Neon Shadows - IC

[Mollisol]

​

Umbra's center was a city of pearlescence, neon lights reflected off of the shiny pastel bricks of skyscrapers. Cars drove down the deep blue roads, and the sun was purple in the light sky. People walked the streets as well, chatting, laughing, drinking tea, in their colorful clothing. Not a single Henzai advertisement flashed above them, only many images of painted still lives, soft light photographs, and the occasional chalk landscape.

The girls who had just faded into this reality weren't here to sightsee, though. Or at least, not the ones known as Onyx, White, and Sangria Shadow. They had arrived outside the datamancer's headquarters, which appeared as a fortune teller's shop, with a sun-purple neon sign outside that read "Eri's Forecast". Inside was a lush rug beneath a card-covered table, cloth-draped chairs, and Eri the datamancer herself, whose avatar was a fluffy white cat. It was time for the girls to meet at the fortune teller's shop - they'd experienced a few battles on their own, but now they would come together under the datamancer's watchful eye.

Of course, those weren't the only girls visiting Umbra. The girls known as Urukawa Mikan and Sakura Kawamura had been drawn here as well, the former by way of a message in a shrine's wish, and the latter by a communication from Eri herself. The datamancer cat was giving them time to wander the city and experience color, art, and the freedom to do what they wanted, but she'd reach out to them and bring them to the shop when that time was up.

In the gray world, the meat world, Henzai's world, the surveillance drones didn't suspect that any of these girls were up to anything. The drones saw some harmless enjoyment of HARP (Henzai Accordance Role Play), and besides, their attention was focused elsewhere. They were searching for openings in a less-legal network, the Umbra network, that they had recently found. The watchful eyes of Eri's security butterflies were on that search, but that confrontation would not happen immediately. Now was the time for the Shadows (current and soon-to-be) to meet.

 

[Boo Girlie BoomBoom]

~The Sangria Shadow~

<~~~<★>~~~>
​

no-lightbox

"True, Blue," Sangria nodded at the new Shadow's comment regarding the threat possibilities, "but that is what The Black Hats do: they sabotage Henzai creations, take them over for their own purposes. It's like how White said: 'they're in it for the next high.'"

The tall archangellic Shadow then turned her head and her red-eyed gaze fell upon Yellow, "And it's also as White said: 'nothing gets them going more than taking out a Shadow.' Yeah, they like to get at us and that's why there is no turning back. Undoubtedly, they have info now about both new Neon Shadows; they now know about Blue's water powers and your light powers, Yellow."

Of the two new Shadows, it seemed as if Yellow needed more hand-holding and softened talk more so than Blue. But she needed to hear this. Right here, right now at full face value. Sangria turned to fully face Yellow and stepped towards her and drew a breath. She exhaled and caught Yellow's gaze and held it with her own level red-eyed gaze. "You are now targets. You have been marked by them. They know all our signatures; you, me, Blue and White. Even if The Black Hats and Henzai aren't working in unison together, we are still up against stacked odds. This is what I meant when I said you are in too deep. You now need to be careful and watch your backs here... and in the Meat World. No going back now, sisters."

If Yellow would allow, Sangria would reach out and hold both hands of the shorter Shadow. Sangria's voice had tinges of a sombre string quartet as she spoke, "But I said it before and I will say it again: You are not alone. We are power when we are one."

A sigh, a heartfelt smile and a simple nod she gave Yellow, then she turned away from the new Shadow and marched back to the veteran Shadow and pulled her aside and spoke low. "White. That Henzaipede... it came for this place. Eri said so herself," she then angled her chin to make direct eye contact with White, her voice once more that thrumming bassline, "but you and I both know about Black Hats and their directives. They weren't here just only for 'this place...' they were here for a datamancer. White, they were here for Eri herself.

How did they know she was here? And how did they get past early warning sensors? Somethings not right, sister, something... or someone is definitely not right..."

<~~~<★>~~~>
​

 

[Mollisol]

Once she was assured the virus had been defeated, Eri separated into lines of luminescent code, and recompiled near the felled centipede. She'd gathered their conversation from her network-wide surveillance.

"Sangria is very right," she said, her kitty face gone cloudy. "I thought I was safe when I helped create this network, but they've tracked me down." Scarcely meeting anyone's eyes, she sat up uncomfortably and explained.

