Meduka 3: buzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZ

[16:47] <GeMshuku> THE YEAR IS 20XX. THOSE THAT REBEL AGAINST THE NEW FOX ORDER TRY TO HOST SECRET TOURNAMENTS, WHERE FOX IS BANNED. BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, SOMEONE GETS THROUGH. SOMEONE WHO QUICKLY PICKS FOX IN THE FINAL MATCH, TO UTTERLY HUMILIATE THOSE THAT DON'T WISH TO PLAY FOX. IT IS A DARK AGE.
[16:47] <Shirayuki_Akiko> What about efforts to mod Fox out of the game?
[16:47] <Sakata_Ginko> AND HERETICS WHO DON'T PLAY FOX ARE BURNED AT THE STAKES!
[16:48] * Yuna_Mizuno is a rebel and plays Jigglypuff
[16:51] <GeMshuku> ...Twas decided at some point, that the gang were to meet in...a place other than the the usual! Those that own their dwellings ought describe them a bit, as the group starts gathering within!
[16:53] <Sakata_Ginko> The apartment is a lot more lively these days. It used to be that only two people occupied the small space, but now it has become the regular gathering point for this ragtag team of misfit girls. The general layout of the furniture hasn't been changed, though: the living room still consists of a long glass coffee table surrounded by a long couch and two round cushy stools. The TV and the game consoles still
[16:53] <Sakata_Ginko>  rest against the wall.
[16:54] <Shirayuki_Akiko> And the fridge is now actually also filled with comestibles that could actually sustain life, instead of just being full of beer!
[16:54] <Sakata_Ginko> The room is quite well lit even though the sun has nearly set. Lights from the ceiling light, from the kitchen, and from the lamps around the TV showered the room with warm, mellow glow.
[16:58] <MidorikawaMisao> "Th-thanks, Akiko-sama, for buying all those groceries.  It must have been a hassle, carrying all that"
[16:58] <Shirayuki_Akiko> ((I haven't arrived yet :V))
[17:00] <MidorikawaMisao> "... Though I should really stop rehearsing," Misao realizes.  "I-I mean, i-it's not like I need to be pitch-perfect o-or anything."
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[17:00] * Kasuga_Makoto is now known as Miko_Toyosatomimi
[17:01] <Sakata_Ginko> The apartment is empty. Ginko isn't home.
[17:01] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko unlocked the door, and entered with a plastic bag containing several containers of milk and juice. "Excuse me. Mizuno-san is not here yet, huh?"
[17:03] <Sakata_Ginko> The door creaked open with a painful groan. It seems that the warming of days had made the iron door expand and push against its frames.
[17:07] <MidorikawaMisao> "Aah, Akiko-sama!" Misao waves from a reclining position on a couch.  "Onee-san and Yuna-chan aren't here, yet.  It's just you and me... for now."
[17:08] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Senpai isn't here? Where did she go?" Akiko asked while putting the booze substitutes into the fridge.
[17:10] <MidorikawaMisao> "Onee-san said something about 'doing a job,' or whatever," Misao gets off the couch, in order to check on her bag.  "Wh-what do you think she's doing?"
[17:13] * Yuna_Mizuno knocks on the door, "Anyone there?" she asks, awaiting a response
[17:14] <MidorikawaMisao> "Aah!  Yuna-chan!" Misao opens the door for her.  "H-hey there.  Onee-san isn't here yet, so just sit tight for now."
[17:17] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Good afternoon, Mizuno-san. Have a seat, and if you want something to drink, there's some juice and milk in the fridge. Just don't touch the beer," Akiko said as she started washing rice for dinner later.
[17:21] * Yuna_Mizuno bows and takes a seat on the couch, "How are you two?" she asks, letting out a relaxed sigh as she sinks into the cushions slightly
[17:21] <GeMshuku> The benefits of meeting in such a place is certainly clear! The time you can linger is as long as you desire, and food is ever close at hand. It's also more comfy and private!
[17:22] <GeMshuku> ...Of course, you don't imagine the tsukaima will be hunting you down anytime soon.
