Spellheart [Luna & Jakers]

[☆Luna☆]

As Shibo watched the arena, she eventually noticed the illusionspace appear in a 3d representation on the arena stage. For the moment, the teams had yet to spawn inside, so all that could be seen was the swamplands landscape. Although most illusionspaces were designed relatively symmetrical to allow for a fair fight, this one seemed to be one of the exceptions. The area was dark due to the large trees that grew everywhere which the murky, possibly toxic waters didn't suppress growth. Ironically, it was these dark cesspools where the most light flowed through due to a lack of tree cover. However, the oppressive storm clouds overhead made the area extremely dim. The area was lit to the audience but from the perspective of the fighters it would present a major visibility issue. In addition, much of the ground seemed to be quite unstable. Much of the ground was so fragile and shifting that it threatened to collapse in on itself should someone step down too hard. Many people around the stage speak with interest since stages like this where it was difficult to approach tended to be decided by the siege-carries. Macky might be unpopular, but she is notoriously an excellent siege-carry due to her ability to take control of the other team's siege-carry before they use their attack.

After a few minutes of people speculating how the fight might be affected by this choice of environment, each of the teams made their appearance.

Team Macky

Macky: Seige-Carry

Kido: Tank

Sid: Brawler

Although Team Macky seemed to be as edgy as ever, Team Amiko seemed to have a new look as well. Amiko's once-blonde hair had been dyed jet black. While this change made her seem a bit less friendly, it did well to amplify that calm, collected vibe that she always had about her. Plus, with such dark hair, the vibrancy of her intensely purple eyes were drawn out. In fact, just that small change seemed to call attention to the fact that everyone on her team had purple eyes. While it would be simple enough to change a trait like eye color with magic, natural purple eyes were quite a rare characteristic. People around the arena speculate whether they all changed their eye color to establish a team identity, or if it was simply a crazy coincidence.

 

[Jakers]

Shibo's attention on Team Macky was brief, her strong pulsations of anger and disapproval through her brain being torn away in a heartbeat as soon as Amiko, Marcy, and Mio entered the stage.

Even though Amiko had changed her appearance slightly, Shibo could still make her out instantly as soon as she'd came into view. The way she set her hair... the way she stood... even the way she looked around. It was so familiar to her, and it was the exact thing she'd been trying to push away. Now she was seeing it, Shibo could feel her heart was sinking and beating in a way she couldn't think of a word to describe. 'Uncomfortable' felt too simple, too easy for what she felt as soon as her eyes peered into the purple ones of her old partner. The one she wanted to protect, when in reality, the way Shibo wanted to protect her wouldn't be protecting her at all. It would be causing a million more problems to deal with, and facing that reality had been harder than any stupid test she'd revised for in school.

She was looking into purple eyes again. A team of three in unison. A team of three she'd known for so little time, yet she somehow felt connected when she knew she wasn't even a slight part of the bigger goings-on.

That shade of purple, that enchanting twist of red and blue... her favourite colour, as she'd said to Amiko on the first day she'd met her. Now, she felt that shade of purple was dictating her life somehow. Pulling her into places she shouldn't be, yet felt right to be in.

Shibo took a moment to look down, her breath wheezing out slightly as she crouched over in her seat. With all eyes on her, she knew she couldn't afford even the slightest emotional outburst, but even that sad, confused exhale of breath might've been enough to spread rumours already. She hadn't made her thoughts too obvious, but she still felt like everyone knew. Especially Astra. She didn't want anybody to tell her that everything was going to be okay. In fact, she didn't know what she wanted. But it was her feet that'd bought her here, and she was in this to stay now.

But before the fight had even began, Shibo had began to see the reality of why she shouldn't have sat in this chair today, and she was already regretting her decision. One glance of those six purple lights... it was all it took to provoke even a slight emotional reaction. It was time to hold everything back from this point, otherwise there would be no point of continuing if she couldn't.

 

[☆Luna☆]

Soon after the teams appear, they burst into action.

