smiled. "You...probably want to know a few things, right? I did say I could explain. Though -" she glanced at his dress, which, admittedly, did look good on him "- I have some questions as well."
 
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Lucas had just about managed to regain his balance, the transformation to a magical girl form and back again had carried quite a few physical changes in his body, so suddenly changing back had been incredibly disorienting, though he was able to recover quickly, having used to take gymnastics and possessing a decent sense of balance.

The soft voice and steadying hand of his classmate brought Lucas right back to his senses, and then the craziness of the situation hit him, he had just witnessed his classmate fight and kill two crazy looking monsters, survive way more than a normal person could... And he was pretty sure he had been a girl for a minute there!

Her words had him focused again, and he followed her eyes... Before half heatedly covering up the dress, damn it, now how was he going to explain this?
"Uhh... Yeah... Like, what exactly just happened, what did I do? Can I do it again?!"
Hearing an odd eagerness in his own voice he coughed.
"Umm, I mean, I might need it if I run into one of those Chimera again... Wait, did you tell me what they are called?"
That was a normal thing, new magical girls always seemed to just know a few basic things.
 
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Namiko chuckled. She had to admit, they seemed a lot more accepting of their situation than she thought they would. It brought a smile to her face (though, if one were to look closely, they'd see that it wasn't an entirely positive smile, shaded with some dark knowledge). "Well, sure you can," she said. "And no, I didn't. You should know some things immediately. Think of it like how a bird knows where to fly without having traveled the route."

She yawned and shook her head. "Anyways...there's a lot I have to let you know about. Magical girls aren't made in a day. But I can't explain it all to you here, because, well..." She made a vague gesture with her head, that could be interpreted as either directed towards the walls of the school proper or the wound on her shoulder that was ruining her uniform. Either way, the message would've come across. "But first," she gestured to her dress, "what's this about? And what were you doing here?"
 
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If Lucas hadn't been such a massive nerd, and not only binged magical girl anime but also seen that battle a while ago... He probably would have been far less okay with everything, but instead he was just sort of subtly panicked, trying to figure out if this was going to end in tragedy, still though, they had both come out of that battle alive and seemingly intact so maybe there was nothing to worry about? And he now had super powers! Even if they did come with an embarrassing costume...

"Ehem... I'm clearly not a magical girl..."
He reminded her... Though as girly as he looked, and in a dress, it was a pretty weak argument, and it might have been her imagination but did his eyelashes get longer? Maybe it was just easier to notice up close.
Lucas flinched as she pointed out her wounds and the damage, yeah... It was probably time to not be in the school... Being caught there would probably end up with them being arrested.
As attention was called to the dress again Lucas groaned inwardly.
"W..well the drama club got some new costumes... And they needed someone to try them on... You know... Make sure they are comfy to wear for a length of time... So I ended up doing it... A..against my will of course!"
 
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Namiko titled her head. It was true, he wasn't a girl, but... "Well, that's what we're called, anyways, if only from convention. We're all girls, after all. Until now." She shrugged. "There's a first time for everything."

How strange it was, she thought, how easily she was taking this. No - how easily he was taking this. Being a magical girl, that is, and nearly dying, and this shooting and blood and strange alien goop. After all of that, it was the dress he seemed to be most worried about. He had an innocence that was almost refreshing. Reminded her of herself, before.

She winced. Why was she thinking like an old woman? "Anyways, " she said, interrupting her own train of thought, "that being the case, were you almost done? Maybe you should go change or something. Do you have somewhere you have to be after this?"
 
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"Oh... I get it, so it's just a sort of culture thing..."
He mumbled, even he didn't get his ease with the whole thing, something about the situation was just so not normal that it felt more like a dream, clearly it wasn't, since he could feel and smell and other things...
Finding out he was the first was quite surprising... And a little scary, did even whatever created magical girls decide he was too girly?! He would have sighed if not for the fear it would tear the dress that he was now acutely aware of, he hadn't been worried before... It had been almost natural in fact!

"Y..yeah... This was the last one, and I don't really need to be anywhere, my parents are okay with me staying out late, they trust me".
He was proud of that, being a teenager that could be trusted, well, considering most of his friends were girls maybe they just assumed he was being influenced into behaving, not going out with random teens to get drunk.
"Uhh... Did you need to be somewhere?"
He asked, entering the drama club room and retrieving his clothing from a table, heading behind a curtain to change.
 
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"Hm? Well, I was gonna go home and play games, and sleep, but..." She sucked in air through her teeth. "Well, I think I've had my fair share of excitement for the day, simulated or no, and I don't think I'm ready to sleep this off. And besides, that's not as important anymore. As a vet, it is my job and obligation to show you the ropes. Or, at least, tell you a few things."

She leaned close towards the curtain. She remembered when she had first become a magical girl, and remembered what she did on that fateful day, she and her mentor. Most things had lost their luster, but the first day never did, and she intended to carry on the tradition. The fact that he'd be the first boy to join their lineage only made it all the more exciting.

