Seona and Xiao Introduction Sessions

Session Start: 30 April 2016; MGChronicle
[04:30:21:53] <Jar_Mimic> There is a certain Puchuu whose Magical Girls have consistently been failures.  One a monster sympathizer.  One allowed a portal to be destroyed.  The list goes on.  But there was one Magical Girl that disappointed it more than all others.  "Magical Girl," this puchuu says, appearing before this Seona, "You will hear my words, puchuu~"
[04:30:22:04] * Seona is a pale, sickly girl of about sixteen. The platinum blonde brushes aside her long hair as she looks up at the floating puchuu, fixing it with an attentive stare. She gives it all of her focus, though it may have interrupted her while she was in the middle of... not homework, exactly, but some sort of school application form?
[04:30:22:08] <Seona> "I... I hear you." Her soft spoken voice carried a bit of sleepiness in it. "You need me to do something."
[04:30:22:08] <Jar_Mimic> This creature that looks to be a combination of a fox, a cat, and an ice cream sundae stares down at her.  "Humanity requires your aid, chuu.  For the good of the human race and all living things, puchuu~  Please, transform into a Magical Girl and follow me."
[04:30:22:18] <Seona> "Ah... very well." The girl stands up from her desk.  Clearing her throat for a moment, she calls out, "Dream of starlight, Astral Maiden!"  The lights of the room seem to fade out for a moment as the formerly pajama-clad girl is cloaked in purple smoke.  This smoke coalesces into an outfit rather similar in appearance to a school uniform, albeit with the strange addition of a many-pocketed coat over top it.
[04:30:22:22] <Jar_Mimic> "A promising sight, chuu.  Now come.  It may already be too late.  Follow, and I will lead you, puchuu~"  The puchuu fades from sight.  And reappears outside of her window, the white parts of its body sticking out against everything else.
[04:30:22:28] <Seona> The girl takes a second to scrawl a quick note on the pad that's set on her desk. 'Feeling better today, went to the store to buy ice cream.'  Smiling to herself, she opens her window and climbs out, her feet touching down quietly on the fire escape, then closing it once more. "Lead on, stranger puchuu."
[04:30:22:33] <Jar_Mimic> Just as this girl suggested, the puchuu would lead her on.  "This is the first day of the Walpurgisnacht," it explains on the way, "On this day, many seals are broken, chuu, and old evil will walk the Earth once more."  They would soon come upon a portal.  "How much experience do you have in the Overcity, puchuu~?"
[04:30:22:42] <Seona> "Somni... my puchuu, that is... she said I should have plenty." Seona puts a hand in one of her inner coat pockets, drawing out a small glowing cube. "...But all I know is that it makes my map look rather... strange?"
[04:30:22:49] <Jar_Mimic> "Don't worry this will be brief, puchuu~"  Naturally, it leads her through the usual inanities of passing into an Overcity portal, and the two enter into it.  On the other side, it continues as they make their way.  "I have been keeping one such monster sealed away, chuu, and every Walpurgisnacht has allowed it to escape.  I am strongly inclined to believe it will break free again, puchuu~"
[04:30:22:56] <Seona> "So I have to seal it back when it does?" Seona nods along like she understands, but she clearly has no idea what that will entail.
[04:30:23:02] <Jar_Mimic> "If you can seal it yourself, that is all the better.  But you need only weaken it, chuu.  Then I can seal it myself."  After a long, mostly straight jog through the Overcity, they once again come to a portal.  And, of course, go through it  Where they come out is in a small country town next to a river.  "It is not far from here."
[04:30:23:06] * Seona looks around, senses alert as she surveys the scenery. "...Okay. What am I going against?"
[04:30:23:13] <Jar_Mimic> It is a modern town, if a bit ragged and run down.  Just based on observing the people and the signs, it's easy to see that this place is somewhere in Asia.  The puchuu leads them along the river bank, out of sight of most.  "A shambling horror, puchuu~  It will appear to you as something akin to a mass of worms."  Eventually, the two end up a bit out of town, standing before a small mass of stone bricks built into the riverbank.
[04:30:23:13] <Jar_Mimic> "It is in there, chuu~"
[04:30:23:25] <Seona> "Worms, you say..." Seona shudders, not looking at all comfortable with the idea. "I can do this.  I can do this!  ...I hope."  She nervously watches and waits to see if anything stirs.
[04:30:23:30] <Jar_Mimic> Looking closely, she would see something through a missing brick.  An urn.  Or, rather, she did see an urn for a moment.  The moment after, a red, serpentine appendage crawling from out of the bricks obscures it.  And a voice.  "Wo shi...!  Wo shi...!  Wo shi nuren!  Wo shi Yang!"
[04:30:23:46] <Seona> "Uwah?" Seona takes an instinctive step back. "Have to... be ready." She claps her hands together in front of her face and silently mouths a prayer.  Then, she reaches into her coat and draws forth a glowing purple and gold rifle longer than she is tall.
[04:30:23:50] <Jar_Mimic> "Eh?  This time it's an English speaker?"  At that, the mass of bricks crumbles brick by brick, revealing exactly what was underneath.  And that was a girl.  A normal looking girl who looks like she could be from the area.  "You're here to put me back in that urn for another year, aren't you?"  She looks less than pleased.
[05:01:00:04] <Seona> "If I have to, yes.  I mean, you're a... a monster.  Aren't you?" Seona cannot hide the discomfort in her voice.
[05:01:00:08] <Jar_Mimic> "Yes, chuu!  She is a monster.  Shoot!  Seal her away!"  The girl, by contrast with the puchuu, seems disgusted at the thought.  "You say that EVERY TIME I come out!  I'm telling you, I'm not a monster.  Just because I have THAT kind of a form doesn't mean anything.  I'm normal."
