The Keep in the Park

First Hunt- http://pastebin.com/mEVp6rSA
Sleepover- http://pastebin.com/P2rHT0G8
Pep Talk- http://pastebin.com/tU1TBmDx
Early Bird- http://pastebin.com/2knsggFc
Walking Tour- http://pastebin.com/25S4Bm3g
The Keep in the Park- http://pastebin.com/MNTd8tNJ
Coin Toss- http://pastebin.com/KfzS02Fd


The day passes quickly as the two girls wander over the city, Alexa prattling at length about architecture and history and whatever minutia she finds even remotely interesting. As the sun begins to dip over the horizon, she insists on showing Amelia one of the things she actually promised: namely, a park. The vast array of greenery is visible from some distance away, and she excitedly leads the other girl into it. It has a certain beauty to it; there is a large, wide forest canopy, and rolling hills in the distance, and small streams running through it here and there. A long concrete path cuts through the forest and the grasslands, hugging one of the streams. Alexa picks her way down this cheerfully, headed for the forest. At this hour, with the sky a bright orange from the setting sun, there are few other people in the park. As they wind their way deeper in, the noise of the city fades away, leaving a peaceful silence.
“You’re going to love this,” Alexa promises. “W-well, at least, I hope you do. I… seem to recall coming here. Or was that one on the other side of town…? A-at any rate, I quite like the, ah… nature. Very pleasant.”

Today was a good day, Amelia decides as she nods encouragingly at her friend. Her legs ache from all the walking the two of them have done- it’s been fun seeing what feels like all of Belfast on foot, but she definitely misses being taller. (She’s pretty sure she was, at least. Almost positive.)

 When Alexa’d said a “park”, she’d been thinking...something like a pond, some ducks, and maybe some benches and statues, but she’s definitely not disappointed. That Alexa’s so upbeat about it doesn’t hurt either.

“Yeah...It’s not what I expected…” she says, taking in the sights. “In a good way! I mean, you don’t really expect to find something like this in a city, right?” She pauses. “Well, maybe the Overcity, but that doesn’t count…” she rambles, then looks around before smiling at Alexa. “It’s like someone took a piece of nature and just dropped it off in the middle of the city. It’s nice...I can see why you like it.”

Alexa nods with a fond smile as the two of them enter the treeline. The canopy is thick enough to partially block the sun, but there is still more than enough light to see by. She digs her hands into her pockets, admiring the lush fauna. She is silent for a moment, listening to the distant call of birds.

“Nature’s very important. Especially here,” she says wistfully. “I really must take you out into the country if we can. I remember… my parents took me out there – no, it was my sister and I. Yes, she was very young then, but…”

Alexa trails off, frowning, but she dispels her momentary perturbation with a quick shake of the head.
“It was beautiful. We loved it. I… should like to go back one day. But this will do for the moment. Everyone needs a bit of green in their life – nothing but concrete will drive someone mad.”

Twigs crunch underfoot as Amelia walks alongside Alexa. She glances to her every so often but mostly takes in the scenery as well. She looks briefly concerned by Alexa’s memory flash and her reaction, but says nothing and simply nods when she’s done. “Yeah. That makes sense...Not that cities aren’t beautiful too...but there’s nothing wrong with needing a break sometimes.” She echoes absently.

She’s still looking to Alexa, a slight unconscious frown of worry on her features as she remembers what’d happened at the pub yesterday. Is she really okay? And if not...can she really do anything to help? She shakes her head slightly, putting that thought aside with some effort.

Alexa nods again, her crooked smile pulling at one corner of her mouth. The path forks; one that still follows the stream, the other leading off in its own way. Alexa doesn’t hesitate, and follows the stream-bound one seemingly on auto-pilot. Either way clearly leads deeper into the forest. The trees loom over the path, growing increasingly dense. Shafts of light cut through smaller breaks in the canopy.

“Tell me about it… I love this city, but it’s, ah… Sometimes you do need a bit of time by yourself,” her shoulders shift as she exhales quickly in what might have been a small laugh. “The country’s great for that. Especially the coast. Belfast is on the shoreline, but it’s so… clustered. When you get up north, and it’s just you on a beach, the waves crashing against the rocks…”

Alexa trails off, lost in her own imaginings. She sighs, leaving them with some regret.

“It’s beautiful.”

Amelia listens, feeling like she should say something to distract her after her sigh. “Well...who knows...nothing’s stopping you from having a day at the beach some time, right? I mean, there won’t always be monsters...” She offers. “Just don’t forget the sunscreen…” She can’t help adding. Not her best line, but she’s distracted as well.

She walks alongside Alexa, hands clasped behind her back. Memories of specific things seem to be lot fuzzier for her than they are Alexa. She’s not sure if it’s better or worse that way, really.

...No regrets.

She sighs as well without meaning to.


“Well, actually, the beaches here are kind of rocky, and the stormy weather usually means that there isn’t much…” Alexa trails off, blinking in understanding. “Oh. That was a joke.”

She snickers under her breath, but the laughter dies in her throat when she turns to Amelia. She looks at her with a combination of curiosity and worry, and wrings her hands in front of her.

“... Is everything alright? You look a bit… distracted.”

Unnoticed by her, the canopy has grown denser still; one might think that the sun had almost set below the horizon, though that was impossible, as it was still merely late afternoon. Still, the darkness grows increasingly thick around them. But it’s merely a natural occurrence, of course.