"I... was a rogue before Umbra. I never attacked a network, but I sold my datamancy expertise in exchange for special VR assets. One of my clients was the Black Hats. We were young. I hardly knew what they would become." She shook her head and made a snarl of disgust. "Both of us hunger for an escape from Henzai. I made my escape. They take theirs. Due to a falling out between us, the deal ended. They've been clawing at innocent networks ever since. I thought I'd be safe here, but clearly that's not the case."

She finally met the Shadows' eyes. "They do relish taking out a Shadow, as Sangria and White know. They once had a teammate, Gold Shadow - her domain was metal, and she tended plants, some of the last vestiges of color in this nation. There was a day when White and Sangria fought a Henzai beast without her, and when a few Umbra users went looking for her, they heard she'd been incarcerated by Henzai for growing herbs to cure the sick.

"The Black Hats cannot kill by directly attacking in virtual reality, but when they strike at you, your elemental powers won't always be able to save you. Therefore, you need to be vigilant outside of here. While people you know are unlikely to be Black Hats, the rogues aren't above manipulating others into doing their bidding. I want you to be cautious in your daily activities - especially with any seeds of conflict."

 

[Blighted_Agent]

As Yellow Shadow listened to all this, the implications started to slowly creep in. To say that she was unhappy and scared was an understatement. A bunch of anarchists with a bad sense for name originality were on the loose and to top it off they had some kind of bloodlust towards their group. It had even gotten to the point that their matron had been tracked down and now had a real target on her back. Learning that another one of their numbers was now gone due to their actions was shocking in itself, too.

It felt like odds that were already against them were now even worse, somehow. Having to worry about this back in reality, in the so-called 'Meat World' was perhaps an even greater concern that hadn't really crossed her mind until Eri herself had brought it up. Knowing that the entire squad had each others' backs was a small blessing to be treasured in these grievous circumstances.

Holding her hands together to offer the kami a silent prayer, Yellow Shadow, still somewhat shaken but trying to be resolute, spoke thus,

"Thank you for your answers and help, sisters of mine. I'm still very new at this, but with your guidance I'm sure to be a great asset to our little band. These are troubling developments that we must face together. It may not be much but we should take comfort in today's triumph... It's slightly concerning that we can't all easily be together in the 'Meat World'... can we?"

 

[daird]

"And we don't have any powers in reality." Sakura asked Emi jokingly, "Any way you can help us with that?" She then turned back to the others. "They probably don't have any idea of our meat identities yet, so our families are safe for now, but we should try to keep ourselves mobile. If possible, we should also try to meet up in reality, preferably in a big, crowded area so we aren't overheard."

 

[Boo Girlie BoomBoom]

~The Sangria Shadow~

<~~~<★>~~~>
​

no-lightbox

As Eri spoke, admitting her past, the Sangria Shadow lifted her chin and looked off into the distance back towards the destruction the Hezaipede had caused. A lone digital wind ruffled at her silvery hair as she watched the folk begin to repair and rebuild what they could. As soon as the fluffy white cat mentioned Gold Shadow, the glow in her red eyes dimmed and she looked downwards at her boots.

In the Meat World once more Ayami's eyes brimmed with tears. But this time they were not tears of relief and elation. No, these were made of hot, satly and bitter waters tempered by regret.

The other girls had spoken and afterwards there seemed to be a pause that extended into an uncomortable silence as if they were waiting for the verteran Shadows to speak up.

So then finally Sangria was the first of the veteran Shadows to pipe up. "So you knew her too, eh White?" her chin was still low and red eyes still gazing at the shine of her armoured boots. The music in her voice was once again that thrumming bassline-- but barely thrumming. "I always wondered who finished off the Firenzai-Bird. Thought it was Onyx. But makes sense it was you and your Ice, sister."

As she spoke, she made several hand motions and unlocked the wind tunnel portal, sending her singing blade Escalation back into stasis. It sealed shut, the melody of its wind ceasing and leaving that uncomfortable silence once more. Sangria cleared her throat before continuing.

"I was supposed to know Gold in the Meat World. We did actually meet after deciding that it was about time to get together and have tea..." again, that uncomfortable silence. Then: "...what a big mistake. What. A. Big. Mistake."

Finally those red eyes looked up and fell upon the other Shadows. "Because we met in the Meat World, they found out about her and what she was. But not me. I didn't realize it until later but she sacrificed herself to keep me anonymous and off the grid from Henzai and groups like The Black Hats. I never saw her again. I never got the chance to thank her. At least now I know she's still out there."

