dumb kids doing dumb things

[soba]

kia and i will thread or else

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[soba]

[ he

hates this so fucking much, it's absurd ]

No. Definitely goddamn not.

[inveilsible]

I-I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to say you were any of those things, I just-- don't know why you can see me!

[ Please don't shank her. ]

[soba]

[ he rubs his temple ]

So you're actually invisible? No shit?

[ maybe she's a kappa..... ]

[inveilsible]

[ Rude. ]

If you don't believe me... we can find someone else and you can ask them if they see me.

[soba]

[ ugh

this is a good way to make himself look crazy if she's telling the truth, but. ]

Fine. Come on.

[ there are other kids nearby. ]

[inveilsible]

[ There sure are. Kids who are totally minding their own business and chatting about Kid Things and not really paying attention to this blue-haired kid and his pigtailed tagalong.

Until one of them glances up and raises an eyebrow kind of skeptically at Toi.

"W-what? What do you want?" ]

[soba]

Can you see her?

[ he points at her.

it's funny because toi already has a threatening aura for a 14 year old so this will probably go fine ]

[inveilsible]

[ The kids all turn their heads to stare at the space Toi is pointing to-- and then they glance back at him, shrinking back a little in the universal "this guy is crazy but if I say that he'll probably pop my head off" kind of way.

Sana, for her part, just looks quietly resigned.

"... Don't see anyone but you," the first kid finally mutters. ]

[soba]

[ toi proceeds to just turn around and walk away without addressing the kids any further. rude, but they probably appreciate it. ]

You're not dead, are you?

[ he is just assuming that she's following ]

[inveilsible]

I-I'm not.

[ She tugs at a pigtail-- and he guessed it, she's following. ]

It's because of a wish I made... it wasn't really what I wanted, but a lot had happened and it kind of wound up becoming like this.

My family doesn't care, though, so... I guess it could have been worse. At least I'm not worrying them.

[soba]

[ ... unfortunately, she hit the right button to get sympathy from him. he pauses slightly, but continues walking, the only difference being that his pace is now slightly slower. ]

You said specific people can see you?

[inveilsible]

Mm. Other people who made wishes, like me. And I guess the, um... monsters that attack ordinary people can see me too.

[ She's nowhere near confident enough to walk beside him or to try and catch his eyes, but she continues to follow. ]

But I don't think you're either one of those things, so I don't know why you can see me. I'm sorry if I'm bugging you.

[ But outside of fellow Magical Girls, she hasn't been able to talk to anyone. And that's... it feels strange now, but she thinks it's a warmer feeling of something like hope. ]

[soba]

I have a feeling I know why.

[ he is pretty sure kappas, technically, count under the category of monster, even if it sounds like she's speaking about a different kind.

still, she asked if he was magic earlier, so it should probably count. ]

But not for the same reason the others can.

[inveilsible]

Is that, um... something I'm allowed to ask about?

[ Look, she just met the guy. She doesn't even know his name. This isn't exactly standard protocol for jaw-dropping secrets to be revealed. ]

[soba]

[ honestly it's not even a life or death kind of secret, it's just that the kind of thing that is so goddamn weird why would you ever want to tell someone else about it? ]

I guess I'm magical, in a sense. So that's probably why.

[inveilsible]

In a sense?

[ Now Sana moves closer, peering at him carefully. Was there something she missed? Normally, her Soul Gem ought to have reacted or maybe that was only because of Witches or-- ]

I can't sense anything at all... I-I'm not doubting you, but you hide it really well!

[soba]

I'm not hiding anything.

[ he is just sometimes a kappa, and right now he is not. ]

How could you tell?

[inveilsible]

"Tell"...? You mean, sense it?

I'm a Magical Girl. [ She pauses, slowly twisting her fingers together. ]

I can tell if there's something... well, off. Though that usually just means there's a Witch nearby.

[soba]

What are those? Are they the monsters?

[ he supplies no information about himself, but grills her instead. ]

[inveilsible]

Some of them. They're... creatures that can take control of innocent people and lead them to their deaths and they're definitely really dangerous. It's a Magical Girl's duty to fight them.

[ He can grill her all he wants, she doesn't think she's particularly interesting.

Though she's really not ready to tell him the Real Deal behind Witches. ]

[soba]

[ he lets out a low whistle ]

Wow. That's shitty. [ that's one way to describe it ] So there's more of you?

[inveilsible]

Mm. There are a lot, I just... haven't met all of them.

[ And also some of them are jerks. ]

Can I... ask what you are, exactly?

[soba]

[ wow. don't be nosy. ]





Kappa.

[inveilsible]

K... kappa?

L-like the-- with the dish-- and cucumbers--??

[ Pardon Sana's shock and interpretative gestures. ]

[soba]

No, the other kind of kappa.

[ yes, of course the one with the dish ]