>>41750304

Quest Start

-There’s scuffling, someone shouted whore, and something just tore. Moving in to help!- Midori Mori gasps over the telepathic connection before the line of communication cuts out as she moves beyond the range of your ability.

Communication at the speed of thought, she reacted instantly while keeping you informed. Moments ago, a group of three girls who had previously tried to get you alone through false pretenses have instead turned their attention to your best friend Kairi Osaka. Kairi, aware of their duplicity and intent on getting to the bottom of this as it relates to some petty harassment the two of you had endured.

A few people in your school seem not to take kindly to you and Kairi coming out of your respective long depressions and social quiet, especially where your burgeoning friendship with the most popular girl in school is concerned.

Luckily for you, you and Kairi aren’t normal girls.

You are Mikage Chiba, second year highschool student 15 years olds, and formerly the third woman to secretly be the Pretty Soldier and Magical Guardian of Love & Justice known as Sailor Moon. Preceded by your mother and elder sister, succeeded by your younger sister after a traumatic and misunderstood experience forced you to abandon the identity.

Now you operate under a number of supernatural guises both for personal reasons and to support your younger sister, including that of the enigmatic cloaked hero known as Eclipse modeled after one of your father’s old identities.

Today you are in school, and instead of dealing with terrible monsters and the enemies you have been helping your younger sister, Koyomi, and her court fight against evil. However today you are dealing with the pettiness and cruelty of high school girls.

File: Juubanjrhigh.jpg (46 KB, 720x480)

46 KB JPG

>>41750364

And it sounds like either Kairi took a swing back at the bullies who were targeting the both of you, or they took it to getting physical with her. Either way, given what Midori described of them saying to Kairi-chan earlier you are quite upset.

Select how you react.
>Remain calm, getting upset will affect how you handle this situation
>Get very mad, someone has attacked you and the people you care about
>Panic! No, Kairi did this for you. You didn’t think this would happen!
>Let your truest rage bubble to the surface, cede control to the beast
>Write in

&

Select what you do
>Rush to the empty art room where this is happening
>Stay put, there is no reason for you to suddenly go
>Get up and calmly go to the room in question
>Wait in the hall until you can see signs of something happening
>Just get close enough to establish your telepathic connection
>Write in

>>41750406
>Remain calm, getting upset will affect how you handle this situation

>Just get close enough to establish your telepathic connection

>>41750406
>Remain calm, getting upset will affect how you handle this situation
>Just get close enough to establish your telepathic connection

Writing

Bah to calm. If they got physical I wish to wreak vengance.

Though vengance is a dish best served cold. Good point. Calm, cold, and collected it is.

>>41751542
Keeping within telepathy distance allows us to pull the "Just walking in on thr beatdown" maneuver if needed.

So, an idea.

Eclipse is a "male" and too many people relate him to us, already. And we don't quite want to disclose that yet.

So, for now no one suspects Dan D, bro and womanizer, in being us, too.

Are you hopefully thinking what I am thinking?

No, not about butter and inflatable cat balloons.

About making people suspect that Dan D is the Eclipse.

>>41751707
Didn't we already talk about going into eclipse while as Dan at one point? I think I might be misremembering one of the early threads.

>>41751707
The way we've been keeping secrets (very badly), I don't think well be able to keep eclipse secret for much longer. But the Dan-D misdirection is our best chance.

>>41751936
We wouldn't be keeping secrets badly if poeple stop voting enmass to expose those secrets.

>>41751965
We aren't quite on the level of "Deceive friends to deceive enemies." Also, healthy inter-team atmosphere is important, and when one team can't trust leader of another... It's bad.

I don't want Sailor Galaxia-esque Senshi vs Senshi fight. Especially not now, when forces of darkness plot very efficiently.

Despite how upset it makes you, you grasp the reigns of your emotions and keep them steady and even. Taming the roiling seas of your anger, despite the howling of the delinquent leviathan trying to break the surface of this storm, you take a sharp breath in before a calming breath out. With that in mind, you rise from your desk and leave your classroom.

You walk half the distance down the hallway toward the art rooms, the middling space of the halls are otherwise empty this deep into free the period. It is good to know you’ll be undisturbed as you reach out with your mind to the familiar presences of Kairi and Midori.

-What’s happening?- from here you can faintly hear scuffling, but no yelps or screaming.

Whatever is happening is being done with a certain amount of precision and resistance to making a scene.

-They got under my skin,- Kairi thinks coldly as you get the impression of active aggression from her.

-They tried to get a bit deeper than that,- Midori grunts, -They might have succeeded if they were trying to hurt her,-

-Luckily they made things serious before I punch one of them in the face,- Kairi sighs, -One grabbed me and tore my blouse while another cut up my skirt,-

There is a loud thud as Midori starts to think something but stops, you feel a sudden surge of joy coming from her as you faintly hear her laugh from down the hall and over your mental connection.

-Oh, they really are asking for it,- she titters as you are reminded of the vibe she gave the day Keiko was attacked, when she hurled a desk with great strength through the gaping hole in the wall,-

-Do you guys need me to step in,- you force the baying hound in the back of your mind to heel as your calm persists,-

>>41752148

-Feels like you’re raring to go,- Kairi smiles, -Though don’t worry. The odds just dramatically shifted,-

-It just went from three on two to two on one,- Midori bristles with an angry ecstasy that reminds you of her delinquent days before she became one of the popular girls, -Besides that, what kind of Knights let their liege into a situation like this before the scene is secure?-

That admission of loyalty makes you feel, happy.

