This is probably the most description-heavy chapter I've ever written for this story. Enjoy if you can.
Late afternoon, Atlas Shopping District…
Homura turned a page of her book as she waited for Tatsuya to emerge from the changing room.
The young huntsman had foolishly forgotten to pack a classy outfit to wear during the charity event that night, so he had turned to Homura for help. While nowhere close to an expert in terms of fashion, Homura knew enough about the subject to assist him in acquiring new clothes. Granted, the basics of men's fashion was not particularly complicated. A well-fit suit looked good on just about anyone.
As if to prove her point, Tatsuya stepped out of the changing room, sporting a maroon tailcoat with white trim that accentuated the contours of his torso, paired with black pants that did the same for his legs. The clothes fit his athletic physique so well that he actually looked more in shape while wearing the suit than he did his combat attire.
"You look quite dashing, Tatsuya. I imagine the ladies tonight will think so too."
Homura lifted her book to hide her amused smile as Tatsuya flushed and glared at her.
"You're doing it again," he grumbled. "You're acting like my sister, but it feels just wrong."
A small chuckle. "Peace, Tatsuya. Just a little bit of teasing." Homura checked her scroll for the time and pursed her lips. "Shall we buy it now? We still have a few hours until the event starts, but we've already confirmed that you look good in the suit. I don't make a habit of wasting time."
"Wasting time," he parroted, rolling his eyes. "Ironic how you say that, but if it's really bothering you so much, then go ahead and buy it already." He moved to re-enter the changing room, waving a dismissive hand.
Homura let out another small chuckle and put away her book, hailing one of the sales clerks. Minutes later, the two of them were meandering through the streets of Atlas' shopping district, bags of clothing in tow.
"Hey, Homura. I should have asked this earlier, but… uh… who's gonna be your date tonight?"
She gave him a sidelong glance. "Are you asking for curiosity's sake, or is this set up for you inviting me to be yours?"
"Oh, come on. Just because I had a crush on you when I was a kid then doesn't mean I still have one now." Homura merely raised a brow, making Tatsuya sigh. "You're never gonna let me live it down, are you?"
Homura's lips twitched into a knowing smile for only an instant before she returned her gaze forward. "I, and three other huntresses, will be representing the Four Kingdoms tonight. It's a bit of a hollow title, since the headmasters of all four hunter academies will also be there, but they did still give us certain responsibilities that would make it—let's say—difficult to engage with a date."
Tatsuya blinked as he processed what she had just said, eventually settling into a frown. "That's a lot of words for a question that could have been answered with a simple 'No, I don't have a date.'"
Homura snorted. "I imagine the other kingdom reps and headmaster escorts don't have dates either. But honestly? I wouldn't worry too much about it. Despite the significant hunter presence in this event, it's still, ultimately, a rich people's gathering. And to them? We'll only be there for security and eye candy. Whether or not we have a date is irrelevant."
A thoughtful nod. "I guess that's why the suit you bought me has holsters for my crossbow and bolts."
"Indeed. You'll find that the other hunters have made similar affordances to their own outfits."
As their conversation waned, they continued along their circuitous path through the shopping district, eventually stopping in front of a small café tucked away in a side-street. It looked unassuming enough, but in actuality, it was a hidden entrance to the Atlas Underground, a network of tunnels connecting dozens of buildings around the city. It was built to allow certain high profile hunters and military leaders more privacy during their commutes. It was slower and less convenient than other public transport options, but that was the price to pay for privacy—or at least the illusion of it.
"I hate going in here," Tatsuya muttered, tapping his scroll on the scanner next to the café entrance. "I wish I could just fly back to our quarters…"
Homura smiled sympathetically. "There'd be nothing stopping you if you were here by yourself. But since you're here as Ozpin's hunter escort, you'll just have to deal with it. In any case, I'll see you at Central."
"Yeah yeah. See you." With that, the young huntsman entered the café, closing the door behind him.
Homura watched as the glass windows dimmed and became opaque. A second later, a nearly imperceptible hum and vibration began emanating from the shop, pausing after one moment, resuming after another. When the noise stopped completely, the windows faded back to transparency, once again showing an empty café.
"I suppose I should get going as well," Homura muttered, running a hand through her hair.
With a surge of aura through her legs, she jumped to the top of the building in front of her, jumping again as soon as her heels hit the roof. She materialized her wings at the apex of her ascent, then began a lazy glide towards her apartment in the northeast quadrant.
Early evening, Atlas Central Command, Event Hall A
From her seat at the representatives table, Mami looked over the event hall and suppressed a scowl.
The various servers and event staff were milling about the room, checking and double checking everything—that all the hardware was functional, that all the decorations were set up, that every table, chair, spoon, fork, what-have-you was accounted for, etcetera, etcetera. This panicked behavior was the unfortunate norm during the last moments before an event, and wouldn't even get better once the event started—the panic would just take a different form.
The maddening part was that Mami was getting stressed by the simple act of watching them—she wasn't even participating. In a weird way, it made her grateful her job was just slaying monsters—she'd gladly take unspeakable violence and the threat of death over this.
"Looking frazzled there, Major," a familiar gruff voice remarked, mercifully derailing her train of thought. "Something bothering you?"
Mami turned to find Kyouko approaching, a smirk adorning her face. Her hands tugged confidently at the lapels of her open black overcoat, revealing a red blouse and suspenders.
There was something off-putting about seeing the red lancer in formal wear. It wasn't that she looked bad—she actually looked quite sharp with the way those pants hugged the curves of her hips and calves—but Mami had become so used to Kyouko's red combat robes, or her green hoodie and jeans, that she didn't really look like herself anymore if she was wearing anything else.
"Too stunned by my looks to speak?" Kyouko teased, managing to elicit a smile and giggle from the blonde.