[17:23] <Sakata_Ginko> "Ahh, I'm bummed." The door creaked and groaned. A sweaty, grimy Ginko emerged from the doorway. Her clothes were ripped at several places; it seemed like she had been through some rough patches during this "job" of hers.
[17:23] <MidorikawaMisao> "I-I'm doing great!" Misao smiles.  "B-but we nee-  Aah, onee-san!"
[17:23] * Yuna_Mizuno looks over to Sakata, "Oh my... What on earth happened to you?!"
[17:25] <Sakata_Ginko> "Meh, it was a rough day of work," Ginko dismissed their concerns. "Hit up a couple more spots I used to frequent like the last one. Didn't really feel anything different. Let me just go wash up."
[17:25] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko sighed, "Mostly fine...And-" She froze at the wretched state the owner(?) of the apartment was in. "Wait, senpai, what happened?"
[17:25] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko raised an eyebrow at that. "What kind of job are you even doing..?"
[17:26] <Sakata_Ginko> Ginko didn't answer. Instead, she went into the bathroom and shut the door.
[17:28] <MidorikawaMisao> "Onee-san..." Misao looks to the ground.  "I'm concerned for her.  Wh-what if she goes out on a job, a-and..."
[17:29] <Shirayuki_Akiko> With Ginko's silence, Akiko had no real options other than to drop the topic and put her attention back on the rice. There was definitely a heavy tension in the room now, though.
[17:31] <Sakata_Ginko> "Bwah, now I feel a lot better." Water and soap washed off most of the dirt on her face and arms, revealing some thin bloody scratches. "Like I said, I hit up a couple more spots like the last one where we fought that thing, but no jackpot. How do we find these things anyway?"
[17:32] <MidorikawaMisao> "W-well, why don't we go back to the plaza?" Misao suggests.  "What do you three think?"
[17:34] <Shirayuki_Akiko> The "used to frequent" part was still kind of iffy, though..."Seriously, if it's youma you're looking for, then take us along, would you? If you already come home like this when you didn't find one, how would you end up if you actually find one?"
[17:35] * Yuna_Mizuno stands up, "Yeah, you shouldn't go after those things on your own... You saw how much trouble that one youma gave us, and we outnumbered it four to one..." She, of course, neglected to mention the fact it summoned minions halfway through the fight.
[17:36] <Sakata_Ginko> "Well, it was just on the way to and from the job, so I didn't see a need to involve anyone," Ginko said, walking toward her room. "Just let me get changed, alright? Wouldn't hurt with some food either; I don't want to let the little bastards think that we're eager to sell ourselves.
[17:38] * Yuna_Mizuno tilts her head in confusion, as Sakata's statement didn't make any sense to her
[17:39] <MidorikawaMisao> "R-right..." Misao blushes a bit, then notices the washed rice.  "W-wait, Akiko-sama, are you cooking!?"
[17:41] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Hm? I did say I would be doing the cooking, didn't I?" She plugged in the rice cooker and switched it on. "Though that's not for now, obviously. For now, just have some snacks if you're feeling hungry."
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[17:44] <Sakata_Ginko> (( repost after Yuna's please ))
[17:47] <Sakata_Ginko> Ginko re-emerged from her room, cleaned up into a set of comfortable jean shorts that don't cover past mid-thigh and a high-cut strapped top. Seeing Yuna's expression, she clarified as she walked toward the fridge for a beer: "I for one don't really like the little critters."
[17:48] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "...Little critters? You mean the tsukaima?"
[17:52] <Sakata_Ginko> "Yeah, them. I dunno, maybe I'm just overthinking it," Ginko cracked open the can and took a long drink from it.
[17:54] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "In any case, returning to the plaza does seem like a good idea, since we have no other leads, even if we don't trust the tsukaima." Akiko grabbed four popsicles from the freezer, and gave the other girls one each. "Shall we go now?"
[17:55] <Sakata_Ginko> "Don't you have to cook the rice or something? I don't want my rice cooker to explode and set the entire place on fire because nobody took care of it," Ginko took the popsicle, tore off the wrapper and gave it a long lick.