Turn 1

Marcy starts by casting Angel Wings (5, Utility) and Holy Smite (5, Offense). Although she doesn't yet have a way to cross the treacherous terrain separating her team from Macky's, she could guarantee that her wings come up soon, so she would make certain that she had the means to harass Macky, warranting a defense by Macky's goons.

Amiko surprises everyone by casting multiple spell circles. She casts the spell Dire Assist (5, Utility) twice, and Astral Storm (60, Offense) once. Such a spell already took an exorbitant amount of time to cast. Adding other spells to the mix with such a tiny flow would likely delay the spells activation to well after the fight's conclusion.

Mio runs alongside Marcy, though with a different objective. Placing Fake Out (1, Utility) circles on potential landing points, she forces the issue of approaching Amiko. If they wanted to cross, not only would they need to do so soon, but they'd have to cross over the swamp waters less they take the long way around. She also holds onto an Upgrade (15, Utility) and Shadowstep (1, Utility). Her shadow aura is active, so it is impossible to distinguish which circle is which.

Sid quickly recognizes his role to combat Marcy but looks nervous. Although he could simply take out Marcy for overextending, if he prepared an attack and Kido failed to cast a defense, they'd lose Macky. Even if it was in theory a 1 for 1 trade, such a proposition would leave them without any means of dealing with the inevitable Astral Storm. He hesitates to make a move, but Macky quickly notices the lack of confidence and calls out to him, "It is two versus one idiot. Get in there and get the pick off." With this, Sid casts Power Chain (Offense, 10). Calling forth his Aether pocket, he brings out his Demigod Knuckles.

Kido recognizes the threat posed to Macky, and begins to form defenses to protect her from Marcy's assault. He casts Disperse (10, Defense) and Dolly (5, Offense), staying close to Macky.

Macky casts her Siren's song (60, Utility). She begins to run further to the back of the illusionspace to take advantage of the huge amount of cover provided by the trees.

Battle Summary
Amiko SP: 100/100 SF: 5 SC: 0 Spells: Astral Storm 0/60, Dire Assist 0/5, Dire Assist 0/5
Marcy SP: 50/50 SF: 10 SC: 5 Spells: Angel Wings 0/5, Holy Smite 0/5
Mio SP:40/40 SF: 15 SC: 15 Spells: Fake Out (3) 0/1, Upgrade 0/15, Shadowstep 0/1

Macky SP: 60/60 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Siren's Call 0/60
Kido SP: 50/50 SF: 15 SC: 0 Spells: Disperse 0/10, Dolly 0/5
Sid SP: 70/70 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Power Chain 0/10

Turn 2

Marcy smiles, seemingly happy with the enemy response. Marcy's Angel Wings burst, allowing her to quickly close the distance between her and Macky. Pretending to aim straight for Macky, Marcy fires her Holy Smite, but surprises Kido by aiming straight for Sid. Marcy throws up Wrathform (0, Utility), Angel Wings (5, Utility), and Wing Guard (5, Defense).

Amiko isn't ready to cast any new spells yet, but she seems to be mentally preparing herself. Since she is so far away from the action, it doesn't look like she'll need to worry about anything anytime soon.

Mio's shadowstep bursts, allowing her to gain the momentum she needs to latch onto Marcy's foot just as she launches across the lake. Smiling with her usual exuberance, Mio calls out, "What was that about it being two versus one?" Mio also casts an additional shadowstep as she drops to the ground, rolling to break her fall, she gets up into a sprint right towards Sid.

Sid loses his cool when suddenly he has an entirely new opponent to deal with. He couldn't take down both opponents, and Kido was busy protecting Macky. While he could count on him blocking the Holy Smite, he couldn't defeat two opponents in hand to hand combat. The best he could do was to make sure that his life bought something. Power chain bursts, infusing his hand with immense magical power. Mio was fast, but even she couldn't avoid an attack like this. However, because Sid had to dash forward in order to reach Mio, he knew he would be picked off. All he could do was hope to defeat Mio in a single strike, and cast some defenses in the case that he somehow wasn't killed by a team attack.

