Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 5

[Oldmansour]

>"No, why?"

>"Because there are some on the local force who can be suspicious of circumstances such as these."
>"How d'ya mean?" White Rose asks.
>"I don't want to offend either of you," Haruka assures you. "and if I do, I'm sorry. But the creatures you fought seemed to be impervious to both conventional weaponry, 4 Primes magic and necromancy, and they don't seem to immediately conform to any known type of supernatural being. The only power that seemed to affect them was your power, and you also seem to possess an unknown power and aren't like anything or anyone that jumps out of the pages of history or common knowledge." With a faint smile, the golden eagle adds, "Unless you count the mahou shoujou genre."

[DracoOmega]

>Quickly reinforce the forth wall with Sapphire Lotus; it seems to be sagging slightly.
>"Are you suggesting they might suspect us of somehow being complicit in this?"

[Oldmansour]

>Quickly reinforce the forth wall with Sapphire Lotus; it seems to be sagging slightly.
>"Are you suggesting they might suspect us of somehow being complicit in this?"

>There were some budget cuts. We ran a little shy on mortar.
>"Unfortunately, some of them almost certainly will." Haruka says a little sadly. "Some officers are naturally suspicious, others seem to believe it is their job to be suspicious. And that applies to magicians sometimes, as well." she adds, casting a meaningful look back towards the police stand, wherein which can be found a notable magician. "You'll get no such attitude from Komachi, I can tell you that for certain. But she won't be the only officer here tonight, and while her voice carries a lot of weight, it isn't always a lone voice."
>"And I can also promise you this." she adds, her sincere voice intones. "If anyone in there levels any suspicions at either one of you, you'll have my full support. You two stood against a pair of beings whose power was described to me as 'overwhelming', and you did it to save innocent lives. And you helped another innocent life before that conflict. While it is true that none of us really know that much about you or White Rose, as far as I'm concerned, there's no doubting where you stand."

[DracoOmega]

>"I appreciate the support, and I assure you that our objective here is to safeguard as many lives that stand threatened by this conflict as we possibly can."

[Oldmansour]

>"I appreciate the support, and I assure you that our objective here is to safeguard as many lives that stand threatened by this conflict as we possibly can."

>"Since you seem to have the tools for the job, I will assure you that the shrine maidens of the Bird shrine will do anything we can to help you do just that."
>"Uh, 'scuse me?" Rin interjects quietly.
>"Yes?"
>"Can I ask ye something?" When the tall youkai nods, Rin continues, "Ya said necr... nek..."
>Your kasha visibly stumbles over the word for a moment before Haruka helpfully supplies "Necromancy?"
>"Yeah, that. Isn't that dead magic? I mean magic that controls the dead?" She looks at you. "That's right, right?"

[DracoOmega]

>What do we know of necromancy?

[Oldmansour]

>What do we know of necromancy?

>Rin's rather short description of the magic style is technically correct. Necromancy is the magical art of manipulating the dead. To your knowledge, it is considered one of the darker aspects of magic. There seems to be a stigma attached to the word itself. It's the type of magic people don't like to talk about, and certainly don't like to acknowledge if and when they have any skill on it.

[DracoOmega]

>"More or less, yes."

[Oldmansour]

>"More or less, yes."

>"But isn't that evil?"
>"A lot of people consider it evil." Haruka replies. "And there has been a lot of people who have used that magic to do evil. But is isn't evil in and of itself, any more than my magic is. It's up to the practitioner to decide how he or she uses it."
>"Yeah, ya got a good point there. But, if I heard ya right, you said someone used that power during the fight earlier today. But I didn't see any corpses or bones or anythin' like that." Your kasha pauses and frowns. "But I might've missed something, I got real focused on Fire during the fight. I didn't miss anything like someone calling up a zombie or something, did I, Lotus?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Not unless I missed it also."
>To Haruka: "But if I had to guess, I would assume you are referring to the black bolt which Sergent Onozuka fired at the Ice champion?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Not unless I missed it also."
>To Haruka: "But if I had to guess, I would assume you are referring to the black bolt which Sergent Onozuka fired at the Ice champion?"