Amelia looks around, her eyes widening a bit. Alexa noticed…and she’s worrying her. Nice work, Amelia.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Really.” She reassures. “It’s nothing. Um...Didn’t you say there were ruins here too? Earlier, I mean...” She scrambles to change the subject.

Alexa stares at her suspiciously for a moment, frowning. Sighing, she takes the hint and drops the subject, gesturing to the stream beside them.

“Yes. They’re at the end of this stream here. This leads to a pond, and in the middle of it is the remains of an old medieval keep -- I imagine that in those days it wasn’t in the middle of a pond, but you never know.”

Speaking of history seems to put the spring back into her step, even as they march further into the encroaching blackness.

“We’re unfortunately not allowed to go in the keep -- city rules and all that -- but it’s rather nice to…” She trails off, stopping in place. She looks around confusedly. “Do you hear that?”

The only sound is that of the running water from the stream.

“Huh? You mean the water?” Amelia’s come to a stop as well, whatever she might have said forgotten as she glances to her friend. She seems just as confused. “I don’t hear anything…” She glances into the darkness, her sword hand dropping to her waist. “What’s wrong?”

“Neither do I…” Alexa says slowly. She frowns, staring into the treeline. “That’s the problem. Weren’t there birds a moment ago?”

She continues walking forward, her eyes narrowed. Her lips move as if she is about to transform, but she refrains, shaking herself.

“I-it’s p-probably nothing. J-just fell silent, is all. They’re allowed to do that.” She snickers forcefully. “Just my nerves getting to me.”

Amelia’s arm is suddenly outstretched between Alexa and the gloom, and she’s taken a step forwards, almost brushing against her friend as she stands in front of her.

 “Hey, you’re probably right…” She says, swallowing down a flicker of nervousness as every shadow seems to be hiding a lurking creature.

She still remembers the last- and so far only- time she’d run into a shadow creature...and how much it’d hurt when it’d tried to chew her throat out. She won’t let anything like that happen to Alexa.

“But just to be safe...why not transform?” She tries to play it off as a hypothetical, a casual thing. “I mean...It’s good practice, right?” She adds, unconvincingly. “Um...you go first, okay?”

Alexa smiles -- a harried, nervous thing, and she hesitates. It doesn’t take long for her to nod agreeably, taking a step back from Amelia.

“Suppose you’re right. What’s the harm, after all? Ah…”

She takes a moment to marshall herself, and then launches into it.

“Spirits of the glen, guide me swift and sure; that evil might fail and good endure!” Her eyes glow, and she launches into her dance, the pieces of her outfit falling into place one after the other. She forgoes the flourish as her hat plops into her head, merely doffing it rakishly. Already, she looks more comfortable as the mantle settles around her shoulders -- though that may just be because of the added warmth.

“There we are... Feel better now?”

Amelia gives her a thumbs up, her basket-hilted sword already in her other hand.

“Yeah...Give me a second…” She clears her throat. “Justice is a fire that can never be put out…” Her own voice sounds far too loud to her, but she clears her throat and keeps going. It takes a moment for her to bring herself to turn her back on that dark forest as her magic flickers to life around her. “...burn away all evil in this world!” She finishes, her faint blue aura flickering to life like a torch in the darkness, casting a harsh light over the forest.

“Ah, that’s better.” She smiles at Alexa. She makes no effort to dismiss her sword. “Still want to go check out the keep?”

Alexa hooks an arm around her staff, leaning against it as she applauds her friend. Nodding resolutely, she seems much more at ease now, taking a confident step forward.

“Of course! Come along, right this--”

The silence of the forest is shattered by a scream. It sounds like a young girl -- even younger than the two of them appear to be now. That alone is frightening, but even more so is what she’s screaming.

“Alexa! H-help!”

The girl herself halts mid-step, staring straight ahead of her. She turns white as a sheet, her hands gripping her staff in a white-knuckled grip. She trembles in place, mouth working like a fish.

“... I-I know that voice…”

“Alexa!” The scream comes again, exactly as before.

“Mary!” She calls back, and takes off running down the path, into the ever-deepening darkness.

Amelia’s raised her sword in alarm and...freezes. Someone needs help, but...this situation’s all but screaming at her that it’s all wrong, and not just because of that.

And then Alexa takes off. No no no. It takes only a second for Amelia to react and throw herself after her, her nightmare from last night suddenly brought back to the front of her thoughts.

“Alexa! No, wait!” Amelia yells, panic in her voice and sword blazing in her grip as she sprints after the other magical girl. Alexa’s got a several second head start, for all Amelia’s urgency.

Alexa is completely heedless, seemingly thrown into a complete panic by the screaming. It sounds again, clearly in front of them, and the red mage picks up the pace, tearing down the path like a madwoman. At the rate she’s going, it doesn’t take long for her to burst out of the treeline.

As she promised, the stream terminates in a large pond. It should be green, some part of her notes, but in the strange darkness it’s black. In the centre is an island, and on it stands the remains of a once great structure. The keep is made of old, lichen-covered grey stone, stretching upwards to the sky. It terminates far earlier than it was originally meant to, the cobblestones breaking off into jagged knives of rock, the interior kept dry by a dark green tarp that stands in contrast to the rest of it. The only path to it is a few large stones that jut out of the pond, and here Alexa hesitates -- but at the sound of screaming again, she flicks her staff, and a bright red barrier of light solidifies over the pond, stretching from the shore to the island. She tears across it, gunning for the ancient wooden-and-wrought-iron door of the keep.