"In a way, yes," Mami replied honestly. "You look amazing, Kyouko. Well dressed and well armed." She punctuated that last point by tugging at the red lancer's weapon with her semblance. The coiled length of Rossio Phantom's chain-form clinked against its belt clip.
Kyouko chuckled. "Thanks. My paychecks had to go into something that wasn't food eventually, right? I reckon I got my money's worth." She gave Mami a quick once over. "I'd also say you look good in that dress too, by the way, but half of you's still hidden under the table."
A haughty snort. "Didn't you once say I looked good regardless of what I wore?"
Kyouko shrugged, looking away. "I do recall that I did." She gave a sidelong glance. "But maybe I don't recall why I said it."
"How regrettably forgetful of you," Mami remarked, a hand on her chest in mock incredulity. She pushed back her chair. "Would you like me to refresh your memory, then?"
"I wouldn't say no to a reminder," Kyouko admitted with a quirk of a brow, crossing her arms and leaning on the adjacent table.
"Then a reminder I shall give you."
Mami stood and Kyouko's expression blanked. She circled the table with slow, deliberate steps.
"Though, surely a quick turn around won't be enough to make it stick in your memory."
Wild red eyes drank her in with desperate thirst, as if she were the only oasis in miles of desert.
"Perhaps I'll even make a show of it. You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?"
Kyouko's enraptured gaze continued following the bob of Mami's hair, the bounce of her chest, and the sway of her hips.
"Uh-huh," Kyouko said dumbly, no longer able to articulate a complete sentence.
The Atlesian huntress couldn't help but chuckle in satisfaction. While she was still waiting for Kyouko to tell her she looked beautiful, she didn't really need it anymore. This reaction was more than enough.
Truth be told, many of the decisions she made regarding her look were actually made in consideration for Kyouko's tastes. The backless white dress with folds that flared outward as it went down? The loose underskirt that revealed a silhouette of her legs when viewed against the light? The fact that she did away with her twin ringlets and allowed her hair to hang freely? Any one of these were decisions she would have gladly made of her own accord, but all of them together was entirely because of Kyouko.
And thankfully, the Vacuan huntress clearly liked what she saw.
But even ignoring Kyouko's part in the decision making process, Mami was actually quite happy with how the dress had turned out. It looked good, it was easy to move in, and the fabric was strong, soft, and remarkably breathable. It was a far cry from the fatigues she was forced to wear while teaching at the academy. Really, the only things she didn't like about it were how her breasts had very little support and how the shotgun-batons strapped to her legs were entirely too easy to see through her underskirt. All things considered? Not a bad outfit at all.
Mami noticed Kyouko's eyes abruptly glaze over for a moment before slowly coming back into focus—though said focus was upsettingly no longer on Mami. Kyouko turned her head to the side, as if sensing something, prompting Mami to turn as well, following her gaze.
All the way on the other side of the hall, Homura Akemi discreetly slipped inside through one of the side entrances, casually navigating through the throng of event organizers like an intangible ghost. Once she arrived at the table, she met their stares with a questioning quirk of her brow, then wordlessly—soundlessly—taking a seat.
Mami blinked, overcome with fascination and confusion in equal measure. She wouldn't have realized Homura had arrived until they were right next to each other—Kyouko's sudden change in demeanor was the only thing that gave the archer away. But if her presence was so expertly concealed, how on Remnant then did Kyouko sense her before she even entered the room? It certainly couldn't have been simple aura sensitivity. Mami was aura sensitive as well, and she could barely sense Kyouko's or Homura's signatures while being right next to them—the interference given off by the event-staff's auras was too strong. But if not that, then what?
"Is there a reason you two are staring at me?" Homura asked, breaking Mami's contemplative daze.
"You just look so beautiful," Kyouko replied with a smooth eagerness. "It's hard not to stare."
Homura leveled a flat look at the lancer. "I somehow expected that reply," she said with an unreadable tone. She glanced at Mami. "And you, Major?"
Mami pursed her lips as she looked over the Valean's clothes.
Her outfit was relatively simple, but Mami was not quite sure what to make of it. A black spaghetti-strap dress hung from her shoulders, white frills adorning her bust and waist, pink roses adorning the hem of her puffy skirt. Pink roses—not purple ones to match her usual color scheme. Around her neck was a black choker, inset with a similarly pink dust crystal. And of course, her distinctive red ribbon was still in her hair.
An interesting fashion statement if Mami had ever seen one.
"You look quite good, Miss Akemi," Mami answered honestly. "I'm intrigued by your choice of colors, and the choker seems a little out of character, but you've coordinated your outfit quite well."
Homura touched the gem on her choker awkwardly as an adorable blush began to tint her pale skin. "Thank you," she said in her usual stoic manner, though her rosy cheeks and slightest of smiles prevented such stoicism from having the same impact.
Mami chuckled, sharing an amused look with Kyouko.
While she found Kyouko's relationship with Homura rather unfathomable, she couldn't deny that she did see the appeal in the Valean archer—especially with displays such as the one she just witnessed.
"So, where does this pretty lady hide her stash of deadly weapons?" Kyouko asked, pulling up a nearby chair and sitting backwards atop it, arms resting on the backrest.
Homura brandished a circular purse, only a little larger than a dinner plate, and pulled out an assault rifle that was much too large to fit inside such a small bag. Mami could only stare in speechless incredulity. She was aware of Homura's semblance, but she didn't really realize what it entailed until now.
Kyouko snorted. "Is your shield in that bag, or is it entirely its own physics-defying object?"
Instead of replying, Homura put away the rifle and tossed the purse onto the table. It made a conspicuously metallic sound when it landed. That seemed to be answer enough for Kyouko.
"Man, you have it so much easier than the rest of us," the red lancer muttered, slumping into her arms. "How do I get a portable armory like yours?"
A roll of the eyes. "Other than being born with a time and space semblance? Wait a couple years. I'm sure the lab-coats at R&D will find a way to use the data they have on me."