Kido grimaces seeing how they were tricked into believing they'd have a numbers advantage. The swamp location was supposed to keep the enemy at bay. The logic was that if the enemy had to use any mobility spells to reach this location, they would have the advantage since they could dedicate all their magic to shooting them down. However, they managed to cross so quickly, at such little cost that they found the situation reversed. Now the best course of action would be to level the playing field as quickly as possible. If Sid was going to sacrifice himself, it would be up to Kido to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain. Opening up his Aether pocket, Sid reveals his Kunai with Chain, the Albatross. Then, he makes use of his spells. An invisible wall of magic forms to protect Sid from Marcy's attack. On contact, the orb shatters, rendering it harmless. Next, a large plushy resembling Amiko appears in Kido's hand. Tossing it towards the swamp in Marcy's direction, the doll emits a pheromone that makes Marcy infatuated with it. It will soon cause massive ward damage if it is in the target's hands. He then casts Shadow (0, Utility), Chibify (10, Utility), and Bursting Impact (5, Offense).

Macky starts to run as fast as her legs will take her. She couldn't rely on magic to move about, and this fight reached her turf sooner than she would have liked. She looks back however, looking to the allies that would surely be lost. Seeing them, she looks longingly towards Sid, but then faces forward with newfound determination. If she lives, they only needed to defeat one of the three, she could take care of the rest.

Battle Summary
Amiko SP: 95/100 SF: 5 SC: 0 Spells: Astral Storm 3/60, Dire Assist 2/5, Dire Assist 0/5
Marcy SP: 40/50 SF: 10 SC: 5 Spells: Angel Wings 5/5, Holy Smite 5/5, Wrathform 0, Wing Guard 0/5, Angel Wings 0/5
Mio SP: 35/40 SF: 15 SC: 15 Spells: Fake Out (3) 0/1, Upgrade 4/15, Shadowstep 1/1, Shadowstep 0/1

Macky SP: 50/60 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Siren's Call 10/60
Kido SP: 35/50 SF: 15 SC: 0 Spells: Disperse 10/10, Dolly 5/5, Shadow 0, Chibify 0/10, Bursting Impact 0/5
Sid SP: 60/70 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Power Chain 10/10, Titan Shield 0/10

Turn 3

Mio grimaces, knowing the impact to come was going to hurt. However, she knew that she had an important role to fill if she was going to help without actually killing anyone. Bravely charging at Sid's attack, she brandishes her own weapon, intent on doing at least a little bit of damage before she gets blown away. Throwing her weapon with great force, she aims at the doll that Kido had intended for Marcy to pick up. Knocking it into the swamp, it would no longer have any power over her. With one last smile, Mio turns to Amiko, "I did good, right?" Sid's attack breaks through Mio's flimsy ward like it was a sheet of paper, allowing Sid to score a massive blow right to Mio's stomach. Reeling from the impact, Mio coughs up blood, trembling as she tumbles across the swamp floor. Landing a good seven feet away, she is grateful that she managed to gain enough ground as to not fall into the swamp. Groaning, Mio places a Fake Out (1, Utility) on her location. She wasn't out yet, but she wouldn't be able to utilize much mobility anytime soon.

Marcy in the meanwhile hasn't lost that smile that she'd been wearing ever since the beginning of the match. Since Sid had charged so far forward, and committed himself to attacking Mio, she had the tools to take him completely out of the match. Utilizing both her Angel Wings and Wing Guard, Marcy swoops onto Sid, intending to knock him into the toxic swamp with the knockback from using the guard. Since he had been kind enough to follow Mio so close to the edge, he would soon be taking a dip. Then, having done the deed, she turns to Kido with Holy Smite, Wing Guard, and wrathform.

Amiko's Dire Assist bursts, allowing her to teleport to an ally who is currently the target of an attack. This would be the final surprise needed to shut down team Macky. Appearing instantaneously at Mio's side, she responds, "You did great, just leave the rest to us." Although she could land a direct attack with Sid's side exposed, Amiko had bigger plans in mind. With her scythe, Amiko takes out Sid's empty defensive circle, leaving him defenseless against Marcy's lethal attack. Mio uses her shadowstep on Amiko, allowing her the extra speed she needs to get away from Sid before he can retaliate. While Marcy gives her wrathform, making her glow with a demonic purple aura. She moves in on Macky, ready to end this well before she can gain control.

