301/What's Eating Ao-chan!

What's Eating Ao-chan!
Date of Scene:	16 August 2015
Location:	Plot Room #2
Synopsis:	Euphemia and Miss White investigate Ao's illness. The truth is sinister, and a plan is hatched.
Cast of Characters:	Hannah Sharpe, Euphemia Barchetta

---

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Miss White is in her office! It's a little barren right now, as there's a suspiciously desk-sized hole in one wall. She has a much smaller desk right now, and she's leaning on it as a brunette leans over the other woman.

"Baka! Opening up your wounds like that and flinging around desks! Don't get so excited, okay, White-san?" Pouts Ao Karina before coughing harshly. Miss White tries to get up from her plush office chair to give her a handkerchief, but the other girl just shoves the Director back down.

"Relax! I'll be okay. I'm not some burden." Frown! The suited magical girl raises both hands, seemingly not knowing what to say!

"Sorry Ao-chan."

Outside, at the secretary's desk, a big russian man is typing away with meaty fingers. Boris sings a russian working song as he does so, sharp Familiar eyes keeping a look out.

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    Euphemia is in a chipper mood today, though those that spend time around her come to realize this is usually the case. She has been spending time with Takashi as he begins to organize his little group into a more cohesive unit. This has kept her plenty busy and with people to talk to, but she's also curious about the other people that came with him to the forest and hasn't had all that much time to meet them!

    So here she is at WPS, taking the more direct dimensional route from the Eclipse laboratories to the companies offices. It doesn't take much asking around to figure out how to get to Miss White's office, especially when one can produce an Eclipse ID card on demand.

    She'll stop outside the office itself, however, because there's currently a big beefy secretary! She'll walk right up to the desk. "Hi! I'm here to see Miss White. I don't have any scheduled meetings or anything like that but I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know I'm here! My name is Euphemia Barchetta" A bright winning smile- she believes this

    After a moment she starts looking over Boris himself a bit more closely, quirking an eyebrow. "You know, there's something recognizable about you, but I don't know what..." She'll circumvent the secretary's desc lifting up onto her toes to look over his face very closely, tilting her head one way, and then the other.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
There's a little girl with an Eclipse id staring at Boris. It's not entirely unusual, but the big russian man still runs a hand through greying hair. Despite his size, he offers a bright, warm smile.

"Ah, little girl is looking for white kitten? Viktor phones in, one moment!"

One phonecall later, and he waves a hand.

"Little girl is being silly! Viktor is Viktor. Maybe see at company picnic?" Offers the man before she's waved on into the office!

Miss White stands up, now freshly bandaged thanks to Ao. Both girls blink, and Miss White smiles.

"Euphemia-chan! I did not expect you to show up here! Come on in! Want some coffee?" She has a coffee pot, despite her recently downgraded desk.

Ao smiles, the girl pale and perhaps a little stunted in her growth. A sensitive mage could /feel/ the magic flowing off of her. Not the natural kind, but the kind only given by youma.

"Um, hi! I'm Ao. Ao Karina! Are you one of White-san's employees?" Despite her frailty, the girl smiles brightly.

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    "Hmm... if you say so!" Euphemia comments as she finally relents, backing away from 'Viktor' as the office is made available to her. The poor familiar is probably lucky that she actually has a reason to be here and is simply not wandering, or he'd be in for significantly more pestering!

    She goes through the door and waves, "Of course I was going to show up! It was just a matter of time, I actually feel bad I couldn't come see you sooner." Looking around the office a moment she beams, "Wow! You really are some kind of big shot around here, huh? Good job!"

    Cue the inquisitive girl going around and looking at all the fake diplomas and family pictures for a moment. She is then offered a stimulant, "Sure, I'd love some! Do you have any sugar to put in it?"

    Ao is the next curiosity on the list, and the 12 year old walks up to her, "Hi, Ao-san! Nice to meetcha! Call me Euphemia." She's...actually not quite sure how to answer the question put to her, her face momentarily looking silly as she overdoes a 'thinking' face. "Umm... something like that. I'm an employee of one of her partners!"

    Euphemia herself can't really detect magic but she does get a mental ping from Bulwark when she gets really close to Ao. Admittedly this does not make the truth of things as obvious as it otherwise might, since Takashi himself tends to throw around negative energy.

