Unfinished Business (In Progress)

#MGChronicle [07:26:21:24] <~Wander>
By morning, Melissa has packed her things, bid farewell to Belinda (and promised to return, of course), and is ready to go.  Almost as soon as she’s outside of Prisma Lantern’s walls, she looks a little less strained, though not truly at ease.
Most likely, Melissa expects to be wearing the sealing shackle for the duration of the trip.  She can’t be happy about that fact, but much as she might like to whine about it, she’s at least *partially* acclimated to the discomfort it presents.
The trip to her homeworld is thankfully shortened by Hikari’s involvement.  Melissa, it seems, is used to simply walking everywhere, and she doesn’t know as much about navigating through the Overcity as she might like to.  It doesn’t help that Rel was the one who had brought her to Prisma Lantern, so finding her way back home on her own would have been difficult.
Fortunately, she’s at least she’s able to supply landmarks to navigate toward, then can properly find the way home from there.
Soon enough, once the pair pass through a graffiti-laden overpass portal to reach New York City, they’re greeted by a surprisingly snowy, windy early morning.  Even frigid and wet, the city certainly won’t stop going about its day.
“Oh right, it’s friggin’ *December*, here,” Melissa mutters, hurriedly digging a blue and yellow parka out of her backpack before the cold starts getting to her.  She was already dressed fairly warmly, but another layer certainly won’t hurt, considering she can see her breath, here.
“Our first stop is going to be Seona and her mom’s place, since that’s nearest,” the grey-eyed girl says. “I know you… wanted to have a word with them about the whole S-pill thing and all anyway, right?  I bet Somni’s seen Puka fairly recently, too, so that should be convenient.”

<Reikim>	 Hikari shivers and tightens her jacket. Then sneezes. She quickly buttons up her coat, then holds a hand over her nose. "So this is your Earth?"
It was a bit surprising to find her already prepared for the time period - probably got Belinda to give some pointers yesterday - and her apparent age. Ripped jeans, a logo'd T-shirt, and a puffy spring coat (white, of course), and…surplus combat boots. Well, she doesn't need to be fashionable; but either way she looks like she's regretting some parts of it.
Despite that, though, she seems…oddly intrigued by the surroundings. She spins in place, the left arm of her coat flapping behind her, looking up down and all around like some kind of lost country girl.
She stomps a little down the street and turns to look up at the cars speeding along the overpass.
"…Sometimes, I forget how good we've got it," she says. Her words are muffled by her slowly-whitening fingers. "Smells like an engine bay."

<~Wander>	 “Yep.  I guess it’s a little bit grimy and polluted, compared to what you’re used to, but it’s home,” Melissa confirms, a weak grin making its way across her face as she breathes in a mixture of cold air and car fumes. “Belinda was pretty overwhelmed when she first came to the big city, and it’s not hard to see why.  Of course, she’s also even shorter than most *normal* kids, so that can’t help with the crowds.”
Melissa slips her hands into a pair of gloves, flexes her fingers a few times, then beckons Hikari along after her.  She’s walked this path enough days that she could practically reach Seona’s place in her sleep, if not for traffic.
“Guess you don’t really visit places like this often, huh?” the smaller girl comments, spinning on her heels. “Probably got too many world-shaking calamities or whatever to deal with, so there’s no time to stop off at our kind of busy little backwater where things stay mostly stable, at least on the cosmic scale.”

<Reikim>	 "Ha! Well, I guess you're not wrong."
Hikari follows her at a comfortable distance. She seems to be trying to watch everything - the cars, the lights, the signs, the buildings, and *especially* the people. On the other hand, she's…doing a surprisingly good job of staying out of sight, herself. People's gazes seem to slide away from her…
"I've always wondered what this time period was like, though. For some reason…not much happens. A little before, a little after…from something like 1920, for like a hundred years…"
She stops to briefly to peer into a pastry shop.
"For whatever reason, this is the only time where it's just…people living." She makes a face. "Well, except for the usual…human failings."

<~Wander>	 Ah, New York City.  Such colorful and eclectic crowds of people, though most of them don’t really seem to mind each other all that much.  Kids with their parents, groups of teenagers and young adults, businessmen and businesswomen, and of course the homeless.
Aside from some of that last category, most of the people don’t really bother each other over anything, and even the ones that do are ignored more often than not.
Of course, those who can see magic get a different picture of New York City than most.  For sure, the vast majority of the population is non-magical, but more than a handful of disguised magical beings can be found among the crowds.  Perhaps that’s not surprising, though.
“*…Not much happens?*” Melissa incredulously repeats. “There was an entire World War after that timeframe!  Arguably two, if you count the Cold War?  Tech stuff has grown explosively, we put humans on the moon, and…”
She trails off, blinking as part of what Hikari said hits her a little late. “I guess that whatever you’re familiar with that’d end this period in the future is… something that really shakes up the status quo, huh?  And yet, human failings are probably never going to change.”