Amelia’s just steps behind her- for all her haste, it turns out Alexa’s lighter on her feet than she is- especially when she’s in a panic. She sprints out after her- and through a bush that happened to be in the way- without slowing down, just in time to see the flash of red light. She doesn’t stop to call, instead barrelling across the clearing after Alexa. Whatever’s going on here, she HAS to catch up to her. Has to keep Alexa safe.

Alexa works furiously at the door, delayed for a few crucial seconds by centuries of rust and wear. After a moment -- and another cry, this time undeniably from one of the windows -- she resolves to just break it down. Backing up a step, she throws her whole body weight at the door, shoulder first.

Amelia rushes up to her, and forcibly yanks her back. “Ale-” She starts to bark, then thinks better of it, lets go, and rushes forwards instead...blade first. “Hyyaah!” Her sword’s ablaze, intense blue flames lapping at the air, her hands, her arms...but not burning her or her uniform.

The door on the other hand….

Alexa stumbles backwards, landing awkwardly on her light-bridge. For a moment, she seems ready to snap at Amelia, before she sees what she’s doing. The door, partially sealed by industrial-strength adhesive to keep out hooligans like them, is still made of wood, and gives way under the flames. The interior of the keep is revealed -- poorly maintained, crumbling furniture crouches in a small, circular room, with a winding stone staircase at the back leading upward. Before the embers have even stopped smouldering, Alexa tears through the door and begins marching up the stairs. Once again, the cry sounds.

“Alexa! Please! I-I’m scared!”

“I’m coming, Mary! I’m here! I’m--” She ascends the stairs, slipping out of sight as she enters onto the next level -- and then she’s the one screaming.

Amelia’d always thought that blood turning to ice was an expression. It doesn’t feel like one to her as she frantically races after Alexa- too slow, your fault, useless you let her do that, why couldn’t you do something, still a failure- and blindly charges up the stairs. She has to stop her, it’s a trick or a monster or something and it could be killing her-

Alexa’s blundering backwards even as Amelia surmounts the stairs, and half-slams into her. Were it not for her, she might have tumbled down them as quickly as she came up. As it stands, she crashes in a tangle of limbs against a thin banister of blackened wood -- bleeding from a wound to the side of the head, red rivulets bursting through her fingers as she clutches it, staring ahead in pain and betrayal.

Needless to say, her sister is not in the room -- which appears to have once been some kind of armoury, judging by the weapon-racks and tables scattered throughout. In the centre crouches a horrid creature. Short and squat, it has a leering grin, baring long yellow fangs that contrast sharply against its dark, wrinkled skin with coarse black hair all over it. Its snout stretches almost to the length of a ruler, and a similarly long tail swishes behind it. Along its torso, there are the remains of a threadbare coat -- once red, now a dirty maroon. On its head, however, is a peaked hat of an unmistakeable blood red. It clutches a long, thick, black club in one prehensile claw, and advances.

“Alexa! Help! Please!” It cries, the little girl’s voice tearing out of it like some cruel mockery.

Amelia’s gaze drops to Alexa, her expression twisted into a mask of horror as she sees her friend collapse...then she sees the creature. She doesn’t even need to think as she hears it- right now the world for her’s a churning mix of fear, shock, and rage. In an unthinking rage- how dare this thing hurt Alexa, how dare it use her feelings against her, how dare it even exist, it needs to burn-she throws herself shoulder-first right at it. Her heavy sword swings around in a wild chop like that of a butcher carving a roast. There’s no thought or technique behind her blind swipe- she’s barely even watching where her fiery blade’s going as she lunges.

For such a short creature, it’s surprisingly agile; and as stupid-looking as it is, it’s clever enough to know when shillelagh doesn’t beat sword. It dodges out of the way with a sound much like a giggle, springing over to a table and scattering broken pottery and rusted candle-holders. It grins at Amelia, swiping the long club threateningly, egging her on. Behind it, the stairs continue to wind upward, to the final floor of the keep. It appears to be working its way towards that -- or perhaps the window behind it, or perhaps to the sword rack, though only a single rusted short-sword sits there.

All of this would be very interesting from a tactical point of view. Amelia isn’t thinking from a tactical point of view- right now, anything more than “kill it with fire” seems to be beyond her. She barely even seems to notice its taunts, let alone its movements. She lets out a shrill, wordless scream and rushes at it again, hacking wildly at where she thinks it is. Her blade leaves great swathes of flame in its wake, only for them to vanish moments later. She feels something rise inside her, an almost painful heat that flares down every nerve in her body, but she doesn’t care. She just wants to kill this thing for what it did and what it is. She’s not even doing something as simple as watching for the club’s movements as she tries to carve it’s owner to pieces...or incinerate it.

The creature laughs again, dodging deftly out of the way of her blows even as she hacks the table to so many charred splinters. As it caves inward, it bounces away, rebounding with the staircase, and leaps along the walls. Like a spider, it skitters up there, its head swivelling to stare down Amelia -- and then, without warning, it pushes off and goes on the offensive, its club swatting down to smash through whatever guard her rage-filled state has afforded her.

