"Oh... umm... sure! My parents don't expect me to be back until later, I think," Jenny answered, standing up and waiting for the little girl to lead the way. She was such a nice child, much better than that cousin she'd seen a few times before they'd left the country. He was such an annoying... thing. Maybe she could make some sort of trade and get the carefree witch as a relative instead? That would be nice.
"My mother has been dead longer than you and all your kin combined have been alive," the vampire replied coldly, having finally noticed the subtle cues that the girl in front of her wasn't a normal human. With that out of the way... why pretend to be the child she no longer was? Honesty was the best policy. When it got through to people, that was. When it didn't... well, that's when she had to start thinking.
"Annoyed?" Hisako replied. She'd known that something was wrong, she wasn't even that good at reading people and she could tell. But why was Shujiko annoyed? Was something unpleasant going on? Whatever the case, Hisako didn't think one of her classmates should be so annoyed. Unless they were mean, or something.
"What's wrong?"
"Great! What's your name?" The Carefree Witch asked, turning away and starting to head down the street, resuming her cheerful licking of her ice cream. She did want to walk with the other girl for completely childish reasons, too, it would be fun and she was nice. But the man motive was to get her safely away from crowds.
The Carefree Witch was going to ask this girl about magic.
Amitiel folded her arms. She had never been a particularly patient girl and this was starting to edge into the 'not worth waiting' territory.
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up."Ah... just tell her what the problem is! Shujiko told herself. It wouldn't be so hard, just a few words, right? Hisako would understand, right?
...Probably not, but it was better than treating her like dirt, like?
Shujiko inhaled, steadied her nerves, and raised her gaze to look at the unearthly beautiful girl from her class.
"...Gotta go!" She announced, and quickly walked off, her face burning red.
Totally awesome there, Shuji. Maybe'll she'll be your BFF now... She thought sarcastically. Damn it, maybe she should ask someone why she felt this way...
Cyndy glanced up at the man who began to enter the office. Looked like this was his and his friend's. She smiled weakly. "Um, yeah, I guess it is..."
Once she handed the food over, Cyndy stepped back and bowed deeply. "I'm really sorry I made you wait so long! I promise this will not happen again, so I kindly ask that you do not take your business elsewhere! Kei's Tasty Place will not let you down again!"
"'Course it works!" Pandora replied brightly. "You'll be enjoying those benefits for twenty four hours a day!"
So just keep thinking that, please~ Pandora added mentally. As long as that girl continued to believe her charms were authentic, chances of her messing up were lowered. Just as long as she was willing to brudh off any more accidents in the near future...
Anyway, Pandora turned her attention to the other two customers, now able concentrate a little more on determining what they were. Well, girl was still a mystery, but the guy was definitely a canine. Some form of dog.
"So, you two see anything you like? My charms range from stat-boosting to reality warping!" Pandora claimed brightly.
Shiro had frozen for a moment at what the little girl said. Her parents... dead? That... really sucked, to put it mildly. Shiro could kind of relate. She was in a reverse situation, being the dead one. Still...
"I'm really sorry to hear that." Shiro said regretfully. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have said such a thing... but..."
And thus, Shiro suddenly launched into a speech about how natural death was, and how it could make one so sad that time seems to crawl, thus explaining the girl's earlier comment, and that despite the sadness, we all had to move on and accept it as part of life.
...Shiro may or may not have fully believed her own words, but hey, this girl needed comforting. And sometimes words had little impact on their own. And thus, after her passionate speech, Shiro followed through with a sudden hug. "Don't you worry, Big Sis Shiro will make you feel better, okay?"
Unfortunately, Shiro had kind of forgotten that she no longer emitted body heat. Even if this girl had no reason to suspect she wasn't exactly human any more, it was kind of obvious now.
Without saying as much as a word, Al pulled out a 1000 Yen slip and gave it to Cindy on the spot. "Here you go." he took the pizza in both hands afterward, heading into the office. "Why don't you come in an join us?" Al asked before turning his attention to the angel on the sofa.
"Trenchoat or a business suit? I don't know, what do you think?" he was wearing his typical black business suit as he always did at work. Some times blue, sometimes gray, but the design was pretty much the same. Ecanus asking questions she obviously knew the answers too...
"So I guess that'd make you the villain of the piece. Mob boss maybe... nah, the role doesn't suit you." she said, still chewing on her pen with little regard to the newcomer.
Mob boss, mob boss... no, that definitely doesn't suit him. But protagonists do not wear suits. Especially in noir. Come on Ecanus, it's a stylistic detail. This could have potential. Perhaps a supernatural crime drama? Underworld noir, perhaps with a smattering of cosmic horror? Yes, the two do fit together snugly... No no no! It just doesn't work!
"Gahhh! Why doesn't it work?! Angel of writers and I can't even scrape together a concept sketch!" Ecanus yelled, ripping a fresh piece of paper off of her pad and crumpling it into a ball of celluloid hate.
edited 2nd Apr '12 1:42:07 PM by KSPAM
I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial"For about-" Haru took looked at some of the various charms the vendor had. He shrugged, maybe if he had more of his senses, he could determine more about these things, but he could only make a guess. "Hours? Days?" She could make these objects permanent in appearance, but from his experience, he'd just make them last for a while before reverting.