[17:56] * Yuna_Mizuno nods, "sounds like a good idea..." Yuna agrees, "After that last fight, I think I'm starting to get a feel for my abilities," she takes the wrapper off the popsicle, but instead of licking it, she just bites the tip of it off.
[17:57] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "It's fine. Electric rice cookers switch themselves to the warm setting after 40 minutes or so. There shouldn't be any problems if the rice cooker isn't broken or anything. It looked fine to me."
[17:58] <Sakata_Ginko> "Well, alright. If it blows up, I'm going to have to use your life insurance claim to fix up the apartment," Ginko said with the popsicle in her mouth half seriously. "Let's finish up the popsicles, and then we'll head out. Any questions?"
[17:58] <MidorikawaMisao> Misao does not speak, and quickly gets to work at getting the popsicle out of her sight and into her stomach.
[18:00] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "All right." Akiko planned on savoring the popsicle as long as the heat let her, but as things were, she opted to finish it quickly instead. "Let's not waste any more time."
[18:08] <GeMshuku> At some point slightly later than 4 PM, yet not by too much, the girls eventually arrive at the town square proper! There's, naturally, less people around, so Fate, who lingers yet, addresses the group as a whole! "I see you had decided to meet up elsewhere before arriving. That's all well and fine, though...I suppose it means you have business here?"
[18:08] <GeMshuku> "...It's just as well, since I have business with you all as well. But if there's anything you'd like to ask first, let me know!"
[18:10] <MidorikawaMisao> "U-um..." Though the prospect of talking to a rabbit with a gear on its head did not unsettle the young Knight, it was the sheer responsibility that did.  "N-no, not at all!
[18:11] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Hmm...Well, I was wondering, is there any way for us to be able to easily find youma ourselves?"
[18:11] <MidorikawaMisao> "W-wait, I-I change my mind.  I /do/ have something to ask!"
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[18:13] <GeMshuku> "Easily? Galaxia's efforts do make things easier...however, they are hard for it to actually do. ...And it makes many comments about me spoiling new groups. You'll have to find youma by actually looking around, I'm afraid! You might be able to use your magical talents to find them yourself, if able, but there's not much I can do to help."
[18:13] <Sakata_Ginko> (( repost pl0x ))
[18:14] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "I see...Not that simple, huh. Well, that's all I wanted to ask. Anyone else wants to ask it anything?
[18:15] <Sakata_Ginko> "Hey," Ginko walked toward the little critter and picked it up by the collar! "I don't want to get rough or anything, but you better be tellin' us everything, alright? After all, it's not like you threw us into a life-and-death situation without so much as a player's guide."
[18:18] <MidorikawaMisao> "U-um... excuse me, mister, b-but... wh-what's /that/?" Misao points to a spot above the fountain.  There wasn't anything there, but she seems quite determined that there was.
[18:18] <GeMshuku> Despite the rough treatment, the tsukaima doesn't really change its expression! "You don't want to get rough, but you're quite hands-on. I believe you are already acquainted with the strange things magic will do to your mind, and perhaps your surroundings, as a result of your victory against the youma. Congratulations on being able to not only defeat it, but to have replaced the ruins of those slums with a forest of cherry trees. A nicer view, to be sure!
[18:19] <GeMshuku> "
[18:20] <GeMshuku> "And...that would be Shen, the one in charge of granting wishes. It rests constantly, for wishgranting, even with the objects required, is no easy feat to do right. Only those that possess an Oblivion Seed can so much as percieve it, and it's just as well, for those that don't have a seed can't have any business with it."
[18:21] * Yuna_Mizuno "Wait, so there were more trees that grew there afterwards?" Yuna asks. She remembered the one tree immediately afte the youma as defeated...
[18:21] <Sakata_Ginko> "In other words, it's a greedy bastard that won't talk to you unless you can bribe it," Ginko dropped the critter onto the ground. "Yeah, I think I get the gist of what you guys are like now."
[18:23] <MidorikawaMisao> "I-I see..." Misao pulls out the Seed out of her bag, and looks at it curiously.  "There's so much power in just one of these things..."