Guard? She’s barely watching where her own sword is going. It’s sheer dumb luck that her blade was high enough to stop the club from simply crushing her skull. As it is, the club’s momentum pushes her blade into her own face. Amelia drops- her magic doesn’t burn her, but her sword’s just hit her in the face...and the club’s torn a good part of it right off right afterwards. She screams again- this time in pain- but the blood pouring down her face turns the noise into a gurgle as she collapses. Her sword falls from nerveless fingers and clatters to the stone floor along with its owner.

The hairy thing lands deftly with another harsh, grating snicker, leering over its prey with a foul fanged grin. It pads along the floor, dragging its club behind it -- but before it can raise it, a shimmering red barrier springs up between it and Amelia. Behind her, staggering to her feet and clutching the banister for dear life, Alexa raises her staff, the crystal ball glowing; with an audible grunt of exertion, a red shimmer spreads around Amelia, and her wound begins to knit itself back together.

“Don’t gloat yet, far darrig!” Alexa hisses, the healing glow suffusing around Amelia even as her own head bleeds. “Come on, get up…!”

Amelia’s on her hands and knees, shaking uncontrollably. She can’t see with blood in her eyes. It’s in her mouth. Blood’s soaking her costume and hair, and dripping onto the floor- where stray droplets fall on the floor, they vanish in bright puffs of blue fire. The pain fades as her wounds are closed by Alexa’s magic...but it takes longer for her to recover from the shock.

Still trembling, she wipes her eyes clean with shaking fingers then scrambles for her sword, still half-blinded by her own blood. The hit’s shaken her, badly...but Alexa’s there. She needs to help her. She needs to kill the monster. She staggers back to her feet, sword in hand.

The monster – far darrig, apparently – growls behind the shimmering barrier separating it from Amelia. However, it seems quite unconcerned; its jaw splits open in another ghastly grin, and it raises its shillelagh like a mallet, bringing it down against the barrier with enough force to shatter it. Behind Amelia, Alexa gasps, but the crimson glow around the other girl doesn’t dissipate. Suddenly it brightens, and as the last of her injuries bind themselves back up, there is an additional feeling of strength, like she’s a bit sturdier than she was before.

The far darrig doesn’t afford much time to contemplate this phenomenon, leaping up and balancing deftly on its tail as it lashes out with its club, swiping at Amelia with enough swiftness and power to make up for its lost progress.

This time, Amelia’s ready for it. She brings her blade around and braces. The club meets silvery metal with a shrill note like a wind chime shattering...and comes to a sudden halt. Amelia grits her teeth as she shoves the club aside with an effort...and turns the movement into a slash of her own at the little creature’s face.

The blow immediately knocks it off balance. An ear-piercing shriek bursts forth from it in the same instant as a spurt of blood from its face. It tumbles backwards, head over heels, crashing into the remains of the table in an ungainly heap. It’s down for only a second before it rises, its repulsive face made worse by the deep wound now scarring it and the loathsome grimace. Gritting its fangs, it leaps again, to run along the walls -- or at least tries to, before a red shackle forms around its ankles, stopping its jump before it can complete. With a noise like a panicked scream, it stumbles backwards deeper into the table, raising its shillelagh, now clearly put on the defensive.

“Laugh at this!” Amelia snarls, her blood up as she advances on the darrig with murder in her eyes. Blue flames flare up around her sword as she swings again, angling her blow to try and batter its club away. Fire licks away at whatever the blade touches.

Though it might be a magical creature, it is still small, and its club lacks the weight and force to properly block the larger, heavier sword. Robbed of its mobility, it does all it can to parry, but it doesn’t take long for the club to be knocked too far away for it to possibly block, and the next slash catches it along the chest. This would be bad enough, but as the blade leaves it the flames catch on its coarse hair -- and it goes up like a firework, screaming loud enough to wake the dead. It is a horrid, high-pitched screeching that rakes at the ears, and it shows no signs of stopping as it tries desperately to stagger away for the window, abandoning its club and crawling on claws and knobbly knees.

It moves surprisingly fast, propelled by its burning flesh, but before it can slither out of the window a bright red barrier forms in the gap, and its claws pound uselessly against the hard light, its screams rising to a fever pitch. The sound only intensifies, and then peaks -- through it, it’s only barely possible to hear Alexa call out from the other end of the room.

“Diúracán draíochta!” The phrase calls forth a brief flash of red light from her staff, which solidifies into a small, bullet-shaped contrail of light that hurtles towards the darrig and slams into its head. With a gross squelching noise, it collapses, finally falling silent.

Still breathing fast, Amelia strides over, sword still raised as she looks down at the small body with an angry scowl. She kicks it once with her boot, hard enough to move what’s left of it.

The corpse jerks and slides across the floor from the impact. As it skids, its flesh begins to slough off, dissolving into little more than fine ash. Its mouth, locked in a perpetual scowl of fear, stares up at the sky and is the last to go, save the hat. The bright red hat atop its head fades quite suddenly -- first to a muddy maroon, then to a dark brown, like dried blood. Once it sits atop little more than a pile of ashes, it suddenly breaks apart, scattering into a thousand pieces -- and where it once was is a single bronze coin, shimmering in the dim light of the sunset piercing through the windows.

Alexa sighs, leaning against her staff as she begins to magically stitch her head back together.

