Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 4, Part 2

[DracoOmega]

>"I think so. Lily will still hold us to that pie, but we can work the details of that out later."
>Though if you can find some isolated place to stop in the meantime so we can transform back before we drop your bike off at our place, that might be good. ...I wonder how I will explain your change of ownership to the others, if any of them ask?

[Oldmansour]

>"I think so. Lily will still hold us to that pie, but we can work the details of that out later."
>Though if you can find some isolated place to stop in the meantime so we can transform back before we drop your bike off at our place, that might be good. ...I wonder how I will explain your change of ownership to the others, if any of them ask?

>I'm more worried about what we're going to tell them about Patchouli. Reisen says worriedly.
>Or us. Rin counters. Why Byakuren and me weren't there, I mean.

[DracoOmega]

>I... don't like lying to our friends. Maybe we shouldn't.

[Oldmansour]

>I... don't like lying to our friends. Maybe we shouldn't.

>"I can." Reisen says aloud over the sound of the engine. "I've gotten good at spinning tales to keep secrets over the years. You can leave it to me, if you want."

[DracoOmega]

>It's not that. It's no different if you do it. I mean, you might be more convincing than I could, but it still feels... wrong, somehow. It was different when they had no reason to know anything was going wrong, but now?

[Oldmansour]

>It's not that. It's no different if you do it. I mean, you might be more convincing than I could, but it still feels... wrong, somehow. It was different when they had no reason to know anything was going wrong, but now?

>But the more people that know, the more people that are going to find out. Now I'm not saying I don't trust our friends at home, not at all. But that's how information works. It spreads. Secrets have legs of their own.
>She might have a point. Rin agrees. If one of those Champions, or someone else, has the same kinda powers that Satori does, they could learn about us just by passing by Minoriko or Letty.

[DracoOmega]

>I had hoped that dealing with Satori could put an end to that fear; it was why I went there when I did, in the first place.
>Sigh
>I don't know.

[Oldmansour]

>I had hoped that dealing with Satori could put an end to that fear; it was why I went there when I did, in the first place.
>Sigh
>I don't know.

>There's something else to consider, too. Reisen says as she pulls out to overtake a fully-loaded station wagon. The kids in the back wave at you as you drive past, a gesture you return. If they know there we're the magical girls fighting these evils, at least Nitori and Letty are going to want to fight with us well. I'm not as sure about Minoriko. Now, I'm actually fine with that idea, but I think I know you well enough, Byakuren, that I think you'd rather not bring anymore people into this fight than you have to, right?

[DracoOmega]

>I'd rather no one have to risk themselves in this conflict, but... truly, we're all at risk here, whether we fight or not. They've already seen the conflict on their doorstep, seen a friend lost to it. You know I would protect them all to my last breath, but do I really have the right to decide for them, whether or not they can fight? And... given how much rests on us succeeding - can we really afford to turn them down?

[Oldmansour]

>I'd rather no one have to risk themselves in this conflict, but... truly, we're all at risk here, whether we fight or not. They've already seen the conflict on their doorstep, seen a friend lost to it. You know I would protect them all to my last breath, but do I really have the right to decide for them, whether or not they can fight? And... given how much rests on us succeeding - can we really afford to turn them down?

>Then I guess the question is, would they make good soldiers? Not everyone is meant to be a fighter, no matter how much they might want to be. Rin is going to be watching your back, and I know she's a good soldier. But do you think Letty or Nitori would be as good watching her back?

[DracoOmega]

>From what we know of them, how do we expect they'd react, and how well do we think they'd manage if they decided to try and join us? Assuming they even had the requisite potential within them?

[Oldmansour]

>From what we know of them, how do we expect they'd react, and how well do we think they'd manage if they decided to try and join us? Assuming they even had the requisite potential within them?

>Letty is a very serious person by nature. Perhaps moreso than was really good for someone her age, but that has given her a kind of maturity and dependability that is unique among your friends. To your knowledge, she's never been in a fight, but picturing her in a conflict situation, you can see her handling herself well. She is studious, analytical and creative. If she had the kind of power you do, you can see her providing useful analysis of your enemy and their powers and the situation in general. And that she would be able to do some interesting things with her powers, in whatever form they might come in. Apart from her embarrassment over receiving praise, she doesn't usually let her emotions get the best of her. You would trust her to watch your back against the Champions. And perhaps more tellingly, you would trust her to watch your Rin's back in the same scenario.

