26th☆

[adropofjupiter]

[Action - Closed to Reimu Hakurei (backdated to after Day 7 portal collapsed)]

[Marisa was laying on the roof of her house, broom lying next to her, taking a nap. She was unaware that her girlfriend and others she knew - other than Ciel and Merem - had gone into the portal that day. It never crossed her mind that someone would come to her that day with bad news.]

[Action - School (forward dated to the 20th)]

[With everything that had happened, Marisa had failed to report to school when she was supposed to. After three days, Mayfield made sure the witch went to school. They droned her.

Dressed in the typical fashion of a Mayfield teenager, the blonde (lacking her trademark braid) was in school perky and attentive. 'Marisa Slick' was a very popular girl. In fact, she was running for Homecoming Queen not that Marisa Kirisame herself knew this. She was a senior after all. The droned witch could be found either in class or handing out fliers and buttons in the hallway. She's especially interested in getting any other Popular students to support her.]

[Action - 1125 Taylor (forward dated to the 21st)]

[After coming out of her second droning in one week thanks to the permanent death of her girlfriend, Marisa immediately took herself down into her lab in the basement to work on something dangerous. Her research was the only way she could cope right then, drowning herself in something she could control to ignore the things she couldn't. And it seemed, given she was working with vampire blood, her own lack of self-preservation was kicking in.

No, she wasn't going to use it on herself, but the hamster in the cage nearby might not be so lucky. Sitting unopened on the table next to the caged hamster was a familiar style of envelope addressed to her.]

Comments

school; boy she is gonna be mad

[gandere]

Huh? Marisa? [ Rin's not the type to pay attention this early in the morning, so when she's approached, it doesn't quite kick in that something's wrong. ] Ugh... I thought I told you to not bother me before if it's this early...

[adropofjupiter]

[Marisa doesn't seem to care. She smooths the skirt of her dress out as she sits down in her assigned desk in front of one Rin 'Smith'. Legs crossed, she twists to face Rin and flashes her a bright, slightly vacant smile.]

Oh, come on now. Rise and shine, Rin. They always say the early bird gets the worm. If you keep sleeping in so late, you're just going to get bags under your eyes. It'd be such a shame for the second prettiest girl in Mayfield High to sport the raccoon look.

Anyways, of course you're going to support me for Homecoming Queen, riiiiight? You do have such a large amount of... the less fortunate that listen to you. I promise, if you vote for me and get your little groupies to, I will totally make sure Brad takes you to the dance.

[She puts a hand over her heart in the most sincere manner.] For you, I will turn down the quarterback when he asks me.

[gandere]

Second prettiest? [ Drone or not, no one dares question Rin's Popular status. She's quick to hop back up from the seat of her desk, leaning in towards her. ] I'll have you admitting that I'm the prettiest in this state and when you're back to normal--wait, what?

[ They have a quarterback named Brad? Of course they do, it sounds Western enough. ]

So you're willing to do anything I say if I tell you Brad's not good enough for me, right?

[adropofjupiter]

[Marisa chews on her bubblegum a moment before flashing Rin a bright yet devious smile. Even back in Mayfield's time, popular girls were catty and evil in their own right.]

If you say Brad's not good enough for you, you'll be committing social suicide. Everyone knows Brad's the cutest boy in school. So dreamy.

I'd hate to have to remind everyone about that boy you a year or so ago - you know which one: the charity case.

[gandere]

[ Her eyes widen at the very idea: how the hell does Marisa know about Arisato-kun?! But wait, she pauses, wondering if she should see just how much she knows. ]

Minato? I've only taken on a couple of charity cases and both have ended up way popular than Brad in their time because of it.

[adropofjupiter]

[The drone waves her hand.]

As if I remember the names of those lame boys. The one I'm thinking of wasn't so popular. Even you couldn't make him presentable. Reddish hair...

[gandere]

We're not going to talk about that stupid loser! Ever!

[ How does Marisa even know about him? She's almost worried, afraid there was a time she failed to kill him or something else. ]

[adropofjupiter]

[That loser was still at Mayfield when Marisa first showed up...]

So... I'll take that as a vote for Marisa Slick, right?

[gandere]

[ Not that Rin pays attention to those things. She thinks so long as no one she associates with now knows, that it's alright. ]

Has anyone told you that your last name is stupid? [ Not that she can complain, but have a nod. She can't win an argument against a drone. ] Fine, I'll vote for you.

Not that I ever wanted to be nominated in the first place.

You know which one

[paradisemiko]

(Sad to say, but Reimu is the one who has to deliver the tragic news. She kind of...saw the whole thing happen and couldn't do much more than watch.

So here she comes, flying on over thanks to Genji's help. Her face is uncharacteristically serious.)

Marisa...we need to talk.

what, you don't want drone!Marisa to treat Reimu like she's absolute scum?

[adropofjupiter]

[Marisa opened an eye when the turtle landed.]

Then talk, ze.

[Then her gaze catches the look on the miko's face. ...shit. Marisa sits up.]