“I believe that’s yours,” she says wearily. “You… earned it.”

She hesitates, staring at the remains of the creature for a moment, and then up at Amelia with a strange, sad smile.
“... Thank you. F-for, um… coming after me. I-I don’t know what c-came over me…”

Amelia’s already looked away from the body before it’s finished crumbling. She blinks at Alexa, sneer fading and replaced by a look of concern. She shakes her head, blood-matted black hair flying with the movement. “D-don’t worry about it. I...I’m sorry I was so slow…”

You couldn’t help her.

You needed her to save you again.

“You’re hurt.” Amelia says out loud, sounding worried as she steps closer. The monster and the coin are forgotten behind her. “Sorry I didn’t...the monster...Are you okay?” She blurts.

Alexa winces as her staff continues slowly doing its work, but she nods all the same. There is more dried blood on her face than fresh; the wound to her temple looks much worse at first glance than it really is. Although it probably was much worse just a moment ago, to have brought forth the deluge that now coats one side of her face. Nonetheless, she tries to smile.

“Not to worry, soon be well,” she says absently, looking Amelia up and down. “Are, um… are you alright? I mean, ah-- you can, um, regenerate, but still. Looked… pretty bad for a moment there.”

Amelia smiles weakly. Drying blood’s caked on her face and formed streaks around her eyes. Her uniform’s stained where she’s bled on herself, and smeared blood is stark against her pale skin. With her smile, it gives her a somewhat deranged appearance.

“Don’t worry about me…like you said, I can...regenerate, yeah? Besides, you were there to heal me...again.” She shrugs in self-deprecation. “Sorry for getting banged up again...I shouldn’t make you worry like that.” Her black hair’s sticky as she pushes it out of her eyes and studies Alexa again to confirm that, yes, she’s okay.

She inhales sharply at the cut, starting to raise her hand automatically before letting it drop again. Not like she could do anything…it’s too late to stop her from getting hurt in the first place, after all.

“Um…are you sure you’re okay though? That thing...It tricked you with...” She asks carefully, trailing off. She clearly doesn’t just mean her head wound.

Alexa shudders, leaning even more heavily onto her staff. While she still looks somewhat worried by Amelia’s state, she tears her gaze away to stare at the pile of ashes. She bunches up her shoulders.
“... I’m fine. It wasn’t…” She sighs, shaking her head. “I… I don’t know what I was thinking. Mary… She m-must think me dead. Like everyone else. How… how would she… And why would she even be here? I don’t… Perhaps I was just…”

She trails off, staring absently ahead. Her brow furrows in thought.

“The far darrig lures travellers into its lair -- but it’s not… psychic. It… how did it know her voice? And my name?” She shakes her head with an air of finality. “No matter. It-it’s dead now. N-nice work.”

Amelia bites her lip at Alexa’s deductions, but says nothing until she’s done. It’d known Alexa’s name and what to say... She leans over, giving Alexa a slightly awkward pat on the shoulder with the hand not carrying a sword.

“Yeah. You too. It was a monster, it tried to trick you somehow...it’s dead. That’s...all that matters, right? And you stopped it. Again.”

“Not without your help,” Alexa says with a thin, crooked smile. Her head has finished healing, leaving only a splatter of dried blood on her face. As her smile pushes up her cheek, she becomes conscious of this. Raising a hand to her face, she frowns, and flicks her head towards the stairs.

“Come on. Let’s--” She stops short of leaving, glancing back down at the bronze coin. She gestures to it again. “Y-you take that. Then let’s, ah, get out of here. It’s city property, after all.”

Amelia blinks, glancing around the room as though taking in the damage she’s done for the first time. A slightly regretful sigh as she scoops up the coin. “Pity we had to fight here…it might have been nice to look around without...you know…Yeah.” She straightens. “Let’s go.” She nods.

With a grunt of exertion, Alexa pushes herself off of her staff and picks her way down the stairs. The miasma that came over the forest has disappeared; the setting sun beams through the windows of the keep, and as the two girls leave the pond is the clear, reflective blue-green, mirroring the dense tree canopy above them. Alexa stops short before remaking her barrier. Setting her staff down on the bank, she kneels over the pond and takes off her glasses. Reaching into the pond, she cups some water into her hands and begins scrubbing away the bloodstains. She mumbles under her breath as she works.

“S-sorry,” she says, louder. “Just want to get… you know. All th-this off.”

“No worries.” Amelia smiles at her reassuringly, then glances at the water. Her reflection in the moonlight looks back at her, frowning in thought. Maybe if...  “Hey, do you know how deep this is?” She asks.

“Huh?” Alexa perks up, looking at Amelia in some confusion. She turns back to the pond, frowning. “Not… very deep. I, um… I think you’d reach the bottom if you stood on your toes. Why?”

Amelia offers her a cheeky grin, then hops off the bank and into the water. There’s a splash as she lands, bobbing up and down in the shallow water. The blood washes away.

“Oh, no reason.” She calls up to Alexa, then dives, shaking her head underwater and running her hands through her hair, trying to get the blood out. She pops back up, and takes a breath. “Just felt like a swim!” She laughs, wet hair falling over her face. She’s soaked...but clean.

Alexa stares at her, eyes looking even wider than usual without her glasses covering them. Then she bursts out laughing, falling back and propping herself up with her hands. She contemplates the other girl for a moment, and then her hand leaps to the brooch securing her mantle. The heavy cloth falls to the ground, and then her wide-brimmed hat follows it, and then her glasses.