    The girl puts her finger to her bottom lip, stepping a bit closer to Ao and giving her an up and down look. "You... don't -look- like a Mage. And I don't see any Devices on you." She leans back a bit and cocks her head to one side, "Did you swallow a magic pill or something? If you did you should cough it up, because I think it's making you sick!" Tact isn't her strong suite.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Miss White can't help but preen a bit!

"Not /quite/ the CEO, but Director of Special Interests and Acquisitions /is/ pretty swank~." She strikes a dramatic pose here, grinning.

Ao just gives a little sigh, and ignores her friend.

While Miss White is fetching coffee and sugar, it's Ao's turn to go to the forefront. She sits down in an extra chair, and shoves another rolley chair to Euphemia.

"Nice to meet you Euphemia-san! Are you a foreigner like White-san? Errr, ummm, not the point!" Cue a small blush!

Both of Ao's hands go up.

"N...no! I'm not a mage like White-san! Not a grain of magic on me I'm afraid!" Her face falls for a moment. Euph might have hit a sore nerve.

Then Hannah's back, offering Ao some juice and Euphemia some coffee with cream and sugar.

Ao doesn't seem to know how to respond, but White-san swoops in.

"Try a poison-breathing youma. Beat us both nearly to death before I met my partner." Meaning, of course, her Device. Ao just nods a few times.

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    "Directer -sounds- cooler than CEO anyway," the girl agrees, returning the grin with full force and not seeming to notice how Ao responds to the bluster with decisiveness.

    "I am!" The girl then replies to the question of her origins, brushing her bright blue hair over her shoulder, though with none of the elegance and sheen of the panted Homura Flip. "I'm even more of a foreigner than, White-san."

    She says that part with a big grin but doesn't go into detail about it unless pressed- she isn't sure if Miss White has told Ao that their little planet isn't alone in the universe and as amazing as that is it's pretty old hat to the girl.

    The coffee mug is taken with both hands and she takes a big drink from it right away before emitting a little, "Eeee!" Then with a bright smile she adds, "Almost hot enough to burn my tongue- perfect!"

    It's right about then that Miss White tells her about the poison youma, and the girl gives a tiny nod. "Oh, okay."

    She's about to take another drink when she stops and blinks as the importance of that actually penetrates her mind.

    "Wait -what-?!" she shouts loud enough for the huge Secretary outside to hear unless there's some pretty good soundproofing.

    Down goes the coffee cup on the nearest available surface, and she points accusingly towards Ao, "You mean she was poisoned by magic and /it's still in her/?!" She reaches up and pulls on her own hair in exasperation.

    Just a moment later there's a mental command and Bulwark announces, <Prepare!>, followed by the device and it's master speaking in unison, <Gear up!> "Set Up!"

    Miss White has seen this before- bright magic forming around Euphemia and replacing her clothes with her barrier jacket, and Bulwark unsealing from her standby mode into a pair of large shields attached to Euphemia's forearms.

    The very moment the henshin is completed she's casting a spell, holding both arms out towards Ao. A large Midchildan magic circle appears below the sickly girl, dark green magic lines glowing brightly enough to completely bathe the room in their light.

    Euphemia honestly isn't sure if this will even work, but she's pouring as much magic into the spell as she can, to the point the gathering mana might feel similar to the buildup of a high powered bombardment attack.

    Once she's empowered it as much as she can handle she'll complete the spell with a shout of, "DISPEL!"

    The green magic will wash over and through Ao. At least some of the toxic magic is removed, and there should be at the very least a bit of immediate relief. The spell cast was specifically created to remove any and all traces of unwanted foreign magic from the targets it's cast upon. If it had been used immediately after the girl had been poisoned she probably would never have become so ill in the first place.

    But there is also no healing or curative properties to it at all- any actual physical harm done isn't affected.

    Regardless of what happens next Euphemia is left hunched over a bit, panting from the strain and effort of the spell.

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
"Honestly I would like the paycheck and the benefits. But the guy in the position is way too stubborn to just die." Frown! There's definitely animosity in the ranks at WPS

Ao herself nods this time. "I've been taking medicine to stop the symptoms, but it doesn't really work all that well."

And then Euphemia pulls out her device, and that magical circle appears under Ao! Miss White doesn't spare a moment, her own Device appearing in her hands, her own magic circle flaring up under her.

There's a fist coming for Euphemia's face, just as she shouts. Ao's arms go for the girl's own, just as she's pulling back for a right hook. The mere touch from the ill girl gives her pause.