[05:01:00:17] <Seona> "How could that ever be normal?" Seona doesn't yet open fire on the girl, but she definitely stands ready to do so.  She stares at the sealed girl, trying to get a read on her.
[05:01:00:23] <Jar_Mimic> To Seona's reading, this girl, in her simple white dress sitting on a pile of bricks, is clearly a being of an alien nature.  A Monster Girl, just as the puchuu had suggested.  Her mind is not in her head, but in the center of her chest.  Her thoughts are full of irritation.
[05:01:00:27] * Seona frowns. "Sorry, but you have to... stay put," she gestures with her gun back down toward the pile, "...Puchuu's orders."
[05:01:00:32] <Jar_Mimic> "And I'M sorry, but I haven't seen my family in five years.  Or my friends.  They all must have graduated college by now.  I've lost so much time."  She stands up.  "If you want me to stay put, come and make me."  With that, the girl becomes less girlish.  Her hair curls up into a mass of tentacles as her mouth melds closed and her eyes join into a single, large occulus.
[05:01:00:39] * Seona looks pained by the girl's words, but more than that she looks horrified by the transformation. "I didn't want to do this!" she shouts, the rifle thundering and forcing her a step back as she pulls the trigger.
[05:01:00:40] <Jar_Mimic> (You can roll attack if you want.)
[05:01:00:41] <Seona> !ex 8 v Ranged (Armor Piercing)
[05:01:00:41] <Zeneroller> Seona: [9, 8, 3, 6, 2, 7, 2, 3]. Successes total: 3
[05:01:00:43] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7 (Luck Out) +1FP
[05:01:00:43] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [1, 7]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:00:44] <Jar_Mimic> In her hand appears an umbrealla.  It is not in time to deflect the bullet completely.  The projectile merely grazes her.
[05:01:00:45] <Jar_Mimic> (3 -> 2 Soak)
[05:01:00:45] <Jar_Mimic> "You!  What do you English speakers call it?  You bitch!  I wasn't even armed.  Don't you know anything about fair play?"
[05:01:00:49] <Seona> "You transformed... doesn't that count?"
[05:01:00:52] <Jar_Mimic> "Of course not!"  She says these things despite no longer having a mouth.  "This isn't even my final form.  And further, you shot me!  How can I show you the strength of my swordsmanship if you're going to use a gun?"
[05:01:00:56] <Seona> "...Probably not especially well if you're using an umbrella." Seona states, pointing to the monstergirl's weapon.
[05:01:00:59] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh.  Right.  It has been a year since last time."  A stiletto blade pops from the umbrella's spike.  Which is unceremoniously and viciously thrust at the girl before her.
[05:01:01:00] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 4 v 7 (Piercing) +1FP
[05:01:01:00] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [10, 6, 6, 2]. Successes total: 2
[05:01:01:00] <Seona> !ex 8 v 7 dodge
[05:01:01:00] <Zeneroller> Seona: [6, 8, 7, 9, 5, 6, 2, 7]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:02] <Jar_Mimic> (-2 soak)
[05:01:01:02] <Seona> (7->5 Soak, then)
[05:01:01:03] <Jar_Mimic> "You're pretty fast.  This will be a good swordfight."
[05:01:01:07] * Seona gets a line cut into her coat, but loses no blood to the swipe. "It's easy for you to call it that... when you actually have a sword!" She jumps backward as she fires this time, letting the recoil propel her further.
[05:01:01:08] <Seona> !ex 9 v 7 Disengage roll
[05:01:01:08] <Zeneroller> Seona: [1, 10, 3, 4, 2, 7, 5, 7, 2]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:09] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7
[05:01:01:09] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [5, 9]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:09] <Seona> !ex 4 v 7 (AP shot again)
[05:01:01:09] <Zeneroller> Seona: [8, 2, 5, 5]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:10] <Jar_Mimic> "Why run like that?"
[05:01:01:10] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7 (Luck Out) +1FP
[05:01:01:10] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [5, 7]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:11] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh, that's why.  Nice shooting."
[05:01:01:12] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7 (Dash)
[05:01:01:12] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [1, 1]. Botch!
[05:01:01:13] <Jar_Mimic> This girl is not very fast or very strong, it seems.
[05:01:01:13] <Seona> "Recoil practically knocks me flat if I stand still anyway, so I may as well learn to use it!"
[05:01:01:17] <Jar_Mimic> "Stand still and fight like you mean it!  How can you hold a weapon and not know how to stand your ground?"
[05:01:01:22] * Seona digs her heels into the ground upon, seeing the other girl still advancing on her. "If you insist."
[05:01:01:23] <Seona> !ex 8 v 7 (AP shot)
[05:01:01:23] <Zeneroller> Seona: [3, 10, 5, 10, 2, 6, 6, 4]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:24] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7 (Luck Out) +1FP
[05:01:01:24] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [4, 3]. Successes total: 0
[05:01:01:25] <Jar_Mimic> (0 Soak ; HP 10 -> 9)
[05:01:01:27] <Jar_Mimic> "Grah!  Nice shot!  Now here's mine!"  She onces again thrusts out confidently with the blade on her umbrella.
[05:01:01:28] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 4 v 7 (piercing) +1FP
[05:01:01:28] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [4, 1, 5, 1]. Botch!
[05:01:01:28] <Seona> !ex 8 v 7 dodge
[05:01:01:28] <Zeneroller> Seona: [10, 10, 9, 5, 3, 9, 3, 5]. Successes total: 6
[05:01:01:29] <Jar_Mimic> "You ARE fast!  Almost faster than I can see!"