She pointed at the fallen Henzaipede. "Like I said, we are in too deep. We don't know if and when they can trace our signals and our signatures--" Red eyes popped wide and her mouth opened even wider. "Our signatures... I get it now! It wasn't just the garden that got her caught...! It's so true they knew. It is!"

The tall archagellic Shadow stepped towards her sister Shadows with urgency in her gait and in her rising orchestral voice.

"Listen up, sisters. That's how they found out. It's Our Signatures, but not while we are alone. We are all single entities out there in the Meat World registered on the Henzai grid. But we are unique too since we are Neon Shadows. But no one can tell, not even Henzai can tell that we are Shadows. Eri, you always said: 'We are power when we are one.' And here in the digital world, in Umbra, that is so true; together we are so tough to beat.

BUT. In the Meat World when we are together...? It's a liability to 'be one.'

We have a powerful signature whenever we are close together in the Meat World. What makes us unique exposes us because when we are together out there, we willl send out a distinct signal, a strong one, yes, but one that is an anomally and a red flag to those who know what to look for. You see, I think that the Black Hats...? They figured it out. They are just waiting for us to gather out there.

So it is a no, Blue. No, Yellow. We cannot meet up outside here in our true forms without posing a danger to one another. We may still be able to meet.... but not just yet..."

Once more she held out her black metallic tiara and sent out a digital projection to each one of her sister Shadows, "You see, Gold left me a message before she was incarcerated. It was not in detail, but she said that she had been working on a way to mask, to cloak, our signatures when we are-- wait a sec... The message! It's gone! It's--"

In the blank buzz of the message were pairs of numbers and letters. They blinked bright and accusing-- perhaps even urgently. A blank stare she gave, then finally it dawned on Sangria. "The message is still there, sisters, but I think it was just actually encrypted code hiding those characters. And if I'm right... those are coordinates..."

Indeed they were coordinates. Four sets. Just like how there were four of them gathered here.

But what had activated the exposure of the hidden code? Sangria's had seen them before. She swore she had... Red eyes popped open wide once more then turned to the Henzaipede. She saw it when she saw the ASCII logo... when Escalation was still extracting data-- "--that was the trigger...! White, can you data mine that beast and cross reference those coordinates? I think we may be onto something...!"

<~~~<★>~~~>​

 

[Wolfsbane706]

Anna listened to Sangria's monologue carefully. "I'm pretty sure Henzai at least knows who I am," she said quietly when Sangria reached the point about their identities, punctuating it with a silent glance at Eri. She didn't say anything more, though. She didn't want to give Sangria any reasons to distrust her. She didn't want to give any of the Shadows reason to distrust her. Things were dangerous enough as it was without infighting. Thankfully, Eri knew. Eri knew everything about the Shadows. Including Anna's motivations for being one.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Sangria suddenly asked her about datamining and cross-referencing some set of coordinates. "I'll need to log out and use the terminal, but yeah I can check them against a map. Send them my way before logging out and I'll have the information for you within a couple hours."

 

[Blighted_Agent]

Yellow Shadow transformed back into Urukawa Mikan in a glimmer of fading light, trying to make the most of what she was hearing. The story of Gold Shadow was quite sad even if there was still some glimmer of hope. While the talk about coordinates went over her head for the most part, she could understand that something was hidden and there was a chance to recover it.

Similarly, even though Sangria Shadow's logic felt hard to follow, Mikan at least was pleased in knowing that her question had somehow helped the group already to some extent. Who would have guessed that being together in the so-called 'Meat World' could lead to the exposure of their identities? There were already things to worry about, like possible spies who could visit the shrine. It was a shame that these discoveries meant that Blue Shadow's idea of meeting together in a crowded place wouldn't come to pass for a long time...

Having pondered a little, Mikan just put together her hands and, looking expectantly at her seniors and Eri, asked "If I may, what should we do now?"

 

[Mollisol]

"You should look for Gold's work - the coordinates that hide her message, her cloaking," Eri said resolutely. "Even if you can't unite, you need to figure out how to do so. It's no good to wait around and follow that thing's orders. White and Sangria, work together on the coordinates. Blue and Yellow, I'm analyzing what I know about you two in the data I absorbed... Yellow, Gold Shadow mentioned that she visited your family's shrine frequently; can you find out what information you could about her? As for you, Blue, seek out Megumi. You could say I know her."

 

[daird]

"Darn." Sakura had been looking forward to getting to know the girls behind the avatars. But she had to admit, Sangria had a point, too. It was a big risk, putting so many Shadows together in one place. If they were caught, Henzai could end the entire cell in a single blow.