Sid panics for the last time. His last defense had been taken from him, making it impossible to delay the inevitable. Not that he was expecting Amiko to suddenly show up on this side of the swamp after they had gone to such efforts to protect the other shoreline, but it wouldn't have been so bad if he were simply slashed. Sure he'd be at a massive disadvantage, but at least he could force them to use their time and resources in order to finish him off. Like this, he was useless. Sid doesn't even bother to cast more spells. He knows that nothing will save him now. With a powerful gust of wind, Sid is knocked into the swamp with no means of escape. He drowns, screaming as the waters bite at his entire body.

Kido activates Shadow, allowing him to appear next to anyone without a ward whom he can establish line of sight with. Appearing next to Mio, he looks down on her with a menacing grimace. "You know, this is my favorite part of every match." Mio looks up at him helplessly, closing her eyes and looking away. Kido activates Chibify, turning Mio's body into that of a seven-year old's. This was problematic for a number of reasons. First, the nature of Mio's wounds hadn't changed, but they are much more severe for such a young child. Secondly, her clothes no longer fit, and they could hardly be considered clothes to begin with. Mio sat writhing in pain, humiliated in front of the entire audience. Kido then aims his Bursting Impact towards Amiko since her back was turned. He had planned to finish Mio with this to assert dominance, but they were actually in danger of losing this fight. That woman, she was the mastermind behind this. She was why they were constantly getting their moves countered. If she wasn't delayed, Macky would be in trouble. Punching forward, he launches a flaming projectile towards Amiko's back. Then, he faces Marcy, casting disperse and dolly.

Macky continues to run. She had quite a lead on them now. Since she left their field of vision, she could now think about hiding out to wait out the storm. Her attack didn't have a fixed range, and she didn't need line of sight. So long as she has seen the target since casting the circle, she can take control. Once that happened, it would be child's play to finish off the rest.

Battle Summary
Amiko SP: 90/100 SF: 5 SC: 0 Spells: Astral Storm 4/60, Dire Assist 5/5, Dire Assist 1/5
Marcy SP: 30/50 SF: 10 SC: 5 Spells: Wrathform 0/0, Wing Guard 5/5, Angel Wings 5/5, Wrathform 0, Holy Smite 0/5, Wing Guard 0/5
Mio SP: 34/40 SF: 15 SC: 15 Spells: Fake Out (4) 0/1, Upgrade 4/15, Shadowstep 1/1

Macky SP: 40/60 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Siren's Call 20/60
Kido SP: 20/50 SF: 15 SC: 0 Spells: Shadow 0/0, Chibify 10/10, Bursting Impact 5/5, Dolly 0/5, Disperse 0/10
Sid SP: 60/70 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Titan Shield 0/10

Turn 4

Mio tragically cries, unable to combat the pain she felt. She cries out, "Mira! Mira, it hurts. Help. Where are you? Make it stop!" Soon the cries devolve into nonsense as the young girl holds onto her massively bruised core.

Amiko realizes that Mio wouldn't be in this fight till she got the chance to calm her down. While it would be the humanitarian thing to sacrifice herself to comfort the crying child, Amiko knew better than to throw the match in order to shield Mio from pain. Since this wasn't the real world, the effects of Chibify were temporary. Winning the match was the best way to protect everyone. "Mio..." Amiko charges forward, looking for Macky. Without even a second of hesitation, she takes the hit from bursting impact. Her ward was more than strong enough to handle a weak attack like that. She had faith in Marcy's ability to beat Kido in a one on one fight, so she merely needed to seal the game by defeating Macky.