She perked up. "Wait, they're working on replicating your shield?"
Homura shrugged. "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. I'm not at liberty to tell you either way."
Kyouko slumped back into her seat and grumbled. "Man, I hate this city's security clearance laws."
"It is somewhat stifling at times," the Valean admitted. "Every kingdom has its secrets, but Atlas seems intent on having as many of them as possible."
"A lot of what they consider secret is so stupid, though. Half of the people on this island are part of the fucking military. You can't expect the other half to just not pick up on some of the more obvious secrets."
"Oh, you'd be surprised…"
Mami retook her seat as the conversation drifted away from Homura's appearance and physics-defying purse to more general topics, such as the two's apparent dislike for various Atlas protocols, many of which Mami admittedly also found unreasonable.
She was still mildly miffed that she didn't get to flirt more with Kyouko—and no, she most certainly was not understating her disappointment—but she did find a surprising amount of enjoyment in Homura's company. The wit and sarcasm that the Valean brought to the table felt oddly warm despite how stoic she always seemed. And the way Kyouko gained an uncharacteristic sharpness to her mannerisms in Homura's presence was fascinating to behold. Mami would gladly listen to the two banter for the remaining however long before the event started.
Unrelatedly, that thought did make Mami wonder where the Mistral representative was while this was happening. There was still some time left, but it wasn't terribly long. It would be a shame if she was late.
Later, western gates of Atlas Central Command…
After paying for the ride, Sayaka thanked the cab driver and watched him cruise around the roundabout, re-entering the city proper. Part of her wished she was still in that cab when it drove off.
"Hey, how do I look?"
Sayaka turned and stared at Hitomi's white dress that gradually faded to green and flared outward as it went down. "You look like a stick of celery." Hitomi scowled. "A beautiful stick of celery?" she amended.
Hitomi's current scowl and an amused smile seemed to fight on her face. The smile won in the end, but only barely. "You're very lucky I enjoy your sense of humor."
"Hey, what about me? How do I look?"
The two turned to Kyousuke, who was wearing a suit. His overcoat was open, one sleeve hanging loosely from his right shoulder for obvious reasons.
"If it wasn't for the arm sling you're wearing, you'd look like you're ready to slay some monsters."
The grey-haired ex-huntsman blinked. "Wait, really? Why?"
Sayaka shared a look with Hitomi before they both sighed. "Kyousuke, your combat attire is a bulletproof tuxedo."
He blinked again. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Not used to treating those clothes as actual formal wear rather than armor. Man, I'm gonna miss wearing those clothes…"
There was a pause as they merely stood around with pained looks of nostalgia and regret on their faces, the sound of distant traffic filling the silence.
Hitomi broke that silence with a huff. "Well, while we're giving our opinions…" She gave Sayaka a once-over. "You look quite dashing as well, Sayaka. Now give me a twirl."
Sayaka managed a small, strained smile and did as Hitomi asked, her flowing blue dress and the tails of her black overcoat twisting around her as she pirouetted.
Hitomi nodded and chuckled smugly. "Buying both sets was one of my better decisions."
Sayaka suppressed a wince as she thought back on the events of the last few days. Hitomi had been debating heatedly with herself about whether Sayaka would look better in a suit or in a dress. The sales clerk at the clothing store suggested they buy both outfits and just mix and match as necessary. Hitomi had immediately taken to the idea. In the days that followed, she forced Sayaka to wear various permutations of the two outfits, eventually ending up with what Sayaka was currently wearing.
"Remind me again why we're going to this party with you?" Sayaka asked with a sigh.
Hitomi crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "Repeating myself won't magically make me change my mind about this—nor will it you."
"Humor me."
She pursed her lips, "I got invited due to my family connections and said family expect me to be here with a date. It's not particularly complicated."
"No, it's not," Sayaka said with a sigh, shaking her head and turning away. "I don't know. You couldn't have stuck with just Kyousuke? Why do I have to be here too?"
Hitomi took a step forward and patted Sayaka's face gently. "You're here because we're a package deal. Where I'm going, more than likely, you and Kyousuke will be there too."
Sayaka pursed her lips tighter before releasing a resigned huff. "I wonder how many times I gotta psych myself up for events like these before I stop feeling like I shouldn't be going to them."
"I'm sure you'll adjust quickly enough once we're there—you always do. But in any case…" With a beckoning nudge to her elbow, Hitomi began walking. "We should hurry. It pays to be punctual at events like this. My family has money and status, but not enough that we can do whatever we want."
"So we can't be fashionably late?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Sayaka sighed again and followed, Kyousuke trailing behind them.
"I still find it wild that you two decided to slay monsters for a living instead of, I don't know, investing in stocks or something."
Hitomi chuckled. "You realize we still do that, right? It's not a particularly time consuming activity."
Sayaka smirked. "You're not the one crunching the numbers."
"Touché."
Minutes later, the three were wandering the event hall, chatting up random people they happened to bump into—majority of whom Hitomi was acquainted with for one reason or another. Most of them were snobby rich people who introduced themselves as the "heiress" or "scion" of some corporate family empire, which made Sayaka want to squirm a little. Thankfully, Hitomi and Kyousuke saved her from the brunt of their attention by doing most of the talking.
"—and they asked us to leave, the nerve of them! Wouldn't even take double in cash when we offered it."
"I'm sure they must have taken a leave of their senses," Hitomi said with careful coolness.
"That would certainly make sense. I can't see any other reasons for those dirt farmers to refuse good money."
Hitomi chuckled, though only Sayaka and Kyousuke could detect the lack of humor in her voice. "Well, it's been very nice catching up, Saiko, but I realize that there must be many more important people you wish to talk to aside from myself. I'll leave you to their company."
"Quite," Saiko agreed, turning up his nose. "Until we meet again, Shizuki."
The three quickly retreated from the conversation. Sayaka's shoulders sagged into her chair as soon as they found a table that was out of earshot.