[18:23] <GeMshuku> "...If you only remember one, I might only hope it doesn't continue growing. Would be a shame if those trees grew as if they were weeds."
[18:25] <GeMshuku> And the being lands gracefully! "While we are certainly single minded, for Shen, it is a sort of requirement. Just as magic has strange rules, so do some tsukaima."
[18:27] <Sakata_Ginko> "So, basically, you're saying to us, 'if you want to find a new monster to fight, you'll have to do it on your own'. In other words, 'go fu--go fudge yourselves'. Is that right?"
[18:33] <GeMshuku> "I'm saying we cannot hold everyone's hand, for we do things as well. ...Shen sleeps, yes, but as a result of his sole purpose being to make your work worth it in the first place. As regrettable as it might be that we can't help you on EVERY step, so it is."
[18:34] <MidorikawaMisao> "R-right," Misao nods, then halfheartedly raises her fist in encouragement.  "L-let's get to finding some leads, then!"
[18:36] * Yuna_Mizuno thinks about what had happened with the previous Youma, "Hmm... there were high winds..." she mutters to herself, "And the youma in question was an airborne one..." she paces around a little bit as she muses on this.
[18:37] * Yuna_Mizuno continues pacing for a few moments until she comes to the only logical conclusion, "So it would stand to reason that Youma would create disturbances of some sort in an area they're in..."
[18:38] <GeMshuku> "That is correct! Though these disturbances often don't get recognized by normal people, due to the very nature of the youma."
[18:43] <GeMshuku> "...But yes, I had business of my own to go over. I had asked for more information concerning the vision you had seen with the one that had seen a version of the vision of their own, Yuna. And...from what I've gathered, a youma that had been previously defeated is the source of distress in these visions."
[18:46] * Yuna_Mizuno nods, remembering the vision quite clearly, "O-oh yes..." she shivered slightly as it replayed itself in her head.
[18:47] <MidorikawaMisao> "W-wait, what vision?" The only visions Misao knew came from otherworldly swords.
[18:49] <GeMshuku> "...Twould be wise to let them know what you had seen, as it will certainly be important!"
[18:52] Yuna_Mizuno nods, and turns to Misao, "When I made my contract, I saw a vision of a massive youma. It seemed as though it had the capability to destroy the world," she recalled, "Eventually it was defeated by a single magical girl, but she took the youma's power for her own and seemingly became consumed by her own want for strength..."
[18:54] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "That's...quite the grave vision," Akiko lamely pointed out.
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[18:56] <MidorikawaMisao> "Th-that's horrifying..." Misao was stunned.  How could someone dedicated to justice succumb to such darkness?  She realized they were going against something they knew little about.
[18:57] <Genshuku> "Indeed. And someone else had seen the same version, only the one fighting just simply lost. The fate of this city, and much else, is clear either way it goes."
[18:58] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "So...We have two conflicting, potentially prophetic visions, and we have to somehow prevent both of them from coming true."
[19:00] * Yuna_Mizuno "Wait what?" she says, turning to Akiko, "Did you have one too?"
[19:00] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "...What? No, I meant yours, and the other one Fate just described.
[19:00] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "
[19:01] <Genshuku> "While being able to see two different versions of the future is quite beyond me, it is clear that this thing's revival needs be stopped, lest no one come out of it right. The one that had the other vision is not a part of this band, though be assured if she need be contacted, I might be able to arrange it. ...But such isn't really neccessary, for she's mostly as clueless as you are at the moment anyhow."
[19:02] <Sakata_Ginko> Ginko leaned back and listened to all this, not saying much in the process.
[19:04] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Hmm...It'd be hard to do much about it when we don't know much about this youma in the first pl- Wait, 'revival'? You mean, this massive youma was already around and was defeated before?"
[19:04] * Yuna_Mizuno looks at Fate, "So you know what this Youma is?" she says in disbelief
[19:05] <Genshuku> "Precisely...though by my accounts and your descriptions, it might have been a bit smaller back then. ...And it was able to get beaten singlehandedly. But, that was back in the age where youmas were easily defeated by singular magical girls, and this...this is quite the different age!"