Marcy enters wrathform, glowing with the same evil aura that she bestowed upon Amiko earlier. Now her smile intensified more. "I don't tolerate people who get a kick out of watching little girls cry. I hope you are ready to take responsibility for your actions." Kido retorts, "Sorry, but alls fair in love and war. I intend to protect Macky. You won't be leaving here till I'm stone cold dead." "That can be arranged." Marcy holds back her spells for the turn. There would be no merit to casting spells as weak as hers against his defensive barrier. Instead she swings her sword right at Kido's neck.

Kido knew that with his lack of control, he'd never beat Marcy in this fight. His entire purpose was to stall for Macky. He had used all his mana to that end. With it coming to this, all he could do was to prevent Marcy from leaving right away. It might be wasteful, but as long as he had a barrier up, he could move about freely. She wouldn't waste her magic hitting his defenses. If he couldn't win the battle, the next best option was to cause as much psychological damage as he could to make it harder for Marcy to effectively search for Macky. Using his magical barrier to block Marcy's sword, Kido throws out his chain, catching Mio in its grasps. Pulling her to his location, he holds the girl in front of him as a hostage. "You know, I don't think I can win this fight. But, I've got this cutie. Wonder what I could do to her before you take me out?" Kido utilizes dolly, throwing another Amiko plushy right at his feet. "If you know what is good for her, you are going to grab that doll, then let me hit you with this." Mustering the last of his mana, Kido casts another Bursting Impact.

Macky hides behind a particularly thick tree. She has exhausted her stamina. Panting, she continues to focus on casting her spell. Everyone was counting on her. She lays on the ground taking deep breaths. "Calm down, this is it. Even if they catch up to me, I can hold my ground long enough to cast my spell." Opening up her Aether pocket, Macky summons the Guardian shield. Covering behind it, she awaits the moment she can avenge her comrades.

Battle Summary
Amiko SP: 85/100 SF: 5 SC: 0 Spells: Astral Storm 6/60, Dire Assist 4/5
Marcy SP: 22/50 SF: 10 SC: 5 Spells: Wrathform 0/0, Wing Guard 5/5, Angel Wings 5/5, Wrathform 0/0, Holy Smite 4/5, Wing Guard 4/5
Mio SP: 34/40 SF: 15 SC: 15 Spells: Fake Out (4) 0/1, Upgrade 4/15

Macky SP: 30/60 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Siren's Call 30/60
Kido SP: 5/50 SF: 15 SC: 0 Spells: Dolly 5/5, Disperse 10/10, Bursting Impact 0/5

Turn 5

Marcy's smile vanishes for the first time this fight. She can't resist the great temptation to pick up the doll. Although she could just attack it with her magical attack, she needed that to break through Kido's barrier. If she delayed, it meant giving him license to do what he wanted to Mio. But, she wouldn't be able to attack the doll with her sword. She remembered the way it felt before. She'd be unable to muster the willpower to destroy the doll if she had the option to take anything back. Kido set this up intentionally. Marcy couldn't use her sword against Kido since he'd just block with Mio's body, and the doll competed with Kido's ward for her attack target. Marcy caves to the temptation of the doll... And then stabs Kido through Mio. "Hahahahahaha, *coughs blood*, you really are a witch." Mio uses her remaining spells to put both combatants out of their mercy, then casts Angel wings, turning to go on a hunt for Macky.

Amiko looks for Macky with haste, but she doesn't have any way of improving her mobility. She nears Macky's hiding place and begins to search. Fortunately, she catches sight of Macky's shield. Had she just hidden in the mud, she might have gotten away.

Macky notices Amiko. Knowing she has been spotted, she lifts herself up. "So, you think you can beat me? Go ahead and try it bitch!"