"That Saiko fellow was rather nice," Kyousuke said, handing Sayaka and Hitomi a glass of wine each.
An incredulous look. "You thought that guy was nice?"
He blinked. "Wasn't he? I know Hitomi doesn't like him, but he seemed polite enough."
Sayaka stared blankly, unsure of how to respond, before mentally shrugging and taking a long sip of her drink.
Hitomi chuckled apologetically and put a hand on Sayaka's shoulder. "Forgive him. He's never been particularly good at navigating corporate or family politics."
He pouted. "Well, it's always backstabbing and double speak. I can never just take words at face value."
Sayaka rested her chin on her palm. "I don't know. What that Saiko guy was saying seemed pretty straightforward to me."
"Yeah. That's why I said he seemed nice."
Sayaka shared another look with Hitomi before bringing her glass to her lips once more. Hitomi joined her in drinking.
"Not even an hour in and you've already been driven to alcohol?"
Upon hearing a familiar gruff voice, the three turned to face a sharply dressed Vacuan huntress who approached them with a toothy grin and a half-filled wine glass.
"Lieutenants," Kyouko greeted, tipping her glass in salute. "Been keeping yourselves entertained?"
Sayaka averted her eyes. "Something like that," she muttered, hiding her grimace with another sip.
"Your enthusiasm is infectious," Kyouko noted with a roll of her eyes. "Not that I blame you. Pretty much all of the civilians here are stuffy rich people. Some of the things they say really just make you want to stab them, you know?"
Sayaka smiled wryly. "I can't say that thought hasn't crossed my mind," she admitted. "But even if I wanted to, Hitomi would probably stop me."
Kyouko raised a brow and turned to Hitomi, who was holding up her glass for one of the servers to refill with wine. She glanced at them with a knowing smile. "I'm perfectly willing to use my semblance on her if it comes to it. She and Kyousuke might be resistant, but they're not immune."
Sayaka suppressed a shudder by downing what remained of her wine. Hitomi's use of her semblance was usually limited to feeding them helpful mental suggestions, such as "keep calm" and "stay focused," which helped them immensely during their missions. The rare cases where she deviated from the usual were… not entirely unpleasant, but they were certainly not something Sayaka was comfortable talking about—or even thinking about—during a public gathering.
Kyouko snorted. "I don't know what it is about your semblance that made these two freeze up like deers in headlights, but I'll trust that you can keep Miki on a leash. Just make sure you don't end up being the one that stabs someone."
Hitomi snorted haughtily. "Please. I've spent years going to events like these. I haven't snapped yet. I'm not about to snap tonight."
Kyouko smirked, eyes darting back and forth between Sayaka and Hitomi. "I can see why you two are together. The feisty ones are my type too."
Sayaka felt her face heat up slightly as she shared an alarmed look with Hitomi.
"Feisty?"
"Your type?"
Instead of explaining herself, Kyouko threw her head back and downed her glass, setting it down on the table between Hitomi and Sayaka. "Well, I gotta go. I'm supposed to talk to every guest at least once tonight—I'm not even halfway through." She gave them a wink and lazy salute before moving on to a different group of partygoers.
Sayaka watched her walk away, then looked down at the empty glass before them. Wine stains were faintly visible around where Kyouko's lips had touched the rim.
"I think she just hit on the two of us at the same time," Hitomi muttered, picking up the glass and turning it in her hand.
"You may be right," Sayaka agreed with a thoughtful nod. "Not sure how to feel about that."
Hitomi pursed her lips as she continued staring at Kyouko's glass. "I… I think it's kinda hot…"
A roll of the eyes. "Please tell me you didn't just have some wild fantasy about you and Kyouko Sakura in the bedroom."
She shrunk and looked away. "You and Kyousuke were there too?" she mumbled sheepishly.
Sayaka sighed and took the glass from Hitomi's grasp and placed it back onto the table. "A sharp smile and charming swagger gets you every time, doesn't it?" she asked with a sympathetic chuckle.
Hitomi buried her face into her hands and groaned. "I know! I'm a disaster…!"
Sayaka put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, none of that. You can't cry this early into the night. You're gonna ruin your makeup."
Hitomi looked up from her hands and glared. "I'm not crying. I'm being dramatic. Let me have this." Indeed, her eyes were not teary in the slightest.
"R-right. Sorry." The fencer raised her hands in surrender, backing away, letting the green-haired woman indulge in her melodrama.
"I don't see what the big deal is."
Sayaka turned to Kyousuke, who had been watching them with his chin on his palm. He met her gaze and shrugged.
"Sakura's your type, isn't she? And I don't really care as long as you and Hitomi are both happy. So what's the problem?"
Sayaka averted her eyes. "She's not my type, per-se," she muttered. "Though," she added reluctantly, "I wouldn't say she's not attractive."
Hitomi looked up from her hands once more, eyes shining with hope. "So you wouldn't mind if we—"
"Are you sure you wanna talk about this now?" Sayaka cut in with a raised brow, gesturing at the various partygoers around them. "Can't we discuss this at home?"
Hitomi's cheeks reddened. "Er… I suppose you have a point." She picked up her own glass and hid her face with a sip.
Sayaka watched her for only a second before sighing and allowing her eyes to wander the room.
The first hour or so of events like these were always set aside for socialization and networking between the various partygoers. Sayaka recognized the many factions and cliques that the guests had formed from the previous events she had attended. The groups would mingle until the staff announced the "official" beginning of the event.
"Hey, Kyousuke, what time did that pamphlet say it starts?"
He pulled out a folded piece of fancy cardboard from his pocket. "Opening speech by the Remnant Health Organization Head at nineteen hundred. Fifteen minutes later, another speech by one of the event sponsors. Then—"
"Let me guess: more speeches by other crusty old men."
A chuckle. "Pretty much."
Sayaka groaned, slumping onto the table. "So the eating and dancing won't be for another two hours. Oh joy."