>Nitori, though, would not be watching anyone's back. She would almost certainly be the first one into battle, the first one to charge the enemy head-on. Despite her intelligence and creativity, Nitori is very impulsive and emotional. When something goes wrong with the machines she works on, she isn't the sort to stand back and observe and analyze as much as she is the sort to poke it to see what falls out and then try to start it. At least one of your group would almost always have to keep an eye on her, to make sure she doesn't go overboard, or get in over her head. Which, you have to admit, you can see happening very easily. With her on board, she would definitely become your initial source of offense in just about every situation you can think of, and she would never once abandon the field, but her impulsiveness and fiery temperament could be almost as much a liability as an asset.

[DracoOmega]

>I'd trust Letty, but... I fear Nitori might be too... impulsive. Too reckless. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better if she doesn't know. This is not a situation where we can afford to have people rushing in headlong and hoping it all works out anyway.

[Oldmansour]

>I'd trust Letty, but... I fear Nitori might be too... impulsive. Too reckless. Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better if she doesn't know. This is not a situation where we can afford to have people rushing in headlong and hoping it all works out anyway.

>Reisen nods. That's what I was thinking as well.
>I don't know. Rin disagrees. I mean sure, she's fiery, but she ain't stupid.

[DracoOmega]

>Stupid, no, but fiery alone could be dangerous with so many encounters poised on a knife's edge of conflict.
>Do you have any idea how you would explain all this if we didn't tell them everything? At least not yet?

[Oldmansour]

>Stupid, no, but fiery alone could be dangerous with so many encounters poised on a knife's edge of conflict.
>Do you have any idea how you would explain all this if we didn't tell them everything? At least not yet?

>I can explain my own absence easily enough. Reisen replies confidantly. I wander off to try and catch up with Patchouli, but I gave up after I got to her home, so I took my bike here and came home. Explaining why you two weren't there.... That'll be a bit tricker. I can think of one good reason off the top of my head, but it's embarassing, and it wouldn't explain why you ended up in my bike with me.

[DracoOmega]

>It would all be much easier to explain if there hadn't been a housewarming party going on at the time that surely we wouldn't just ditch to go shopping or something. Would be easy enough to say you passed us on the way back and gave us a lift home, while filling us in on what we'd 'missed'.

[Oldmansour]

>It would all be much easier to explain if there hadn't been a housewarming party going on at the time that surely we wouldn't just ditch to go shopping or something. Would be easy enough to say you passed us on the way back and gave us a lift home, while filling us in on what we'd 'missed'.

>Why DID you leave that part, incidentally?

[DracoOmega]

>I could sense a strange magical energy emanating from Patchouli and flowing towards the prison where we kept Water held, weakening its walls. At first, I just went back up to my room to try and figure out what it was and why it was happening; I would need to transform and concentrate deeply - not something you can easily do in the middle of a gathering. It was Patchouli's bond with the Champion of Water, of course, though at the time I still had no idea. In any case, I was working on this problem when I learned that the Air Champion was swiftly approaching our location, so Rin, Lily, and myself went to intercept her - to try and keep the fighting away from everyone else. We hadn't known what she was after at this point, either. She was... stronger than I'd expected. We did hurt her, but she hurt us, and delayed us enough to let her reach Sanae first. You saw what happened after that.

[Oldmansour]

>I could sense a strange magical energy emanating from Patchouli and flowing towards the prison where we kept Water held, weakening its walls. At first, I just went back up to my room to try and figure out what it was and why it was happening; I would need to transform and concentrate deeply - not something you can easily do in the middle of a gathering. It was Patchouli's bond with the Champion of Water, of course, though at the time I still had no idea. In any case, I was working on this problem when I learned that the Air Champion was swiftly approaching our location, so Rin, Lily, and myself went to intercept her - to try and keep the fighting away from everyone else. We hadn't known what she was after at this point, either. She was... stronger than I'd expected. We did hurt her, but she hurt us, and delayed us enough to let her reach Sanae first. You saw what happened after that.

>Yeah. So, was she stronger than Patchouli was?

[DracoOmega]

>Our impression of her was that she was, yes? Even considering the fact that we brought less firepower to that battle, and we never really fought it to its conclusion?
>Assuming so, I think so, yes. We had to join all our powers into a single attack to even scratch her.

[Oldmansour]

>Our impression of her was that she was, yes? Even considering the fact that we brought less firepower to that battle, and we never really fought it to its conclusion?
>Assuming so, I think so, yes. We had to join all our powers into a single attack to even scratch her.