[19:06] <Genshuku> "It's a youma that could talk in your own tongue, and it had called itself The All-Seeing one. It's likely not quite all-seeing, for it couldn't see its initial defeat coming, so there's that."
[19:06] <Genshuku> *The All-Seeing One
[19:06] <Genshuku> Capitalization is important!
[19:07] <MidorikawaMisao> "I see..." Misao puts away her Oblivion Seed for the time being.  "W-well, we'll need to strengthen ourselves, and I think the only way to do that is by fighting youma."
[19:09] <Genshuku> "Experience IS a good teacher, and a good way to exercise magical abilities, as well as simply help in making sure we don't fall apart before an apocalypse can even begin. So, as you investigate youma, please do investigate this...situation. And if you find a magicial girl that matches the one you had seen in a dream, please let me know. ...For some reason, that one's appearance, as described, is unfamiliar."
[19:09] <Sakata_Ginko> "Well, I don't know about the 'not seeing its own defeat coming' part." Ginko blurted. "For all we know, it could be just as planned."
[19:10] <Genshuku> "...Perhaps, perhaps. Either way, to cut its plans at the base would be best. The question would be, how does it go about that? Or perhaps, how does another go about that?"
[19:11] <Genshuku> "Questions without answers, hence the need to investigate."
[19:11] <MidorikawaMisao> "Onee-san is right.  It could be all going according to keikaku for it..."
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[19:12] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Hm..It doesn't really matter, does it? That's all in the past, and frankly doesn't have much to do with us, except for the revival part. All we can do right now is keep that in mind as a possibility as we investigate again."
[19:13] <Genshuku> "The past is certainly the past! That said, this concludes my business, unless you have any other questions regarding it...or anything else. Though, you should be fast, for people will be flocking back here shortly."
[19:14] <Genshuku> "...Ah, and don't tell people about this willy-nilly. It will likely instill some panic, strange ideas, and less youma being defeated."
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[19:14] <Genshuku> Most magicial girls had left the scene by now!
[19:15] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Mm, I'm suppose that's it, then. Unless someone else has anything to add?"
[19:17] <MidorikawaMisao> "R-right!  U-um... let's split up, and find some leads," Misao seemed more determined to fight for Mae.  "We'll regroup at onee-san's apartment.  How does that sound?"
[19:20] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "I suppose that would be faster. We should all exchange phone numbers, though, so we can reach each other in cases of emergency. Does anyone not have a cell phone, aside from Midorikawa-san?"
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[19:23] <Sakata_Ginko> "Uh, just hold on one second. I thought splitting up is a bad idea?" Ginko tried to rein in her kouhai's enthusiasm.
[19:26] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Well, I was thinking that going in pairs would be alright and save us time. As long as we had a way to communicate, of course."
[19:26] <MidorikawaMisao> "Wh-what do you think, Yuna-chan?"
[19:26] <Sakata_Ginko> "True. We can go by cell phone. Akiko, you know my number, right?"
[19:28] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Yes, and you should have mine. Mizuno-san?"
[19:28] * Yuna_Mizuno nods, "Works for me," she says, taking her phone out and giving her number to those that didn't already have it
[19:30] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko nodded. "Then we're on set on basic preparations. Now, who wants to pair up with whom?"
[19:32] <Sakata_Ginko> "Misao and I should probably split up," Ginko said. "We can hold the fort while the other more squishy girl contact the other group."
[19:33] * Yuna_Mizuno "So I'll go with Misao, then?" she asks,
[19:35] <Sakata_Ginko> "Well, that works," Ginko nodded, turning toward Akiko. "Any questions?"
[19:35] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "...Squishy?" Akiko repeated with an annoyed edge to her tone, and gave herself a once-over. "...What do you mean?"
[19:36] <Sakata_Ginko> "'squishy' as in can't take many hits. Thought you'd know that already."
[19:37] <Genshuku> "...Some magicial girls have different specialties than others. Tis not a shame if you aren't adept at defending yourself, it generally means that you've excellent offensive ability." The Fate knows!