Then she jumps in after her.

“Oh, what’s the harm?” She asks as she surfaces, laughing again. “It’s certainly the fastest way to get clean!”

Amelia coughs, almost swallowing a mouthful of water from laughing. She’s floating with her feet just barely above the bottom of the pond- after the stress of the fight, something silly like this seems all the better. As long as a kappa doesn’t show up or something. “Yeah...I...I think I can dry us off afterwards. I...ah, didn’t really plan it out that far.” She admits.

 She can’t resist splashing Alexa, sending a small wave her way with her hand.

“Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we--” Alexa is cut off by the splash of water in her face. Although she’s already drenched, this in particular sticks out. She stares at the other girl blankly before a devious smile creases her face. “Oh, is that the way of it?”

She works her shoulders in preparation, and then sends another, bigger wave back at Amelia!

“I regret no-” Amelia’s cut off by the wave. “Hey!” she mock-protests. “I didn’t splash you that hard!” Her retaliation is swift and pitiless as she sends an armful of water her friend’s way. “There. Justice.” She grumbles. The effect’s somewhat ruined by her silly grin.

Alexa huffs, though her own grin is electric enough to risk killing the both of them. She splashes another wave over at her.

“‘An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,’” she recites with mock-seriousness. “But I’ve always wanted a seeing eye dog!”

And then she splashes her yet another time.

The duo would probably make for a strange sight if anyone was around- a pair of teenage girls in strange outfits laughing and playing in a pond. Luckily, no one’s shown up yet to investigate.

Much splashing later, Amelia looks to Alexa, ribs aching from laughter. That’d...felt good, especially after the fight. Her hair drips as she pushes it back. “Ahaha...We...we should probably get out. Dry off...Get going...Your...um...Kreimhild might be wondering if you’re okay, right?”

Kreimhild. Amelia sighs at the thought of her. On the one hand, there’s something about the German girl that just puts her on edge and not just because her idea of training Alexa’s more like target practice. That, and she is a monstergirl...but at the same time, she does seem to care about Alexa. And she’s giving her a place to stay…

She shakes her head again, looking to her friend.

Alexa sighs, treading water and dipping backwards, staring up into the darkening sky. She nods shortly, slowly working her way back to shore.

“Almost certainly,” she agrees with an embarrassed duck of the head. “She, ah, does worry about me -- understandably. We kind of, ah... met while I was running for my, uh, life. First impressions, and all that.”

“... And it’s getting late. Don’t, ah, want to be wandering around the park in the middle of the night.”

“Well, it should be safe now, right?” Amelia calls over to her as she wades up to the bank and clambers out onto solid ground. “And you’re a great magical girl. Really.” Her already-dark uniform almost looks black between the twilight and her being soaked, and her boots squelch with each step she takes. She summons her sword again, frowning in thought. “Here goes...Hope this works…”

“Ah… Well, if you say so,” her cheeks turn a faint pinkish shade, barely visible in the gathering dimness. Working out a kink in her back, she flicks her sleeves; drenched as they are, the normally poofy blouse clings to her like a cat’s fur. “You and me both. I, ah-- I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

Amelia thinks for a moment, then takes a step away from Alexa. Her sword flares to muted life as she holds it out in front of her, its blue glow somehow subdued. A wave of warmth washes over them both from the blade, heating the air around them without being scorching. “Ha! Got it!” She crows. “Um...not sure how long this’ll take to work...But instant drier!” She grins, moving back towards her friend.

“... If you don’t know how long it’ll take, how is it instant?” Alexa asks, but it’s clearly more of a joke than a genuine question. She steps forward, even as she partially cringes away from the fire. “Ah… Still. Very convenient!”

Amelia doesn’t seem to have noticed her discomfort, still smug from her successful magic trick. “Ah...Well, maybe not instant…but close enough. I think.” Water’s dripping from her rapidly drying clothes, and her normally straight hair’s a frizzled halo around her head.

“Huh.” As much as it might mangle her hair, it was very effective. Alexa applauds politely, trying and failing to hide her smirk. “You look… ridiculous.”

“Huh?” Amelia blinks.

“Y-your hair,” Alexa points upward, snickering. “It’s a bit, ah… nevermind. I-it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. D-do me next.”

Amelia reaches for her hair with her free hand, tugging a strand in front of her eyes. She blinks at the sight, then groans, frantically trying to pat it down with her free hand. She doesn’t have much success- it seems to bounce more than fall flat. “Oh no...Knew it was too good to be true.” She gives up and looks to Alexa. She nods. “Sure.” She holds the sword out, careful to keep it a bit further from Alexa as she waves it around.

Alexa stands stock still, waiting patiently for the magical heat to evaporate the water. Regretfully, much like with Amelia, her hair does not survive the effort unscathed. When the process is done, she pats herself down relievedly -- only for her relief to disappear as soon as she peers into the reflective pond.

“... Oh my,” she says, stunned. Then she giggles. “I look like a clown! Oh well. At least I’ve got a hat.”

She plops the wide-brimmed red hat onto her head first, before gathering the rest of her discarded effects.