Battle Summary
Amiko SP: 85/100 SF: 5 SC: 0 Spells: Astral Storm 10/60, Dire Assist 5/5 Refunded
Marcy SP: 20/50 SF: 10 SC: 5 Spells: Wrathform 0/0, Wrathform 0/0, Holy Smite 5/5, Wing Guard 5/5, Angel Wings 0/5
Mio SP: 34/40 SF: 15 SC: 15 Spells: Fake Out (4) 0/1, Upgrade 4/15

Macky SP: 20/60 SF: 10 SC: 0 Spells: Siren's Call 40/60
Kido SP: 5/50 SF: 15 SC: 0 Spells: Dolly 5/5, Disperse 10/10, Bursting Impact 0/5

Turn 6

Amiko comes down on Macky with her scythe, however, Macky's guardian shield is possessed by a guardian spirit. It will move to block any physical attacks targeting the user. "Ha, you are the first person to make me resort to using this. Don't know if you've been , but until you can attack me from multiple directions or get an attack spell, this shield is going to protect me. So, just wait a little longer, than you can enjoy some hot lesbian sex with your teammates." Amiko bats an eyelash, then slashes Macky's spell circle instead. "Then I won't hit you. I think that might be as good as killing you."

Macky looks confused. "What do you mean? You didn't even..." Macky looks at her spell circle in horror. Siren song (39/60, Utility)... Macky turned bright red. She had just let that happen. "Fuck..." Macky looked towards Amiko, genuinely unsure what she was supposed to do now. She never had to fight another opponent, and could likely never beat Amiko even if she didn't have any magic at all. "So, this fight isn't going to end until you die. Would you want to take your own life, or should I make it quick?" Macky drops the shield that was too massive for her to properly wield, and simply tries to slug Amiko in the face. Amiko dodges easily having seen it telegraphed well in advance. She throws Macky to the ground, then places her scythe at her throat. Infuriated, "Don't you look down on me. You are just like us. You have no right!" "Macky, I'm not looking down on you. I don't agree with the way you do things, but I saw it clear for myself this fight. You care about your teammates, but you aren't strong enough to protect them. You must have felt so frustrated, trying your best to fight with them. This fighting style you all formed, it must have been forged from Sid and Kido's desire to protect you at any costs. I know not everyone can see it, but you all must have sacrificed a lot for each other. I think you have potential, but you need to get stronger so you can lead those two to a better place. If you need help, even after this match, I'll do what I can." Amiko decapitates Macky, ending the fight. Amiko's team is listed as the winner. After a minute, the entire team ejects from the illusionspace. The arena grows quiet. Every combatant chose to remember the match. The option to forget is now presented to the audience.

 

[Jakers]

As Shibo stood up, her face didn't seem disturbed or ill. It seemed cautiously blank, satisfied of the outcome because it could've been a lot worse, but that would've been Mio's first time 'dying' in illusionspace. Did that feel as bad as killing to her? Regardless, it'd been a clean win with only one 'sick' incident, but Marcy had quickly put Mio out of her suffering before it could've got worse. The twisted boy had called her a witch, when it was really the best thing to do morally and tactically in that situation.

Getting up from her seat, Shibo thought about things long and hard, seeming like she was going to choose to remember initially. The fight hadn't mentally scarred or even touched her in any way, and in general the thing had been a big relief. Yet still, her face looked shaken, distant, as if she'd experienced something otherworldly, like a dream. It hadn't been how the fight played out that had truly bothered her.

"Astra," Shibo quietly whispered to her partner. "Remind me Amiko won afterwards, and in general, nothing bad happened apart from what happened to Mio, but even that was quickly over."

And then, suddenly, Shibo chose to forget.

 

[☆Luna☆]

Astra complied with Shibo's request, relaying the information exactly as Shibo had requested. However, she didn't stick around for anything further. While Astra seemingly always had her head in the clouds, she at least seemed to gravitate towards Shibo. Now, she seemed to be going off in her own direction. Considering the amount of time they had spent plotting, planning, and spectating, they wouldn't have much time before all the 3-man teams were all done for the day. It would already be difficult to find someone in time with Sara running off on her own, but now Astra too seemed to be off on her own agenda.

 

[Jakers]

With Astra walking off, Shibo's mind was a haze of a mix of confusion and relief. Mostly relief, as Astra had described everything going mostly smoothly, save the accident with Mio: but things could've gone a lot worse. A lot worse. The confusion came from everybody talking about the match as they left the arena, but Shibo could only memorize the match from a description. It'd been her plan to forget from the beginning so she wouldn't feel a painful longing after watching Amiko, and she didn't regret her decisions. But she still felt like she'd made another bad choice. Perhaps Astra had walked off because of that.