Namiko smiled, so that when Lucas peeked his head out of the curtain he'd be greeted with a full view of shining white tiles and a sharp flash of green above. Amazing how should could manage such a look even with lurid bloodied sleeves. "Anyways," she said, "there's only one really important question for now, and that is: what's your favorite fast food place?"
 
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"Oh! So you like games?..."
He asked, trying to make conversation, he himself was a big fan... Had every console just about, a benefit of having busy parents, they tried to make up for a lack of home time with gifts, expensive gifts.
He was glad she was willing to show him the ropes... Honestly it was all so new! He knew what a chimera was, and how magic worked, well sort of at least... But that was about it as far as magical things went.
"Thanks! That's a really big help... It's so cool but kinda scary... So I wanna know how to defend myself! And like, can magical girls fly? Or is that another anime thing..."
He kinda like the idea of flying through the air, long hair fluttering in the wind... Wait, he was imaging himself girly again... He had to stop that!

Lucas didn't take long to dress, putting on casual clothing which consisted of shorts and a t shirt, before throwing his cat style hoodie over the top for some extra warmth, a club mate had given it to him, saying she liked how he looked in it... And it WAS kinda comfy and warm, and not even pink or anything dumb.
He got a serious look, preparing for some big speech or a demand to swear an oath, and nearly broke into giggles at the question.
"I don't see how that's really important... It's KFC by the way though".
 
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"Oh yes," she said, grinning. "All sorts of stuff. Old arcade games are my specialty, but I play some new stuff, too." She reached her hand into her bag to pull out her 3DS - only to find it wasn't there. The 3DS and her bag. She'd forgotten to pick it up before she left. "Heheh...I'll have to pick that up before we leave..."

"And...hmm...some can, but we don't know if you can, yet...well, slow down, now," she said with a giggle, a little empty flourish, and winked at him. "If you have nowhere else to be, let's go to KFC, then! We can talk about it there. Biscuits sound good right now. I can pay." For Namiko, her first time was a burger joint - Whataburger? - but you could do worse than chicken. Besides, a chicken place would probably be winding down a bit this late in the afternoon, making it ideal for a talk. Certainly more ideal than Whataburger was, but then again, her mentor wasn't a particularly subtle person. Just slide into an obscure booth in the back of the store and they'd be good to go; the colonel sure wouldn't care.
 
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"Oh! The old stuff is really fun! But a lot harder than most new games... Oh! I know, maybe I can lend you some of mine? I have like every console since the original DS!"
He boasted, clearly proud of his collection, he didn't even bother mentioning the hundreds of games to go with them... He didn't really get out of the house much... After all he didn't have many close friends and the whole drama club were girls... Who had their own social sphere he couldn't breach...
Hell, he first started gaming in an attempt to make friends who might also have similar tastes.

"Oh! So there's a chance... I felt super light compared to normal... And it feels like flying is something I wanna do! Though I guess just confusing that crystal or whatever was enough of a rare ability already..."
He perked up at being asked to go eat... Was this what friends did? Or just magical girls?
Either way he was happy to go along.
"Sure! Uhh, I'll follow you, my parents won't be home for hours anyway and I... Kinda lost my key earlier..."
He admitted, a little red faced.
 
"Sure thing! There's a lot of stuff I haven't played yet." This was a good sign. It seemed like they'd get along just fine. "Alright, let's go!" She began to march out the door, but stopped and turned around, smiling sheepishly. "But, uh...I should go get my bag first. Sorry. All my money's in there, too."

++++++++++++++
As a rule, the most profound truths are not found in chapels but in more vulgar locales, whose atmospheres seem somehow conducive towards epiphanies. That day was no exception. Take KFC - air dank with the smell of oil and "special herbs", its white and red color scheme exemplifying the kind of kitschy antiquity popular among certain types of fast-food establishments. Chicken more skin than meat, but nevertheless soft with a greasy richness in every bite; biscuits more buttered than an actual stick of butter, small packets of amber honey included. Nevertheless, the atmosphere was comforting, familiar, even familial. Here, over a carton of biscuits and a small bucket of chicken, Namiko explained to Lucas the role he was to play. Told him about Orphan and the AAD, those two opposing factions, their aims; Orphan a ruling class of magical girls, the Allied Abnornal Division a kind of fascistic control over the status quo, including a close eye over the activities of magical girls. Told him about the chimeras, those nasty creatures, hell-bent on consumption. About the existence of other magical girls (of which there were many). Taught him how to transform (just visualize yourself as a magical girl, the image of which was implanted in your mind). By the end of her long explanation Lucas knew most of the basics, which was to say - in her opinion - very little. The rest would come with experience, which was not something she could give to him.

It felt strangely nostagic. It had the open free feeling of a new beginning, of repeating history, which simultaneously reassured her and made her uneasy, because a repeat of the past was among the last things she wanted. But she didn't tell him that.

She drew a line of Coke from her straw, the length of her sip calculated, and looked him in the eye. The wound under her sleeve had now mostly closed. "So," she said, her face neutral, "how do you feel? Is there anything else you wanna know?"
 
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