"Nonetheless," he took out his wallet. "I did this kind of thing before, so sure, give me something."
edited 2nd Apr '12 9:22:34 PM by Runekn
Hands in coat pocket and music playing full blast in her, Kirika walked around, not really paying attention where she was going. Her eyes were instead drawn to the many shop windows, looking for something that may catch her eye. Because of her distracted state, she didn't notice the blushing girl who happened to step in front of her path.
She lightly bumped into Shujiko with an 'umph', having to step back to catch her balance. She took her headphones out quickly and apologized, "I'm sorry, I-" Wait, this girl was kinda cute, "I didn't mean to bump into someone as cute as you. But now I'm glad I did." She casually flirted, licking her lips. It was her nature to flirt with anyone she considered cute after all.
You can blame Moe and Anno for this Roxas. Totally.
"Umm... everyone calls me Jeni," Jennifer replied, following the little girl and wrapping their free hands together. There were quite a lot of people around and she didn't want to get separated. Especially not because she was focusing too much on eating her ice-cream...
"Why am I being hugged by a reanimated corpse?" the vampire girl asked, voice much, much colder than the zombie's body. She was not particularly happy about this, though it did confirm that the girl most definitely wasn't human, but there wasn't much she could do during the day. Being about as strong as someone in their early teens that did no physical activity did not make it easier to break such an awkward embrace.
Still fuming over her encounter - well, her attitude over said encounter, really - Shujiko had fished her phone from her pocket again, ready to listen to her own music when she bumped into someone.
Phone slipping from her grasp, Shujiko stumbled back a little, and glanced at the girl she'd bumped into. "S-sorry..." Shujiko mumbled. She would have picked her phone up at that instant, had the girl not suddenly called her 'cute'.
"W-what?" The blushing girl stammered, stepping back. That was unexpected. W-was she flirting? Oh god, a girl was coming on to her! How was she supposed to deal with that?!
"...Huh?" Cyndy took the money, confusion evident on her face. Why was she being paid? She failed, didn't she? She was supposed to refuse at this point, right? Probably best to give it back...
"Um... well, I have work, so I can't stay." Cyndy began, nervously tugging at her cap. "And... I don't think I'm supposed to take th-"
Wait, what? Angel of writers? Cyndy glanced at the distressed woman, head tilted slightly. Did... she just call herself an angel?
...Obviously, she couldn't really be one, because... um. Huh, that became a lot harder to dispute when you realise that you yourself are descended from a mythical creature. And then there was the scary girl - whom she would totally never see again - that said magic existed... Man, today was getting weird...
Shiro tensed at the girl's words, and slowly pulled away, a blank expression on her face. How... did this girl know she was dead?
Realising she had just hugged the girl, Shiro immediately released her and hopped back to her feet. "S-sorry, I forgot! U-uh... blood condition! I'm cold-blooded and, uh, it makes me feel funny! S-so I apologise, and..."
Gah, she'd probably spooked the poor girl. Unfortunately, comfort hugs weren't an option...
Hisako stared after Shujiko. That... that was... weird. What had caused that?
"... Ehhh?"
The Carefree Witch nodded as she walked along, licking her ice cream. So, 'Jeni'... Not Japanese. If the girl's appearance hadn't given that away, at least. Foreign mage? No, no, that didn't seem entirely likely. Her Japanese was far too good to be a vacationer. From a foreign mage family? Possibly... but somehow that didn't seem particularly likely, as well. But something was odd about this girl... the Carefree Witch just couldn't put her finger on it. Well, she'd find out in just a moment. That alleyway up ahead looked secluded...
"That's a nice name!" she replied, cheerfully. It was, after all. She began to make a turn for the alley, hoping the girl would follow.
"Charms? What kind of charms?" Amitiel asked, approaching. Not that she needed anything, but... Would they help people actually believe her about having the body of a twenty-year-old?
edited 3rd Apr '12 11:01:48 AM by AnnoR
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up.""Me? A villain?" Al was practically dumbfounded by her character observation. He as a lawyer that upheld justice in any way he could, why would he turn into a villain? Unless he drowned in his ideals or something similar, that... wasn't going to happen. Not anywhere in the future, at least. The blonde man sighed, "It doesn't work because you're forcing yourself. I know you're not the type to relax, but, you know... relax." He turned away from the door and made his way back to his own desk. He soon took a seat, propping his heels onto the top of the desk to get comfortable.
"Just sit back and relax..." he mumbled, leaning back on his cheer. Unknown to Al, the chair's legs fell out from under him. Not even a second passed before a loud audible THUD was heard. He smacked his head off the side of the wall before coming into contact with the floor below. "O-ouch..."
Cyndy, still puzzling over the odd things she had heard in the past five minutes, began to make her way back to the place she worked. Angels? Magic? What was going on, exactly?