-And now,- you feel Kairi straighten herself out, -Its two against none,-

“Now that took me back,” you can hear Midori’s exhalation from here, “Now then, you’re in the music club. Sing for me- EW EW EW EW!”

“Gross!” you hear Kairi

>Ask what’s going on
>Go into the art room
>Wait for them here
>Let them know you’re going to hunt down a spare uniform
>Write in

&

Perception test dice+1d20+5 vs DC 15, best of 3 1’s & 20’s wild

Rolled 11 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41752162
>Let them know you’re going to hunt down a spare uniform

>>41752049
It's more "deceive friends because we want to keep some things to ourselves" than anything else.

Also, doesn't Rin know about who Dan Dee actually is. I mean, it's somewhere in the first 5 threads.

Rolled 16 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41752162
>Let them know you’re going to hunt down a spare uniform

>>41752197
Oh. I forgot. I think she may not know? She knows that we spied upon her reunion with her dad, but I think not what we used Dan D as our persona at the time.

Rolled 15 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41752162
>Let them know you’re going to hunt down a spare uniform

>>41752235
We were at the arcade while skipping school.

And I'm off to sleep. See you in 7 hours. Have a good game!

Writing

>-They tried to get a bit deeper than that,- Midori grunts
I'm slow, is this implying what I think it's implying?

>>41752992
Mind Control

>>41752992
No innuendo meant, it was switching up from teasing to attempted bodily harm.

-Alright, if you girls have this in hand,- you calm down a touch and think of important next steps, -I think I’ll go and try to hunt down a spare uniform for Kairi,-

-Yeah,- you feel Kairi shudder in slight revulsion about something, -That’s a good idea,-

-The sooner the better,- Midori thinks in your general direction, -It’d be better if we didn’t have to explain to anyone else why we’re in the post scuffle to anyone,-

-Technically we could probably get the disciplinary committee with us on this,- you muse, -we already told the student council president about the note. We could probably talk our way out of trouble,-

You begin walking down the hall toward your search when something out of the corner of your eye draws your attention to the floor. A comparatively huge black spider, about half the size of a tennis ball, scurries along where the floor meets the wall passing you and heading in the direction you were walking.

It shocks you, by proximity and size. They creep you out, and you shudder at the memory of a fight against a juggling spider acrobat monster from your tenure as Sailor Moon.

Distractions aside, you’ve got a uniform to locate.

>Ignore spider, Ignore it HARD
>Its so huge, it must belong in a science room, be brave! catch and return
>CRUSH IT CRUSH IT CRUSH IT! IT’S YOU OR IT
>Intentionally get very far away from it
>Write in

&

>Head toward the student Council Room, they might have stuff
>Check backstage in the auditorium, theater club probably has spare clothes
>The student store will definitely have clothes for sale, uniform or otherwise
>Ask someone for help, who?
>Write in

>>41753128
>Ignore spider, Ignore it HARD
>Check backstage in the auditorium, theater club probably has spare clothes

>>41753128
>Its so huge, it must belong in a science room, be brave! catch and return
I want to crush it.. but this seems logical.
Though logic may remind us about spider related portents as well and urge caution.

Mention spider to Knights.

Look for clothes. Theater club sounds good, they may have the school store staked out.

>>41753128
>Its so huge, it must belong in a science room, be brave! catch and return
>Check backstage in the auditorium, theater club probably has spare clothes

>>41753128
>catch it
>backstage

>>41753259
>>41753264
>>41753268
You guys must really want a Will test.

>>41753359
Yes.

>>41753359
>>41753359
What can I say, um curious whether or not Mikages unnatural appetite includes evil spiders.

Rolled 5 + 7 (1d20 + 7)

Ayup, I need 3 rolls folks.

A will reaction test, an attack roll, and another roll.

I'll add modifiers.

so give me dice+3d6

1s and 20s wild

Rolled 4, 6, 6 = 16 (3d6)

>>41753997

>>41753997
Wait.. did you want 3d6 or 3d20?

Rolled 6, 6, 2 = 14 (3d6)

>>41753997

>>41754110
derp, d20

Rolled 1, 11, 20 = 32 (3d20)

>>41753997

Rolled 15, 19, 15 = 49 (3d20)

>>41753997
Re-rolling>>41754040 then

Rolled 5, 4, 1 = 10 (3d20)

>>41754152
Disappointed in you.

>>41754213
that I used derp to describe my mistake, or that I made the mistype?

I'll apologize for both.

>>41754196
The dice gods must be schizophrenic

Will Reaction test to fear - HAHAHA
Attack Roll to nap it - Nice
Mystery Roll - Not bad

Writing up

>>41754292
I know not whether to be scared

>>41754313
then get ready to flee in panic

>>41754196
>>41754292
Well if there was ever a good time for an amusing 1..

Well, a spider that big must belong to one of the science labs. Its the responsible thing to drop it off on your way to auditorium. Gulping, soundly, you kneel down and while leaning your body back as far as possible as your hand whips out for the large and bulbous back end of the creepy spider.

The creepy, fuzzy, scary, spider. Bristling with hairs that aren’t hairs but nerve endings. With hissing fangs and groping pedipalps. Eight black beady eyes reflecting the horror sleeping in your soul soul as it gnashes and thrashes as it’s back end is pinched betwixt your fingers. Also it's widely legs are so fucking creepy.

Oh god you’re touching it.

Get it away get it away get it away. Your vision begins to tunnel at the grip of your panic attack.

