[ARC 5: FRENCH DEPRESSION]

Laura, otherwise known of Auctioneer, had been promoted recently from Revenant facility guard to border patrol. With an exaggerated sense of importance to her task, she felt she was the hammer of her country and had often run in to trouble with Urasaria students passing in from Mexico, which she thought was a waste of resources better spent on those at home. If a hundred years hadn't stopped it from being a drug-ridden mess, she doubted Revenants could solve something she felt was innate.

On March 20th, she had been contacted by a local militia headed by a student friend of her's, and he'd tipped her off to what they thought was one host hiding out, which turned out to be three; but Auction had a limit of four victims, too.

As she kept her boot on one's neck, she dangled Auction's vial in front of his face. She always enjoyed the control her Revenant gave her over others, and in her view she saw no issue in tormenting non-whites with it; the Mexicans were parasites who all held a dim view of the law & steady employment. Whether this was cultural or biological, she did not know or care; her racism was a thing of necessity to her mind, and justifications flitted themselves in & out as required.

She stomped his neck apart, and winced as she stumbled a bit over the other two corpses. Steadying herself against the house's wall, she poked her head outside and shouted for her student friend to come scan the three for credit. It was technically cheating, but she liked him & admittedly, frequently checked the rankings to make sure he was alright.

When he stepped inside, she was standing against the wall, stretching her heels.

"Everything alright?" he said and she nodded.

Edgar was a young, well-dressed man who read enough literature to keep him a few years ahead of his peers. His past temper still showed in the way he spoke to some civilians.

"It's my feet again." she said. "I went to the government doctor a week ago - he says I've got some type of fallen arches."

"Even as a host?" Edgar started scanning.

"Even as a host. He didn't prescribe me nothing for it, either. Said it'll just go away on its own."

"Well, I doubt they could prescribe anything. They had to make a whole new type of anesthetic just for hosts. Penxeno."

"Yeah, well, I sure wish I had one of those healing Revenants. Get to sit in a chair all day and make a hundred thousand dollars for telling people to buy new shoes." She sat against the wall. "I'm sorry, Edgar, I gotta sit for a minute, I been standing all day."

"That's alright." He finished scanning. "Thank you."

Laura nodded, then watched as he adjusted the book he was carrying to his other arm. "What's that book you've been carrying around, anyway? Seen you off to the side reading it a few times."

"It's a history of paganism." said Edgar. "It's fairly thorough, if you can ignore all the anti-white shit they inject in to it."

Laura laughed. "What, you planning on going to church?"

"No, but I've been reading in to folk religions." shrugged Edgar. "A man needs some sort of moral structure that can help tell him how to live. Urasaria doesn't teach philosophy."

"Well, I bet they wouldn't be teaching the type of books you're reading, even if they did. They still got that ugly dyke for a president?"

"Probably. I haven't been on campus in a few months." (Laura nodded and stood up.) The two walked outside, and he said: "But you'll have to be more specific. Ugly dyke describes most women on campus."

Laura laughed. "You know, they all say their Revenants turn them like that, but I've never seen it. When I was growing up, they never had any dykes on campus, not ever. All of my friends, not one."

"I'm sure they'd still tell you they're all born that way."

"Yeah, and so are pedophiles."

When Laura got back home, she found a letter from an address she didn't recognize. She brought it inside, cut it open cautiously after giving it a shake, and read over the handwritten note inside.

'Check the footage for January 26th.'

◆◆◆

Mia checked her mail on April Fool's Day and found a new vegan cookbook alongside a bizarre invitation. She set the former on the counter, and seeing the latter was an invitation to Makoto's birthday party, put it in the trash where it belonged.

She set aside the vegan cookbook for Luna and sat with Marisa. "Are the new online rankings out yet? Aimee said they would be ready soon."

Marisa pulled out her phone and checked it. "Yep." She showed it to Mia. "Aww. Look, they've got the mentor and protege pairs now - uh, except like, anyone without a hero name."

#1 - Mad Dog

#2 - Symphony

#3 - Eclipse

#4 - Alchemist

#5 - The Grand Couturier

(…)

#37 - Boudoir [Swarm]

(…)

#42 - Rain-On-A-Wedding [###]

#43 - Swarm {Boudoir}

(...)

#48 - Ferrite-Man [###]

#49 - Carve {Dreamer}

#50 - Dreamer [Carve]

Mia's temples pinched at the last name. "Dreamer is... Jeanne, correct?"

Marisa nodded. "Yeah. I guess, like, she used to be pretty high up, but... her comas have been getting more frequent. She might have to repeat this year."

"Her protege's ahead of her." mumbled Mia. "Are they not hunting together?"

"I guess not." said Marisa. "Her protege is in your class, right? Carve?"

"Kirihara?" Mia frowned. In her first few months, Kirihara had made a reputation of verbally hooking at everything that moved. Mia knew everyone in her year now, but Kirihara - she mostly just avoided Kirihara. "…I suppose. I'm not sure if something happened between her and Jeanne."