...Wait! She was a half-breed, wasn't she? That meant that all this talk of supernatural stuff was a prelude to her destiny as a saviour of the earth was being set in motion! With soon-to-be-acquired dragonic powers, Cyndy would slay all evil!
...Sigh. Cyndy found herself hoping that wasn't the case as she jogged back.
"Charms that can cause miracles!" Pandora boasted cheerfully, picking up several at seemingly random. "These things range from making you stronger, faster, to sexier, looking younger, hair growth, gender-specific attraction..."
The kitsune rambled on and on about the various effects these charms claimed to be capable off, and was being totally believable about it.
"Well then what do I do, eh? Just sit blissfully and grow stale until an idea miraculously falls from heaven? Oh wait..." she said, her voice dripping with vicious sarcasm. Typical author.
Ecanus flipped open the box of pizza, took a slice, and began to chow down, practically forcing it down her throat. It disappeared so fast you'd swear she hadn't even tasted it. Pushing the last bit of crust into her mouth, she sighed, and grabbed another piece to begin the process again.
edited 4th Apr '12 2:30:00 PM by KSPAM
I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serialNot thinking about where she was being lead, Jenny continued to lick her ice-cream. If she had realised, she would have worried that the little girl was actually part of an organised crime ring and she would soon be mugged, then shipped off to be 'used' elsewhere for less than she would hope that she was worth. Or maybe a cult of cannibal chefs needed virgin meat as an ingredient in a stew! Of course, she was focusing on eating ice-cream, so none of that actually came to mind.
"I have felt corpses before. You remind me of one left too long on the street, though the lack of any signs of decay or that horrible stench indicates that you were almost immediately brought back. Since you are also mobile and a human that cold would be dead of hypothermia, you are doubtless a revenant," the vampire surmised, smirking as she finished her explanation. This city was slightly more interesting than she had believed, then.
Hisako was... well, confusion was too light a term, really. Frowning, she turned to make her way home. What was that all about? She'd have to ask Shujiko next time she saw her, there was no other choice...
Once they were sufficiently far down the alleyway, the Carefree Witch abruptly released Jeni's hand and turned to face her. She finished off the last of her ice cream before speaking up. This was a serious matter, after all, and she couldn't be just licking her ice cream while explaining it. No, no, this required focus. Folding her arms, the Carefree Witch took a breath before speaking.
"Jeni-san, do you know about magic?"
"... Sexier?"
No, she didn't need that. Amitiel was already sexy enough. At least, she thought that.
"Is there anything that would help people realize that I have the body of a twenty-year-old?"
"Oh, dear. The toad, the monkey, and the dog have all screwed up.""Wear loose and revealing clothing." Haru said out-loud, overhearing the two. He was looking at the ones the vendor showed, then going back to looking at the rest.
"Got any that look nice?" Some of the effects of the charms sounded okay, if he wanted anything. But he was already strong despite all those seals, and attracting any of the sexes wasn't exactly something he'd want to go through again. He didn't listen to what else they could do. He was just here for something nice to wear.
"...Body of a twenty year old?" Pandora blinked, looking the customer up and down. Going by her wording, this girl already believed she looked twenty. Pandora was fairly sure her current form looked older, and she was definitely not twenty.
The other guy's suggestion didn't seem too helpful, really. Wouldn't revealing clothing only emphasise how... young she looked? Granted, Pandora suspected this girl wasn't as young as she looked - or claimed - to be. Still...
"Well, let's see..." Pandora looked at the charms in her hand, then held a few up for the other customer. "I think these'll look cool on you! They also come with a confidence boosting effect and a glamour to make your eyes look brighter than the stars!"
The kitsune looked over her remaining charms. None of the effects were real, so technically she could just claim one of these did make people see you differently, but that was a fairly difficult thing to fool people into believing worked...
"...There's this one!" Pandora held up a random charm and showed it to the girl. "It'll make you look your ideal age to everyone else!"
Shiro blinked repeatedly as she watched the little girl. It was finally sinking in that she wasn't normal. What she was, Shiro didn't know, but she was on guard now. She had no weapons with her, but surely something with a form like that couldn't be hard to subdue, right?
...Nah, maybe she was being too hasty?
"...Uh, who are you?" Shiro asked the girl suspiciously. "What do you know about me?"

"See, see? You get it! New perspective! I need to get down and dirty with subject matter unfamiliar to me if I want to break this writer's block."
Ecanus plopped down on the couch, taking another sip from her coffee. "Anyway, I'm not writing about you per se. What kind of storyteller would I be if I simply took your story and copied it ad verbatim? I'm better than that. All I'm trying to do is hang around until something you say or do gets the gears turning again."
The cieling fan swung slowly overheard, and Ecanus briefly considered a noir piece while biting on her pen. "Hey, Al. Would you say you're the trenchcoat or business suit type?"
I've got new mythological machinery, and very handsome supernatural scenery. Goodfae: a mafia web serial