>"That is among her spells, yes." the big eagle says with a nod. And with a knowing smile, she adds, "Though she prefers simply 'Komachi'. She may well be the least formal officer of the law I've ever had the pleasure of working with."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod
>"Komachi, then. I have never encountered necromancy in person before, though from the aura I sensed from that spell, I do not find it difficult to believe that it was. I admit I am surprised she wields such a power, though."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod
>"Komachi, then. I have never encountered necromancy in person before, though from the aura I sensed from that spell, I do not find it difficult to believe that it was. I admit I am surprised she wields such a power, though."

>"As I understand, it wasn't entirely her choice in the matter. She called it a 'family tradition'." Haruka casts a sympathetic look back in the direction of the police stand. "It's about the only topic she doesn't really like talking about, so I've never pressed her on her family. It's enough for me to know who she is, and in all the years I've known her, I've never once known her to use her powers for anything other than to help someone out."
>"How do ya use that kind of power to help people?" Rin asks.
>"You might be surprised. It actually helps quite a bit with her police work sometimes, if you can believe that."
>Rin stares. "How?"
>"Have you ever heard the phrase 'dead men tell no tales'?" Rin nods, and Haruka explains, "That phrase doesn't hold as true when Komachi's on the case."

[DracoOmega]

>"That sounds remarkably convenient in murder investigations."

[Oldmansour]

>"That sounds remarkably convenient in murder investigations."

>Haruka chuckles warmly. "You said it, Magical Lotus. Well, at least in this country, the legality tends to change in some places. Not every jury in the world wants to accept the testimony of a dead man."
>"You've been involved with that kind of thing, haven't you?"
>The eagle gives Rin a nod. "A number of years ago. But there is a softer side to necromancy as well. Komachi's magic can be used to help a family who's lost a loved one. She can't actually resurrect the deceased, but she can let his family hear his last words, or let the deceased hear his family's last message as well." The tall youkai's eyes soften noticeably. "I've had the honor of being there once when Komachi did just that. It was a sight to behold."

[DracoOmega]

>"Almost doesn't sound deserving of the art's reputation."

[Oldmansour]

>"Almost doesn't sound deserving of the art's reputation."

>"Unfortunately, it is these acts that do not gain as much focus as the darker aspects of the art. This is, sadly, a good reason why necromancers are seldom well received. With all power there comes a risk of being corrupted by it, but there are some branches of magic that are more prone to it than others. Necromancy among them. Learning the ways of the dead, it can drive people mad. Controlling the dead, it does things to people. I've had to confront some necromancers in my time. Komachi is a good woman who uses her powers wisely, but I have little choice but to admit, she is more the exception than the rule."

[DracoOmega]

>"A pity. But I am glad to know that even in an art as maligned as that one, some still strive to use it for good, and others are willing to recognize them for such. It is all too easy to make assumptions."

[Oldmansour]

>"A pity. But I am glad to know that even in an art as maligned as that one, some still strive to use it for good, and others are willing to recognize them for such. It is all too easy to make assumptions."

>Haruka smiles. "I'm going to like working with you, Lotus. May I call you that?"

[DracoOmega]

>Smile and nod
>"Of course."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile and nod
>"Of course."

>"And, how do you like ta be called?" White Rose asks the big youkai.
>"Well, in your tongue, it'd be 'Maigdheann seipiel'." Haruka says, then pauses when she sees Rin's expression of shock. "I did pronounce that right, didn't I?"
>"Yeah. Well, near enough. It's.. Well, I haven't met many Yamato folks that spoke Eire, other than a few Oni."
>"True. I don't often get a chance to speak Eire myself." To you, she asks, "You're not from Eire, though, are you?"