>She certainly seemed to possess more straightforward firepower than Patchouli, and seemed tougher to score hits on. Whether or not she has as much versatility or as much stamina, that you're not sure on.
>That was a hell of a shot, wasn't it. Rin says, a grin in her voice.
>I'll bet. Ah, here we go. Reisen says, braking her bike and making a left turn, ducking into the parking garage of a multi-story hotel, one that holds a decent number of vechicles, but not people in evidence. Reisen brings her bike to a halt behind a rather large pickup truck for extra cover. You hear anyone, Rin? she asks as she scans the place with her eyes.
>The kasha stands in your lap- careful, you suspect, not to put her paw down in a compromising place- and twitches her ears for a moment. No, nobody.
>I agree. Should be safe to change back.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's change back

[Oldmansour]

>Let's change back

>Rin has to hop off of you and revert to her humanoid form to change back to her 'civilian' form, while you can remain comfortably seated as you resume the life of simply Byakuren Hijiri. Poppy, though, seems slightly hesitant. "I just wish I had thought to grab a helmet before we left. It'll make getting home like this a bit slower." You can see why. Your sidecar has a windscreen attached to it, but the bike itself doesn't. Evidently that's not as big an issue for Magical Poppy as it is for Reisen Udongein. Nevertheless, the rabbit also resumes her normal form. "Maybe I'm still tired." she mutters.
>"By the way." she starts as Rin, once again, resumes her feline form and returns to her resting place in your lap. "Does our telepathy still work like this, or do we need to be transformed to use it?"

[DracoOmega]

>It does! And I still have some access to the mystic senses I gained with my ring, when untransformed, though rather dulled. Something similar might be true for you.

[Oldmansour]

>It does! And I still have some access to the mystic senses I gained with my ring, when untransformed, though rather dulled. Something similar might be true for you.

>That's convenient. she replies as she revs the bike's engine, setting off once more. I don't feel any different, though, no new powers.
>Give it some time. Rin says sportively. It's your first day with these powers.
>That it is. It wasn't any easier for you two your first time out, was it?

[DracoOmega]

>Rin, at least, had the benefit of not gaining her powers in a moment of crisis. The night before last, I decided to explain to her the things that had been happening lately, and my ring reacted to her will on the spot. But nothing more strenuous happened that day than touring the city's shrines. When I gained my own, though, it was to fight something that very moment. You remember that 'gas leak' that happened at school, a little while back? That was no gas leak; a youma appeared and attacked those people, draining their lifeforce. I fought it off and purified it.
>Everyone else has actually handled their first transformation better than I did. I wasn't actually injured in that fight, but you saw how... exhausted I was afterward - and that youma's power was barely a drop compared to Patchouli's.

[Oldmansour]

>Rin, at least, had the benefit of not gaining her powers in a moment of crisis. The night before last, I decided to explain to her the things that had been happening lately, and my ring reacted to her will on the spot. But nothing more strenuous happened that day than touring the city's shrines. When I gained my own, though, it was to fight something that very moment. You remember that 'gas leak' that happened at school, a little while back? That was no gas leak; a youma appeared and attacked those people, draining their lifeforce. I fought it off and purified it.
>Everyone else has actually handled their first transformation better than I did. I wasn't actually injured in that fight, but you saw how... exhausted I was afterward - and that youma's power was barely a drop compared to Patchouli's.

>That doesn't sound right. Reisen says, puzzled. Uh, not that I mean to doubt you, but... Well, how does that work? Or have you just gotten that much more powerful since then?

[DracoOmega]

>I think I have. And I don't think I'm the only one of us that's gotten stronger, either. Though at least some of it was simply getting used to wielding these powers at all.

[Oldmansour]

>I think I have. And I don't think I'm the only one of us that's gotten stronger, either. Though at least some of it was simply getting used to wielding these powers at all.

>And you got off to a great start yourself. Rin says to Reisen. You're the only one that can change outfit and powers like that, and you didn't seem to have a lotta trouble with it.
>I guess that's my unique thing. the rabbit says modestly. I've always been adaptable, and I guess my powers reflect that. With my Spectrum Shifts, I can change them according to the situation.
>How many of those do ya have?
>Six. That I know of, anyway. That might change, that might be how my powers grow. One thing I don't know is why I got Caster first when I transformed. I'll have to think about that.