“Ah...sorry about that.” Amelia says sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess I still have some bugs to work out with that trick..” She lets the blue light fade from her sword, and sheathes it in thin air a moment later, lowering her now-empty hand to her side as she waits for her friend. “I guess it’s time to go face the music…” She sighs. “Want me to go in first? I don’t mind taking the blame for this one, since it was kind of my fault we were here…” And that you got hurt in the first place.

“I don’t think you can work the bugs out of physics,” Alexa comments blithely, wrapping her mantle around herself. She stops short as she works her boots on, staring up at Amelia with a frown. She shakes her head with little hesitation.

“What are you talking about? This was my idea. Charging in was my idea, too,” she shakes her head again. “Nonono. I’ll explain everything.”

“I should have tried harder. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t...didn’t stop you...” Amelia blurts guiltily. “I-I let you run in and...” She shakes her head, looking away. “Never mind. Sorry.” She mumbles.

“I don’t think you could have stopped me,” Alexa says, with a strange note in her voice. She rises abruptly, staring into the pond as she grabs hold of her staff. “That… I was so… so sure that it was m-my sister, and… and if she were in trouble, nothing could get between us.”

Sighing, she flicks her staff, and the light bridge materializes over the water again. She plods across it.

“Stupid. I don’t know why, I just… lost control. B-but no matter… What’s done is done.”

Amelia reaches out as they cross to the other side, gently resting her hand on top of Alexa’s. “I-I’m sure you’ll see her again.” she tries. “I mean...you...you know her voice, and...if you…” She shakes her head furiously. Stupid stupid stupid. Just because you don’t remember anything... “S-sorry...But...y-you did the right thing. You thought someone you cared about was in trouble, and wanted to save her. There’s...nothing stupid about that.”

Alexa stares at her hand in dull shock, but doesn’t withdraw it. She slows her pace, biting her lip sharply.

“... I know, but… I should have known,” she protests, her voice cracking. “She wouldn’t… she can’t… she thinks I’m dead. But I didn’t stop, didn’t think, didn’t… I just acted on- on nothing but emotion, and- and when I do that…”

She trails off, cutting herself off with a sharp gasp. She shakes her head dismissively, bunching up her shoulders.

“N-nevermind. Th-thank you.”

Amelia doesn’t look convinced, but lets her hand drop. “Are...are you sure?” She asks weakly. She’s made things worse again. She keeps doing that. “Y-you...didn’t do anything wrong.” She insists.

“... If you say so,” she shakes her head again, planting her free hand firmly against her temple, where the wound was. “S-sorry. I just… It’s nothing. Nevermind. It- it doesn’t matter. I’m just… scared, is all.”

“L-let’s get home. I, ah… apologize for how this, um, went. I-I swear this park is normally so peaceful…”

Amelia feels a sinking feeling as she hears her friend hide her feelings behind verbal walls...but nods. “Nothing to be sorry for...we got to stop a monster from hurting anyone, and the park was nice too, before...So in a way...we kept it peaceful, right?”

Do you really think she wants to hear you babble right now?

“... I suppose so,” Alexa jams her free hand into a pocket, a thin, threadbare smile tugging at one corner of her mouth. Amelia’s trying to be positive for her -- the least she can do is make an effort in kind. “Y-yes. We’re both f-fine, and it’s gone… Only minor damage to city property, nothing vandals w-wouldn’t have done… Yes. Sorry. I’m being a little… a bit mopey, is all.”

“It’s okay…” Amelia says, worry clear on her face as she trails a step behind the shorter girl. “I just...I’m sorry for being useless…” The words slip from her mouth. For a moment, she doesn’t like herself very much at all- Alexa’s upset like this and that’s what worries her?

Alexa stops short, looking back at her like she’d just been struck. She shakes her head forcefully.

“N-no, don’t say that,” she turns in full, hooking her staff into the crook of her arm and taking her other hand. “A-Amelia, you’re not useless. You’re… you’re my best friend.”

Amelia sniffs, holding her friend’s hands tightly. She’s dismayed to find her eyes watering. “T-thanks...I shouldn’t have said anything...y-you’re upset and I…” She can’t meet Alexa’s eyes. “m-made it about me…” She shakes her head furiously. “Sorry.”

“No, nonono,” Alexa shakes her head imploringly. She grips Amelia’s hands tighter. “N-no, it’s f-fine. D-don’t… It’s okay. It’s fine. Y-you’re… You’ve a right to be… you know. Sad, too. I-it’s fine. C-come on. D-don’t worry.”

Try as she might, she can’t seem to find the right words this time, and descends into sweet nothings.

Amelia finally notices, and her head snaps up with an almost panicked look.

You’re still doing it. Still hurting her.

“Y-yeah. Y-you’re right. Sorry…” She manages. “I...Yeah…I’m okay...Let’s go...” She tries to smile reassuringly, but her expression doesn’t quite make it there.

Alexa tries to smile back at her. She’s not quite managing it either, but she nods resolutely enough, her round glasses almost sliding down her nose.

“Alright. I-if you’re sure,” she slowly turns away, letting go of one hand, but the other continues holding on to Amelia. She pulls her back along the path, out of the park, and to home.

======

When they return to the apartment, Kreimhild is there. Whatever business took her away has clearly long since been concluded; the locks to the apartment are all done up, and there is the usual long waiting period as the monstergirl unlatches all of them. At last, she allows them in, though she peers curiously down at the two of them with a harsh, suspicious gaze. Her beady eyes, tonight bearing an odd yellow sclera, bore down at the two of them. From the dining room, the smell of Chinese food wafts over.