"At least we have alcohol," Kyousuke said, beckoning a nearby server to refill his glass with wine.
Sitting up, Sayaka sighed again and raised her own glass for the server. "This is gonna be a long night…"
Late Evening…
Kyouko heard the voice in her ear piece mutter something about the southeastern corner of the event hall. Sure enough, she saw some sort of commotion in that direction—a small group was drunkenly arguing amongst themselves like they were the only people in the room. Mami watched them from a table a few feet away, ready to break up a fight should one arise.
In the other corner of the hall stood Homura, entertaining a group of young men who seemed to have taken a liking to her. Kyouko could tell she couldn't care less about them and was only keeping them company because it was technically her job.
[Sakura, check two tables over at two-o'clock. Scroll on the floor next to the lady in gold. Pick it up before someone steps on it.]
Kyouko did as ordered and asked the woman in the gold dress if the fallen device was hers—it was. The woman thanked Kyouko for her kindness and started up a conversation, making doe-eyes at the lancer in an obvious attempt at seduction. Civilians were usually not in Kyouko's strike zone due to their sheer lack of shared experiences—this woman was no exception—but she decided to humor the attempt, if only to pass the time.
"Would you like to dance?" the woman asked after a few minutes of talking.
[Sakura, far table at six-o'clock. Drunk old man creeping on a girl in white with an unlocked aura. Stop him before he hurts himself.]
"I'd love to, darling, but I can't," Kyouko said to the woman, standing from her seat. "Duty calls."
"Then save me one when you're done?"
"Sure." She gave the woman a wink and blew a kiss before approaching the drunk.
"Sir, you seem to be distressing the other guests by harassing this young woman."
The man looked at her with a sneer, then paled when he noticed the coiled chain with a large triangular blade strapped to her belt. "I apologize. I didn't realize. I'll leave her alone now."
As he stalked away, grumbling profanity under his breath, Kyouko tapped her lapel mic. "Have event staff keep tabs on that guy. He's out to cause trouble."
[We've been keeping tabs since the night began. He's a repeat offender]
Kyouko snorted, rolling her eyes. "Of course he is."
"I could have handled him, you know."
With a raised brow, Kyouko turned to the girl in white she had assisted. There was a steadiness to her posture that suggested combat training, which her unlocked aura supported. She looked too young to be an Atlas cadet, however. She was probably a student in one of those combat prep schools.
"I'm sure you could have," Kyouko replied with a relaxed smile. "Though I doubt he'd survive being stabbed."
She glared. "What? I wouldn't have—"
"Relax, princess, it was just a joke. I was trying to keep him from making an ass of himself."
Her scowl deepened as she put a hand on her hip. "Well, you were a little late for that. He was very unpleasant."
A shrug. "Better late than never. Now, if you'll excuse me, I promised someone a dance. I'd rather not keep her waiting."
With that, Kyouko walked away without waiting for a reply, only looking back to give the girl a lazy salute.
The next few hours continued in much the same way that it had already gone, Kyouko wandering around and chatting with partygoers, helping the event staff where needed. In that time, she had also managed to sneak several visits to the catering table, which more than made up for how boring the night had turned out.
"Still gorging yourself, I see."
Kyouko looked up from her plate of filleted salmon and quickly swallowed the mouthful she was chewing. "I take what entertainment I can get, Hom," she said with a chuckle, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"I suppose I'm no different," Homura admitted with a slight tilt of her head. "I'd like you to meet someone."
The maroon-haired young man tailing Homura took a step forward.
"Tatsuya Kaname, right?" Kyouko asked, then blinked. How did she know his name? She didn't remember asking any of her security team about the other headmaster escorts. She certainly didn't remember talking about it with Homura either.
Tatsuya looked equally surprised, turning to Homura curiously. "Is this your doing?"
Homura's face twitched, likely because of a suppressed wince. "I suppose I did tell her in a way, yes," she replied shiftily. "I didn't expect her to actually remember much, however."
Kyouko mulled on those words for a few seconds, quietly wondering why she felt like Homura spoke the truth despite having no recollection of the Valean archer telling her anything. But if it was true, when did it happen? Was it when she had gotten black-out drunk a few weeks prior? She still didn't remember anything that happened that night, so it was certainly a plausible time for Homura to have told her.
Tatsuya had also stopped to think about it, though he seemed to move on far quicker than Kyouko did. He shrugged noncommittally. "Fair enough, I guess. Not like it's a secret or anything." He presented his hand and smiled. "But yeah, I'm Tatsuya Kaname. Pleased to meet you."
Kyouko forced her confused wondering to the back of her mind and shook the offered hand. "Kyouko Sakura. Ditto."
"I'm not sure how much you remember, but Tatsuya is effectively my adoptive younger brother," Homura explained with that familiar odd smile of hers. "He's a second year at Beacon right now."
Kyouko nodded and raised one of her plates at Tatsuya. "Shrimp?" she offered.
He waved his hands with a wry smile. "No thank you. I already ate."
A shrug. "More for me, then." She plopped a shrimp into her mouth.
"Is she always like this?" Tatsuya whispered to Homura, though Kyouko could still hear every word somehow.
"Very much, yes. Trust me, she's the least insufferable when she's eating."
Kyouko snorted. "Why don't you tell him what you really feel, Hom?"
Homura gave her a sidelong glance before smiling sharply. "I admittedly don't dislike how insufferable you are. It's part of your charm."
"And I see it's charmed you quite well," another voice chimed in.
They turned to Mami, who approached them with four plates of strawberry shortcake held up by the ribbons snaking from under her skirt. She laid the plates onto the table and took a seat next to Kyouko.
"Not that I blame you," she continued. "She's quite the lady-killer. I know at least a dozen other women who've been seduced by her dapper dress and confident charisma, inadvertently or otherwise."