"Yeah, I know her. Small little thing, pink hair, blind. I was going to visit her tomorrow, anyway. I'll be sure to tell her you said to talk to her." Now that was a confusing sentence.

 

[Boo Girlie BoomBoom]

~The Sangria Shadow~

<~~~<★>~~~>
​

no-lightbox

"Alright then, White," Sangria nodded as she finished projecting the rest of what she extracted from the Henzaipede towards the Ice Wielder, "Whatever you find out, drop the data packets off at the Brigadine server. I'll have my alerts ready on my mobile. My spoofed user account is-- ahem... is OCanadonutsYum94."

In the Meat World Ayami could not help but sigh and face palm, ~Ugggggggggghs... I so need to change that user name.~

"Right, but listen now, sisters," Sangria gave a sweeping glance at the other Shadows, "I have been picked to do a photography project at an Innner Gear institute. I have 2 extra passes left to get there. So if it comes up and things get quite dire and you need to flee your Gear, then I can give you a pass.

But you need to hack the Identifier Scanner in your mobile or whatever you use to provide proper identification. Just get to the Brigadine Server. But you have to have a VARPer Gamer Account. A basic or trial account is just fine. Just hit me up at... ahem... OCanadonutsYum94..."

In the Meat World another teenaged sigh, another teenaged facepalm.

After another clearing of the throat, Sangria returned her tiara back on top of her head, then she continued, "But maybe we should all give out contact info where we can reach each other without having to always log in and reach each other here as Shadows in Umbra. The Server I take care of is Umbra protected, and so Blue and Yellow, this contact point of yours should be too. Now that leaves us with..."

Slowly, the Wind-wielding Shadow turned her silvery head back towards Eri, the music in her voice once more thrumming with that low bassline, "...and what about you, Eri-san? They found you here. Onyx usually patrols while we aren't here. But I haven't heard a word from her... I... I haven't seen her again. Are you going to continue to run your Fortune-Tellers shop here or... What are you going to do?"

<~~~<★>~~~>​

 

[Blighted_Agent]

Mikan listened attentively, trying desperately to remember any faces that frequented the shrine and had ceased to do so in recent times... Unfortunately, as she was right now it felt impossible. Perhaps she had something to jog her mind back in the 'Meat World', so she made a note to look for that as she nodded to Eri. It seemed that everybody had gotten work divvied up nicely for them; it was at times like this that Mikan's faith in the kami felt strongest. Their divine providence was at work and would show them the way. She would have to pray some more when she got back.

As the Sangria Shadow continued to speak, Mikan felt a mix of relief and confusion. She had always been taught that talking too much was impolite and brash, but here was a person, a sister, that had taken to their group with passion and hope. Her many references to technical terminology confused Mikan a little, but she could be sure that this person was honorable. So how should she feel about that? Sangria was dependable in her own way, even if she was so different from the far more... on-point White Shadow who was also quite dependable. Maybe they can work together as they do precisely because of how much they contrast with one another, so she thought.

Putting her fingers together, she looked earnestly at Sangria, and closing in on her a little, whispered, "My contact information, is there a more efficient way to transfer it than my writing it down? I don't even have pen and paper handy... I'm very sorry, I'm just not used to all this. Thank you for the information about these passes; if the need arises I will contact you at... uhm... 'OCanadonutsYum94', is that right?".

 

[Wolfsbane706]

As Anna pushed the VR visor up from her face and her Shadow avatar disappeared from Eri's storefront, she found herself giggling at the ridiculous username Sangria had assigned herself. The giggling fit didn't last long, though, as once she de-reclined her chair to get up, she found herself face-to-face with a young girl, probably no older than thirteen. "Guten Abend, Frau Decarion!" the girl said in accented, but rather accurate German.

"Guten abend . . . ," Anna replied apprehensively. "Wait a sec, two questions," she continued, switching back to Japanese. "Firstly, who are you, and secondly, how do you know my name?"

"In order, my name is Yuzu Shiki, an up-and-coming Datamancer who's been following the Shadows since you guys took down your first Henzai server." The girl--Yuzu--took a breath and continued on with her introduction. "I know your name because honestly, it's rather an open secret. Henzai authorities aren't allowed to do anything to you specifically or directly, but that doesn't preclude them from hiring mercenaries like those nasty Black Hats to come after you in their stead. Never mind the backlash that would happen if you actually got hurt."