[19:37] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "I...see?" That seemed like an awfully odd way to word it. "No questions, then. Shall we begin?"
[19:37] <MidorikawaMisao> "U-um... no offense, but- yeah, onee-san and I are really good at defending," Misao points out.  "Leave the tough stuff to us!"
[19:38] <Genshuku> "Those good at offense and defense...tend to be subject to other, special techniques. Do exercise caution around them, if that's what you believe~"
[19:39] <Sakata_Ginko> "So if there aren't any questions, let's split up. Make sure to contact each other if something comes up. We'll search the northern part of the city, and you'll search the south."
[19:40] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Sounds like a plan. And Midorikawa-san- Getting seen using magic by normal people is a no-no, so don't do something like just flying all around town, okay?"
[19:41] <MidorikawaMisao> "R-right," Misao nods at the artist, then faces Yuna to ask something strange.  "Wh-where's the South District, again?"
[19:42] * Yuna_Mizuno chuckles, "Clearly it's to the south," she replies. Bit of dry humor right there....
[19:43] <Sakata_Ginko> Ginko didn't even laugh at that. "Right. Akiko, let's go. I got a few places I wanna check out."
[19:43] <Genshuku> The tsukaima points its ears in a direction! "That way is south~" Tsukaima pls.
[19:43] <MidorikawaMisao> "O-oh, right..." Misao nervously laughs, but it definitely sounds forced.  "L-let's get going, then!"
[19:44] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko nodded. "Right. Lead the way, senpai."
[19:45] * Matsubara_Hotaru is now known as Naoshi
[19:49] <Genshuku> The party splits! Most GMs would be crying right now. This one...may or may not be crying.
[19:50] <Sakata_Ginko> Ginko strolled into a shadier alley to the right of the main road. The sun had set enough now that streetlights were flickering on, their electric buzz drowned out by the occasional passing car and the sobs beyond the fourth wall.
[19:51] <Genshuku> If Ginko has any places they want to specifically investigate, they may feel free to describe them (knowing that the GM may sob on the paper as they do, changing minor details and causing untold tragedy)
[19:51] <Genshuku> Otherwise, they can wander, and perhaps run into something!
[19:52] <Sakata_Ginko> "Follow close. This'll look like navigating a maze soon enough," she cautioned, her hands balling into a fist. There were no one around, so they could carry out some private conversations if they wanted to!
[19:55] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Nn." Akiko followed close behind the older girl, half-expecting to get jumped by thugs from behind every obstacle and at every turn. She had never actually went through any of the shadier parts of town before. "Just wondering, where are we going?"
[19:55] <Sakata_Ginko> "An abandoned hospital," Ginko responded. "I used to hit up that place once in a while to meet some of my contacts."
[19:56] <Sakata_Ginko> They strolled through snaking alleyways and the occasional thoroughfare, until they reached another shady, dilapidated parts of town. Houses had windows covered with newspaper and wooden board, and garbage was strewn across the streets.
[19:59] <Genshuku> Tis not unlike the slums that they had passed though while battling the harpy, prior! At the least, they haven't been entirely demolished (though sometimes, it's hard to tell)!
[20:00] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "I...see." Akiko walked on, peeking down every corner they passed, staring down every shadow as if daring them to move. "That..sounds more like the setting of a horror movie than a meeting place." The deeper they got into the alleys, the more nervous she became.
[20:01] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Everything looks...normal so far?" She couldn't be sure. Logically, this seemed like what textbook shady neighborhoods would look like, but she was feeling too wary to wholly believe that. Not to mention they might just get jumped by regular hoodlums.
[20:02] <Sakata_Ginko> "Yeah. People don't tend to go visit abandoned hospitals. For one thing, they don't get abandoned easily; for another, who knows what you'll find in there?" Ginko answered as they marched on. There were groups of hoodied young men around. They, of course, stared at the pair of girls, but their eyes averted the moment they saw Ginko's silver hair.
[20:03] <Genshuku> There are certainly people that could pass for hoodlums about on the way, but...they seem to turn a blind eye to the schoolgirls! Maybe it's Ginko's rep? ...Or maybe it's something else. Who knows!