Whether Shibo would find her tomorrow was unknown, but she'd have to check in the same spot. Sara had scampered off to hide in her own house, probably, though she'd likely return to the library tomorrow so the others could find her.

With the chatter of the fight surrounding her, Shibo looked back for a moment, before snappily looking forward again. She had to get out of here fast, in case Marcy, Mio, or Amiko caught up to her. Hastily walking forwards, Shibo saw no other way forward than back home. She'd already done her match for today; she supposed it was time for just a 'normal' night back home.

~ ~ ~

A few brief knocks on the door, Shibo waited in front of her house. After a brief delay, it was her brother who answered. His silver hair was neatly combed behind him, and a mug of tea was held in his right hand. Looking at Shibo for a long while, Kazzian's expression seemed the slightest of surprise, though his own pair of salmon-red eyes were looking right through Shibo's. It had always been like that, and Shibo hated it, but... now, he was doing it even more than usual.

"Shibo," Kazzian mumbled in a semi-surprised monotone. "You're home."

Out of respect to her brother, Shibo bowed, before nodding. He was probably back from his training of being a mentor, as it was early evening.

"Kazzian," She replied, copying his tone to humor him. "I am."

A long sip of tea was taken by the elder child of the Aozoa family, before he turned around. He didn't show any reaction to Shibo's poke at him, which was unusual. He usually gave a brief smile, or took a considerably wittier poke back in a subtle manner. Kazzian was acting different than usual.

"Mother tells me you're starting a three-member fighting team for the arena." He said, taking a step forward to look at a painting. His voice was passive, but incredibly hard to read. Was he disappointed? Curious? Shibo couldn't tell. "One of these members, however, is a seer: Astra. Did you know this?"

Shibo blinked. She didn't, but it would explain why her mother had been acting so strange around Astra, and it would explain her powers. She hadn't even known a local 'seer' was a thing; her lack of intelligence and wisdom was starting to shine as usual.
"...No, but... does it matter?" Shibo asked, her voice wobbly as she hung up her blade, coat, and bag. Kazzian took another long sip of tea.

"Would you agree that it's somewhat strange, to be partnered with a well-respected seer, at least?"
"Yeah, but... u-ugh... what are you trying to say?" Shibo was getting flustered. Kazzian's tone was definitely getting suspicious, she could read that at least. Moving across the room, Kazzian set his cup of tea on the living room table.

"Shibo... I am simply pointing out that a lot of the goings on to do with you have been just that. Strange. You've been away from home a lot, at inconsistent times. You've now suddenly switched arena partners for a reason we don't even know. I am not scolding your decisions, but, Shibo..." Kazzian closed his eyes, calm and collected as always. "...We would like to know what's going on. We just want the truth. You may think we're not looking into what you've been doing recently, but I'm starting to get somewhat... worried. I think I even spotted you crying at one point. It isn't like you to do that."

Shibo couldn't breathe. She'd thought Kazzian was just considering her actions as mildly strange, but the reality was that he was onto her. Her eyes remained affixed to the floor. If she explained everything, what were they going to think? Kazzian knew a lot more than her, and although her father was very rarely home, her father knew even more about the city and proudly upheld the family name. If she told the truth about the situation she'd got herself into, was she going to be considered a failure? Would they reject her?

"I..." Shibo wheezed.

"Shibo..." Kazzian said in a more soft tone, trying to comfort her by speaking quietly. "I know you're bottling up something. You've been doing so ever since you started work at the arena, ever since you decided to become partners with that pleasant-seeming girl. You've been acting more serious, but this isn't because of your work at the arena. Uncork that bottle and let it out, for your own good..."

Shibo still didn't know how to reply. She didn't know what to do, or say, but eventually the words spat out of her lips without her consent.

"Amiko isn't just a normal girl." She whispered. "She's the reason Mio, the foreigner, is in Spellheart."