"She's not trying to hurt me! Stop jumping to conclusions!" Berates Ao, only for her to visibly relax. Hannah catches her deftly as she shudders, a mist of poison fading from her body.

"ARe you...?" Starts Hannah, before Ao opens her eyes again.

"I feel so light..." She mutters, smiling.

For all of ten seconds. Her eyes screw closed in pain, and that magical malady seems to creep back in. For a brief moment, Euphemia can see a small sigil on her neck.

It seems Ao and Hannah have it wrong. This isn't just a case of some youma's old poison, this malady is actively being maintained.

Miss White turns to Euph.

"What is going on!?" She demands.

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    <Round-> 'Don't.'

    As Hannah launchers herself at Euphemia Bulwark immediately begins to intervene, only to be cut off by a mental command, the spell never completing with no shield forming between the two. If Hannah wants to hit the girl, she can- she's willing to take a hit or two if it means helping Ao. She doesn't even know the girl, but the thought of her being continually poisoned by dark magic is horrible, especially when the girl has exactly the type of magic to cure such an ailment.

    Now if only she hadn't been so hasty she didn't explain herself.

    Ao, however, saves Euphemia from sporting a black eye and possibly more by stopping the punch before it really gets in motion.

    As the light from the spell begins to fade, the poison itself visible for a moment. Even the cyan haired girl didn't expect her spell to be -that- effective, not when it had so long to damage her body.

    The girl is ecstatic herself, squeezing her hand into a fist and jerking it downward to her side, "Yes! Dispel is a type of magic created specifically to purge an enemies mana and magic from whoever I cast it on. I can't heal damage or wounds, but I -can- remove magical mala-"

    And then Ao winces in pain, and Euphemia's eyes widen, "What! No way, that should be impossible!"

    She quickly moves over to Ao's side, trying to brush away any hair and point to where the sigil is, though she might not make it in time. She also isn't going to press if Hannah blocks her or Ao resists.

    "There! Did you see that?! She isn't being poisoned- she's being cursed!"

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Ao hardly resists, and Hannah is too stunned to really interfere! The sigil glows, clearly corrupt. The words 'cursed' comes into her ears, and Miss White is shivering in anger.

"Cursed!? How? I thought it was from that poison that disgusting youma gave off!" She yammers.

Ao is a little calmer.

"I don't remember much about that day. Hannah and I were looking at dresses, and then the big bug-thing crashed through the ceiling. I remember Hannah getting in front of me, and then the bug let out this gas...everything burned after that." She shivers at the memory. Miss White pulls her into a hug.

"Do you think we can use the magic from the sigil to locate who...or what...is cursing her?" Adds in Miss White, already hefting half of her Device. Unlike Euphemia, she's in no mood for celebrations.

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    Euphemia's jovial mood evaporated as Ao's returned health. Right now she's somewhere between annoyed and confused. It's one thing to have had the spell fail, but to have it work and then be overridden? That just ticks her off. "I don't know exactly what's happening. I removed almost every trace of foreign magic from her system! I was afraid there would be a little left no matter what..."

    That probably doesn't explain much, and for the moment Euphemia is merely talking to herself. Then Hannah mentions tracking the magic and her eyes blink, "Yes! Yes- I think we can! Um, it might not be very pleasant for her, though. You have very powerful scanners, don't you? Bulwark can detect when you do that."

    The girl takes a short step back from the two. Her jaw sets and she crosses her arms as best she can, a look of pure frustration on her face that somehow makes her look cute rather than scary, "Here's what I know. There was foreign, evil magic in her, likely put there by the big-thing you're talking about. I just removed nearly all of it, but only a little bit later more -new- magic started harming her again. In fact, I take it back. At this point we can't even be sure the magic I removed was from way back then at all."

    Her eyebrows furrow a bit more, and she makes a swiping gesture with her arm, "What I'm saying is that -right now- there is someone using magic to make her sick. If I remove it again and you're scanning, you might be able to detect where the new replacement magic is coming from."

    Her features smooth back out as she calms back down a little, the girl giving a look of sympathy to Ao, "I think it's worth trying, but I can't say if there will be any side effects. -My- magic won't hurt her at all, but..."

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Miss White shivers a bit, and shakes her head. Neither girl mentions Euphemia's irritation, but it's clear that it's not helping matters. Miss White hugs Ao tighter, who trembles and sheds a few tears.

"So either that monster cursed her...or we have something bigger going on. And I know plenty of people who would be ruthless enough to use Ao to get to me." She scowls. One in particular comes to mind.