“I ordered in,” she said, by way of explanation. Busying herself relocking the door, she interrogates over her shoulder. “But where did my little birds go out, hmm?”

Alexa swallows nervously. Amelia’s uncharacteristically quiet.

“... We went to the park.”

“Aaaand?” Kreimhild turns back, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“W-well, I mean, there was a bit before that, actually, we went all over--”

“AND?” Kreimhild presses again. Alexa bunches up her shoulders. Amelia looks up. She opens and closes her mouth...but is silent.

“We… uh… we found a monster in the park.”

“And it is dead, and you are alive?”

Alexa nods. Kreimhild nods in response, before clapping her hands and nodding eagerly.

“Wonderful, wonderful! Good. This is true, yes?” Kreimhild fixes her eyes on Amelia. “Bluebird, you will not lie to me, unlike perfidious redcount.”

Amelia looks up, frowning. She’s no longer distracted- she’s too busy trying to ignore her magic’s pull towards Kreimhild. It’s weaker than usual tonight- much weaker than last night- but it still means she has to focus on it. She tilts her head back, looking the taller girl in the eyes and folding her arms.

“Alexa wouldn’t lie to you.” She says, a bit more flatly than she intended. “It’s true. She...We walked around Belfast. There was a monster...” Her eyes start to dart to Alexa before she stops herself. “We killed it.”

“Hmm…” Kreimhild cocks her head, looking at Amelia like the German is a bird of prey and the smaller girl is the prey in question. Amelia returns the look, unblinkingly. Those yellow eyes... At last, Kreimhild rises back up, nodding proudly. “Excellent! Good. You are just in time. Dinner is over there”

She gestures in the direction of the dining room. However, as Alexa turns to scurry over there, Kreimhild goes on.

“But I would like to speak to you very quickly, Alexa. Bluebird, go on. We shall join you quickly.”

Amelia hesitates. A wordless glance to Alexa.

Alexa looks back at her. After a second’s hesitation, she nods, and flicks her head towards the kitchen.

“I-I’ll be r-right with you. I-I’m sure she just wants to critique my form,” she jokes, her shoulders shaking with a silent laugh.

Amelia bobs her head, some of the tension leaving her frame. “You did good, okay?” She blurts, then vanishes through the doorway.

Alexa blushes a faint shade of pink as Amelia leaves her. True to Kreimhild’s word, on the table sits several boxes of takeaway, still warm, along with cutlery, which is cold, as cutlery should be. Through the doorways -- which are actually thresholds, because there are no doors -- Kreimhild and Alexa speak in hushed voices.

“Well? … feel it, this time?” Kreimhild murmurs.

“Yes, yes -- Nothing came of it,” Alexa speaks quite a bit louder, clearly somewhat frustrated.

“Nothing?” … waste… just need less... “ Kreimhild coos. There is the sound of footsteps as one of them starts moving away and the other follows.

“Don’t see… fine the way I am.”

“Fine, yes, but could… It’s going to… eventually. I can see it… special eyes.” It’s possible to hear the wink in Kreimhild’s voice.

“Not yet.”

“Soon… once… first time, then you’ll understand…”

“That’s enough of… just eat now, please?” Alexa sounds pleading.

Amelia’s heard enough- she doesn’t quite understand what the conversation’s about, but she really doesn’t like how it sounds. She’d already been standing- she just marches back into the other room. “Hey, guys!” She says with extremely forced cheer. “Um, the food’s getting cold!” She looks between the two, but mostly to Alexa.

The two of them stare at her with wildly varying expressions -- Alexa looks greatly relieved, whereas Kreimhild looks suspicious and frustrated. The two of them are extremely close together, Alexa with her back almost to the wall. Kreimhild breaks out into a long, thin smile and withdraws, nodding shortly.

“Yes. Yes, you are very right. Forgive me, I do so like to counsel my pupil,” she says, gesturing to Alexa as if there were even the slightest bit of doubt. “She has much to learn of her powers.”

For some reason, this comment perturbs Alexa; she gulps nervously, even as Kreimhild smiles kindly at her and drifts past the two of them for the dining room.

“Come along now!” She calls back. Amelia watches her go, frown on her face. Her initial doubts are back in force, and...she shakes her head. Not right now. She looks to Alexa, moving a bit closer.

“You okay?” She asks quietly, keeping her voice low. “She...didn’t say anything, did she?” Amelia feels her stomach’s twisting itself into knots, and not because she’s hungry. She has no idea what’s going on here- other than stray, wild thoughts- but she doesn’t like it. Her magic flares up faintly, like a flame hit by a puff of wind.

“... Nothing she doesn’t always say,” Alexa says with a sigh. She pushes up her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “It- it’s a… a long story. It doesn’t matter. Perhaps I should…”

Trailing off, she looks up at Amelia, letting the glasses fall back into place, and shakes her head.

“N-nevermind. L-let’s just eat. We can, uh… We’ll talk later.” Without further ado, she turns on her heel and marches for the table, casting only a thin, tentative smile back at Amelia.

Amelia’s smile back is a bit too slow and forced, and she trails after Alexa. She’s suddenly lost most of her appetite…

This is going to be an awkward dinner.