thirteenth prayer

[prayed]

Characters: Kyoko Sakura and open
Setting: Floor One Hundred, Floor Twenty-One, Floor Nineteen, Floor Four, Floor One
Format: Starting in action, but I'll follow.
Summary: Birthday and event shenanigans. Also eating a ridiculous amount of ice cream.
Warnings: None.

Floor One Hundred ⚜
[It's not often that Kyoko bothers with this floor. Truthfully, there's no reason in particular for her to be here today. She had simply wandered off the staircase without giving it even a single moment's thought about her actions or the consequences they might have.

Consequences like a fresh burst of homesickness. It's a strange feeling. Everyone she knows from back home is here. Homura, Madoka, Sayaka and even Mami. She's alive, but the sight of her father's church takes her back. It reminds her of the place she had so wanted to protect so strongly that she let the secret get out. It reminds her of her city, of fighting Witches and her every day routine.

It's startling how much she misses those things. Less shocking is how much she misses her freedom. The sight of this tower gets boring fast. With a slight sight, she finds herself at a the back of a pew, finds her hand goes through it, before opting to simply walk down the aisle--or at least, what this place is telling her is the aisle. A stick of pocky hangs out of her mouth, her hands shoved in her pocket.

She needs to stop over thinking things.]

Floor Twenty-One ⚜ Set before the rumor is changed by Tetra
[Kyoko had come to the restaurant largely on a whim. There's precious little reason to run around doing errands for the tower when the food in the cafeteria is perfectly fine, really, but even so, there's little harm in checking out the menu. If there happens to be something interesting enough then well, it isn't as though she lacks confidence in her ability to dig up anything they ask of her.

Of course, it remains closed. More interesting are the words carved into the wall.

SAYAKA MIKI AND JIN SHIRATO: DEFINITELY DATING. YOU'D HAVE TO BE BLIND NOT TO SEE IT!

She takes the words at face value, her expression falling as she rereads them. Apparently she was blind, because she didn't see it. Sayaka and...who the Hell is Jin? Sayaka sure as Hell hasn't ever mentioned him to her. Didn't she have a guy that she was interested in? That guy she made her wish for, Kyousuke. She folds her arms and shakes her head, letting out a heaving sigh. Somehow, it's annoying to find out that Sayaka's dating someone, especially through words scrawled on a wall. She mumbles to herself sullenly.]

You'd think she would've at least told me.

Floor Nineteen ⚜
[The library's missing sections have been restored.

This rumor, at least, was worth checking out the validity of. There is apparently some truth to it, too. Well, sort of. Kyoko is rummaging through the books, which are old enough to crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Some look as though they've had a jar of ink spilled on them, others have been violently torn apart.

The history section she can get hiding, but why would anyone go through such extreme methods to hide information about things like astral projection? The red ink is vaguely unsettling, creating the image that they'd been bathed in a pool of blood before being placed on the shelves.

DATA EXPUNGED

What's that supposed to mean...?

[She pulls another book off the shelf as she considers this, coughing violently as it breaks apart in her hands, sending up a thick cloud of dust.]

Floor Four ⚜ backdated to May 9th
[Upon waking up, Kyoko didn't give much thought to the date. The fact that she's fifteen now occurred came and went with the only significance being that she's proven to be capable of living this long, but really, that's only natural. Even back home, she went out on her own terms. She's strong enough to protect herself from anything. At least, that's what she chooses to tell herself.

Besides, really, what reason does she have to celebrate? She doesn't need an excuse to spoil herself or buy herself nice things, nor does she need anyone to provide them for her. That just one of the benefits of having this power and being sharp enough to use it up on herself.

So, the cake (surprisingly well made, coming from such a stuffy person,) that Naoto gave her was nothing less than a surprise. An unusually embarrassing one, at that. Kyoko is still unsure of how to take the gesture, even as the cake sits on the coffee table in front of her, a huge chunk of it missing. Really, she only mentioned it in passing. How did that girl even remember? She doesn't get it at all.