<Reikim>	 "It's…just something I've read about," Hikari says. "There's a lot of variants of Earth. Some a little further, some a little behind. People just noticed that…there's a lot like this one." She shrugs. "Maybe it's the wars. But nothing…world-changing happens for a while."
She watches the homeless. Unlike the *normal* people, none of them have a problem acknowledging her. Some of them might even get a strange feeling that she's not just another cripple with better insurance.
With some effort, she turns herself away from them. Hopefully…they can get out of here before nightfall.
"…So you've lived here all your life?" she asks.

<~Wander>	 “Yeah, this is the city I was born in,” Melissa confirms, crossing the street to avoid a particular quartet of teens that to most must just look like good friends, not a magical girl team.
“I think my grandparents *might’ve* been born here in the states, since their folks would’ve been around during World War II?  Never asked them, so I dunno for sure.  My mother was *definitely* born here in the city, though.”
Melissa sighs, shoulders slumping a little. “It’s weird to say it, but even though I’ve been to the Overcity, I’ve never like, been to another country or anything.  Hell, I’ve probably never even been to another *state*.  Not like I really *mind* that, but it’s kind of strange in this day and age.”
The crowds start to thin out more as the pair heads into a more residential area.  Their destination isn’t far.

<Reikim>	 Hikari gets a good look at the magical girls as they pass.
"Could be worse," she says, distractedly. "What's the threat here?"

<~Wander>	 The magical girls probably are probably a fairly traditional elemental team of four.  They aren’t terribly powerful individually, but Melissa would clearly rather keep her head down, considering her situation.  She doesn’t have the sight, so she must just know them from a past encounter.
“Threat?” she repeats, glancing back over her shoulder to confirm that the girls aren’t following.
“Assuming you mean what the *magical girls* fight, here, it’s usually the magical beasts on the fringes of society.  A big one is probably the infestation of hellhounds that like to gnaw on things like the gas mains under the streets, but I guess I also hear about shit like disgruntled fishmen trying to sink ships along the coast, and the occasional magpie harpy robbing a jewelry store to feed that craving for shiny things.
The magical girls usually focus on the actually dangerous and socially disruptive monsters.  It’s just that on slow enough days, they sometimes get orders to go after creatures of the night that are just living their lives.  I’ll admit, though, I’m something that practically skirts the line in terms of priority.  Heck, some girls have dropped almost everything to take a shot at little old Melissa the Red, as if I’m some modern-day Jack the Ripper!”
Melissa turns down a street, leading Hikari past a small park.
“Really, that stuff is usually outside of my interests.  I just focus on how, at the surface level, most of the city gets coverage from solos and teams.  They’ve all sort of got their own turf that usually doesn’t overlap too heavily, aside from when they’re at school.”
When they reach their destination, Melissa doesn’t bother with the front door.  Rather, she gets a running start, jumps and pushes off one of the brick walls so that she can just barely catch the fire escape.  And then promptly loses her grip and drops back to the ground, because she’s used to having more strength in her body and the shackle isn’t letting her use it.
“*Freakin’ little girl body,*” she grumbles to herself.

<Reikim>	 "Not the kind of…magical girls I'm used to," Hikari muses. "It's…unusual to have so many in one place, for such a quiet city."
She darts forward when Melissa slips, in a motion that couldn't have been smoother if she'd been expecting it. She catches Melissa with her body, and eases her back onto her feet.
She inspects the fire escape for a moment…then turns and asks, "Is there something wrong with using the door?"

<~Wander>	 “Not particularly, I’m just sort of… used to getting around this way?  Keeps me fitter… or at least, I *thought* it did.”
Melissa’s face is already somewhat red from the cold, but she looks away in embarrassment anyway as she heads toward the front door.  The call button to get into the building appears to be out of order, meaning they’re able to enter and start heading upstairs without issue.
“…Okay, that and I’m usually not supposed to act like I’m *welcome*, here, if only to keep up appearances for the sake of everyone involved.  Seona is a magical girl, and I’m one of the things what go bump In the night, you know?  The rats and their girls tend not to like those that have friends ‘across enemy lines’ and… a lot of *my* people aren’t really so different about that.”

<Reikim>	 "I'm pretty familiar with how that relationship works," Hikari says, wryly.
"I'm just glad I won't have to climb that." She waves her arm.
"Either way, that's why I'm here. I have a feeling you won't see many...rats, while I'm around." She follows Melissa up - follows her *exactly*, in fact, carefully putting her feet in the same places. "What's your relationship with Seona, again?"

