Chapter 2: The Ceremony of Innocence

I'm cutting it pretty close here, guys, but you know what? It's still summer. There isn't terribly much action in this chapter, because I'm sort of taking my time getting everything set up. Is that a good idea? Probably not, given how fast I write, but I'm trying to follow the Character Submission Story format as closely as I can.

Also, this chapter consists largely of what's probably the most awkward conversation I've ever written. And the timeskip specifically avoided another conversation that must have been equally awkward. Man, guys, when you get right down to it, trying to convince teenagers they have magic powers is creepy.

This chapter is dedicated to Mika and Zeph, because I promised them an update before Labor Day.

Disclaimer: Patrick Richards was created by and belongs to Zephyrus Anemoi Fiction.

The back of the café wasn't at all what Tally had expected. Sure, there was a kitchen, where the cutesiness of the decorations meshed oddly with stainless steel tables and appliances, but Dr. Shirogane led her right through it, down to the basement. He only paused to share a look with the chef, whose brown hair was pulled back into a low, thin ponytail.

"I'll be down in a moment," the chef said, not responding to any question Tally heard. "I just need to get these cupcakes out of the oven. Your timing could have been better, Ryou." His tone was warm, and Tally instinctively felt that she would rather stay up here with him than continue to follow Dr. Shirogane.

But she supposed she was committed to finding out what on earth was going here, so she let the blonde man lead her down. About halfway to the basement, the walls changed from cutesy pink wallpaper to dull steel, like a set in a science fiction movie. Dr. Shirogane was nonplussed by the change in decor, so Tally pretended to be unfazed as well, looking around only to record the details of this strange place in her memory.

The room they stopped in looked like a laboratory, all strange instruments and the weird gunmetal gray that characterized this basement. "So... What's this all about?"

"This is going to sound strange, Tally, but I assure you that I'm telling the truth. The Earth is being invaded—"

"What, like, by aliens?" Tally couldn't help the impertinent question from slipping out. This was all so weird. It was throwing the normally-quiet girl off-balance.

"No, though it might be easier to think of them that way. These invaders are supernatural, not extraterrestrial, but they're dangerous, and only you—and the others, of course, once you find them—will be able to stop them, or even notice what's happening."

Tally was, of course, incredulous. Yes, she had wanted answers, but this wasn't an explanation; this was the talk of a crazy man. Her eyes darted toward the lab's open door as she tried to judge whether it would be worth it to bolt. Before she came to any decision, though, the chef from upstairs entered through the Escape Doorway.

"It's about time, Keiichiro," Dr. Shirogane said exasperatedly, running an annoyed hand through his graying hair. The taller man just smiled, clearly not taking his partner's ire seriously.

"I apologize. By the look of it, you're not having much luck with Ms. Knoxford, are you?" Dr. Shirogane glared but didn't answer, and Tally smiled inwardly. This "Keiichiro"'s presence was a comfort; there was something about him that was much more friendly and personable than the frankly somewhat scary Dr. Shirogane.

Even their interaction was making her feel a little better. Up until now, she hadn't seen him do anything except act mysterious and spout ridiculous stories with a perfectly straight face. Dr. Shirogane opened his mouth to reply, but the taller man cut him off.

"Ms. Knoxford, my name is Dr. Keiichiro Akasaka. I'm sorry if Dr. Shirogane's explanations have been less than sufficient." It took Tally several seconds to decide if that was worth a reply.

"So, like, what's really going on here, then?"

"Hmm... Have you ever watched a magical girl anime, Ms. Knoxford?"

"Like Sailor Moon? No, not since I was little."

"Ah, well, this situation is very much like that." That didn't do anything to make Tally less skeptical.

"You... You want me to fight monsters?" Clearly, her initial assessment had been wrong. This man was as crazy as Dr. Shirogane.

"I know it sounds bizarre, but I'm absolutely telling the truth. If you want proof, say the following: 'Mew Mew Tally, Metamorphosis!'"

"Mew Mew Tally, Metamorpho-sis." she repeated, unsure of why she emphasized the last word so strangely. Immediately, she was engulfed in pale pink light as lavender ribbons criss-crossed their way down her chest and stomach. Under the ribbons, a musk-pink, puff-sleeved tutu sprang up. Dark purple lace raced down the bodice and across the skirt's hem, and matching gloves and ballet slippers covered her hands and feet. Big, beautiful snow-white wings sprouted from her back, and a silky horse's tail of the same hue poked out of her lower back just below her stiff skirt. All in all, she looked lovely, like a newborn fairy.

Then, trying to get a look at herself and back away from the weirdness at the same time, she tripped and fell flat on her butt, which was only slightly cushioned by her gossamer tail. Shirogane and Akasaka both immediately moved in to help her, but she waved them off.

"No, I'm fine, this happens all the time," she half-mumbled, her cheeks coloring as if to match the pink of her dress. She levered herself up using a nearby table, avoiding eye contact with the two scientists. "What did you do to me?"

"Exactly what I was trying to explain before," Dr. Shirogane replied tersely. "The world is being invaded. We want you to track down the others with the power to stop them."

"You... You seriously do want me to fight monsters?" On the one hand, that was absolutely ridiculous. On the other, this weird costume was incredibly cute, to the point where she was having trouble concentrating on anything else.

