--

"Piss off, you fucker!" Sierra Kennedy – Crimson Champion roars as she punches the walking skeleton in front of her.

The undead thing rattles as it's sent careening into a nearby wall. The sheer force of the impact smashes it to pieces. Sierra grins fiercely beneath her mask as the constituent bones rain down around her in a tide of off-white yellow.

This truly is the life for Sierra. Smashing monsters for fun and profit is the best. The ability to freely engage in some gratuitous turbo-violence without any repercussions? And then there's the feeling of invincibility Sierra feels as a Magical Girl, brimming with raw power.

Oh, and of course Magical Girls provide a valuable public service, and it's right to protect the public, and yadda yadda – who gives a shit, going back to punching monsters-

"Efficient takedown. Excellent," Infinity Princess barely makes a sound as she touches down beside Sierra, her white raiment fluttering around her slender legs. Blonde hair rustles as Terminus City's most notorious Magical Girl nods once. "… Good work."

And the fact that Infinity Princess happens to be the one shadowing Crimson Champion today?

Well, that's even better. Sierra'll admit that she's honestly fangirling a little over the fact that Infinity Princess is mentoring her.

Because it's Infinity Princess! The invincible, unstoppable one-woman army who's brought down criminal syndicates, deranged Dark Magical Girls, demons, and alien monstrosities. She makes intercontinental trips by running. On the air! She's so strong, she once bench-pressed Tokyo Tower!

Two years ago she punched a Kaiju so hard it caused a tsunami!

She's such a badass. So hardcore and cool.

And so girly and beautiful too! Seriously, Infinity Princess looks like she stepped out of a frickin' fashion magazine, every part of her outfit, her bearing, it's all so… Perfect.

Sierra will handily admit that she's staring. Just a little.

But really, how could she not?

This is one of the better days of Sierra's life. She gets to indulge in one of the things she loves, beating shitheels up, with her idol.

… Of course, the reason why Infinity Princess is able to mentor Sierra and Sierra alone sort of rankles at the girl. It makes her scowl, even now. That feeling's almost as uncomfortable as the itching between Sierra's shoulderblades. Seriously, what's up with that tingling sensation? It's almost like someone's watching Sierra from afar...

"Thanks. Could've done a better job if Testament were here, though, giving me buffs. Instead, she's… Who the fuck knows where? She's been AWOL for, like, the last few weeks," Sierra complains bitterly. "And Primal Huntress has gone off too."

Seriously, what the shit is even up with Sierra's teammates? She didn't expect she'd end up being the responsible one. The one who showed up every day to beat the shit out of monsters and gangbangers – uh, protect the city. Primal Huntress was supposed to be the one who spent nights out on patrol, stalking the fuckwit gangs that infest this city. Heavenly Testament was supposed to be the good one, with the actual work ethic, moral code, and all that hoity-toity nice-girl garbage.

Instead, here Sierra is. Alone. Because her teammates have ditched her to do… Fuck knows they're just gone.

"… Ah." Infinity Princess blinks, her fine lashes fluttering shut momentarily. "Don't worry."

"I'm not! But if I was, uh, seriously? Why?" Sierra asks, confused.

"… Many Magical Girls take unexplained leaves of absence periodically. They have other commitments that they tend to prioritize. For instance, with my current team, Steele manages her company and invents. Libromancer has her research. In my previous teams, Luminas Eternale had her family to consider, Etoile Cybros owned and operated an orphanage, Yellow Fulmina often-"

"Yeah, but you don't do that, right?" Sierra replies bluntly. "I've seen the news; you're on the clock 24/7. Sure, you've been cutting back recently, but before that, you were always protecting the city, weren't you? God, that's like, so badass. So hardcore and cool."

Sierra frowns beneath her mask as Infinity Princess' face twitches, her lips ticking down into a small frown. The white-armored girl shifts, redistributing her weight from one foot to the other as she… Fidgets? Weird, it's almost like this entire line of questioning's just making her super uncomfortable…

But that's ridiculous. Nothing fazes Infinity Princess. Shit, during her fight with Lokwyn she broke every bone in her right leg punting the dumb lizard into the sun, and she still managed to hobble back to the hospital.

A shiver tickles Sierra's spine as goosebumps suddenly start popping up around her neck. Whoof, it's chilly now. The punk girl finds that she's actually hugging herself. Weird, why'd it get cold all of a sudden?

"Yes, I suppose I did." Infinity Princess purses her lips, her words trailing off. Her gaze flits away from Sierra's own as she stares at a point beside Sierra's head. "… But it's not… But it…"

"But?" Sierra finds herself asking.

"… It's nothing. My lifestyle… It's a distraction from my earlier point," Infinity Princess says. "Steele says… Steele says that it's important to… Decompress. Do things that make you happy that aren't Magical Girl-related from time to time. Mental health is as important as physical health. And it's important to be happy. Everyone should be happy. Everyone."