[05:01:01:31] <Seona> "Um... do you really have a... final form?" Since she isn't getting riddled with holes, Seona is looking more than a little skeptical.
[05:01:01:34] <Jar_Mimic> "I do.  And if you don't let me go, I'll be forced to use it.  I don't want to take that hideous form, but, to see my family again, I'll go to any extreme!"  Her one eye looks exceptionally determined.
[05:01:01:37] * Seona seems to consider that statement for a moment, not that it stops her from firing another shot.
[05:01:01:37] <Seona> !ex 8 v 7 (AP shot)
[05:01:01:37] <Zeneroller> Seona: [7, 5, 5, 5, 10, 2, 4, 8]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:38] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 2 v 7 (Luck Out ; Out of FP, Engaging Final Form)
[05:01:01:38] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [2, 8]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:38] <Jar_Mimic> (0 Soak ; HP 9 -> 6)
[05:01:01:40] <Jar_Mimic> It is at this point that the bullet holes blasted out of this girl reveal something.  Her innards are red, but not from blood.  What is beneath her skin is a series of wiggling tentacles bound tightly together.
[05:01:01:43] <Jar_Mimic> "You leave me with no choice.  Why do you and that cat hate me so much?"  With that, her form sucks in on itself, her every proportion compressing and folding in an utterly disgusting way.  That body is sucked into something inside of her chest until there's nothing left.  Only a vase.
[05:01:01:43] <Jar_Mimic> A vase with an eye looking out from the blackness inside.
[05:01:01:44] <Jar_Mimic> (Please roll 1d10)
[05:01:01:45] <Seona> !ex 1 v
[05:01:01:45] <Zeneroller> Seona: [7]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:45] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 1 (Result +3)
[05:01:01:45] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [8]. Successes total: 1
[05:01:01:46] <Jar_Mimic> (Seona is stunned, and unable to use an action during her turn.)
[05:01:01:48] <Jar_Mimic> From out of this vase, an absolute tangle of red tentacles burst forth and begins crawling in every direction.  However, most of those tentacles are headed straight for Seona.
[05:01:01:49] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 5 v 7 (Tentacle Strike)
[05:01:01:49] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [9, 5, 9, 2, 10]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:50] <Jar_Mimic> !ex 11 v 7 (Flurry)
[05:01:01:50] <Zeneroller> Jar_Mimic: [1, 10, 3, 4, 1, 9, 1, 4, 5, 5, 6]. Successes total: 3
[05:01:01:55] * Seona tries not to retch, the key word being 'tries'. She is very unsuccessful in this after seeing the girl's horrible innards and then witnessing her implode. She's no longer confident or comfortable at all when the tentacles emerge.
[05:01:01:57] <Seona> (I think I still get to defend, as it's not really an action.)
[05:01:01:57] <Jar_Mimic> (Yep.)
[05:01:01:58] <Seona> !ex 8 (try not to cry)
[05:01:01:58] <Zeneroller> Seona: [4, 4, 1, 7, 4, 8, 3, 1]. Successes total: 2
[05:01:01:58] <Seona> !ex 8 (cry a whole lot)
[05:01:01:58] <Zeneroller> Seona: [7, 7, 5, 1, 8, 6, 9, 4]. Successes total: 4
[05:01:01:59] <Jar_Mimic> (2 damage via tentacle strike)
[05:01:01:59] <Jar_Mimic> Two tentacles slap her in the face, as though by a woman scorned.
[05:01:02:02] <Seona> (Soak 5->3, I think?)
[05:01:02:03] <Jar_Mimic> (Oh, I should have mentioned that that damage ignores soak.)
[05:01:02:03] <Jar_Mimic> (Apologies.)
[05:01:02:04] <Seona> (12->10 HP, then.)
[05:01:02:06] <Jar_Mimic> "After that, can you appreciate the situation we're both in?"  More and more red vines undulate toward here, threatening to ruin everything she is.  "Drop your weapon, and we can forget this ever happened!"
[05:01:02:15] * Seona whimpers in pain and fear. "Please... don't!" She looks around for the puchuu, as though it will actually save her. "I don't want to... to die here..."
[05:01:02:19] <Jar_Mimic> "Really?  Oh, thank you.  I really do hate having to take this form."  With no more words than that, the tentacles begin to wrap in around each other, binding, tightening, constricting until they've formed a tight knot around the vase.  When that knot got to be about the size of a person, it then began to take on a person's shape until it displayed an obvious head, arms, and legs.  Then, it merely morphed its appearance into the very
[05:01:02:19] <Jar_Mimic> same girl that was there before.  "So, uh, I'll see you around, I guess."  She turns and leaves.
[05:01:02:20] <Jar_Mimic> "Now!" the puchuu says, "Shoot her while her defenses are down, puchuu~!"
[05:01:02:43] * Seona silently mouths something as she tries to draw a bead on the monstergirl, all the while holding one hand to her face. The rifle's glow changes from purple to orange in color. With much hesitation and her hands shaking, Seona... takes the shot, obeying the puchuu.
[05:01:02:43] <Seona> !ex 8 (hollowpoint+1 FP)
[05:01:02:43] <Zeneroller> Seona: [5, 2, 10, 1, 8, 9, 3, 9]. Successes total: 5
[05:01:02:45] <Jar_Mimic> Her defenses down, and absolutely confident that nothing was going to happen, she offers no defense to it whatsoever.
[05:01:02:45] <Jar_Mimic> Splat.
[05:01:02:46] <Jar_Mimic> (0 Soak ; HP 14 -> 8)
[05:01:02:46] <Jar_Mimic> (No, wait.)
