>Does that include Sanae?
>"Okay, first thing I want to do is to thank everyone for coming out here to do this. It feels me with joy to see so many people come together to save our land. In particular, I want to thank Patchouli and Alice for their initial work, Koakuma for helping me to find the resources to get this started, and Remilia for graciously hosting us all."
>Might as well puff the vampire up a bit, perhaps it'll get her to go the extra mile with hospitality.
>"We're getting to the final stages of planning. Yukari and Ran are going to run us through it all. I want you all paying close attention, if there is a flaw in it now is the time to speak up."
>Try to subtly catch Eirin and Byakuren's eyes while speaking at this point.
>"After that, we'll start to divvy out who fulfills what role, and figure out precisely when we shall do this thing. I don't want anyone running off, even if it seems like you have nothing to do. At the worst, we might need you for a replacement. Now, let's get to the meat of this."
>Look to Ran.
> She is present, but you get the feeling she won't be here for long.
> Once everyone has gathered, you begin explaining the plan. You make sure to thank the magicians and Koakuma, and make sure to flatter Remilia. Said vampire practically beams with pride from underneath her parasol. You give some overview, but before handing the show over to Yukari and Ran, you make sure to find and make eye contact with Eirin and Byakuren. Hopefully someone will have questions. You also ask for everyone to stay here.
> After a lackluster applause--mainly from some nearby faeries who have nothing to do with this--Ran nods. She turns and whispers something to Yukari, who steps up and begins to speak.
> "As you all know, the Boundary is in a state of deterioration that unfortunately cannot be fixed by conventional means, so we are going to recast the spell that created it in the first place. I'm sure you were told something along these lines when you were recruited here, but not in detail. Ideally, we should be able to create a Boundary that will replace the current one or be absorbed into it, the latter being more likely. With our current numbers, the spell should take two or three days to complete. We have about five or seven days until the damage to the Boundary becomes irreversible, which is why I need everyone to set aside their differences and cooperate each other. Therefore, I want no fighting--not even any spellcard duels--until this is over."
> Yukari continues, "The basics of the spell are as follows: we are going to set up four barriers, one in each cardinal direction. At the convergent point will be the blood contract, which I will explain in further detail to those involved. Ran shall now explain the mechanics of the spell."
> "Thank you, Lady Yukari," says Ran. "Right now, we have four categories of ingredients here--"
> She gestures to the piles of things you and the others gathered.
> "--which will be used in each barrier. We are also going to have a ribbon leading from each barrier to the blood contract, which is in the center. For those of you who don't know what ribbons are in the context of spellcasting, it is a trail of magical energy that leads from one point to another, useful for connecting spells you want to activate at the same time, among other things. Those are sub-spells. As for who will work on which spell, the elements in each barrier correspond to each cardinal direction, so north is water, south is fire, east is wood, west is metal, and center is earth. If you have a preference towards any of these elements it would be advised to volunteer for that, otherwise we may have to put you somewhere else if another section is lacking. After we've sorted out the groups, we'll begin a writeup of what everyone needs to do."
> Byakuren raises her hand.
> "Yes, Miss Hijiri?" Ran says.
> "Forgive me, but this sounds dangerous," Byakuren says.
> "I won't lie--it
is, but we will be doing our best to modify the spell so that no one is harmed," says Ran as concerned whispers run through the crowd.
> "What's the success rate?" Eirin asks, raising her hand. It seems like they noticed you giving them looks after all.
> "About 75%," says Ran. You hear more than one person in the crowd say "Oh, no".
> Suika, instead of raising her hand, grows a few meters in height. Everyone around her steps out of the way.
> "Yes, Suika?" Ran asks.
> "Who's going to be in the blood contract?"
> "That is something we are still working on," Ran answers. You can tell that question was really testing her: you notice the tips of her hat droop slightly.
> _