Anna was taken aback to say the least. She knew her father had some influence in Henzai affairs, but to actually convince them not to hurt her directly? She had no idea such a thing was in place, and she similarly had no idea that her father had so much influence. As far as she had known, her father's influence was limited to managing the VR servers and keeping things in line. No way in hell did he have the political clout to actually order people around. But that was unimportant to the task at hand. "Say, Yuzu, how would you like to help me out?"

 

[Mollisol]

In the hospital, a pink-haired girl sat on a decayed hospital bed, wearing a gray hospital gown. Her eyes saw nothing, but an orderly came in every so often to make sure she hadn't received any contraband or wandered off or injured herself, in that order of importance. Megumi could hear her footsteps. She spent her time humming to herself, or verbally telling a long, winding story - this was a hopelessly understimulating place.

---

"I'm going to do some advanced searching for Onyx," Eri replied. "The fortune telling shop's primary purpose is finding potentially useful Umbra members. We have a good population, plus four Shadows, so we should be fine in that department. I worry about our own."

---

"If it's with datamancy, the rising star of cosmic code can definitely help you!" Yuzu chirped. "Although I am looking for a favor as well. I'm good with software, but the hardware needs to work first. I have..." her voice dropped to a whisper. "... an ancient music player. I believe it went in cars before Henzai mandated the use of its own media unit? But I know it has old audio files on it. I want help making it play. If you promise to do that, I'll definitely help you."

 

[Boo Girlie BoomBoom]

~The Sangria Shadow~

<~~~<★>~~~>
​

no-lightbox

Sangia turned to Eri and nodded along as the Datamancer explained what she would do next. In the Meat World, Ayami wanted to do two things right now, but of course resisted. One, she sooooo wanted to reach out, pick up the fluffy white cat then cuddle and stroke its soft digital fur. And, two, she wanted to ask about what exactly was the fall out between Eri and the Black Hats. But of course, she realized, that was a tale to be told when Eri was ready... or possibly even more correct; when the Shadows were ready to learn the truth of it all.

"Whenever, wherever, we will be there for you when you need, rest assured. Take care of what you must" Ayami want to add more, let the Datamancer know just how concerned-- no, worried she was for Eri, but instead she gave into the Sangria persona and finished with merely: "please be careful, Eri-san. "

Yellow piped up and slid in close to Sangria and whispered to her with much concern. It was only now that the tall silvery-headed Shadow realized just how inept with technology was the Yellow shadow. And then there was the fact that she was first to mention that awful username aloud and actually seem bewildered to speak it rather than have a chuckle or give a playful jab at it. Sangria only smiled and gave up a small laugh when it was mentioned (but in the Meat World Ayami literally cringed whist making a sourpuss'd face).

"No, Yellow, paper and pen do not apply here," Sangria said mildly as she placed a reasurring gloved hand upon the other girl's shoulder, "we each have power sets in Umbra. And each item in the set may do similar things but, each item is also unique to the Shadow that possesses them."

Sangria motioned for Blue to come near and listen in. "Now, Shadows, hear this. You have seen my weapon, Escalation and my armour and you see my Cyber-Angellic Wings, right? Those, for example, are part of my unique gear collection. My voice as you my have noticed has a musical intonation or backdrop to it and Escalation 'sings' due to my usage of Wind."

A short pause she took, looking at their faces, seeing if they were lost or if they comprehended. A breath she drew before continuing, "But we may each have some things that do the exact same thing even though they are differing in appearance. For example, this... See this black tiara? It sends information to others in a one way transmission. We could, of course, always transmit info to one another vocally and save it locally, but most times, that is not secure. You see, any info we divulge can be stolen, or mined, but transmitting and saving info this way is very, very, very, tough to be mined."

An encouraging nod she gave them coupled with an even more encouraging smile. The sounds of a hopeful brass section flowed with her voice, "Sooooo... I'm sure you each have way to transmit data... but what is it? What part of your unique gear set is it? Does it look like something in the same theme of your power affinity? So once you know what it is, then it would be good to send me your contact info here. And worry not. Although I did say... that username of mine vocally, be rest assured, I have it contained and set up to send hackers into a huge loop. Gold Shadow... she helped me with that. And, sisters, I know she'll help us again once we figure out her cryptic messages... and finally find her and free her."

<~~~<★>~~~>​

 

[daird]

Sakura made her way into the hospital room, making sure to loudly tap her foot three times. It was her way of letting Megumi know she was there. The blue-haired girl walked over to her friend. "Hey, Meg. I'm here. Got an important message for you from... a mutual acquaintance."