[05:01:02:46] <Jar_Mimic> That would be if she was fighting at full strength.
[05:01:02:47] <Jar_Mimic> (0 Soak ; HP 6 -> 0)
[05:01:02:48] <Jar_Mimic> The girl's head is blown clean off of her shoulders.
[05:01:02:57] <Seona> It takes several seconds for it to sink in that Seona didn't just shoot the girl in her monster form, but in her surely far more vulnerable human form. "O-oh God, I just..." The rifle dissolves into sand as Seona sinks to the ground.
[05:01:02:59] <Jar_Mimic> The body itself loses its tight knot as it sinks to the ground itself, spilling out into a mass of tangled tentacles, looking for all the world like a pile of organs.  It jiggles a bit.
[05:01:03:00] <Jar_Mimic> "Good work, chuu," the puchuu says, "Come.  Make sure it won't get back up so I can seal it again, puchuu~"
[05:01:03:02] <Seona> "She's... not really dead?" Seona looks up, her eyes brimming with tears.
[05:01:03:10] <Jar_Mimic> "No.  She does not die so easily.  That is why I have been forced to seal her, puchuu~  Now come, she is too weak to resist."
[05:01:03:11] * Seona numbly drags herself to her feet and follows after the puchuu.
[05:01:03:12] <Jar_Mimic> As it turns out, the mass of organic protuberances can still speak.  "Mercy..."  It says, its voice but a whisper.  "Mercy..."
[05:01:03:28] <Seona> "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry." Seona doesn't want to approach the results of her handiwork, but she's filled with more guilt and pity than fear and disgust now.
[05:01:03:33] <Jar_Mimic> "Well, it would appear that it's not going to attack."  With a mere touch of its paw, the mass of tentacles slurps back up into the urn, the last word uttered by it being "Mama!"  The puchuu places its paw on it.  "Done, puchuu~  Now return it to the brick pile.  The locals believe it is a tomb, chuu.  They don't touch it."
[05:01:03:36] <Seona> "C-can she still hear in this... form?" Seona hesitantly touches the urn.
[05:01:03:37] <Jar_Mimic> "Yes.  I have merely sealed her inside, chuu.  It is not as though I've frozen her in time."
[05:01:03:50] * Seona lifts the urn, holding it carefully. "Five years that she's been stuck like this? She really... misses her family."
[05:01:03:54] <Jar_Mimic> "Not five continuous years, puchuu~.  As I've said, she's broken out every Walpurgisnacht.  And this time she lasted longer than usual, chuu."
[05:01:04:00] * Seona looks down at the urn, now held tightly in her arms. "H-how long, then? Surely there's someone who could have... purified her?"
[05:01:04:04] <Jar_Mimic> "I've always found it easier to simply seal her away, chuu.  Magical Girls who use the magic of purification tend to ask too many questions, puchuu~"
[05:01:04:25] <Seona> "You do this to her... because it's... convenient for you?" The puchuu gets to witness the exact moment when Seona's deeds here today catch up to her in full.  What comes over her isn't even anger, just sheer, overwhelming remorse.
[05:01:04:30] <Jar_Mimic> "Yes, puchuu~  My time is valuable.  I have other failures to clean up after, chuu.  Most other Magical Girls don't follow orders quite as well as you do."
[05:01:04:40] <Seona> "I didn't understand what I was doing!" Seona wails, hugging the urn. It isn't clear who she's making that desperate claim to, be it the girl she just imprisoned, the manipulative puchuu, or even just to herself. "No one should have to suffer through that!  I didn't know!  I didn't know..."
[05:01:04:42] <Jar_Mimic> "Be careful with that urn!  Go replace it before you drop it!"  It scrapes the ground with its paw.
[05:01:04:59] * Seona doesn't really have any way to fix this now. Breaking the urn would just make everything worse and it isn't like the girl could get far as a pile of meat before the puchuu called for reinforcements. Or at least, that's how Seona tries to justify to herself the way she numbly follows the uncaring puchuu's orders...
[05:01:05:03] <Jar_Mimic> "Make it look like it did before, chuu.  If the locals get suspicious, they might think to unearth the tomb before the next Walpurgisnacht.  You're such an exemplary Magical Girl, puchuu~  If only she could have turned out like you did."
[05:01:05:09] * Seona stops to kneel again in prayer after placing the urn and arranging things as she is instructed to. 'Please, just bear with this a little longer,' she silently pleads, trying to mentally communicate with the girl she was currently acting as the jailer for, 'I will find a way to return you to human and set you free for good.'
[05:01:05:13] <Jar_Mimic> "I knew..." Comes a voice in return, "...That you really were a noble warrior."  After that, the thoughts inside warp.  They are no longer readily observable.
[05:01:05:21] * Seona stands, wiping her eyes. She turns around to face the puchuu, no longer able or willing to remain in this place. There are things she now needs to do and to find. "Will you bring me home now?"
[05:01:05:25] <Jar_Mimic> "Of course," it says, sounding uncharacteristically emotional.  That is to say, it sounds satisfied.  "I shall have to compliment Somni when next I meet them, chuu.  Come, let's go home."

::Session 2 Start: 2 May 2016; MGChronicle::
[05:02:23:11] <Seona> Seona may have had difficulty retracing her steps on her own, were it not for the amber cube she carried with her.  Her memory was sharp enough, but the strange object aided by projecting a holographic map when she held it up.  Additionally, the glow it gave off was at least a small comfort against the dark and empty streets.  She was alone on this excursion, either not having found anyone she could rely on to help or simply not wanting to delay too long to search for someone that would.  She reaches the portal without too much difficulty, giving a sigh of relief at being able to find it again without complication.
