After Dark, June 16th--??? (Locked to Maria and Osaka)

[happyhalloween]

[It was dark and Maria was lost, but she had to leave her house because Mama had seen Tomosuke! She'd found Tomosuke in Maria's backpack and Maria had snatched the panda out of Mama's hands and run straight out the door and kept running. She remembered what had happened all those months ago, when the Black Witch had possessed Mama and murdered Sakutaro and the bunny band and she could't let it happen to Tomosuke too.

So Maria ran and ran and ran until she was quite tired and thoroughly lost. She'd lost Mama too, but that didn't much matter when it was so very dark and everything was so thoroughly unfamiliar. She tried to do some black magic to Mama inside her head but even that didn't help much, no matter how many times she kicked Mama until her stuffing came out.

All Maria wanted was to find Maya's house so she could go inside and eat some burgers and ramen and have Bikini fuss over her, but she had no more idea of where Maya's house was than her own.

And now there was a scary shape moving in the darkness!]

... hello? Who are you? You don't scare Maria! Maria's a witch!

Comments

[ohmygah]

[For once in Ayumu's life, she had trouble sleeping.

For one thing, Dad was back in town and he always said a lot of things that went over her head. But she always felt like she should be upset, even though she wasn't sure why.

For another thing, she just... couldn't stop thinking about Osaka. Who was she? Why did everyone think Ayumu was Osaka? It had to be important somehow.

And it had something to do with that ritual not too long back.

So, Ayumu put on her clothes, a jacket, grabbed a flashlight, and snuck out of the house. In the movies, all the action heroes went out for walks when they were stressed. Being an action hero sounded exhausting but maybe it would help.

Before long, Ayumu was wandering around town in a daze, having forgotten to turn on her flashlight. She was just thinking about where catnip comes from when she heard a loud voice!] Gah! Don't move, I could blind ya with the almighty light wand!

[happyhalloween]

[Oh thank goodness, it was just Osaka. Maria runs forward to hug her.] Osaka! Maria's lost! Where's Maya-oneesan's house?

[ohmygah]

GAH!

[She's flails a bit but calms down immediately when she realizes its just Maria.]

Oh, hi Maria-chan!

[Ayumu frowns when Maria mistakes her for Osaka. Hnnnnnnngh. Why is everyone getting that wrong wrong wrong?

...But wait. This is Maria. A trusted, honest friend. Maybe she can help her out with this. But she has to be super sneaky about it.]

...Yeeeessss. That is me. Osaka. Nobody else. Osaka!

[Nailed it.]

Oh, uh... [She glances around.] ...I'm really bad at directions....

[happyhalloween]

Maria's not so good either...

[She gives Osaka another squeeze in her hug and then lets go. She holds up Tomosuke so Osaka can give him a hug of his own.]

Maria's hiding from Mama. She can't let Mama kill Tomosuke too.

[ohmygah]

[D'awwwwww. Yeah, there's no way someone as adorable as Maria could be in on some vast conspiracy. Ayumu happily squeezes back before giving Tomosuke a hug too.]

What?! Why would she do that?! Pandas are supposed to be endangered!

[And breaking laws is bad.]

[happyhalloween]

It's the Black Witch. She goes into Mama and possesses her and makes Mama do awful things to Maria, like kill her friends and hit her on the head.

[Maria says this all very solemnly.]

That's why Maria has to do black magic back on her.

[ohmygah]

[Ayumu immediately looks like she's freaking the hell out at the concept of this Black Witch.]

Th-that's not nice at all! That Black Witch needs to stay the heck away!

[She nods in approval.]

You got good instincts, Maria-chan! That'll show that Black Witch!

[happyhalloween]

[Maria beams at her.] Maria is very good at black magic! Beatrice taught Maria how! It's a very important part of every witch's education!

[... speaking of which.]

... do you want to learn black magic from Maria? Since OSAKA is MARIA's apprentice.

1/2

[ohmygah]

Woooooooow! You're incredible, Maria-chan!

[ohmygah]

[...whoa.

whoa.

Whoa.

This just got a whole lot of interesting.]

...Yeeeees. Osaka definitely wants to learn black magic. Cause that's who I am. Osakaaaaaa.

[happyhalloween]

Yes, OSAKA! The Witch of Enlightenment! MARIA's best pupil. Way better than dumb old Ange!

[You get another quick little Maria-hug, Ayumu! Then she steps back.]

Okay! First thing we do is we have to conjure the person we're doing black magic on here! It's like how we conjure Tomosuke's voice out of his vessel at tea parties, only this time we have to get the person's body too. We have to concentrate and concentrate until we can see them standing in front of us. You can do that, right?

[By conjure she means imagine.]

[ohmygah]

[Ahahahah. Yeah. Awkward backpat as Ayumu restrains herself from screaming in total panic what is all of this.]

...Sure! I can conjure all sorts of things. In class I got a A in conjuring.

...Er, actually a D.

[Better be realistic when dealing with magic.]

[happyhalloween]

Maria knows Osaka's good! Osaka's talked with Tomosuke at all our tea parties!

[Another happy smile.]

Once we've got them all good and conjured... that's when the black magic really starts. Maria likes to rip Mama apart, just like Mama ripped apart Sakutaro, so all her stuffing comes out. We break and break and break and we don't mind the screaming, because that means we did it right. Then we put them back together again! We can do that as many times as we need to until we feel better! Break and break and put back together again! Kihihihi.

[ohmygah]

[Uhhhhhhhhhh]

...But Osaka, that's me, can just imagine punching them in the nose or something, right?

1/2

[happyhalloween]

Right! If that's what Osaka wants!

2/2

[happyhalloween]

[And suddenly the scary face Maria is gone and she's all smiles again.]

What's Osaka doing out tonight, anyway?

[ohmygah]

[Oh good, Maria's normal again. That must mean everything's okay and always will be.]

It's simple, Maria-chan! In the movies, something important happens whenever they go for a walk in the night! So I went on a walk to make sure I could find the person I'm looking for!

[happyhalloween]

Ooooooh. Who is Osaka looking for? Can Maria help?

[ohmygah]

Sure thing, Maria! You could help me use black magic to find her! I'm looking for somebody named Osaka!

[...Wait.]

Uh. I mean Ayumu! I'm Osaka. I'm looking for an Ayumu.

[happyhalloween]

... Ayumu? [She rolls the name around in her mouth like it's one she's never heard before. And it isn't. Osaka's nickname had already become universally used by the time Maria had joined their little group.]

What does Ayumu look like?

[ohmygah]

[......Um. Uh. Hm.]

She... uh. She's got...

...

...

...

...

Hair.

[happyhalloween]

Osaka has hair! Maybe Osaka is Ayumu and doesn't know it, kihihihi!

... no, wait, that's silly.

[ohmygah]

[SILENT SCREAMING]

HA. HA HA HA. THAT... THAT WOULD BE PRETTY SILLY, HUH MARI-CHAN?

I, uh... I think she looks like me. Only not me.

[happyhalloween]

Like Osaka with blank white ghost eyes!

[Well, that's her current mental image of the mysterious Ayumu anyway.]

[ohmygah]

G-ghost eyes? S-so they're all invisible and stuff?!

[She probably meant intangible.]