Homura raised a brow, eyeing Kyouko critically. "I'm not at all surprised. How many hearts do you plan to break tonight?"
Kyouko grinned, tugging at the lapels of his open overcoat. "It's the unfortunate consequence of being this attractive. I can't help it."
A roll of the eyes. "Sure you can't." Homura turned to Mami and gestured at the three extra plates of cake. "I'll assume one of those is for Kyouko. Are the other two for us?"
"If you want them to be," Mami said, spearing the strawberry atop her slice with a fork. "Kyouko and I could just as easily eat them ourselves." She bit into the small red fruit and hummed blissfully.
Kyouko watched the scene for a moment before glancing at the other two, whose eyes darted back and forth between the slices of cake and Mami.
"Relax. It's not poisoned or anything. She's just really into pastries."
"Hmm. Duly noted, then."
Homura and Tatsuya also took their seats and began digging into their cake. As they ate, Homura introduced Mami to Tatsuya.
"Kaname, huh?" Mami said, bringing another chunk of dessert into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. She swallowed and cupped her chin. "I think I remember him from when we did our background check on you. Isn't he the brother of your old partner, Madoka Kaname?"
At the mention of the name, Kyouko suddenly felt a spike of foreign emotion drive itself into her mind—grief; longing; resignation. And accompanying those feelings were flashes of memories that she knew weren't her own—memories of pink hair, a bright, hopeful smile, and a bow, notched with a rose instead of an arrow. It lasted only a second at most, but it felt like a lifetime had passed before it subsided, leaving only a haze of confusion in its wake.
"Yes, you are correct," Homura answered stiffly, her voice pulling Kyouko back to reality. "You could say I took on the role of his big sister in the months after she passed."
"She was with you during that grimm attack right?" Mami winced as soon as she realized what she just said. "I, uh… I shouldn't have asked that…"
Homura chuckled humorlessly. "Not all wounds heal with time, Major—though, time can certainly dull the pain."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."
A dismissive wave. "Water under the bridge."
They returned to eating as an uncomfortable silence fell over the table. Kyouko barely spared the atmosphere even a modicum of attention. She was too busy trying to sort through the uncertainty that was now brewing in her thoughts.
Hadn't she dreamt of a Madoka Kaname at some point? Yes, she had! And the Madoka of her dream perfectly matched the Madoka that Kyouko had seen in Homura's memories—which likely meant that dream had been a memory as well. But why was she getting these flashbacks? What connection could she and Homura possibly have that could—
I see you've discovered our link, Homura's voice echoed distantly in her mind, colored by a strange mix of amusement and annoyance. I should've severed it as soon as I woke up that day. I just didn't have the heart to do it…
Kyouko glanced at the Valean archer, who continued to eat with slow, deliberate movements.
Try not to make it obvious that we're talking to each other. Unlike my time powers, this one IS a secret.
Once again, Kyouko flashed back to Madoka Kaname, remembering that Madoka's semblance was high-level manipulation of aura and souls. It allowed her a number of abilities, such as boosting her allies' aura efficiency, materializing her aura into physical objects such as wings or arrows, and finally—
Forging a direct connection between one soul and another, Homura finished for her. Yes, technically this power is still hers. You and I are merely borrowing it right now
Kyouko suppressed the urge to rub her temples as she tried to wrap her head around what Homura was telling her. How would they be able to borrow Madoka's semblance? Wasn't she supposed to be dead?
Another flash of emotion surged through the mental link—a mix of anger, sorrow, and wry exasperation. You have my memories, don't you? Why not look over them and figure it out.
Kyouko winced, unsure of how to respond.
What a weird turn of events. When she was complaining to herself that the night had been boring, she didn't really expect her opinion to change, nor did she expect what caused that change. She wasn't sure how to cope.
"Kyouko, you've stopped eating," Mami said worriedly, pulling Kyouko out of yet another daze. "You haven't even touched your cake yet. Are you okay?"
"Perhaps she's finally upset her stomach after gorging herself all night?" They turned to Homura, who was finishing off the last of her strawberry shortcake by plopping the strawberry into her mouth. Play along, she added telepathically.
"It's nothing my aura won't fix in a few minutes," Kyouko said with a dismissive wave. "Don't worry about it."
Mami raised a brow. "What could you have possibly eaten that could upset your iron stomach?"
"Uh…"
Riff off what I said.
"Regular food, but too much?"
The major regarded Kyouko's reply for a moment before nodding thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right. I haven't really seen you eat as much food as you have tonight. You really should have paced yourself better."
Kyouko smiled wryly and shrugged, partially to sell the act, but mostly in genuine relief. She made a mental note to thank Homura later
You're welcome, Homura said, rolling her eyes. Kyouko, our souls are effectively one. I can hear your thoughts as clearly as I would if you said them aloud.
Well, that's not fair. If she could hear Kyouko's thoughts, how come it didn't work the other way around?
You CAN hear me. You just don't listen unless I'm mentally shouting at you.
Wait, really? Huh… Actually, now that she thought about it, there had been running chatter in the back of her mind whenever she and Homura interacted these last two weeks. It had barely registered to her, to the point that she easily tuned it out, but it had certainly been there.
Yes, that was me. Glad you finally noticed.
Man, it was weird having someone in her head. Not entirely unpleasant, no, but very, VERY weird. Probably in the top tens of strange things she had ever experienced—maybe even the strangest.
I'll try to explain it to you over lunch at some point. Should save you the trouble of combing through every single one of my memories in an attempt to understand what's happening to you.
Kyouko felt a grin tug at her lips and attempted to project her next thoughts to Homura. That's awfully accommodating of you. You don't happen to have ulterior motives, do you?
Homura let out a mental snort. Two things. For one, you don't have to think so hard at me. We're literally right next to each other. At this distance, it's like you're screaming directly into my ears. A pang of guilt needled Kyouko's conscience. For another, you have access to my thoughts and emotions. I recommend you get used to just figuring it out without me spelling it out for you.