You flail and run while a fearful squeal cries through your clenched teeth. The creature is held as far ahead of your as your arm can reach, leading you down the hall near the science labs where you spoke with Nui Takeda just this morning. Slippered feet making fleet work of the distance, you barely register the figure you pass as they step out of the washroom.

“Mikage?” Yoshi Sakurada asks after you, his voice fading via doppler effect.

With a start you enter the science lab where they keep the animals and the bugs and slam the door behind you with a start.

There are a few empty aquarium tanks on one of the desks, opening the lid, you drop the black squirmy monster into the tanks and slam the lid shut. Your heavy breathing is the only thing you can hear as you clutch your painfully beating heart. Groping into your pocket, you retrieve one of your pills and fumble with the bottle as it drops from your grasp.

NO! NO! Nononononononononononononono! Its still looking at you through the glass. You hate it you hate it you hate it.

Someone grabs your shoulders, and you feel a pressure as your lips are parted by clumsy fingers and a familiar pill finds itself resting on your tongue.

>>41754782

~Gotta,~ you gasp out, ~get back on my feet. Gotta get-~

“C-calm down,” you can’t quite make out the voice of whoever helped you as your vision slowly returns. The calming words and your own desire to get out of this state helps you before the steadying potential of your chemical aid kicks in.

You are still clearly looking the spider in the tank. It hisses and bares its fangs and parted mandibles at you.

“Cool,” whoever it is who helped you says aloud and taps at the glass, “You don’t like spiders, Chiba-san?”

Vision clearing fully, you see Saori Umeki standing by the tank.

~No,~ you press up off the lab table, ~Not especially,~

“This guy is weird,” she coos, “and kind of cool,”

~Figured it might have belonged in here,~ you shrug and shudder, ~So I brought him back,~

“Well,” she reasons, “I’ve never seen this guy here before. I would have remembered something so cool,”

~Well,~ you nod, ~If it's all the same, I gotta take care of some business,~

“Oh, cool,” she stares at the tank, transfixed, “I’ll be here hiding until schools out and staring at this guy,”

>Hiding?
>Okay, see you later
>Hey, I might need an extra pair of eyes, can you come with me?
>How does it not creep you out?
>Write in

>>41754807
>Okay, see you later

>>41754807
I think we should probably try to get her away from it.

File: 1393223362174.gif (2.26 MB, 568x320)

2.26 MB GIF

<- Mikage’s mind right now.

>>41754807
>Hiding?

>>41754807
Whose Saori?
>hiding?

>>41754807
>Hiding?

>>41754949
Saori used to be a monster.

>>41754949
You mean the same Saori who we saved, had been hanging around kairi, and generally making her uncomfortable?

Writing

>>41754928
>>41754951
Fourth'd

>>41755179
The end of Episode 73 and Episode 74 was where we first met her, I believe.

~Hiding?~

She shrugs and pushes herself back from the edge of the desk to adopt her usual slouched posture. Not that you’re paying too much direct attention while that thing hisses at you through the plexiglass of the aquarium tank. It starts walking UP the wall of the aquarium, and you reel back a bit as Saori offers her slightly superior laugh behind a demure hand.

“Fufufufu~ you really don’t like spiders,” she seems amused, “That’s kinda funny,”

~Hey, I don’t make fun of your fears,~

“I’m not afraid of anything,” she counters and crosses her arms, though she can’t lie worth a damn and her bravado is obviously false.

~And yet you’re hiding,~ you rolls your eyes as your drugged state returns a bit of your confidence, ~after running screaming from the classroom,~

“Dang it,” she kicks the ground and uncrosses her arms, “fine. I’m hiding here because I saw freaky shadow things sliding across the floor. Twice! And I heard this pure sex man voice using feminine tenses, it was like listening to one half of a phone call and it didn’t make sense,”

She frowns.

“I bet you think I’m crazy,” she sighs.

“I don’t,” a voice sounds from the door behind the two of you.

Turning, you see Yoshi standing there looking at the two of you seriously.

“I saw something like that earlier,” he explains to the two of you dispassionately, “Though the voice I heard, it used masculine tenses and I wouldn’t quite describe it as pure sex,”

Oh no, this is the kind of lengthy conversation and encounter you DO NOT have time for right now. You still need to find clothes for Kairi!

>Well, that’s interesting, but I gotta go take care of something
>Hey, could the two of you give me a hand with something sensitive?
>Neither of you are crazy, and there is a perfectly sensible explanation which I’ll give you later
>Stay and waste more time, while also in the presence of that fucking spider whose eyes bore into you with hate
>Write in

>>41755559

>Well, that’s interesting, but I gotta go take care of something
finding clothes first not-crazy people later

>>41755559
>Well, that’s interesting, but I gotta go take care of something

>>41755559
>Hey, could the two of you give me a hand with something sensitive?
Might as well enlist friends to help friends! One with authority and one with skulking!

>>41755559
>Hey, could the two of you give me a hand with something sensitive?

Freedom! It's magical girl high school shenanigans time!

>>41755559
Pure sex, I'm guessing that would be Kunzite.
Interesting.

>>41755692
>>41755735
This, and could we talk away from the creepy spider? It's giving me heebee jeebees.

>>41755821
Feminine tenses despite masculine voice? Sexy Sexy Sexy gay Zoisite

>>41755901
Maybe speaking to someone feminine? Yeah, I'm probably stretching.
Must be a cultural difference, I think of the deeper as the sexier.