She turns to Ao rather than answer.

Ao slowly pulls away, and gives a tiny nod.

"I'm tired of getting used by other people to hurt Miss White. If that will get you the culprit, I'll...well, I'm used to pain." She smiles sadly, and soon, Miss White has Ao sitting down in a chair.

Raging Tempest's Area Search systems come online almost instantly.

"Set-up, ready! Loading Wide-Area protocols, outputting all sensors on maximum range." Comes the crisp british voice.

"Do it, Helix-chan."

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    Euphemia nods, "That's probably what happened, it likely cast a spell on Ao that it didn't on you." At this point Bulwark interrupts, <There is one other possibility, Master. The spell causing the illness may have been cast by another at the time of the attack or immediately after.>

    "Oh. Yeah, right, if it were 'something bigger' that would make sense. But I hope it's just a stupid big we can go squash!" The girl says, stomping her heel and grinding it on the office's nice carpet for show.

    She then gives Ao a small smile, "You may be weakened, but you're a lot stronger than you look. I'm going to do my best, okay? Just be ready for it to come back again this time." And if it doesn't? Great!

    She takes a breath to ready herself and then holds her arms out towards Ao once more. Just as she did the first time she pumps a significantly higher amount of magical power into the spell than she normally would, a magic circle appearing below the sitting girl while Raging Tempest scans.

    "Dispel!"

    <Dispelling.>

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Ao smiles, a little frightened, but a steadying hand from Hannah has her growing serious.

The spell goes off without a hitch, the girl visibly relaxing at first, falling against Hannah. For a minute or two, nothing. Ao breathes heavily, only to scream as that dark energy returns all at once!

Raging Tempest glows green, and dozens upon dozens of emerald lines spill from the Device. They scrabble across much of the Mitarkihara area, a good ten minutes going by as Miss White sweats and searches. Ao weakly clings to her, gasping and barely conscious. Once again, it seems to be being maintainced.

Those lines return to her Device, and Miss White falls to one knee.

A hand rubs her head. It took some doing.

"Unghh...I...I found the source. Warehouse...#21...in the harbor area. Stationary. Not sure if something's lurking out there, or what's doing all this, but..."

Ao helps Miss White up, the two girls clinging to each other.

"We've got a lead..." Finishes Ao.

Hannah smiles.

"Well? I want a team ready for this. You on board to solve this mystery?"

Euphemia Barchetta has posed:
    Waiting around is one of the hardest things for Euphemia to do, and as Hannah scans continually to find the source of the magic the cyan haired girl broods. She stands with arms crossed, tapping her foot. It is out of impatience, but not because it's taking Hannah 'too long'. She just wants to be able to do something rather than stand annoyed. Eventually she decides to tend to Ao as best she can- mainly by asking if she wants any water or if there's anything else she can get the girl.

    She simply needs any kind of busywork because her mind is going a mile a minute and she can't shut it off. Maybe if she was able to remove the magic again Ao would get hours or even days of time unencumbered by the damaging magic- that might be enough to start her on real recovery. But then it seems to take a lot out of her when the magic is reapplied- a third time so quickly might even kill her.

    It's circular thoughts like these that spin through her head over and over as Miss White does her job.

    "You did? Great work!" she says probably too loud. "Stationary. Grr... if you had Raging Tempest give Bulwark the coordinates I could take us there -right now-. But we've both used a lot of energy. I bet the jerk who's hurting Ao did too, though."

    Even though she says it she knows the danger is probably too great; the place could be swarming, after all. Just the two of them rushing off could very will get them killed. "I'm on board. Of course I am! You helped me join up and I have a chance to help you pub a beating on someone that's hurting your friend? Just say the word, and I'll help you give them a hurting they won't ever forget."

Hannah Sharpe has posed:
Miss White considers it: busting in and bashing the one responsible would be /satisfying/. The look on her face is feral, angry, and generally murderous. Ao glares. Miss White visibly calms.

"...No. Too risky. We recover, bide our time, keep surveiling the site, and go in with a /plan/. No hero or loose cannon crap. Nice, neat, and professional. That is WPS's motto." A grin here. She pats Euphemia's back.

"Now come on. We need to get Ao-chan here to a place where she can rest up." Miss White then hefts the other girl in a princess carry, Ao blushing and wiggling a bit.

"And then you and I are going to discuss what we need." Off they go!