[05:02:23:15] <Jar_Mimic> And just as she left it before, there would that portal be.  In fact, all would be as she left it before.  On the other side of the portal, the only difference would be that the small town's lights were lit due to the hour.  Not quite remote, the streets would be lit with beautiful neon lights.  But all else would remain the same.  The river, the bank, and the stone brick tomb, as well.
[05:02:23:33] <Seona> On approach, Seona still seems a bit apprehensive.  The fact that she had put the girl back in there was weighing on her mind, as well as having how she shot the girl when she was defenseless.  Trying to shove those thoughts aside, Seona starts moving bricks so she can retrieve the urn from the tomb.
[05:02:23:36] <Jar_Mimic> And there it is.  An urn turned greenish blue with aging and weathering.  Bronze, it would appear.  And sealed with a glass or porcelain stopper.  It doesn't move an inch, and one would normally have to stretch one's imagination to think that there might be something inside.
[05:02:23:46] <Seona> "I'm here.  Just like I swore I would be..." Seona whispers, gently taking hold of the urn and sliding it free of the brick mound.  She tries to reach out with her mind as she speaks, hoping for a response.
[05:02:23:49] <Jar_Mimic> The thoughts inside are warped.  They are slow.  When Seona attempts to reach inside, for whatever thought she tries to focus on, it's as though her own thoughts race right past it.  While it is possible to pick out rational thought from within, clearly something strange is happening.
[05:03:00:00] <Seona> Seona shakes her head, the warped thoughts leaving her a bit disoriented.  She got through to the girl briefly before, so there must be some sort of interference.  Presumably the Puchuu magic that held the sealing spell together.  "I... I'm going to get you out of there!" Taking a deep breath, Seona pulls the stopper on the urn, desperately hoping it will be that simple.
[05:03:00:07] <Jar_Mimic> A tentacle immediately bursts out of the urn, wiggling about in the air for a moment beore it is joined by several others.  Those others all begin to wrap and coil around each other, tightening until they've taken a certain form.  That form being a leg.  When that leg touches the ground, more of a human body begins to slide, crumpled and compressed, out of the urn.  The last thing to pop out is a familiar looking face.  A regular girl's face.  Seona would be left holding an empty urn.
[05:03:00:19] <Seona> In hindsight, Seona probably should have closed her eyes in preparation for the girl's emergence.  It is far from pleasant for her to witness, but she at least manages to keep hold of the urn in spite that fact.  She waits for the girl to get her bearings, offering a hand to steady her if necessary.
[05:03:00:23] <Jar_Mimic> And that hand is taken.  Not for balance, but for its own sake.  "You let me out!  You really did come back to save me, English speaking girl!  I knew that you really were a noble warrior!  Oh, thank you, thank you!  Thank-"  A hard look comes to her face, and she lets the hand go.  "If you're looking for a rematch, I refuse to fight you until I've talked to my family.  Not after what you just did to me."
[05:03:00:37] <Seona> Seona coughs, letting out the breath she had nervously been holding in. "No, I'm-" Several more coughs follow before she manages to get her breath back.  She looks down, unable to meet the girl's eyes. "I could never just... leave someone in that state...  You should see your family..."
[05:03:00:45] <Jar_Mimic> Keeping a firm hand on Seona's own, the girl from the urn all but breaks into a run, dragging her along.  "Yes, let's go!  I want you to be close by for our rematch."  She would pull her along back into the town, down the road, and to one of the many, many storefronts on the street.  Closed, obviously, for the night.  "Their shop is still here.  Thank goodness.  Come on, we'll go to my house!"
[05:03:00:55] <Seona> Being dragged along with ease, Seona little opportunity to protest.  She puts most of her effort into keeping her breath and not tripping whenever the girl who has a grip on her hand makes a turn.
[05:03:01:02] <Jar_Mimic> Running past the neon signs glowing brightly in the dark of the night, the two would soon arrive at a modest household, a standout in an area otherwise surrounded by shops.  This building, unlike the rest, has no lights glowing.  Not even in the windows.  "Oh.  I suppose it is late."  She concentrates for a moment.  "Really late!  Don't worry.  I have a key, still!"
[05:03:01:11] <Seona> "Will your family... recognize you?" Seona asks, taking the chance to speak now that they had come to a stop.
[05:03:01:19] <Jar_Mimic> Finally, she regards this person with her as something other than a tag along.  "That's circle talk, isn't it.  You're asking if they'll recognize my unsealed form.  I just won't let them see it.  I'll say I was kidnapped, and that I managed to escape!  They'll be so glad to see me!"  She unlocks her front door.  "You won't say anything, right?"
[05:03:01:28] <Seona> "I'll stay quiet." Seona looks worried. "I can wait outside if you don't want me to intrude..."
[05:03:01:38] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh, no.  I don't need you running off to get Mr. Cat when I turn my back."  Seona is pulled right in.  And brought straight upstairs.  To a closed door, which the girl from the urn knocks on rapidly.  There is then an exchange of frantic Chinese, in which this girl seems to become visibly agitated.  Seona is then brought back outside as Chinese yelling continues.  "My family doesn't live here anymore."
[05:03:01:51] <Seona> "Th-that's..."  Not exactly surprising, if Seona's troubled expression is anything to go by.  She gives the girl's hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry..."
[05:03:01:55] <Jar_Mimic> "No!  No need to be sorry!  They must have moved closer to the shop!  Mama was always talking about that.  Even though we're so close, though, right?  She makes such strange decisions sometimes."  She is pulled back down the road as an enraged looking man comes out of the house yelling at them.  Naturally, they continue running away.