Kyouko pouted somewhat as she resumed eating what's left of her meal, still feeling reluctant about diving into the Valean's mind.
But as she chewed on her filleted salmon, she felt her hesitation wane, replaced by a growing curiosity. By the time she cleaned her plate and moved on to dessert, her desire to know the goings-on inside Homura's head had far overshadowed whatever apprehension might have held her back. She quickly honed in on the distant buzz on the fringes of her mind, attempting to decipher the foreign stream of consciousness.
"—which means it's likely you can also materialize your aura into objects other than your wings."
Kyouko blinked as she bit into the strawberry that topped her slice of cake. Why was Mami's voice in Homura's thoughts? Wait, no, that was just the current conversation. Kyouko could tap into Homura's senses through their connection, allowing her to hear what Mami was saying from two directions at once.
It seemed like being in someone else's head was just as weird as having someone else in her own head. What the fuck was even happening anymore?
"So I can make crossbow bolts the same way my sister makes arrows?" Tatsuya asked with wide-eyed enthusiasm, eliciting an endeared smile from Homura. Kyouko felt a shiver up her spine as a strong familial love surged into her through the mental link.
"Yes," Mami replied with a chuckle. "And, supposedly, Homura can also do the same, since she inexplicably gained the ability to materialize those very same wings."
They turned to Homura, who internally debated with herself on how to respond. Kyouko marvelled at how quickly the Valean scanned her memories for information relevant to determining the best course of action. Part of Kyouko did acknowledge that this level of processing speed was actually quite common among hunters—though most of them only really utilized it during combat. It took a little bit more effort and practice to make use of it outside of a life-threatening situation.
Wait, something about that thought didn't feel right. Was that one of Homura's thoughts?
Indeed, it was, Homura confirmed. And it's also true. You need only ask Major Tomoe about how she's able to go through paperwork so quickly.
As she thought this, she was also answering Mami's implied question—which Kyouko was only aware of because she was able to pull it from Homura's mind.
"I've experimented a little with making arrows and shields, but the wings are the only things I can conjure reliably."
That's a lie, Kyouko noted.
Not entirely. I've used my wings enough times that I can make them on my own without borrowing Madoka's semblance. It just requires more concentration when it's just me.
"How did you learn how to make those wings, by the way? Semblance development courses don't really tackle how to acquire a completely new semblance."
I think the most impressive thing about this is the fact that you're having two conversations at the same time, Kyouko told her with a mental smirk.
"It's a Kaname family secret," Homura said with a small smile, sharing a look with Tatsuya.
It's not as impressive as you think. Our connection allows us to offload mental processes to each other. In effect, I'm thinking a lot of my thoughts using your brain.
"She's not wrong," Tatsuya said. "My sister taught a few other people how to conjure things with aura, though I don't think any of them ever got far with it."
"Of the people Madoka tried to teach, Tatsuya and I are the only two who managed to produce anything more substantial than a wispy spray of light from our shoulder blades."
Listening to you talk both to me and to Mami at the same time is giving me a headache, Kyouko thought with a cough as she swallowed the last of her cake.
That's my aforementioned borrowing of your brain power. Stop trying to talk to me while I'm talking to someone else and it should subside.
Kyouko relented, once again wiping her mouth with a napkin. She could experiment more later. For now, she was content to just enjoy Homura's company. And from what she could discern from Homura's mind, the Valean shared the sentiment.
Meanwhile…
Sayaka exchanged an amused smirk with Hitomi as Kyousuke gushed about the various classical violinists he looked up to. Sadly, none of the others seated at their table shared his enthusiasm, nor were they endeared by his smile, unlike his two partners.
"Thank you for sharing, Mr. Kamijou. Unfortunately, my colleagues and I have other matters to attend to."
Kyousuke frowned. "Ah, that's unfortunate. I won't keep you, then."
"Thank you. Until we meet again. Same to you as well, Miss Miki, Miss Shizuki."
As the collection of men walked away, Kyousuke turned to the women sitting next to him. "Next time we meet those guys, Hitomi's the one doing the distraction. They didn't even pretend to be interested."
Hitomi put a hand on her chest and turned up her nose. "Oh, but you did so well! I couldn't possibly distract them the way you can."
"Don't be too sure about that. You haven't tried talking about something you love with an effective stranger who doesn't care at all."
"Oh, I doubt people would be receptive to a verbal essay about my undying love for a certain sword girl and violin boy."
He crossed his arms. "They didn't seem receptive to a verbal essay about my undying love for violin either, but that didn't stop me."
"Then it shouldn't stop you from repeating your performance when they try to talk to us again."
Sayaka chuckled and gave Hitomi a good natured jab with her elbow. "I'd cool it with the spicy teasing if I were you. Your sundae is melting."
Hitomi snorted and began scooping spoonfuls of gelato into her mouth. Kyousuke sighed and slumped onto the table. "Why were they even trying to talk to us? They're like triple our age."
"I'd wager they're looking for someone respectable to marry off their children to. They seem like the type."
Sayaka immediately sat up as her current direct superior approached their table, wearing what seemed to be leather jacket on top of a sparkling red evening dress.
"Evenin', Miki. I assume you're doing well," Nanami said with a small smile. She turned to Kyousuke, her tail swishing behind her. "Is this the partner you said needed our help?"
A nod. "Yeah, he is. Miss Nakamura, this is Kyousuke Kamijou. He's one of my partners and should be cleared for limited active duty again by the time we're ready to begin clinical trials." Sayaka gestured to Hitomi. "And this is Hitomi Shizuki, our other partner. Together, we form Team SShK."
"What is it called while Kamijou is out of action?" Nanami asked, smirking at Kyousuke.
Sayaka shared a look with Hitomi before they both shrugged. "Probably Team SaSh or something. It's not really something we think about."