"No." The single word came out so forcefully that it almost knocked Tally over again. "Alone, you wouldn't stand a chance against most of the creatures that have come through the rift. If you tried to fight one by yourself... I wouldn't be responsible for what happened to you. Right now, your first priority is to find the others."

Tally fought to organize her jumbled thoughts. Obviously, these guys weren't just making stuff up, though they were still pretty crazy-sounding. But if they were right, and the fate of the world rested on her... Then Tally didn't see how she had much of a choice. She sighed. "All right. I'll help you. How do I find them?" Shirogane looked smug, but Akasaka smiled warmly at her.

"Well, we have names and addresses, but we'd prefer that you didn't just go up and ring their doorbells—not even your family can know about this. Instead, we have one more small thing we're going to need from you."

Without a word, Dr. Shirogane walked out of the lab. A few moments later, he came back holding what looked like a lump of ashy clay, molded into... A head, Tally supposed. A head with bat wings and bird feet. The shorter man set it gently down on the table, careful not to damage any of its limbs, and then backed out of Tally's line of sight again, up to who-knew-what.

"This is a homunculus, Tally," Dr. Akasaka explained, preempting her question. "It's a small magical construct that will help you find the others and, when you're ready, the enemy."

"Does it do anything? Or do I just carry it around?"

"Well, in order for it to come to life, it needs something from its master." Tally was suddenly, painfully aware that Shirogane, several feet away from them, had set up a little bunsen burner and was running a long needle through the blue-orange flame. "...-op, nothing too dire." Dr. Akasaka didn't seem to notice that the horse-girl's attention had strayed.

"You want to take my blood?" The embarrassed color leaked out of Tally's face, leaving it bone-white and drawn. "You never said you wanted to draw blood!"

"It's just a prick. Stop being a baby," Dr. Shirogane said grumpily as he brought the sterilized needle over to her. "You agreed to this, and if this is the most blood you shed before this is over, consider yourself a lucky girl."

Tally certainly didn't like the sound of that, but she scrunched her eyes shut and held out a hand. One of the scientists tugged off her glove, and then the needle pricked her finger. She flinched and let out a hiss of breath.

"It's over. You can look now." Only one of the girl's eyes cracked open, to see Akasaka gently press a gauze pad onto her bleeding finger. "Would you like me to get you a Band-Aid?"

"Sure, thanks," she replied hesitantly, taking the gauze when he stood up. The bandage he wrapped around her finger upon his return was pink, with black cat heads spattered across it. It struck her as odd that two grown men would have such cutesy Band-Aids, but, of course, that same strangeness applied to the whole café.

The homunculus, when she thought to look at it, had indeed taken on a much more lifelike appearance. It was covered in white fur, which, combined with its round ears, made it look rather like a tiny, snoutless polar bear head, with blue membranous wings and legs that, were it not for their long talons, would look like chickens'.

The thing squeaked happily and nuzzled up against Tally's face. She froze, unsure of what to do, but the little monster didn't seem to mean her any harm.

o()o

"So you're really not shitting me," Patrick Richards said wonderingly as he floated a few inches above the ground. Tally nodded, relieved that she'd found the right person. "I'm a freakin' ghost! Hell yes! Man, if I could publish this—"

"You can't," Tally replied sharply. "The scientists who did this were, like, crystal clear on that fact."

"Aww." The tall boy's face took on the aspect of a kicked puppy. "But what's the fun of knowing ghosts are for sure real if you can't share it with anybody?" He pouted hugely, batting his eyelashes like a little girl. Tally wanted to tell him to quit being an idiot, but she didn't want to have her very first teammate mad at her already.

So she forced a polite laugh. "How about this? If we save the world, you can go public."

"Fair enough," he replied, grinning, "So, are you part ghost too?"

"Um, no. Do you know what a pegasus is?"

"Like the winged horse from that Disney movie? So you're part fictional horse?" He snorted. "Pegasuses don't exist."

Tally boggled. "So... Let me get this straight. Ghosts exist, but pegasi can't?" she asked, unable to keep the judgement out of her voice. Part of her wanted to transform, to show him exactly how real her powers were. But transforming in front of a boy would be like changing clothes, and she certainly didn't know this boy well enough to do that.

"Well, yeah. I mean, paranormal and extrasensory phenomena are very well-documented, but winged horses don't exist outside myths, which, by definition, aren't real."

"Hah, well, I guess I can't explain it," she said agreeably, rubbing the back of her head. Inwardly, she was rolling her eyes. "But I'm supposed to take you back to the lab. Is that okay? I mean, do you have to tell your parents something?"

"Nah," Pat replied dismissively. "My old man won't mind. He knows I can take care of myself."

"Oh, um..." Tally didn't know the proper response to such an inherently awkward topic. "Well, let's go, then!" After waiting for him to close and lock his door, she led him out of the apartment building, heading confidently down his street.

"Hey, you said this café's by Grant Park, right?"

"Yeah! Have you ever been there? It's really lovely!" She smiled happily, hoping to put her new teammate at ease.

"Well, the nearest L station is this way." He hiked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing opposite the direction Tally had been going.

"Oh! You'd better lead then, I guess." Tally let out another airy laugh, but she couldn't believe how stupid she felt. Clearly, Shirogane had made a bad choice in making her the head of this team. Cursing her luck, she followed Pat to the train.