"She complained, like, a lot about Jeanne when I had her for swap week." Marisa shrugged. "I'm just glad we're not like that."

Mia smiled. "True."

"Um, speaking of, did you drink my soda?"

"The diet pop?"

"The what?" said Marisa.

"The diet pop? No, I didn't -"

" - what did you just say?"

"Pop?"

"Uh, it's called soda, Mia-Mia." Marisa shook her head, aimed her palm at the fridge. A strand erupted and yanked the door open, and as a second pulled the diet pop from the fridge -

- the can hit her nose, and the fashionista slumped back like the missile was lethal. Mia laughed, cooling down a tissue for Marisa's bleeding nose.

"D-Don't laugh." winced Marisa as she sat back up. "I used up all of your t-"

" - you didn't." groaned Mia. "How do you even run out? Why are you using mine?"

"I'm not shoving my own Revenant up my -"

- their phones vibrated, and Mia was the first to catch it. "Another job? Already?"

"Um, you were gone for a month, Mia-Mia. Samuel was pretty weird, though. Like, he kept getting surprised when I called him by his name, instead of like, 'pig' or 'should-have-been-swallowed'."

"She spoils that man."

◆◆◆

In her office, Aimee finished typing out a text, sitting across from a man wearing a wizard's hat & robe. "Asked them to handle it instead. They'll come up in a minute."

"Thank you." Jakuze sighed as his head shook. "They're just - god. Every word that comes out of their mouth is condescending. No wonder they're divorced. I don't even understand why they would want to swap their child like this."

"You haven't been around many rich people, have you?" said Aimee and he laughed. "Pretty sure they, uh, prefer to deal with that as little as possible."

"They could hire a nanny for that. I don't see why they want to hire students."

Aimee shrugged. "Uh, if they're anything like my… parents." She sat up. "I mean, my parents both made six figures and still barely saved any of it. We had six cars for three people. Think once you have enough money to feel comfortable, they just want to show it off. Use it as a solution for everything."

"They should use it to put up their child for adoption." Jakuze sighed and she laughed. "…well. I hope you and your girlfriend have a better relationship than that."

Aimee nodded. "We do. Still, uh - still worried I'm gonna fuck up somehow and she'll hate me, but yeah."

"Hopefully not." He glanced towards the elevator. "…well. If I ever had children, I would never let them around any student."

"I hope that's not what you're using Mesmer for." Aimee looked over to the descending elevator.

"Well, once or twice." (Aimee gave him a frowning glare.) "Alright - no, I haven't. It's not as if they would -"

" - Jakuze." she sighed -

" - all I'm saying is - if you don't remember something happening to you, does it matter if it did?"

"You're not seriously trying to justify rape to me." she said.

"What if it was something smaller?" he said. "A kiss. Let's say a kiss, after I save some gorgeous woman."

Aimee sighed. Jakuze's extreme curiosity made him one of Urasaria's more intellectual students, and its second-most annoying. "It's still wrong. Doesn't matter if she remembers it or not."

"Even though it's essentially victimless? If someone doesn't - if it's not part of someone's mind, it doesn't even really exist, in the fullest sense."

"You don't know how they're going to fill that memory in. Mesmer might just make them repress it. And if I ever hear about you -"

" - I know. You'll expel me."

"Yep."

The elevator door opened, and she smiled as Mia & Marisa sat down.

"Ah, Mia Schwartz." Jakuze held the back of his hand up to his eyes. "Tell me if I'm correct."

"You're -"

" - don't be a dick, Jakuze." groaned Aimee, holding her hand out to the women. "Don't ever correct him."

Jakuze laughed. The third & fourth-years knew his pranks with Mesmer, but the new year had new opportunities. "It did get me rank six." He pulled his hand back.

"Right." said Aimee. "Marisa, uh, do you remember the time you escorted that one chick?"

"Sadly." she said.

"Some other rich couple was hiring Urasaria students for the same thing - said they wanted top of the line."

"They're absolute shit." Jakuze groaned. "I don't think they can get a single line out without being condescending. Everything they say is just - God."

"That about sums it up." muttered Aimee. "Uh, you can head out, Jakuze - I'll let 'em know the rest. Thanks."

With a nod, Jakuze stood, and he was gone. The elevator outside started humming.

"It's an escort, then?" said Mia.

"Yeah. Just you two. I guess they swap their kid like this, or whatever. Can't get in to rich people's heads."

"They swap their kid?" said Marisa.

"From one parent to the other -"

- the hum restarted, and Aimee checked her phone. "… oh. Nuiko." She shook her head. With her luck, Makoto would come in too and her entire month would be ruined. "Anyway, pay is nice, location is only a week away by train. Gotta get in my favoritism somehow." She winked to her Schultzy, who leaned closer over. "I offered it to Jakuze, but he couldn't stand -"

- the doors opened, and in burst Nuiko smiling. "Mad Doggy-Dog. Where - are - the - contracts!"

"I, uh, was just explaining to -"

" - ooo. Swarmy-Swarm, too." Her head bobbed. "I need one for Jeanne Belmont. Dreamer."