Infinity Princess repeats those last words fervently, her green eyes blazing intensely. Sierra shivers a little from the stoic, determined cast to Infinity Princess' features. God, that girl's cool…

She's everything Sierra wants to be one day. Hardcore, badass, and… And…

And nothing else that Sierra's willing to admit to when she's away from the privacy of her home! Sure, Sierra likes feeling girly and pretty like Infinity Princess is, but that's…

Not here! Crimson Champion is an unadulterated badass who eviscerates monsters with her talons! Crimson Champion doesn't take shit from anyone. Sierra's other, other identity on the other hand…

… Argh! Not! Here!

"So the point is, what, I shouldn't be worried about my teammates?" Sierra finds herself saying in an attempt to distract herself from her innermost thoughts.

"Yes. Well. Unless their circumstances are suspicious, or if you discover evidence indicating that their circumstances are suspicious," Infinity Princess replies, then reaches into a holster strapped to her thigh and pulls out her… Phone.

"… Neat, okay," Sierra replies as she watches her mentor start texting someone else, judging by how her thumbs are blurring across her phone's screen. "Hey, who are you texting?"

"Steele, to see if there are other low-risk monster nests in the area that can provide viable training opportunities," Infinity Princess replies.

"Fuck yeah. Ooh, ask her if there are more imp nests; I'd love to kick around the fat red bastards-" Sierra says.

"… And then my girlfriend," Infinity Princess mentions off-handedly.

Sierra blinks. Blinks again. Stares up at the smog-covered sky, to make sure it's the same color. Looks back down to eye Infinity Princess' serene face.

"Your girlfriend?!" Sierra demands.

"… Yes?" Infinity Princess tilts her head, letting her hair cascade down one side of her back. "… Ah. I see. Are you... Surprised?"

Terminus City's unattainable idol, Little Miss Terminator, has a girlfriend?!

"Fuck yes I am!" Sierra blurts out stupidly, her mouth moving before her brain can even begin to process the unexpectedness of what she just heard. Terminus City's most famous workaholic somehow managed to squirrel away the spare time to get a girlfriend?

When?!

How?!

"… I see. At any rate… Ah. Steele's sent me a list of ideal locations to guide you through. One moment..."

… God, Sierra can't even right now; she doesn't want to process what she just heard. It's bordering on TMI. Punching monsters always puts her in a better mood. So that's what she'll get to doing. Just some gratuitous ultra-violence to wipe away all the irritating thoughts and feelings that put her in a crappy mood.

Like this fucking itch behind Sierra's shoulder blades that hasn't gone away. It's faded on occasion, but it's gotten worse and worse. It's like… Somebody is standing right on the edge of Sierra's vision, just staring at her. But every time Sierra turned her head, nobody was there. And, of course, Infinity Princess hasn't said anything, and she'd be the first one to notice if anyone was lurking in the shadows, so…

… It's probably nothing. Just Sierra getting all paranoid and cranky because of it. Punching monsters will make the feeling go away. Definitely…

"Hey, how about letting me go through this next nest myself?" Sierra asks after shaking her head to clear her mind a little. Yeah, some stress relief is definitely in order.

"… I'm supposed to be supervising you," Infinity Princess frowns.

"Yeah but you can do that from a bit further away, right? You don't have to, like, be right next to me all the time, do you?"

"I suppose not…" Infinity Princess' phone chimes again, and so does Sierra's. "… Ah. Priority alert. Dimensional portal opening off the shore of Monument Island. Magical Girls in the vicinity to respond."

"… What, more Kaiju?"

"… Probably," Infinity Princess replies, typing something onto her phone and then looking up at the sky, visibly calculating trajectories and distances. Sierra's phone chimes in the pocket of her Raiment's jacket. "… Texted you the locations of the nearest monster nests. Should be safe enough for you to clear on your own."

"You're leaving?"

"My response time is the fastest out of all the Magical Girls in the area," Infinity Princess explains.

"Seriously? Monument Island's like, a thousand kilometers away!"

"… I've traveled farther distances in less time. Steele's been notified. You're free to head home after I leave… Or you can clear the locations I've sent by yourself. She says it's up to you."

"Yeah, go, I've got this. Kick some Kaiju ass, eh?"

"… Affirmative." Infinity Princess nods, and then she's off in a blur of speed and a thunderous gust of wind. Sierra shields her face with her hands as the torrent billows over her. Even the wake of Infinity Princess' passage is just… Kind of ridiculous.

God, she's so cool. Sierra absolutely wants to be as kick-ass as Infinity Princess when she comes into her own.

The pink-haired punk sighs, cricking her neck. Well. That'll take a while. In the meantime, there are some low-risk monster nests to knock over…

… It's weird, though; why is that creeping, tingling feeling itching up Sierra's spine again…?

--

Alice has been stalking Crimson Champion through her routine today. She is, in fact, stalking Sierra right now.

(86/170 Essence, 55 regen)