Lost in thought as she is, she'll still take the time to look over the back of the sofa at anyone entering the floor with a complicated expression on her face, as though she's not sure whether or not she wants to see who's joining her.]

Floor One (Kitchen) ⚜
[Today, either ignorant to the rumors about the cafeteria food or (more likely) simply not caring, Kyoko can be found in the kitchen, leaning back against one of the counters. In the crook of her arm she holds a gallon of ice cream. With her other hand she's shoveling large spoonfuls of ice cream into her mouth, paying no heed to the many reasons this is a bad idea. Sitting next to her is a plate with cookies on it, occasionally spearing the ice cream with her spoon in favor of lifting one up.

Her eyes remain locked on the door and so, anyone who walks in will find her biting down on her spoon in order to free her hand for a light wave before she promptly goes back to stuffing her face.]

Comments

[bytheirhand]

[He makes a grab for it anyway.]

I'm old enough.

[Not a lie! But he does look uncomfortable and it has nothing to do with how he's being carried and everything to do with the fact that she has his scalpel and he'd rather not have it used against him. Again.]

[prayed]

[No dice. Kyoko's keeping this scalpel now. She slips it into her back pocket and keeps walking.]

So, I guess I might as well get this one out of the way, 'cause it's gonna be a pain if I've gotta find out later: what're you afraid of? I wanna hear all of your fears, y'know.

[She's asking for a combination of potentially avoiding those particular subjects and because she's almost certain that the admins will play on it at one point or another, but of course, her tactless way of asking probably won't make that quite clear.]

[bytheirhand]

[His eyes widen.]

W-why do you want to know that?

[prayed]

I'm not planning on using them against you, if that's what you're asking. That'd be a waste of magic, y'know. So, just hurry up and answer the question.

[bytheirhand]

There's a lot of things.

[Yes, he is just going to leave it at that. He doesn't want to talk about it. :|]

[prayed]

Yeah? And what are those things? If you're worried about wasting my time listing them all, don't. I've got all day, y'know.

[bytheirhand]

You wouldn't be able to understand.

[prayed]

Then it's fine for you to just tell me everything, since that sorta information's useless if you can't even understand it.

[In other words, she doesn't care.]

[bytheirhand]

[But he doesn't want to tell her everything! He thinks for a moment, trying to think of something that encompasses a good deal of things that would be a suitable answer without giving too much away.

The answer is easier to find than he thought it would be.]

I'm... I'm scared of being devoured.

[prayed]

[There's a glimmer of recognition in her eyes, as though she just got the answer to a particularly difficult problem, only to realize how obvious it was.]

...so that's what that was...

[She's talking to herself more than anything, mumbling under her breath as she walks up the staircase with Czes in tow.]

[bytheirhand]

[He's unsure how to take that. For a moment he's silent, wondering what in particular she was thinking of.]

... Where are you taking me?

[prayed]

[A combination of things. His strange reaction to Ruana, certainly, but also the way Jason twisted him. The latter was easily dismissed as simple cruelty, but she hadn't quite managed to shake the former. Even so, she can't quite work things out in her head--it's obvious that there's something more than simple cannibalism.

It seems that Ruana (her kind?) is capable of absorbing a person's abilities by eating them, but that can't be right. This kid has no magical signature at all. If he was capable of taking care of himself, he wouldn't be in this unpleasant situation.

Ah, the more she thinks about it, the more confused she gets, so she pushes the subject aside for now. No point in thinking about it when she's just going to have to pull a straight answer out of him anyway.]

Upstairs.

[A beat.]

I'll change the question for now. Why'd you bring back my Soul Gem? You must have known that would end badly for you.

[bytheirhand]

You say that like I wanted to hurt you in the first place. I didn't know it was going to kill you.

[prayed]

Most thieves don't go around giving back what they stole.

[She glances at him again. Of course, she continues to accept everything he says without even a moment of hesitation.]

