Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3

[DracoOmega]

>"If you are willing to share this responsibility with me, Orin, then I could ask for no more loyal companion along the road than you."

[Oldmansour]

>Smile warmly. "Just don't take too many risks with it. Even with this power, we aren't invincible."

>"Gotcha."

>"If you are willing to share this responsibility with me, Orin, then I could ask for no more loyal companion along the road than you."

>"Ya never even had ta ask." She stretches out her right hand, and the ring slides comfortably onto her right ring finger. "I'll fight with you to the end; youma, demons and anythin' else."

[Hanzo K.]

Smile warmly, as per usual. "Welcome to the team. Keep it secret now, you hear?"
>Beat.
>"I suppose this means I'll have to teach you how to use it then, come to think of it."

[DracoOmega]

>Smile warmly, then take her hand in our own, clasp it firmly and nod.
>"Together."

[Oldmansour]

Smile warmly, as per usual. "Welcome to the team. Keep it secret now, you hear?"

>Smile warmly, then take her hand in our own, clasp it firmly and nod.
>"Together."

>Orin enfolds your hand in her own, and looks at you with a look of sincere gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you."

>Beat.
>"I suppose this means I'll have to teach you how to use it then, come to think of it."

>"I'm all ears." Rin says, her ears twitching once for emphasis.

[Hello Purvis]

>"As well, you'll need a significantly more detailed account of what we're doing. Where did I leave, again?"

[Oldmansour]

>"As well, you'll need a significantly more detailed account of what we're doing. Where did I leave, again?"

>"Uh.... You were on these Demons, and the other superheroes. Who are-" She pauses. "It's okay for me ta know who they are now, right?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course. If you are standing with us, then we are all standing with you as well. There are two others who share in this power, though both of them only as of yesterday. One of them, in fact, was the tiger I was riding in that photograph. Her name is Kiku, and she is a shrine maiden of the Metal Tiger. The other is Lily White; you do know who she is, yes?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Of course. If you are standing with us, then we are all standing with you as well. There are two others who share in this power, though both of them only as of yesterday. One of them, in fact, was the tiger I was riding in that photograph. Her name is Kiku, and she is a shrine maiden of the Metal Tiger. The other is Lily White; you do know who she is, yes?"

>"Waaaait a minute here!" Rin exclaims. "Back up a step. You were ridin' Kiku?"

[DracoOmega]

>"...do you know her?"

[Oldmansour]

>"...do you know her?"

>"Never met her meself, but I hear girls that went to the shrine talk 'bout her. They say she's kinda like Satori's 'executive' 'r something. And that she's a real hardass."

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, yes. I suppose I am not surprised that she would have that sort of reputation, though it does her an injustice; she is a woman of firm discipline and unyielding sense of duty, true, but she nonetheless cares greatly about those under her charge. At first glance, that may seem lost beneath a cool exterior, but she is a good person."

[Oldmansour]

>"Ah, yes. I suppose I am not surprised that she would have that sort of reputation, though it does her an injustice; she is a woman of firm discipline and unyielding sense of duty, true, but she nonetheless cares greatly about those under her charge. At first glance, that may seem lost beneath a cool exterior, but she is a good person."

>"How'd she get involved in all this?" she asks. "You didn't find onea them youma things at the Cat shrine, didya?"

[DracoOmega]

>"No, though there may be a threat of another nature there now; I will elaborate on that later. But Kiku found me while I was fighting a youma that attacked Yakumo Jewelers. Even before she attained this power we now share, she possessed great skill in the arts of her shrine - arts which she used to help restrain the youma and allow me to purify it. Afterward, she helped Lily and I confront a demon and its servants at the Center for the Recently Ascended - it was there that she obtained her ring."

[Oldmansour]

>"No, though there may be a threat of another nature there now; I will elaborate on that later. But Kiku found me while I was fighting a youma that attacked Yakumo Jewelers. Even before she attained this power we now share, she possessed great skill in the arts of her shrine - arts which she used to help restrain the youma and allow me to purify it. Afterward, she helped Lily and I confront a demon and its servants at the Center for the Recently Ascended - it was there that she obtained her ring."

>Your Orin seems a bit lost. "'Arts?' What kinda 'arts'? And you 'purified it'?"
>"An' if these things were at Ran's, how come it never got talked about.... Wait a sec." She pauses, looking down in thought. "So that's why they were closed today. Heard some girls talkin' bout that. But wouldn't that have come up in the news or the papers or something?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm not sure exactly what sort of story Ran will present to the press, though I doubt she will mention the youma's presence herself. As for all the bystanders caught up in what happened, it seems likely that if neither you nor Lily or the others recalled what happened to you Wednesday, they may not recall the truth of those events either. Perhaps it will be attributed to another gas leak; I do not know for sure."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm not sure exactly what sort of story Ran will present to the press, though I doubt she will mention the youma's presence herself. As for all the bystanders caught up in what happened, it seems likely that if neither you nor Lily or the others recalled what happened to you Wednesday, they may not recall the truth of those events either. Perhaps it will be attributed to another gas leak; I do not know for sure."