[05:03:02:12] <Seona> Once more, the sickly psychic is pulled along.  The furious man yelling at them in Chinese certainly causes her to push herself more  at keeping pace, she just isn't having an easy time of it.  As the pair near their destination, she has another round of coughing.
[05:03:02:17] <Jar_Mimic> Outside of the same shop they had already visited once, this girl stops, noticing that these coughs might be more than whatever she had thought they were before.  "Hey, are you alright?  You're not sick, are you?  I don't want to have to take you to the doctor.  The nearest hospital is all the way out of town."
[05:03:02:33] <Seona> Seona answers after a few more seconds of coughing.  "It's nothing... quite that serious.  Please... don't worry about it." For whatever credence it lends to her claim, she doesn't seem to be coughing anything up.  She looks pale, but not really any more so than she did when they fought.
[05:03:02:40] <Jar_Mimic> Well, that's what she said, so that's probably what she meant.  "Okay.  But if it does become serious, you have to tell me.  I don't want you to get sick during our rematch.  Speaking of which, what's your name?  It's important to exchange names with you opponents, but I never get to.  I'm Yang Xiaodong.  But I know you English speakers can't say Chinese names, so you should just call me Shao."
[05:03:02:50] <Seona> "I'm Seona... Bradford?  Seona is fine." A bit of uncertainty creeps into her tone when she gives her surname. "Shao, then.  It's, um... nice to meet you.  More so this time than last time..."
[05:03:02:57] <Jar_Mimic> "I know, right?  Stupid cat.  I volunteer to become a hero for it, and it shuts me up in that urn while the rest of the world goes by."  Her hand tightens around Seona's.  "Stupid cat!  I try and have fair swordfights, and all it ever does is tell people to stab me in the back.  You're the only one it's ever brought that REALLY has a sense of fair play."
[05:03:03:04] <Seona> "I-I am?" This was clearly not a direction Seona was expecting the conversation to take. "The cat seemed so... uncaring and cruel.  I didn't know there were Puchuu like that..."
[05:03:03:13] <Jar_Mimic> "Stupid Puchuu.  It's not my fault I turned into a monster.  You don't think it's my fault, do you?  I did always want to be a monster.  You know, like a Jiang-shi.  But I didn't want THIS to happen!  I only wanted to be the Magical Girl instead of my friend."  Then she actually used her brain for a moment.  "Wait, there's more than one?"
[05:03:03:30] <Seona> "I don't know how many, but there are more.  I mean, Somni isn't a... weird ice cream cat?" Seona shakes her head. "And the other ones I met before the... other night, they also weren't.  I guess none of those looked that similar to Somni, either."
[05:03:03:40] <Jar_Mimic> "That means I can find a DIFFERENT one to be my heroic mascot!  Oh, this is the best day of my life!  I get to see my parents and friends again, and I can still be a magical swordsman!  Thank you, Seona."  Xiao pulls her in for a hug.  "We're going to have to be best friends after our rematch!"
[05:03:03:52] <Seona> Seona gladly returns the hug.  She looks a little healthier now that she has hopeful smile on her face.  "I'd really, really like that, but why do we have to... have a rematch to be friends?"
[05:03:04:02] <Jar_Mimic> "I still need to prove to that Puchuu that I'm worthy.  It might try to put me back in that urn again if I can't show it that I can still fight for justice even though I'm a monster.  If I can't beat you in a fair fight, I may as well just go back in there."  She looks away, feeling troubled.  "This is how this is supposed to work, right?  This is how it always goes in the stories and the TV shows."
[05:03:04:18] <Seona> "My experience hasn't been much like stories or TV.  Maybe it was once, but I don't... remember what it was like then." Seona's face falls. "That ice cream cat probably would have found a replacement me if I worked for it before...  But Somni seems to care about me, so maybe she could accept you too?"
[05:03:04:27] <Jar_Mimic> "Hey, don't let me get you down like that.  Keep high energy!  If we can have the same heroic mascot, then we can be partners.  That sounds like good news to me!  Besides, if no one is breaking our hearts, we should be happy."  Xiao gives her a hearty pat on the back.  "Uh, but it does occur to me that I don't have a key to the shop, and they don't open till morning.  Want to get a room for the night?"
[05:03:04:38] <Seona> "Sure, we can do that." Seona's smile comes back, though she still seems to have her doubts. "I didn't prepare a... proper excuse for when I get home, but... I can worry about that later.  It's pretty late, anyway."
[05:03:04:46] <Jar_Mimic> "Coor.  Uh, cool!"  In keeping with her saying of 'keep high energy', she does, indeed, lead them quite energetically to a hotel.  After a short conversation with the attendant in which "I lied about who you were.  I said you were my English tutor," she handed over a few RMB, and they get a very cold room.  "How old are you, Seona?"
[05:03:04:51] <Seona> "I'm... sixteen?" There was that creeping hint of uncertainty again, the same as with her surname. "How about you?"
[05:03:04:58] <Jar_Mimic> She kicks off her shoes.  "I'm sixt-  Wait.  Seventeen.  No, it's been five years, not one.  Twenty one."  Faster than anyone could stop her, she unzips her dress, letting it fall to the floor.  "My magic confused me.  I made time go slower in the urn so it wouldn't feel like as long of a wait."  She hops into bed.  "We could almost be classmates.  Where are you from?"
[05:03:05:13] <Seona> "I'm from... the US." There's still one of those frequent pauses that seem to fill a lot of her sentences, but this time, she seems closer to sure.  "New York.  Not the city itself, but the state that it's in."