It couldn't be that you just figured you could keep lying to me, could it? Even without knowing that the rumor would come true, you must've known that I'd be going to you for answers eventually. Those rumors won't be around forever, y'know. Or were you just planning on trying to make excuses then too?

[bytheirhand]

...

I was planning on using the rumor to make you think something more believable. It would have been easier to get around once the rumors went away.

[prayed]

In other words, you thought that I was an idiot that you could just lead by the nose.

[bytheirhand]

You seemed like an idiot that I could lead by the nose.

[prayed]

[She's not sure whether or not his prompt, blunt answer should be called progress or not.]

Dunno what gave you that idea.

[bytheirhand]

[It's really not.]

... I guess the best way I can put it is that you don't look like the kind of person who's very book smart.

[prayed]

[Well, it's true that she hasn't gone to school in years, but...]

Tch. That's probably because your judgment sucks, y'know. Try using your head as more than a hat rack every once in a while. Honestly, is this thing cutting off the circulation to your brain?

[That being said, she's going to pull his hat off.]

There. Maybe now you'll be able to stop getting your ass kicked 'cause you dunno how to read people.

[Of course she has no way of knowing that he's actually gotten beat up due to a bad judgment call. In fact, she's skeptical at best, but she's not just going to let him insult her like that.]

[bytheirhand]

[... Why was he afraid of her again? Afraid of this stupid teenager who takes his hat and drools on him in her sleep? For a minute it's easy to forget that just a moment ago it looked like she was ready to show him that she could do so much more than just kill him.]

H-Hey! Give it back!

[prayed]

Before I give this back, I wanna make something clear, and I wanna make sure you've got full use of your brain when I say it.

[She sets him down in the staircase, but grabs hold of his wrist with her free hand. There's no chance of her letting him run away. If Czes looks, he'll see they're standing at the entry to floor eighty-one's lounge, just below the masquerade floor.

There's something she needs to say before slipping into anonymity.]

So listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once.

[bytheirhand]

[He does notice, but he's not sure what she's planning on doing with it. He has no idea what happens on the masquerade floor other than once you enter it you get a mask on your face. He's never stuck around long enough to find out what else happens on it.]

A-Alright, I'm listening.

[prayed]

[The change in demeanor is subtle enough that a person who didn't know any better certainly wouldn't be able to catch the signifance of it, but Czes does know her. He knows her well and so he'll probably be able to notice the serious look she's taken on. The way her shoulders are just a little more more tense, her voice is more level, the grip on his wrist just a little tighter than it normally might be.

There's a coldness to her gaze that's been absent until now, her voice is icy. This isn't the explosive anger before, this is something quieter, and much, much more dangerous.]

Whatever you to do me, I can live with that. I'm strong enough to handle it.

[Still gripping his hand, she holds out her hand to let him see the ring on her finger.]

Burn this sight into your memory. The other girls who wear this kind of ring aren't like that. They're too kind and too trusting to handle something like betrayal. That's why like, no matter what, I won't let anything happen to him. As long as they're here, I'm won't let anyone get in the way of their happiness.

[Her grip suddenly grows a little tightening and she raises her voice just a little, just enough to make sure he'll hearing her clearly.]

If you lie to them, if I find out that you've so much laid a finger on any of them, I'll show you levels of Hell that you can't even imagine. The same goes for Madoka Kaname. If you see that girl, be kind to her.

[There's not even a hint of hesitation in her voice. If he hurts one of her friends, she'll follow through on her threat. If he's seen ever level of Hell there is, she'll just have to make one especially for him.]

[bytheirhand]

[Czes does know her. At least he thought he did. At the very least he knows her well enough to understand that she isn't messing around right now. The switch was barely noticeable, but her eyes are hard and cold, her voice dangerous. She was dangerous.

And the more she talks the more frightened he becomes. This is all very familiar. Too familiar. So when he feels her grip grow tighter he instinctively shrinks back. A very real, very scared whimper slips past his lips and he nods his head slowly.]

R-Right.