<~Wander>	 Melissa seems pretty carefree about where she sets her feet. There probably aren’t any hidden traps, at least.
“I saved her from some trouble a while back.  She’s a naïve kid, weird, doesn’t have many friends aside from me.  I didn’t realize she was a magical girl until we had to explain the situation to her mom… in part because it was a little messy on my end.  She uses the fire escape whenever she goes out on missions, so that’s the main reason why I got into a habit of using it too.”
Soon enough, the pair reach the right floor and Melissa knocks on one of the doors.
The older woman that almost immediately opens it is one that might pass for human to the untrained eye.  She’s of fairly average height, with dark, wrinkled skin and curly salt-and-pepper hair that holds just a tinge of otherworldly purple.  Her eyes are the color of evening sky, though a little clouded over.
“Serpent,” she says coldly, looking like she’s been expecting this visit for a while, now, “you don’t have my daughter with you.”
“Um, no?  I’ve been out of town for most of the past week, but last I saw her, Seona was home,” Melissa tentatively answers, obviously feeling a bit off-balance in this situation. “My circumstances are… *complicated*, these days, but… I haven’t dragged Seona into that.  Told her not to get involved, even!”
“Whatever you told her, she was certainly worried about you,” the old woman replies, taking half a step back to allow the pair entry into the small apartment. “I told her not to follow you, but she disobeyed.  That was two days ago, Serpent.  And now you say you haven’t seen her… and I see you’ve brought with you a Beacon of *distinction* to this world…”

<Reikim>	 "Well, to be fair, you're something else yourself." Hikari leans around Melissa and waves. "Hi. Don't worry, I'm just here to have a chat with a talking animal."
She's lying, but there's no malice in it.
"…Well, Izzy wanted me to check up on your daughter, too," she admits. "It's a shame she's not here…" Her lips tighten, and her brow furrows. She looks like she wants to say something…
…But opts not to. She sticks her hand in her coat pocket instead, and waits to see what happens.

<~Wander>	 A moment passes as the woman scrutinizes the pair of them, sighs to herself, and promptly seizes Melissa’s wrist.
The small girl gives a squawk of alarm, but she doesn’t manage to pull free until the sealing shackle has been revealed.
“…Ah, naturally, the only way the Beacon would tolerate something like you is in the context of Purification.”
Melissa clenches her hands a few times. “*…Don’t I know it,*” she mumbles out, staring at her feet.
Focusing solely on Hikari, now, the old woman offers a polite hand. “In another age, I went by Somni, but in this one, people just know me as old Mrs. Bradford.”
She smiles. “I don’t envy the Beacon their hopeless fights, but in the past, they were better to some of my girls than my superiors ever were.  For that, I don’t mind calling that foolish student of mine so you can get any information you need from him, but… he’s likely to take most of the day to show up.”

<Reikim>	 Hikari shakes her hand and gives a bright smile. "What, would you rather we just let her die? Not on my life."
She cocks her head, and re-inspects "Mrs. Bradford". "Your student? I see…" Something in her smile shifts; that information seems to interest her. "You should probably know one of the little golden guys is probably hanging around, but I didn't bring them on purpose, and they're not here to recruit."
She means, of course, the Beaconchuu, which have a…history of interference with other magical girls…
"I can wait, but I'd really like to see him as soon as possible. I've got some things to get back to."
She pauses, thinking…then adds: "…Though, if you can tell me what I need to know, that might work too."

<~Wander>	 “I confess, old loyalties die hard,” Mrs. Bradford says, her expression tightening as she regards Melissa. “…Still, if not for this girl, my Seona might well have come home in a much worse state than she did on multiple occasions… yet even so, surely you’ve seen that this half-feral serpent has a way of sowing chaos and discord in her wake, and by choice as often as not.”
“Don’t judge me like you know me, old lady,” Melissa mutters, stepping to the side as the old woman makes to place a hand on her head.
For a moment, a sharp stare passes between the pair, then Mrs. Bradford leads her guests into the living room.
The apartment is small and tidy, with a well-worn couch and armchairs laden with an assortment of blankets and pillows.  Between that, the boxy old television, and the assortment of warm-colored paintings on the walls, it comes across not unlike a perfectly typical grandmother’s residence.
At Hikari’s mention of Beaconchuu, Mrs. Bradford looks toward the windows, almost as if she’s expecting to spot one such voyeur peering in on the three of them.
“In this city, I suppose it makes little difference to have one more observer coming and going, regardless of who they represent,” the woman tells Hikari, before promptly drifting through a doorway into the adjoining kitchen and dining room.  She almost immediately returns with a tea tray, already prepared.
“By all means, ask your questions.  I will tell you what you wish to know to the best of my abilities,” Mrs. Bradford says, setting the tray down on a table.


<Reikim>	 Hikari wanders in, taking a good look about the place. Like earlier, in the city, she seems unusually interested in the various ordinary bits and pieces.
She pays close attention to the inevitable pictures, and the little souvenirs, and the various bits of bric-a-brac that seem to accumulate in the homes of the elderly.
"Your…student," she says. She's picking her words carefully. It seems this wasn't how she intended for things to go. She's not sure where to begin.
And she keeps glancing at Melissa, with an expression that suggests she's trying to decide something.
"He's the one who was responsible for Belinda. And Melissa. Right? Could you tell me about him?"