What's wrong?

Sorry; maybe next time.

[paradisemiko]

It's about those portals. You know how dying there is a permanent thing?

[adropofjupiter]

No...

[Marisa hadn't exactly paid attention when the letter first arrived. Oh, she knew it'd be dangerous, but her confidence was so high, getting hurt was never really a concern of hers. Even after she'd been yanked off her broom by murder-drones at the Carnival portal.]

[paradisemiko]

Oh...well...

(This isn't going to be easy. Not for Reimu and especially not for Marisa.)

...I went into the seventh portal with the SDM crew. It was especially lethal and...

(Take a breath. Easy, Reimu...)

...they didn't make it.

[adropofjupiter]

[What?

Marisa stared at Reimu for a long moment. Did she hear that right? She couldn't have heard that right. This was...]

That isn't funny, ze. I should knock you off of your gods-damned turtle for that.

...no offense, Genji.

[paradisemiko]

(Genji gives a dismissive wave. No harm done, Marisa.

Reimu, however, remains serious.)

I'm sorry, Marisa; they...they didn't survive.

[adropofjupiter]

...

[They didn't survive? This wasn't a cruel joke on Reimu's part? Of course not. Reimu wasn't creative enough to come up with something like this. So she had to think they were gone.

But they couldn't be gone. No. Patchouli was too strong. Meiling was too dedicated and stubborn. Remilia was too... Remilia.]

You're wrong.

1125 Taylor

[ex_seventh238]

[Ciel was aware since the 8th when the survivors of the glitch hole were returned to their beds at dawn. Marisa acted normally during the day, but she didn't come home for dinner that night. Ciel had her own schedule, so she didn't press on any pursuits, but she did take the time to make a quick turn on her patrol later that night to take an extra second when stopping by Brady Lane.

...

When that was confirmed, she simply chose to move on to the next street. Nothing she can say or do will snap Marisa out of it. She might still not know her 'daughter' very well, but she knows enough to know the girl's actions depended quite heavily on her emotions - and was she ever emotional, as teenagers her age tend to be, whether they're witches possessing astounding amount of power or not.

During those three days, Ciel made sure there was always something extra in the fridge (if she ever came home), even if Marisa and her were the only sentient people left. The 'husband' and other two 'daughters' were easy enough to cater to already, so while she won't let this affect much her own schedule, she'll at least set aside the minimal that she can - just in case. Even if it becomes obvious that these 'extras' were never needed, when Marisa finally returned after the third day as a chipper drone asking for meatloaf for dinner. Keeping a sigh to herself, 'Ms. Slick' obliged.

Once the blonde witch snapped out of that one, however, the cycle repeated. She's just... in her room, or elsewhere that can't be/will take too much effort to trace. Maybe it's overdoing it to leave a plate of food during mealtime every day in front of the door to her room, that's extra cleanup work too, but Ciel'll stay punctual and consistent, even during lunch when she's supposed to be teaching at the school. This will persist until Marisa gets droned again - for not attending class this time, with how the semester's begun since the 3rd.

...Goodness. It's been two weeks, but how long will this keep up? At least Marisa seems to be home and active today, despite the change of location to the basement instead of her room this time. So she's carrying the tray of freshly cooked dinner with the other hand raised and ready to knock on the door--

--Ah. It's... unlocked. The door's slightly open, even, looks like she either forgot or neglected to close it properly. After a second of hesitation, Ciel chooses to forgo the formalities. Hey, it was open, and Marisa should know by now her routine, so she'll be making her way down the stairs with only her resounding footsteps as warning that someone else is here. As she continued, however, the sense of something both familiar and alarming grows. Narrowing her eyes and sharpening her glance towards the desk on which the blonde is working on, she can make out...]

Marisa.

[her feet touches the floor to the witch's lab. The smell of mercury and other dangerous chemical reagents is heavy here - among other things. She's still holding onto the tray fine, she can probably make room somewhere to set that down. But in the meanwhile...]

[adropofjupiter]

[On the desk was a very elaborate magic circle drawn on a piece of paper and suspended over it was a tiny bit of the vampire blood in a vial through the use of some archaic clamp device. There was a rack of vials next to her with small amounts of the blood as well in them, though most of them had turned a variety of colors. To her left, opposite the cage with the hamster, was a small cast iron cauldron with a bubbling silvery substance in it, a stick stirring it at a steady rate on its own.

There was a high level of magic ambient in the room from all the various processes that Marisa had going on at once. The witch, herself, was wearing just her skirt and vest, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail to be out of her way and a pair of glasses that had slipped down her nose. Her attire made the fact that she'd lost weight apparent after having really only eaten when she was droned - a sad thing given how petite and slight in build the witch was. Also, on her arms were various magic glyphs drawn on her arms in blood (her own) to help amplify her control. She was physically in a pretty sad state and there was a bandage about her left wrist.