[05:03:05:18] <Jar_Mimic> Must be circle talk.  "I know where that is.  You live on the coast.  I grew up here in Hubei province.  We're nowhere near water."  Plenty of space is made for the other guest in the room.  "You don't have to be shy.  We're both girls.  It's like living in an inexpensive dorm room."
[05:03:05:33] <Seona> "I guess that's one way of looking at it." Seona shed her shoes and outer layers without too much hesitation. "I've never actually had a... a roommate, from what I can remember."
[05:03:05:37] <Jar_Mimic> "Eh?  Not even when you went away to high school?  Your parents must have a lot of money."  Then she considers.  "Or maybe you don't go away to school in the US.  I think I heard that once."  A yawn escapes from Xiao's throat.  "You're still lucky, then."  Her eyes close as her head rests on her pillow.  "You got to spend more time."  A deep breath.  "With your family."  And then she's asleep.
[05:03:05:45] <Seona> Seona mumbles a reply into her pillow, turning over a few times before she gets comfortable.

::Session 3 Start: 4 May 2016; MGChronicle::
[05:04:23:44] <Jar_Mimic> It is a warm morning in the capitalist paradise once known as the middle kingdom.  Which is the only reason that the room Seona and Xiao had taken up for the night is warm at all.  In keeping with her call for 'high energy', she is up in the early morning, despite how late they got in last night.  When Seona awakes, she would find Xiao combing her hair in front of a mirror.
[05:05:00:18] <Seona> It seems that Seona is a restless sleeper, tossing and turning fairly often in her slumber.  She twitches a bit as she eventually wakes, then gives a long stretch. "Mmm... morning." Rubbing the sleep from her blue-green eyes, she addresses Xiao. "Would you like... any help with that?  I know how much of a pain it is to do alone."
[05:05:00:24] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh, you're awake."  And the comb is tossed aside, being a cheap bathroom comb, anyway.  "Nah, I'm an expert.  Kids always used to make fun of me for having curly hair, so I got real good at straightening it."  She runs her fingers through her straight, black hair.  "Plus, I can control how it looks anyway.  I just really wanted to comb it again."  Already ready to face the world, she hops on over.  "You didn't sleep well."
[05:05:00:48] <Seona> "I rarely do." Seona's own platinum-blonde hair is quite the mess since she just woke.  Once she's up, she starts checking her discarded coat's pockets for something she doesn't actually seem to find.  She gives a resigned sigh. "I haven't slept well in... as long as I remember."
[05:05:00:56] <Jar_Mimic> She sits down on the bed next to her.  "Well that's no good.  We ought to stop by a temple and buy you a charm for that.  I know the one in the mountain over there sells prayer beads for good dreams.  That's the same thing, right?"  A tentacle reaches out from her back and retrieves the comb she set aside.  "Want ME to do YOUR hair?"  The appendage presents the comb.
[05:05:01:04] <Seona> Seona momentarily freezes up at the sight of the tentacle. "That would be... very nice." She says slowly, gradually starting to smile. "It's going to get... all tangled if I leave it alone."
[05:05:01:11] <Jar_Mimic> The comb is taken in hand while the tentacle slurps back up into her body.  "Alright.  I bet you wuold look good with a straight part."  With that, she begins running the comb through Seona's hair.  It may have been a mistake agreeing to it, however, as she's not gentle at all.  Whenever she hits a snarl, it's always three or four pulls before she removes it manually.  But as she said, she's quite good at it, and the hair in question is soon tamed and sporting a straight part down the center.  "There you go!  Ah, reminds me of doing this form my old roommates."
[05:05:19:05] <Jar_Mimic> After a morning of shameless bonding over things like hair care, Xiao and Seona head out on their way to the shop belonging to the former's parents.  "I'm so excited!  I mean, I know I shouldn't be.  They've probably been worried to death about me, but I can't help being excited!  You'll come in with me, right?  I want to present the person who rescued me to them.  They'll want to thank you, I think."
[05:05:19:08] <~Seona> "I... I will." Seona gives a weak smile. "You probably don't... look like you aged any.  That may be hard to explain."
[05:05:19:14] <Jar_Mimic> "Yeah, but I'll be easier to recognize.  If they say anything, I'll just say 'oh, is that so?'."  It is at that point that they arrive.  A small buy high-end clothing store.  The sign outside has a sheep on it.  After walking in, they approach the counter, where a worker sits.  Well, she doesn't sit for long.  "Xiaodong!  Xiaodong!" she shouts, running into a back room.  "You might want to stand back a couple feet."
[05:05:19:20] <~Seona> "Right..." Seona stands back to avoid any possible collisions.
[05:05:19:26] <Jar_Mimic> It is only a moment before two people very well burst out of the back.  A tall, tired woman and a short man missing a couple teeth.  They immediately run over to Xiao and wrap her in an embrace, lifting her off the ground as they do.  Tears flow freely from both as they raise a cacophony of emotional Chinese.  After a few minutes of hurried words and hot tears, the free girl looks back at her new friend while continuing to talk.
[05:05:19:26] <Jar_Mimic> This prompts the man to rush over and lift her in a hug as well.
[05:05:19:33] <~Seona> "Ah..." Seona gives an earnest smile as she's lifted.  The girl is quite light to pick up and perhaps should probably eat more. "I just did what I could, so..."
[05:05:19:38] <Jar_Mimic> This causes the man to falter a bit in his joy.  He looks back.  More Chinese.  Then he puts her down, stepping back enough to give her a bow.  "Thank.  You.  For.  Our.  Daughter."  And with that, he returns to Xiao.  Their demeanor goes from teary to celebratory rather quickly.  Another frantic exchange of the language.  Afterwards, the free girl approaches her new friend.  "They want to celebrate!  Would you like to come?"