>>41755559
>use clothes as an excuse

>>41756046
It was meant to be Zoisite.

Writing

>>41756046
Then again, Saori is a huge BL fan, so of course Zoisite is pure sex to her. So yeah.

>>41756272
We're gonna need to run into Saori at the comic shop later on. Do we have an idea of when she's there?

>>41757059
I wonder if she orders direct. Her collection is extensive.

~Hey, talking about crazy things aside,~ you say to the two of them, ~could the two of you give me a hand with something sensitive?~

“Hmm?” Saori turns away from Yoshi to look at you.

“What’s this about Mikage?”

~Just come on, away from the spider,~ you shudder and step into the hallway, ~We’re friends now, right Umeki-san?~

“Friends?” the girl says in wonder and then turns away and crouches while tracing her finger in a circle on the floor to mutter to herself, “A friend is asking me a favor which means I get to ask them a favor later, and I totally helped her with that panic attack so that means she’s just digging herself into social debt with me. I’ve never been owed something like that before, and that is surely the base bond of cool friendships!”

You and Yoshi spare a concerned glance to one another.

The three of you leave the science lab and you lead them toward the auditorium. Satisfied to know longer be beneath the savage gaze of the spider creature you answer Yoshi’s question about what you are up to.

~Well, a trio girls I didn’t know tried to get me alone, but I thought something was fishy and blew them off,~ you explain, ~But then they cornered Kairi and started laying into her with the most stereotypical bully routine because she and I were acting too familiar with Sugimoto-san,~

“What did you do?” Umeki-san asks with a familiar tinge of disgust and pain, you guess she’s been on the receiving end of that kind of behavior before.

~I stayed back, because Mori-san told me that Kairi knew it was a trap and thought it had to do with whoever stole my lunch and put threatening notes in our lockers this morning,~ you explain.

“You didn’t mention the note when we were speaking earlier, Mikage,” Yoshi asks after you in a solemn concern as you open the doors to the otherwise empty auditorium and stride down the aisle toward the stage.

>>41757667

~It wasn’t important then, Yoshi. That was for us to talk about,~ you pause in thought, ~more hopeful things,”

“Wait! The two of you are acting super familiar!” she spins on her heel and clutches either side of her head in mumbling, “If they’re getting back together am I being some kind of third wheel here? Oh man, Chiba-san is up and coming now that she’s getting a boyfriend and talking to Sugimoto-san I might get dragged forward into becoming popular!”

The two of you try very hard to ignore her rambling as you continue toward the stage.

“Okay, so they were bullying her,” Yoshi prompts you to continue.

~Then they made a move to rip her shirt and cut her skirt,~ you sigh, ~So we need to find her some spare clothes. I figured we could borrow something from the theater club, considering they’re between announced plays,~

“What happened to the girls who did this to her?” Yoshi asks seriously, “I’m frankly surprised you didn’t…”

Yoshi glances back toward Umeki-san, who remains clutching her head and ranting to herself in her own misunderstanding and delusions as the the function of social interaction. Come to think of it, at this age everyone is under some kind of social delusion. She seems quite deep into her rant, deep enough for Yoshi to be comfortable to ask something specific.

“surprised you didn’t visit upon them your horror movie brand of justice,” he says trying to be vague about it just in case, which you appreciate.

~Yeah, well I didn’t want to step on Mori-san’s toes,~ you shrug, ~She seemed super pissed they were using Sugimoto-san being friendly with us as an excuse for that kind of behavior,~

“Oh, she’s fallen back into old patterns then?” he sighs, “I really thought she had left that delinquent streak behind her since falling in with Sugimoto-san,”


~Oh?~ you ask slyly, ~Do you hope I’d do something similar now that I’m becoming friendly with her?~

Rolled 16, 15 = 31 (2d20)

>>41757722

He pauses as you climb up onto the stage. He thinks for just a moment and responds.

“I don’t think that is a fair question,” he explains, “I wasn’t expressing approval or disapproval of her actions, just my observation and expectations,”

~You know, this is the point where you’re supposed to get flustered because I’m teasing you,~ you groan as Umeki-san finally notices she has been left behind and rushes to catch up.

“Well, as you know, I don’t fluster or scare easily,” he shrugs and climbs up, followed quickly by Umeki-san, “Is Mori-san alright, three on one is a tough fight and I’m given to understand she’s out of practice,”

~Hey, it was two on three, and they wiped the floor with them,~ you say with a tinge of pride for your friends and knights.

“Really? I wouldn’t have expected Osaka-san to have a violent streak?” Yoshi wonders.

~You didn’t expect me to have one,~ you chide and skip off toward the backstage, ~Alright, lets search around look to see if we can find some spare clothes for Kairi-chan,~

“I think I may have missed something?” Umeki-san questions.

>Look in the backstage
>Check the side stage
>Check the makeup bars
>Look for a prop or supply closet
>Catwalk?
>Write in

& dice+1d20+5 for Perception

>>41757740
>Look in the backstage

Rolled 11 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41757770
Forgot my roll.

Rolled 19 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41757740
>Check the makeup bars
Might be some regular stuff floating around there.

Rolled 4 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>41757740
Now for that panicked moment when no one wants to flub the roll.

>>41757907
Yeah! Not a 1! Woo!

>>41757928
Great now just pick an option.

>>41757740
>>41757944
Well, historically, we have great luck with catwalks. I can't claim it makes great sense here, but they have worked out well in the past.
>Catwalk?