She didn't look up when Ciel came down. Oh, she'd known she was there from the moment she stepped onto the stairs, but Marisa didn't care. The magic she was working on the vial of blood before her was intense, the circle beneath it glowing a bit ominously, but the witch maintained her concentration even when she was addressed.]

I'm not hungry.

[ex_seventh238]

[Ciel isn't a magus. Her answer would be straightforward and upfront no matter who asks, it's one thing she's never bothered hiding despite her inhuman magical potential. One doesn't need to be one anyway, to be able to easily tell that Marisa is working with dangerous high-level magic here that may well risk harming herself, if not blow the entire street up. Marisa's physical appearance didn't even need to be taken into account, but granted, one glance could do no more than further worsen impressions.

Frowning slightly, she sets down the tray on a low table nearby, after carefully making some space without disturbing too much the workspace.

Ciel skips on the rhetoric.]

What are you trying to accomplish?

[She's not expecting any helpful answers, no, but this really isn't the time to beat around any bushes, either.]

[adropofjupiter]

[Marisa wasn't in the mood to play games anyways. She was too focused, too uncaring about her own state, to bother hiding her goals in circular arguments or zany non-sequitors to throw Ciel off or make her stop caring.

It also may be that Ciel was one of the few she had left that she cared about. She didn't like thinking about how easily that number had been halved. Merem isn't part of that list]

What Sion could not. I have the capabilities she lacked as I am a magician and she was just an alchemist with no actual magical command.

[Did she sound superior right then? Yes, just a little. Ciel might also note that the witch's usual accent isn't remotely present. In some ways, she might as well be a different girl, lost in her research as she was...]

[ex_seventh238]

[And maybe it's because there are people left who cared back that whatever she's doing right now can't be allowed to continue. Far too many times the Executors - and sometimes, even a member of the Agency itself - had to be called upon, in order to eradicate all traces of a magi's work because it's unleashed a ghoul outbreak that claimed countless normal lives in its wake. These works never ended well, ever. Still, the name gives her momentary pause.]

...Atlasia? [A small frown draws on her brow. TATARI's heir left the institute for one reason: Sion traveled the world in order to find a cure for vampirism, something impossible agreed upon by both the Church and the Association. Hearing this from Marisa sounds completely off, though. Why would she search for--

--Hm. The natural questions of 'what' and 'how' can be shed aside. The specifics aren't important. All that does, is already here.

She takes a sober step forward.]

The process of transformation into a vampire is nothing like that from a human to a youkai as you might've been used to know. [What Alice did to Shiki comes to mind, though Ciel's quick to discard that reminder right after drawing the comparison.] Where did you get the sample from? [This question IS relevant, because it determines the risk level. If it's from her world and truly given by Sion herself, then...]

[adropofjupiter]

I am aware of that.

[Marisa narrowed her eyes as she worked the magic on the sample above the circle. Her hand cupped around it while the other scribbled figures and measurements on a notebook next to her.]

But Sion was looking at the wrong thing. Vampirism in your world is a specific magic strain inserted into the body on spiritual level. Whereas I cannot 'cure' it as I have no divine ability at my command, if I can isolate that magical strain, I should be able to create a way to force it dormant.

[A few more scribbles in the book and then Marisa added a drop of a clear liquid to the vial where it started to bubble a little.]

Sion voluntarily gave me her own blood to work with.

[ex_seventh238]

She... what?

[Her tone shifts a bit, but otherwise, apart from tightening her fists a little, Ciel doesn't display any other change in her behavior - not that Marisa'd notice anyway, probably, with how wrapped up in her work she seems to be right now.

...Sion Eltnam Atlasia, the prodigy of Eltnam. The alchemist gave up her name in order to find a cure for vampirism and atone for Zepia Oberon Eltnam's downfall, him who's also otherwise known as TATARI, Dead Apostle Ancestor #13. The woman was first and foremost known for her cold hard logical thought process and outstanding intellect, so she of all people should know just how dangerous working with vampire blood for a human may be. Ah, there's no point dwelling on the how now, but still, if she DID willingly give a sample of her own blood to Maria... How could she have allowed this?!

She just might or might not be gritting her teeth, here.]

It doesn't matter what she was looking at. She's no longer here anyway, what you're doing is pointless. [Another step forward.] Stop this at once, Kirisame Marisa. [There's an uncharacteristically hard glint in her eyes now, too. This hitting anything personal? Maybe, but either way, standing back and watching is something that in this situation, Ciel absolutely cannot do.]

[adropofjupiter]

[Marisa's hand pauses in writing a moment and her eyes narrow. At this point, the blood stops bubbling and turns green. The witch makes a noise in the back of her throat and moves that vial to the rack with the others.]

Everything done in this place is pointless. Everything. What does it matter to you? I'm a magician, Ciel. Half the research I do and the things I accomplish - as with most magicians - is to see if it can be done. For the knowledge it imparts. It doesn't matter if Sion is gone.

It won't be meaningless if I succeed. Because I'll know it can be done. I'll have succeeded where others failed. [There was a slight crack in her voice at the end there.]