 

[Blighted_Agent]

Mikan listened to Sangria's words attentively. She'd have to experiment soon with her own transformed self in order to discover the transmitting mechanism, given how relevant it seemed to be regarding secrecy. She leaned in as beckoned, and in the end bowed and smiled. "I am sure that with our concurrent efforts and the kami's favor we will find her. Thank you very much for the explanation... senpai."

Having said as much, Mikan turned to the others who were still left, bowed respectfully, and announced, "I will be logging off now. We shall see each other soon again... May the kami smile upon you all, s-sisters...". Near the end, she caught herself blushing, so she just looked away and activating the pertinent protocols, returned from Umbra to... the Meat World.

-

Mikan 'woke' up in her room, the lights still dimmed. She lay on her bed, and stretched, feeling around as if to confirm she was back in 'reality', and finally sat up. The girl removed the device she had used to log into Umbra and set it aside with great care.

There was much to be done. Temple grounds to clean, ceremonies to preside, shrine records to look through... She was about to leave the room when she realized she was wearing only her casual clothes. The girl sighed and facepalmed, slightly embarrassed, and proceeded to don her miko robes. She then set out to work, carrying with her the small and primitive phone she was allowed to have. It had some rudimentary features, so it might be of use while she worked. She might have to consult with her brother when he got home; Ryouji was normally the one who handled the records... she'd have to be careful around him, lest he suspect anything.

 

[Wolfsbane706]

Anna listened carefully to Yuzu's request. "An antique," she stressed that word carefully. Collectors and mechanics like herself never referred to older equipment as "ancient" or "old". "Car radio. I'd have to see it to know what to work on. There were so many different brands before Henzai, and that's just in Japan. Also, a bunch of these radios wouldn't work if they weren't actually installed in a car, so we'll need an equally vintage car to put it in. There may be a few left in the junkyard, but if not, I'll have to jury-rig something." She paused during her explanation to watch Yuzu writing things down. Apparently, Datamancers weren't completely infallible when it came to remembering things. "Say, Yuzu," she asked after a moment. "Does Eri know you're helping me?"

Yuzu paused in her note taking and touched the pencil to her chin. "You're the first Shadow I've approached in person," she said. "You're the first Shadow I've approached period because you've got the most experience. I haven't even talked to Miss Eri yet!"

Anna paused for a moment to let Yuzu's remark sink in. "You really oughta make yourself known," she said. "Eri's not too big on surprises, especially when she's on the receiving end."

 

[Mollisol]

"Hello, Sakura!" Megumi said, instantly perking up at the sound of the other girl's footsteps. "The cat, right? I heard you might be coming. Tell me about that message."

---

The record room contained paper, but also a small tower of crystal wafers for data, each about as thick as a finger - primitive compared to Henzai's information storage, but far more advanced than the technology in the other Gears. It was ready to be searched - although Ryouji was scheduled to come home within the hour. A console for browsing the crystal was near the crystal stack.

--

"Me?! It'll be great to make the acquaintance of a master of her craft," Yuzu said, starry-eyed. "But how do I... speak to her? I had some issues with Umbra, concerning," her voice dropped to a whisper, "some less-proud moments from my past, and I don't know her outside of the network. Hmm, checking this, I could get back on, but my reputation isn't the best. I'll do it, though!"

 

[Blighted_Agent]

Mikan looked at the record room in wonder. She was truly out of her element here, the papers being a cold comfort amidst the high technology that surrounded her. Before she began, Mikan set two alarms at her phone: one for the half-hour and one for the full hour. When the first went off, she'd check to see if her brother had returned; when the second went off, she would leave regardless of what she'd found, to make sure Ryouji didn't find her here. Strictly speaking it wasn't wrong of her to be in this place, but it was certainly strange and would at minimum raise questions she wasn't sure how to answer just yet.

It was hard to admit, but she had no clue how to best start, so she just decided to go in order, picking the top-most wafer and introducing it so that the console could display its contents. Since Mikan was not well-versed in the minutiae of the crystal wafers, it was better to go through those first; the papers she could sort out in a jiffy.

She decided to take notes on her phone, cursing at her lack of foresight in not bringing papers herself. Mikan would try to jot down anything that seemed relevant in her search for information on Gold Shadow.

 

[daird]

"Oddly enough, she didn't say- but she let me into her little club." Sakura's voice dropped to a bare whisper; the other girl had sensitive ears after all. "Megumi, we're looking for Gold. If you've got any leads on her, now's the time to share." There it was, out in the open.