Rolled 3 (1d3)

>>41757740
1d3 of decision making, go!

>>41757770
1

>>41757792
2

>>41758081
3

>>41758285
Is that roll your vote, anon? You should make that clear so I may count it properly.

File: Dice Fall - Everyone Rocks.jpg (25 KB, 495x249)

25 KB JPG

>>41758313
Yes, yes it is.

Writing

On the catwalk, on the catwalk.

Write a little thing on the catwalk.

File: Sailor Jojo.jpg (107 KB, 1024x752)

107 KB JPG

>>41758556
My brain is an odd place.
It automatically took catwalk, cycled to Vogue, strike a pose, and ended at Jojo in short order.

>>41758712
Yare Yare Daze

Heading toward the side of the stage, you notice a metal rung ladder bolted into the wall and going straight up. While there are probably more locations on the ground level that may be rife with potential clothing options, something beckons you above. It certainly isn’t your sense of theater or your preferential enjoyment of being up high and looking down on things from a high and secure perch.

Okay, so it is. Fine.

Step by step you ascend the darkness, seeing quite easily thanks the special nature of your eyes and your inherent relationship with the dark. Stepping upon the metal grating of the catwalk, you glance down at the stage and see Umeki-san wander off stage right toward the makeup tables & mirrors, Yoshi wander further into the backstage and beyond your sight behind a curtain. You pace about the catwalk and search for its anchoring pathway to the walls. For the most part your find only ropes and light kits screwed into accessible metal bars, until your eyes catch something in the dark.

There, at the end of one of the branches of the catwalk is a small layout of costumes on hangers next to a role pulley and harnessing equipment.

Sorting through the dry cleaned bags you find three simples costumes.

A generic, though clearly not your own school’s, school girl uniform with a shorter skirt and angel wings on the back.

A simple Meiji Era soldier’s uniform, without a rank.

And, well this one isn’t quite so simple; its a Shinsengumi uniform. The police force of Tokyo prior to the revolution and Meiji Restoration.

>>41759311

Just what kind of play were they preparing for next?

Gathering your findings and heading down the ladder, you convene with the others and you lay out your found options.

Saori has found a boys uniform for the school and a sweater vested women’s tennis kit.

Yoshi has found a pair of trackpants and a zip up track sweater.

Looking over the outfits, and to draw less attention to yourselves in the hallway you decide to take-

>Angel Wing school girl
>Meiji Soldier
>Shinsengumi
>Juuban Municipal High Boy’s uniform
>Girl’s tennis kit
>Track suit

>>41759344
>Girl’s tennis kit

>>41759344
>Track suit

>>41759344
>track suit

>>41759344
>Angel Wing school girl

Just take the wings off.

>>41759344
A bit of Google and I'm going with
>Shinsengumi
Because those are some neat looking outfits.

>>41759344
>>Juuban Municipal High Boy’s uniform
At least it is a right sort of uniform, right?
..and I think she'd look good in it.

Writing

~Hmmm,~ you muse while looking over your assembled outfits, ~I think the track suit will draw the least attention, and she can get it excused as a believable emergency change of clothes,~

You pick up the sweater and trackpants and fold them over your arm. As Umeki-san and Yoshi put the rest of your collective finds to the side of the stage.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t take the boys uniform,” Umeki-san queries before her face begins gradually taking on a red hue as her speech becomes excitably erratic, “I mean, it could lead into all kinds of hilarious misunderstandings and she could try to pass herself off as an exchange student and disguise her voice, then a cute girl who has a crush on a boy she has a crush on could start crushing on her and then her crush might be worried that he’d developing feelings for another boy and-”

“What world do you live in, Umeki-san?” Yoshi asks in mild exasperation as he sets his armload of clothes down and adjusts his glasses.

“A very black and white one,” Umeki-san laughs it off, with a certain nervousness before joking, “That is quite graphically drawn,”

~I’m sure about this choice, let's get these to Kairi-chan,~ you nod firmly while picturing your best friend in a boy’s uniform, ~We’ve already used up half the free period,~

The two of them nod and the three of you make your way back to the other side of the school at a brisk pace. You ask Yoshi to hang back near your classroom as Kairi still needs to get changed. Umeki-san, citing her friendship on the grounds of common horrible experience declares she’ll be coming with you because she’s been in the situation before and she remembers really wishing people had come to her in worry and friendship when she was alone with her clothes cut to tatters.

>>41760797

“We’ll speak later about the shadows on the wall, Umeki-san,” Yoshi says with a certain tact as he takes a comfortable position leaning against the wall beside your classroom door as you and Umeki-san continue toward the art rooms.

“Oh yeah,” Saori Umeki snaps her fingers, “I’d almost forgotten about that in all the excitement,”

The two of you come to the door of the art room and you rap against the door lightly. Midori cracks the door, see’s your double loops of pink, and opens it the rest of the way. Her face falls a bit when she see’s Umeki-san with you, and you notice she holds a bloody handkerchief to her own nose. As you take in the room beyond, where Kairi-chan waits bored, sitting on the floor against the wall with her knees tucked to her chest, you notice a distinct lack of the three girls who you’d imagine would be sprawled and battered.

~Where did those girls go?~ you ask the two of them.

“They came too a little while ago,” Midori explains, “They didn’t remember what happened, at least in any detail, and were horrified and confused they even did something like that,”

“They also didn’t know what they were doing in school,” Kairi stands and approaches you and takes the tracksuit from you, “They seem to think, despite what little they remembered about what they did, that it was still last week,”

~That is crazy weird,~ you wonder.