"Fair enough. My name is Nanami Nakamura, Sayaka's supervisor at R&D."
After they shook hands, Nanami quietly took a seat at their table. "I'm surprised you were invited to this party. I thought it was gonna be pretty exclusive."
"Oh, it is. I just have two partners who come from wealthy families. In this case, Hitomi was the one invited." As she said this, Hitomi gave a lazy wave, spoon still held in her hand. "And to turn it around, what about you? Were you invited too?"
"Yes, though not for the same reasons everyone else was. The head-honcho himself invited me here to negotiate with the RHO Head and the people who sponsor them. Been having backroom dealings with them ever since the party started."
"Huh." Sayaka leaned back into her chair, nodding thoughtfully. "I was wondering where General Ironwood and the others disappeared to. I guess they were speaking with you."
"Yes, though I wasn't the only one there. I'm not allowed to talk about them."
"Understandable. Is there anything you are allowed to talk about?"
"Well…" Nanami averted her eyes. "There is one thing…" She grinned. "You'll be happy to know that our budget is no longer in danger of being cut."
"Oh." Sayaka blinked. "Well, that dilemma seemed to solve itself quickly. Didn't I only find out about that a week ago?"
Nanami's smile waned. "Er… we're technically not out of the woods yet."
A roll of the eyes. "Always a catch."
"Our stipulations remain the same: produce results to prove we're worth funding. The difference now is that the RHO will vouch for us up to the next quarter over. We should be safe for another six months, and by then, I'm confident we'll have something to show."
Kyousuke raised his hand. "So, I know the topic is something restricted, which is why we're talking around it, but can you at least give us a hint on what this is about? I'm kinda lost right now."
"Same here," Hitomi chimed in. "I get the gist, but I'm not sure how it's relevant."
Sayaka glanced around before leaning in close to them. "This has something to do with fixing Kyousuke's arm."
"Their funding was about to be cut?" Hitomi hissed. "Are we sure we want to let them inject Kyousuke with tiny robots if they can't produce results?"
"Why do you think we haven't called him down into the labs yet? We're still working on it, okay?"
She seemed unsatisfied with Sayaka's explanation but did not press the issue.
Which was appreciated, since Sayaka felt a familiar, unpleasant aura brush up against the edges of her senses. Nanami seemed to have felt it too, as her wan smile turned into an alert scowl. Sayaka followed her gaze towards the other side of the event hall, where Homura was chatting with Mami, Kyouko, and the Beacon headmaster escort.
"You two suddenly went quiet," Hitomi noted. "What's going on?"
Sayaka gestured for Hitomi to wait as she watched Homura sit up and run her fingers through her hair, then rub the back of her hand—all gestures that Sayaka had come to learn were signs of anxiety for the Valean. Eventually, Homura stood and excused herself from the table she was sitting at, making a beeline for Sayaka's table.
"Uh oh," Sayaka muttered. "This can't be good."
"Good evening to you all," Homura said with clinical curtness. "I'm in need of Miki's aid. May I borrow her?"
Sayaka was about to ask what for, but Nanami beat her to it. "Is this R&D related?"
"Yes."
The blue fencer felt her breathing hitch. This was about something in R&D that needed her specific skill set? This definitely wasn't good, then.
"If someone needs healing, I'll do it."
"And I'm coming with her," Nanami added.
"Good. You're needed there too." Homura began walking away. "Follow," she ordered, not sparing them a second glance.
Sayaka stood and gave Hitomi and Kyousuke meaningful looks. "I'm sorry, but I need to do this."
Hitomi smiled sadly. "Go, then, hero. Not gonna stop you." Kyousuke shared the same sentiment, waving her away encouragingly.
Sayaka kissed the two of them and quickly caught up to Homura, who was already leaving the event hall from one of the side entrances.
"So, why'd you come to us personally instead of contacting us with our scrolls?" she asked as they made their way to the main building of Central Command.
"An excellent question, Sayaka Miki."
Sayaka's stomach clenched as a boy with white hair and red eyes appeared next to them, jogging lightly to keep up with their pace. He seemed to be radiating that inhuman aura that she had only barely been able to perceive up until now.
"By the gods, did those bastards in the AuraMod Division actually do it?" Nanami muttered to herself in disbelief. "What's your name, kid?"
"You may call me Kyubey," the boy said, wearing a smile that was entirely too bright for the seemingly tense situation. "And yes, I am indeed a product of that particular project that we are not allowed to discuss. That is not relevant right now, however."
They reached the central elevator, whose doors opened as soon as Homura pressed the button. They piled inside and began their descent.
"To answer Sayaka Miki's question, the reason we did not contact you electronically is because we cannot. The event hall seems to have been shielded from electro-magnetic waves, but only the frequencies used by your scrolls. The security detail says that the person jamming communications is one of the Haven headmaster escorts."
Sayaka thought back to how Tsukasa could casually swat away bullets and waves of pressurized air. It was plausible that the Mistrillian could apply that reflective power to an area as large as Event Hall A, but maintaining it continuously was quite the achievement.
"As for why we called you," Kyubey continued. "Exactly ten minutes and sixteen seconds ago, a patient under our supervision experienced cardiac arrest and none of our medical staff have been able to restart her heart. You may know this person, actually, Sayaka Miki."
All thoughts escaped Sayaka's mind as something inside her was crushed by the weight of the words Kyubey next spoke.
"The patient's name is Nagisa Momoe."
End of Chapter
Thank you to asianpotter1 for beta reading this chapter.
The number of times I had to describe someone's appearance in this chapter is downright obnoxious. Granted, I could have easily just glossed over the descriptions, like I do with their casual or combat outfits, but then I wouldn't be able to put in all the little comments and compliments that I so love writing.
Normally, I'd talk about my thoughts regarding the various scenes, but I think I'll save it for next time. This chapter ended in a bit of a cliffhanger, after all.
I'll try to get the next one out soon. Until then!