>"Okay, well, so long's they get back on their feet like the rest of us did."

[DracoOmega]

>"They should be fine, yes. So far everyone has shown signs of recovery after we defeated the youma that was draining them, though I obviously haven't been able to follow-up on them as closely as those from the first attack."
>"As for the first of your other questions... I do not know the full scope of the powers Kiku possessed before this, but she demonstrated skill with talismans - to communicate at a distance, to restrain, and to sense - as well as magical manipulation of the element of metal. These are skills and rituals passed down through her shrine, though I believe they are taught only to a few; she has trained very hard in the use of them, for many years."

[Oldmansour]

>"They should be fine, yes. So far everyone has shown signs of recovery after we defeated the youma that was draining them, though I obviously haven't been able to follow-up on them as closely as those from the first attack."
>"As for the first of your other questions... I do not know the full scope of the powers Kiku possessed before this, but she demonstrated skill with talismans - to communicate at a distance, to restrain, and to sense - as well as magical manipulation of the element of metal. These are skills and rituals passed down through her shrine, though I believe they are taught only to a few; she has trained very hard in the use of them, for many years."

>"I seen Kyouko 'round since then, she seems fine enough. Lily, too, but I didn't see er today."
>Orin gapes as you note Kiku's magics. "Ya mean the Cat mikos are magicians? I mean REAL magicians?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I... do not think that many of them are, but some at least. That fact may also be kept in confidence, however. At the very least, I recall Kiku being a little closed about this; I may ask her about it some time in future."

[Oldmansour]

>"I... do not think that many of them are, but some at least. That fact may also be kept in confidence, however. At the very least, I recall Kiku being a little closed about this; I may ask her about it some time in future."

>Orin whistles. "I'll be skinned. Matron Mother was right."
>The 'Matron Mother' Orin refers to is Konngara's maternal grandmother, who held a great deal of influence over the rest of the family, and a very... unpleasant individual. Rin doesn't like to talk about her much.
>"She used to say that shrine maidens had powers back in the day, but they've got weaker over the years. Konngara never believed her." She grins fiercely. "I git ta know she was wrong. Orin likes that."

[DracoOmega]

>More unpleasant than Konngara herself?
>"I think Kiku spoke of that as well, if I recall correctly - that their power has waned over the years. But she herself is certainly testament that it still exists."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "And if she's this skilled even without the ring, that makes one wonder just how powerful they were in past ages."

[Oldmansour]

>More unpleasant than Konngara herself?
>"I think Kiku spoke of that as well, if I recall correctly - that their power has waned over the years. But she herself is certainly testament that it still exists."

>She gave you the impression that the Matron Mother was unpleasant in different ways. The elder woman was evidently sternly disapproving of her own family, and demanded absolute and unreasonable perfection from her family's servants. And had no qualms beating that lesson into either group.
>"So if she got that kinda power, why'd she need onea dese rings?" Rin asks, examining the expensive-looking piece of jewelry on her hand.

>Nod. "And if she's this skilled even without the ring, that makes one wonder just how powerful they were in past ages."

>"Meybe we should ask. She might have a lotta tricks under the tail."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Because if she hadn't, she probably would've fallen under the demon's sway, and taken the Dark Ring it was presenting. To use a more pertinent metaphor, Kiku was almost in your old shoes so to speak. If not worse-off."

[Oldmansour]

>"Because if she hadn't, she probably would've fallen under the demon's sway, and taken the Dark Ring it was presenting. To use a more pertinent metaphor, Kiku was almost in your old shoes so to speak. If not worse-off."

>Rin cocks her head to the side. You think that statement went right over her head.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Remember how things were for you under Konngara? Well, Suffice it to say, things would've been even worse for Kiku if she had fallen into the demon's hands."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"She would have become a servant of the demon."
>"But basically, the power given by these rings is greater than what she has without it. Without it, she could fight youma, but was ineffective against the demon itself. With it, this was no longer the case."

[DracoOmega]

>"I do not know if the power of these rings is outright greater, or if it is simply tuned against the demons in some way these other powers are not, but the difference was considerable."

[Oldmansour]

>"Remember how things were for you under Konngara? Well, Suffice it to say, things would've been even worse for Kiku if she had fallen into the demon's hands."

>"Are you sayin' this demon was trying to own her?"

>"She would have become a servant of the demon."
>"But basically, the power given by these rings is greater than what she has without it. Without it, she could fight youma, but was ineffective against the demon itself. With it, this was no longer the case."

>"I do not know if the power of these rings is outright greater, or if it is simply tuned against the demons in some way these other powers are not, but the difference was considerable."

>Rin narrows her eyes as she scrutinizes the ring, then closes her fist. "So ya saved Kiku. But you wouldn't've killed the demon, so, did it get away? Is it still out there?"