“Uh, Osaka-san,” Umeki-san offers your friend.

“Yes, Umeki-san?”

“Listen, you were there to talk to me about me...thing,” she looks aside after carefully considering Midori Mori’s presence, “And, well, I’ve been through this kind of thing before, so if you want to talk to someone about it I’m there,”

“Thank you, Umeki-san,” Kairi-chan smiles and slides out of her sundered skirt and slides on the dark track pants, “I think I might take you up on that offer at the end of the day,”

>>41760829

Passing Kairi the zip up track sweater, you look to your friend with worry.

~Are you sure you’re going to be okay?~ you give her a tight hug as she zips up the track suit over her torn blouse, ~Mori-san relayed some of what they said to me,~

“Yeah,” I’ll be fine, she smiles and returns your hug, “I already knew they were wrong, so it didn’t really bother me,”

She does glance over at Saori Umeki, and her expression says to you that she’s holding something back while that girl is still here.

You turn and grab Midori in a hug as well.

~And thank you for watching out for her,~ you squeeze her as she mutters about you being a damnable hug monster, ~And I’m so sorry you got hurt,~

“It was nothing,” she boasts, “besides I gave back as good as I got,”

“Yeah,” Kairi confirms and gives Midori a high five as your hug with her breaks that turns into a hug of their own, “She likes to fight dirty,”

At some point, you aren’t sure when, Umeki-san crouched in the corner by the door and started panicking about feeling superfluous and uncertain how she’s even supposed to find her place in this kind of dynamic. She repeatedly cites to herself that she’d know what to do if we had picked the boy’s uniform. You have a strong hunch that she would not in fact have any idea what to do in the situation she desired, but it's amusing all the same.

>Let's head back to our classroom
>Telepathically ask about what they were holding back due to civilian presence
>Stay here and chat with the girls, about what?
>Introduce Saori Umeki and Midori Mori
>Warn them that Yoshi also helped you and Umeki-san search for clothes
>Write in

>>41760849
>>Telepathically ask about what they were holding back due to civilian presence
I'm going to guess the whole "doesn't remember the past week" is a red flag on its own, but what else you girls got? There was some odd 'ew'ing there.

Also:
>Introduce Saori Umeki and Midori Mori
>Warn them that Yoshi also helped you and Umeki-san search for clothes
as the verbal conversation. Staring at each other without talking would be odd.

File: forbidden.gif (398 KB, 640x360)

398 KB GIF

>>41760989
"Oh god, they can communicate with a glance! Their friendships are so deep that they border on forbidden love!

Wait a second, I'm totally down for that, gotta fake this and start making stark and meaningful stares at them, okay, here goes"

>>41761078
This amuses me.

>>41761078
"Why is she staring at us with an intense expression?"

~I don't know, why is her eye brow quirked now that's she looking at Midori,~

"We really need to socialize her,"

>Warn them that Yoshi also helped you and Umeki-san search for clothes
>Telepathically ask about what they were holding back due to civilian presence

Only an option.
And a pity that we got more candidates that Shitennou.

>>41760989
>>41761078
I could go for either of these scenarios.
Though to one where we don't draw attention to telepathy would be smarter.
Even if the second would be funnier.
Maybe we can draw it out just enough, then switch to introductions?

Slight delay
Counting

>>41761225
Maybe at some point Mikage will be able to make more knights.

Raising people to the nobility is the traditional right of royalty, after all.

>>41761982
Probably the same way the Shitennou were trained and prepared, as was the Royal Guard in general.

Our team is going to need a helluva training montage at some point.
..particularly when we get to the point that we can fulfill our promise to find a way to restore the Generals and our Knight don't have their soulstuff to work off of. I wonder if their skills are incarnum based and the Generals are just using themselves as training wheels to bootstrap the new recruits into the art.

~Oh, Mori-san,~ you turn back toward Midori as your hand reaches back and grabs Umeki-san’s shoulder and hauls her to her feet, ~Have you met Saori Umeki from our class? Umeki-san, have you met Midori Mori?~

Umeki-san, spun around and pulled to her feet regards Midori carefully and nervously. She keeps trying to say something, but keeps stuttering at a false start. While she is having trouble composing herself, you pose a question to your knights through your powers of telepathy.

-What didn’t you say because of Umeki-san? Was it whatever had you two so grossed out earlier?- you ask, -The memory loss is a red flag that something bad is going on,-

-The last girl Midori took down,- Kairi begins, -We don’t know if it was the same with the other two, but something crawled out of her mouth,-

-It was a spider,- Midori shudders and makes a face before settling on a more neutral expression that slides into embarrassed and apologetic, “Actually Umeki-san and I have a bit of history. We’ve met,”

~Good,~ you sigh, ~Then I can give you guys a bit of forewarning that Yoshi helped Umeki-san and I on the search for clothing. He actually found the tracksuit,~

“I’ll have to thank him for that,” Kairi nods as she smooths out the suit down her front and down the front of her legs before her head snaps up, “Wait, you just said Yoshi instead of Sakurada,”

>>41762366


~Oh, okay. Yeah, I did,~ you nervously scratch at your cheek, -Was it hairy and black about half a tennis ball worth of squick leggy spider?-

-Oh yeah, we lost sight of it when we scrambled back from it,- Midori sighs and tries to break the tension with the still nervous Saori Umeki, “Umeki-san, I just want to say I’m sorry about back then, I took a lot of things out on you that I shouldn’t have then,”

“Wait, you’re apologizing to me?” she pauses in her stuttering and inability and finds a point of accusatory anger, “You used to terrorize me until you were too cool to get your own hands dirty!”