[05:05:19:46] <~Seona> The man's thanks really seems to really make an impact on Seona, making her smile wider and her eyes more bright and attentive.  When Xiao approaches again, she does not hesitate. "Of course I will!  How could I not?"
[05:05:19:52] <Jar_Mimic> A couple more words between father and daughter, and the father races off to make the arrangements.  "That's my dad.  His name is Yang Zhengwu.  And this is my mom.  Her name is Jiao Liujia."  The tall woman, being not quite so good at English bows before Seona and says, slowly.  "Xie.  Xie."
[05:05:20:01] <~Seona> Seona doesn't really seem sure whether she should be bowing back or not, but she does give an awkward bow as she addresses the woman who likely does not understand her words. "I'm very happy to help... reunite you with your daughter.  I'm just... glad to see a family whole again."
[05:05:20:05] <Jar_Mimic> Mother and daughter look to each other and exchange a few words.  "I told her what you said.  She says thank you."  At that moment, the father returns with a teenage boy in tow.  Again, hugs are exchanged between the boy and Xiao.  "Hey, this is my little brother, Yang Huanghun."  But as soon as they arrived, they are beckoned out.  "Come on!  We're going to this great place!"
[05:05:20:16] <~Seona> Naturally, Seona goes along with the family like she said she would. "I wish I could speak chinese..." she mumbles to herself. "Where are we going?"
[05:05:20:22] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh!  Oh, I'm sorry!  Here I am, leaving you out!  How bout I stay by your side from now on?  This is all happening because of you, after all!"  She takes her by the arm and pulls her on ahead.  "You'll love the food here!  Wait, do you know how to use chips?  No, chopsticks?  No forks around here."  When they arrive, the sign outside isn't much more helpful.
[05:05:20:27] <~Seona> "Maybe?" Seona shakes her head.  She looks grateful for the contact from Xiao. "I doubt I do, but... but I learn quickly!"
[05:05:20:32] <Jar_Mimic> Once inside, they're immediately sat at a table with a lazy suzan built into it.  Not long after, the table is piled high with various meat and veggie dishes, which everyone eats with great relish.  "Hey, we were talking about school before, right?  Do you go to a high ranked high school?"
[05:05:20:48] <~Seona> Indeed, Seona does seem to grasp the process of eating with chopsticks passably well. "I'm in the process of... transferring to one?  I already have been... studying a lot, but I should be able to learn a lot related to subjects that are... difficult or uncommon."
[05:05:20:51] <Jar_Mimic> "Ah!  So it must be a high ranked school.  Now that I think about it, I'm gonna need to register for high school again, too!  It's been a year for me, and five years for the rest of the world.  I probably couldn't just walk into my old school and sit in my old seat."
[05:05:21:04] <~Seona> "Probably not.  I had a difficult time of it when..." Seona shakes her head, in the process shaking out whatever concluded that thought. "You could try applying where I am!  It seems like a nice place that can even help with... well, what we talked about yesterday."
[05:05:21:13] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh?  Cool!  Yeah, and that way we could be Magical Girls together!  If your Puchuu is gonna let me be one of hers, that totally makes sense!  That's such a great idea!"  She shovels in some food, covering her mouth while she talks with it full.  "What's it called?  Is it in America?  Where can I get an application?"
[05:05:21:22] <~Seona> "Harmony Hill Academy.  It's kind of far, kind of not..." Seona, by contrast, eats more slowly and carefully, trying not to appear rude or to make a mess in her inexperience. "You could maybe... visit your family on weekends?  There's magic involved, but it's also a normal school so... I think the magic is a secret?  I can try to get you an application or something."
[05:05:21:27] <Jar_Mimic> "That would be great!  Thank you, Seona!  First you give me my freedom, and now you're giving me my future back.  Yep.  Definitely an American.  Just like in your movies."  As the lazy suzan spins, she picks different things from the selection, putting them right down the hatch.  "And I'm good at keeping secrets!  Like the secret that no one else here speaks English as well as I do!"
[05:05:21:30] <~Seona> That prompts a soft laugh from Seona. "Maybe that has its advantages after all..." She smiles again. "If I can do something for a friend, then I will!"
[05:05:21:35] <Jar_Mimic> "Here, here!"  The family makes quick work of the heaping meal, emptying the once steaming plates in almost no time at all.  Still, by the time the party steps outside again, enough time has passed for sunset to be upon them.  "Hey, Seona, your family is probably worried about you, too.  If you wanted to get going, you don't need to hang on for my sake."  She takes her new friend by the arm.  "And I have a lot of catching up to do."
[05:05:21:40] <~Seona> "Eheh, I really should..." Seona giggles and gives Xiao's hand a friendly squeeze, but she does look a bit worried now. "I may be in a little bit of trouble when I get home.  You know, for not saying I'd... be gone this long."
[05:05:21:44] <Jar_Mimic> "Oh no.  I...  I wish I could help, but, uh, I don't think swordfighting is the best way to take care of angry parents."  And that hand gets squeezed back.  "I'm sorry I kept you.  When I transfer to your school, I'll tell your parents you were helping me learn English over the internet or something."
[05:05:21:48] <~Seona> "I don't mind getting a lecture, but I'm sure that... my mom is worried about me." Seona looks a bit guilty. "If you think that will be believable, sure!"
[05:05:21:51] <Jar_Mimic> "Then go!  Don't keep her waiting any longer!"  The girl from the west is pulled in for a strong hug.  "We'll have plenty of time to come up with a great story later."
[05:05:21:58] <~Seona> "Enjoy your time with your family..." Seona returns the hug with what strength she can muster, which is frankly not a lot in comparison. "I'll be sure to get that... application to you soon."