[20:04] * Genericfan_ (20212021@FBA03548.C9C03C07.8FA2F10A.IP) has joined #Meguca
[20:07] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Right." The sight of the hoodied men was actually a small relief, as their reaction to seeing Ginko gave Akiko something to ponder on other than the possibility of being jumped around the next corner. The relief didn't last for long, of course. "....Are we...nearly there yet?"
[20:07] * Genericfan (20212021@FBA03548.C9C03C07.8FA2F10A.IP) Quit (Ping timeout: 245 seconds)
[20:08] <Sakata_Ginko> "Yeah." They were then standing outside the barbed wire fence of the hospital. The building itself was a 5-story structure that occupied quite a bit of property. The asphalt surface of the parking lot beyond the building was cracked and broken like a piece of crushed biscuit. The building itself had its signages removed, but it was in otherwise good condition--if people only took a look at it.
[20:13] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Even in its decent condition, the hospital still looked kind of creepy in the dimness of twillight. Akiko had an urge to ask if they actually had to go inside, but she guessed the answer. If all they needed to was to take a look, they would've done that by flying up to the rooftop and looking at it from some distance away or something. She took a deep breath, and said, "So...We're going to need some
[20:13] <Shirayuki_Akiko> flashlights in there, aren't we?"
[20:15] <Genshuku> But why was such a place abandoned, one asks? ...A lawsuit was involved. Someone had decided that those running it should be sued for their neglect of patients, which was why the hospital's death rate was a great deal higher than the norm. That seems to have worked out in the suer's favor!
[20:15] <Sakata_Ginko> "No," Ginko denied. A single push on the wired fence gate was enough to get it open. "You wouldn't want to see what happeend inside."
[20:19] <Genshuku> As for what goes on now...Surely, someone else here knows~?
[20:19] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Wha-" The younger of the two was startled by the unexpected answer. She stood there for a moment as the logical part of her brain insisted that it'd be foolhardy and dangerous to go into a place like that without being able to see well, and Akiko felt the rest of herself numbly agree, but the objection never quite escaped her lips. So, she had to resign and follow after Ginko...without a light.
[20:21] <Sakata_Ginko> Surprisingly, Ginko knew her way around. Footsteps echoed the empty halls, but not once did her stride falter. They stepped into the reception area, and stepped upstairs onto the third floor. "Do you feel anything?" Ginko asked without turning around to look at Akiko. "I don't feel anything different. Maybe it's not here."
[20:25] <Genshuku> Akiko, in a dark, scary place in the middle of a bad section in town, can probably feel something! ...That is, her own fear.
[20:26] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "....I don't feel anything out of the ordinary," Akiko replied after a delay. It was taking some time and effort to not stutter.
[20:28] <Sakata_Ginko> "Really," Ginko answered as her steps suddenly slowed. "Be on your toes," she said with a deliberate step. After the crunching of small debris under her foot faded, she took another. "Something's wrong."
[20:29] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko immediately transformed. "....Would this be a good time for those flashlights..?"
[20:30] <Genshuku> Ginko, however, could swear that while she knew the steps, and took them right, there was something...very different about it. At least, if she was actually serious about not wanting to see what had happened here. While it's too dark to make any details out, the fact that this was the first time she had crunched debris underneath her foot...she hadn't even had to avoid doing so earlier.
[20:31] <Sakata_Ginko> "No, flashlight will just destroy your night vision, and we can't afford to be blind right now," Ginko also transformed, and clutched her wooden sword tight. "It's a good time to call the other two. Send them the GPS coordinates. We need to get out into the open."
[20:32] <Genshuku> It just seems so...clean.
[20:34] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "...Understood." Akiko quickly took out her smartphone, and tapped the quick unlock pattern with shady fingers. Suddenly remembering that this would usually be the part where the jumpscare happens, her eyes were drawn upwards just as the smartphone started to illuminate the immediately area...