-I found it in the hall, thought it belonged to the school science lab,- you shudder a bit as you observe the sudden tension eruption from Umeki-san, -managed to get it into one of the empty aquariums in lab b,-

Midori leans into the taller girl’s face.

“Yeah, and I’m trying to apologize for that stupid shit. I was in a bad place but that was no excuse to how I behaved,” this does not seem to calm Saori Umeki in the slightest.

-Well, that’s good,- Kairi nods, -I don’t want to see that thing again, but maybe it can give us an idea of what’s going on. Say, should we do something about these two?-

>Physically intercede, step between them
>Verbally try and talk this down sensibly
>This raised anger displeases you, let them know they displease you
>Do nothing, they got this
>Write in

>>41762382
>>Verbally try and talk this down sensibly
>>This raised anger displeases you, let them know they displease you
Hey, cut that out. Midori's trying to apologize, and she gave it to us worse than you ever got and we've accepted. Midori, just take Umeki-san with a pinch of salt alright? She's a bit rougher around the edges than me, socially.

Proceed with friendly beatings if needed.

>>41762382
>Verbally try and talk this down sensibly

>>41762616
Actually, did she apologize to Kairi?

>>41762616
>She's a bit rougher around the edges than me, socially.
Umeki's role in the social dynamic is clear. She's the one that makes us look like we have our shit together by comparison.

>>41762740
whoa now, that's a big responsibility and a full time job. Are we sure Umeki-san is ready for something like that.

>>41762382
>Do nothing, they got this
This is actually a pretty big step here, Umeki-san used to just fade into the background rather than fight.

>>41762810
Well, at least while we're at school? She needs the job to keep her out of further trouble anyhoo.

>>41762382
>Do nothing, they got this

I'll second >>41762861

>>41762861
Aw damnit, that's actually a good point.

Can I vote for mine as a fall back position for scolding them if they don't reach a resolution?
And go ahead with this one as a main plan?

>>41762977
You can identify and withdraw your vote.

It complicates things if it becomes a habit, but you are allowed it.

Writing

>>41763028
I'm on first >>41762616
What's on second.

Like scolding and trying to settle it with words, but it is a good point about Umkei practicing having some backbone.
And we still might need to step in if it doesn't pan out.

>>41758712
it's quite astonishing how close you got

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ2w94WALoU

>>41763223
Oh I'm familiar with it, just that it lead my brain down a quick hop, skip, and jump of connections.

Here, have this version too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKYPp2Kp6s

>Do nothing, they got this

Backbone, yay!
We need to compare lewd collections soonest.

~Let’s see where they go with this,~ you offer Kairi-chan these hushed words as the two of you settle in to watching the fiery exchange between Midori Mori and Saori Umeki.

Midori doesn’t back down from Umeki-san, at least in the respect that she’s being standoffish and aggressive in offering her apology.

“You made me scared to go to school,” Saori trembles in the face of her apparently former tormentor being so close to her but she stands her ground, “And suddenly years after you stop you think you can clear your conscience,”

“I don’t think anything,” Midori barks at the slouching girl, “I’m trying to seek forgiveness, figure out what I can do to make things right and you’re just throwing it back in my face!”

Umeki takes a step forward and adjusts her posture, looming and leaning over Midori as her thin fingers curl into fists.

“Oh, like you used to throw dirt in my face,” Umeki-san is getting increasingly upset, “Or what about the lunch money, or the time MY uniform got cut up,”

Midori screws her eyes shut. Her own clenched hands relax.

“Oh my god,” Saori gasps in shock and then develops a cruel smile, “Are you about to cry? Have these tables turned? I was afraid of you for so long and now...is this what power feels like? I got turned into a fucking monster and I didn’t feel this strong. Its addicting,”

Midori opens her eyes and looks up into the emboldened Saori Umeki-san’s widening eyes. The blonde girl’s eyes are glossy and moisture wells in the inner corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry, that’s all there is too it,” she doesn’t give an inch as she keeps her gaze steady, “you have every right to hate me, and if you want to hold onto that pain, then you are welcome to do so,”

>>41763763

Midori goes to walk passed Umeki-san, but the taller and lankier girl grabs her arm. You tense at it, as that burning angry confidence still oozes out of Midori’s pores. The wounded berserker strength that lay just under her lithe surface girds her here, but she does not act in anger and seems to be waiting to learn why Umeki-san has grabbed her arm.

“You say you were in a bad place? Let’s say I believe you, but you don’t think it excuses anything?” Saori wonders, “What kind of half assed defense is that? You know what, because you came to the aid of the first friend I’ve made in years and protected her from the exact same shit you put me through, I’ll hear you out,”

“Saori, I don’t-”

“You brought it up,” the taller girl trembles and shakes despite being embolden to take this strike, “you teased a reason for everything. I want to know what it is before I even consider your apology,”

You think you know exactly what Midori was going through back then. Flashes of the memory of your shared dreaming experience play across the back of your mind. The forest where people go to disappear in the shadow of Mount Fuji. It occurs to you, that her father has always been a fisherman, how long was Midori alone after her mother vanished before her father even came home to learn that his wife had…

“I was jealous of you,” Midori says quietly.

“What on earth could you have been jealous of? You had friends, people liked you, people feared and respected you!” Saori’s eyes take on the moist quality is building tears as well.