[DracoOmega]

>Shake head
>"I am not."
>Is Rin's accent that easy to peg?
>Do we know what what Haruka said means?

[Oldmansour]

>Is Rin's accent that easy to peg?
>Do we know what what Haruka said means?

>It is pretty distinct. Eire isn't a common language in this country, but the accent is almost as well known as the Eagleland accent. Both tend to be used for comedy in the world of the media, at least in Yamato.
>You think 'maigdheann' means 'woman', or possibly 'maiden'. While you don't know the second word, if you're right about the first one being 'maiden', it's probably the Eire translation of 'Shrine maiden'.

>Shake head
>"I am not."

>"You said you were from Auckland, right?" White Rose asks the big youkai. "Ya don't really sound like it."
>"I was actually born in this country. Well, born into life as a youkai." Haruka corrects herself. "I was the prize acquisition of an exotic animal collector down in Chireiden."
>Rin grimaces. "Sorry."
>"Don't be." the eagle youkai says with a faint shake of her head. "It was a very long time ago. Though I thank you for the sentiment. While we're talking about respective homes, though, will you two be needing a place to stay while you're in Mayoiga?"

[DracoOmega]

>What do we know of Chireiden?
>"That's already taken care of, don't worry - though I appreciate the concern."

[Oldmansour]

>What do we know of Chireiden?

>Chireiden is a major city in Yamato, located southeast of Mayoiga on the Pacific coast. It is a military town, boasting the headquarters of the Imperial Navy and a major Air Force base. It was one of the last Yamato cities to have a functional wall for defense, before that wall was destroyed in the last Lunarian war. Despite the strong presense of the armed forces, you've found it to be a friendly town the times you and the family have visited there.

>"That's already taken care of, don't worry - though I appreciate the concern."

>"I understand. Though the offer remains open if you ever need it. A neutral location to stage from can be hard to come by in some places, even a city like this."

[DracoOmega]

>"Should the need arise, I will keep it in mind, thank you."
>Barring further questions, let's wait for the rest of the people to arrive

[Oldmansour]

>"Should the need arise, I will keep it in mind, thank you."
>Barring further questions, let's wait for the rest of the people to arrive

>Not having anything further specifically to discuss with the tall shrine maiden, the three of you walk closer to the police station to stand in some shelter from the blustery weather. Rin takes the chance to ask the golden eagle youkai about her time in Eire, and the winged woman spends the next several minutes swapping stories of the emerald isle with your kasha. Knowing that this is something of a rare opportunity for Rin, you let her do the lion's share of the talking. Haruka shows your Rin more than simple polite interest. There is a profound sense of sincerity about the big youkai, an honesty of spirit that you seldom see in other people. Plus the sense that she has quite a few stories to tell, if given the chance.

>Somewhere around ten minutes later, Chisato announces the sight of three more shrine maidens incoming. When they come into view, walking down from the north road, you spot the manta-winged youkai who fought alongside you earlier today, Makie. Accompanying her is the burly form of Lillian, the reptilian youkai you met at the Tortoise shrine. Seeing her in daylight really doesn't make her figure any less imposing a sight. If confronted with a youma, you have little trouble imagining her fighting the thing with her bare hands.
>Trailing along a bit behind the two Tortoise shrine maidens is the representative from the Dragon shrine. Giada, the yellow-eyed green haired youkai who gave you that jade yesterday, has come among you.

[DracoOmega]

>"Is that everyone, then? From the shrines, I mean."

[Oldmansour]

>"Is that everyone, then? From the shrines, I mean."

>"I would think so." Haruka replies. "I would have liked Kiku to be here as well, but I didn't expect it."
>"Kiku's from the last shrine?" White Rose asks.
>"Aye. She is a very powerful and skilled shrine maiden, and a trusted ally."

>"So you're the two that wrangled those dark spirits today, eh." Lillian calls out to you with that oddly accented voice of hers. "Kinda pretty fer fighters, aren't you?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, we didn't exactly brawl with them."