[20:37] <Genshuku> ...But what they saw instead was a hospital in pristine condition. As if it were never abandoned in the first place. Obviously, no one was in here...at least, no one they'd found yet, but then...why?
[20:40] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Relieved at the lack of sudden jumpscare, Akiko returned her attention back to the phone, its light dimming to adjust to the detected darkness. She was halfway through typing the text when she noticed the oddity. "..Um, I'm guessing that this place isn't supposed to look so...spotless?"
[20:41] <Genshuku> Spotless, free of damage, and...ok, maybe a little bare, but yet, not entirely.
[20:42] <Sakata_Ginko> "No," Ginko snapped, holding her sword out. "At this point, darkness doesn't work for us any more. I'm going to find a light switch. Brace yourself for the couple of seconds you need to adjust your eyes."
[20:42] <Sakata_Ginko> She shuffled to the left, found the switch, and flipped it.
[20:44] <Genshuku> The lights turn on proper! Those things that were once revealed are now lit properly! ...There are, in fact, lightbulbs! And electricity! ...In an abandoned hospital.
[20:44] <Genshuku> ...That, and a buzzing.
[20:44] <Genshuku> ...A lot of buzzings.
[20:44] <Genshuku> ...From a lot of upward directions.
[20:45] <Genshuku> ...And a lot of different kinds of buzzings, at that!
[20:46] <Genshuku> Insect and electrical alike. Perhaps the latter might be a result of something odd with the power, but yet...the power decidedly holds fast! But there's no good reason that there is insect buzzing.
[20:47] <Sakata_Ginko> "Let's go. This is the doctor's offices. It sounds like the buzzing's coming from the maternity ward." Ginko said. Then, she muttered: "I've got a bad, bad feeling about this shit."
[20:49] <Shirayuki_Akiko> Akiko managed to acclimatize her vision with the smartphone's light a bit and regained her visual bearings quite quickly. The sudden buzzing was alarming, but still a step up from fumbling around in darkness and staring down shadows. "Roger. Though...are we heading there, or out of here to wait for the others?"
[20:50] <Sakata_Ginko> "Up there. We can't wait for them; who knows what the monster could do while we wait?" Ginko sprinted forward as her own eyes adjusted.
[20:53] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "...Right. But until the other two get here, we're just playing damage control, alright?" Akiko insisted as she followed.
[20:54] <Sakata_Ginko> "I know." Sprinting through the now-pristine hallways, Ginko tutted heavily. At least now she didn't need to watch her steps for missing pieces of concrete.
[20:54] <Sakata_Ginko> (( give me 5 mins ))
[20:55] * Genericfan_ (20212021@FBA03548.C9C03C07.8FA2F10A.IP) Quit (Quit: Connection didn't die this time)
[20:57] <Sakata_Ginko> (( k back ))
[20:57] <Genshuku> As Ginko heads upward, she hears the buzzing grow ever louder. ...And not because she's getting closer.
[20:57] <Genshuku> ...Well, it DOES get louder as she gets closer, yes, but it's also getting louder, too.
[21:00] <Shirayuki_Akiko> "Is it moving towards us as well..?"
[21:00] <Genshuku> ...And louder still. Is this going to get worse?
[21:00] <Genshuku> At this point, it is not unlike hearing someone screaming nearby, in your ear.
[21:01] <Genshuku> Talking is...difficult, though not impossible!
[21:01] <Sakata_Ginko> "We can't coordinate by talking any more, huh," Ginko muttered to herself as she gestured Akiko to follow closely. They finally reached the top floor--the maternity ward, with incubation boxes and all kinds of equipment in each room.
[21:12] <Genshuku> The buzzing continues to get louder. You feel if you hadn't transformed, you might get hearing damage! Though it's still completely unbearable, as if the voices of the painfully dying had all congregated to scream in BOTH of your ears.
[21:14] <Genshuku> And the source...why, what other than the biggest mass of winged insects you might ever have seen, each one letting off an infernal noise and crackling with an electric power. As if one being, they all direct their attention to Ginko...buzzing ever louder with each passing moment.
[21:17] <Genshuku> NEXT TIME, O-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5AfG_mkNhU