“You had a doting mother who walked you to school every day,” Midori lets her head tilt forward and her bangs obscure her eyes, “Who embarrassed you in front of everyone and wouldn’t stop shouting how much she loved you as you came in every single day back then,”

She takes a sharp breath and steadies herself.

>>41763785

“My mom didn’t love me enough to keep on going,” she dabs her eyes with her bloodied handkerchief, “My mother killed herself and I was jealous of how much you’re mother slathered on embarrassing love, and how you could be so shy to cling to her side and not want to leave it,”

Saori Umeki doesn’t respond, she looks positively downtrodden. Midori looks suddenly exhausted. The taller girl releases your knight’s arm and stands there, looking away from her awkwardly. No feigned soliloquy or panicked muttering and mumbling about VNs or manga escape her as conflict and guilt plays across her face.

Midori, who isn’t facing you, is inscrutable. She begins to say something, but Umeki-san springs into action.

Without a word, the taller girl turns to face Midori fully and wraps her long arms around her and squeezes her into her slightly emaciated and sickly looking frame. Midori’s own arms wrap around the base of the taller girl’s back and the two of them hold this for a few minutes in silent tears.

Umeki-san is the first to disengage, wiping at the dark circles beneath her eyes with her sleeve. She seems completely lost and uncertain of just what to do with herself as she looks between you, Kairi-chan, and Midori. Holding her hands in front of her, she quickly bows and rushes out of the art room, leaving the three of you in an awkward and heavy silence.

Eclipsed Moon Quest Episode 98
End

Interlude Vote
>Spinning traps
>Price of failure
>Hematite watches

>>41763785
Grass is always greener on the other side.
>>41763794
Glorious first step to conflict resolution without magic sparkling princess power and/or our participation. That's good, I think.

Spiders, quirky miniboss or something more interesting?
I can't choose, it's so hard...

But let's go with.
>Price of failure

>>41763794
Thanks for the thread, Artemis

>Price of failure

Thanks for the thread, everyone.

File: rain.jpg (40 KB, 350x197)

40 KB JPG

>>41763794
Must be a leak in my roof, it seems to be raining.

>Hematite watches
Is he watching it rain too?

>>41763851
Thanks be for thread!

>>41763794
>Hematite watches
We shall watch the watcher watch.

As usual, post thread feedback yadda yadda

>>41763906
Spiders spin webs from threads, and if they are being controlled by parasitic wasp larva, they spin extra strong webs for the larva to roll into a cocoon after it finishes draining the spider dry.

>>41763794
>Spinning traps
Spiders?

>>41763964
I should not have tried googling that to verify.
I may never sleep again, and live in unending terror of insects.

>>41763906
Fun times! Glad for the late run got to catch most of the thread.
Also, feels were distributed and received on that last one. Eyes were undry, good work.

>>41763906
Are we going to hear that conversation between Umeki and Yoshi? Because I imagine it's an entertaining one.

>>41763794
>Hematite watches

Seems like that would be a cool material to make a watch out of.

>>41763794
>Price of failure

>>41764052
I doubt Umeki is still in the mood totally about crazy shadow monsters after that bombshell.

>>41763999
Or perhaps actual traps that are spinning

>>41767817

Well now, a trap that spins might be a bit noticeable.

>>41768589
True, but how does one stop it?

>>41768600
Only the penitent man shall pass.

>>41768600
Theorectically you would avoid a trap rather than stop it.

>>41769029
Umeki would disagree.

>>41770094
I guess she really wants to spring one.

File: keep-calm-and-get-sprung.png (38 KB, 600x700)

38 KB PNG

>>41770544

So, I know I always ask for feedback, but lets get specific. I know this arc has been very focused on school life, so I want to get your impressions and the like.

Any feedback, opinions about, impressions of, stuff you like, or stuff you hate about characters in this arc so far.

While its true that this is a slow boil villainy, traction is being made and there are yet more named characters to be interacted with...once I scroll through the archives and find their damn names.

>>41764052
how would it even go at this point? She just had a pretty heavy experience.

>>41772419
Was the fight between Kairi/Midori and the three bully’s rolled for off-screen? And were the spiders powering them up?

Also, will Eclipse show up for the resolution of all this?

>>41774435
That was rolled off screen. I will say no more about the spider at this time as that is ongoing plot.

As for Eclipse, that's up to you guys, isn't it?

>>41774477
I would guess they were powering them up, else three girls (most likely at level 1) seem like they wouldn’t last as long as they did against two level 3’s.

>>41774632
If they do offer a power up, I don't think that's the point.

>>41774736
Hard to say really, though as I recall most such cases of someone getting powers like this in the show also made them better in a fight

>>41774827
I mean the memory loss, what if the spiders are how people are being controlled?

>>41775154
That… would explain a lot.

>>41775395
What did you think was happening there?

>>41778006
I knew they were being controlled, I just thought that something other than the spiders was handling that part. Three people but only one spider, it was throwing me off.

>>41779175
Who said the spider they saw crawling out of the mouth of the one they had time to check when the beat down ended and the one we found in the hall were the same spider?

Kairi specifically says they didn't know if there were spiders crawling out of the mouths of the others.

>>41762673
I think so?

>>41779855
>Kairi specifically says they didn't know if there were spiders crawling out of the mouths of the others.

So she did, I missed that part.

Thanks for the catch.

>>41780151
>>41779175
>>41778006
>>41775395
>>41775154
Spoopy spiders, man.

>>41779932
But did she accept it?