Aimee cocked her head, as did Marisa.

"… er." mumbled Aimee. "You... wanted one for Jeanne?"

"You're not joking, right?" mumbled Marisa. "I thought you two were, like…"

Nuiko's ponytail shook as she sat down. "I don't care what Jeanne says. I want a contract for both of us."

"She hasn't agreed to this, has she?" said Aimee.

Nuiko usually kept to her costume shop that echoed her own laughter more than it did anyone else's who came there; why Jeanne had put up with it for months was anyone's guess.

"Nope. But that's exactly why she needs one."

Aimee glanced at Mia. "Up to you, Schultzy."

"I - of course." said Mia, the leadership catching her stumbling. "It - it would be best to have four, then. Two duets."

"That's the spirit." preened Nuiko, attempting to wink with one eye. "Can you talk to Jeanne and make sure she joins, too?"

"...alright."

◆◆◆

Jeanne despised being called a good student. When she was Nuiko's protege, the two had twisted themselves to fit the requirements of just about every contract, and even after achieving three-star in her first year, she hated now how her father had called it a 'special moment'.

Yeah, and most special students grew up to make minimum wage, she thought. Looking back on it, Nuiko's forcing her on those trips where they ate once a day & drove for the rest of it were probably indicative of some view of Jeanne as a status symbol. Despite her memory's evidence otherwise, that, she felt, was why Nuiko asked her to work in her costume shop after months of not talking to her, but never once asked about her protege.

Now, Jeanne skipped most lectures Urasaria offered to her on her Revenant, and even when she didn't, she was liable to spend it frustrated at her lack of attention span. The internet, social media, and her own drug use had trimmed it down, but she never felt motivated enough to change it.

Her emotions, if she felt she had any, were often spent on despising other Urasaria students, until one would smile at her or hold open a door for her. While she felt other students had no shortage of friends, the most she had socialized recently was with a civilian, three months ago, who asked her if she was tired, after a fight nearby, and offered her a free meal at his restaurant. How he could notice this, while her own colleagues could not, or did not care, she took only as more evidence in seeing anti-sociality projected back to her in every expression other students faced towards her.

In her worst moments, she even considered dressing in sluttier clothing to attract the attention of civilian men. As a lesbian, she had no attraction towards them, but she recognized this would not work on women; they simply weren't as visually-inclined as men. Even in herself, this desire for attraction was not based in carnal needs as they were emotional.

Though she never realized these thoughts in to action, she felt she would not want any of this getting back to any other lesbian student, and that it would demean her sexuality to use another woman; unlike in men, where she felt that many her age desired this one-sided use. Additionally, in her view, women were more naturally attuned to suffering, and this was not something she desired.

When she had worked with Nuiko, before quitting after another coma, she often thought of a B-movie her father watched with her when he was young, called 'Fantastic Voyage'. The plot was about a scientist who developed a way to shrink people down to the size of blood cells, and like Nuiko's Revenant, how it worked was just one of those things you accepted uncritically. Upon rewatching it recently, she found herself reflected, not in any of the characters, but in the submarine 'Proteus', wishing she could be the size of bacteria.

But, as with many things in her life, these were pricks of self-pity between smoking in the morning, hunting enough to not be expelled in the afternoon, and masturbating until she fell asleep in the evening.

Mia came up alone to Jeanne's house and knocked.

"Second." said her barely audible voice inside, and the door didn't open until a minute later. Her appearance had changed. She had lost weight, her eyes gained black, and stunk even worse. "Oh. Hey." Her hand was already on the door.

Mia smiled. "Marisa and I, and Nuiko were going to take an escort contract. Nuiko thought you might like to come along."

"… Nuiko asked me to come?" Jeanne frowned and shook her head. "…tired. Really tired lately."

"She… seemed adamant I take you. If Marisa is with you, she can ensure you won't be hurt, if you do fall in to a coma."

Jeanne felt reminded of a news article she'd seen recently. A highschool student had killed themselves, and what she thought of was how many people giving their condolences hadn't ever even spoken to them. That people had been mad at her for pointing this out only spoke to her correctness.

"…don't really wanna go." mumbled Jeanne. "Can you just go away? I don't want to see her."

"Can you give a reason why? She'll ask, and -"

" - just go away - I don't want to go."

She shut the door, and Mia sighed.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

"H-hey." panted Jeanne. "Wh-Why is one of your scarabs on my light switch?"

"Give me a reason, and it leaves. Please?"

"…fine."

◆◆◆◆◆◆

The next morning, Marisa acted as the buffer between stoner & couturier on the train over.

"Ooo. We'll be near Mako by the end." chimed Marisa. "Um. Have either of you ever been there?"

"We were there a few months ago." nodded Mia. "There's many casinos there - Aimee was banned from the entire strip for cheating."

"Jeanne wouldn't be able to cheat at them - unless she was really fast." chimed Nuiko.

Jeanne said nothing. Nuiko's tone reminded her of when she had attended group therapy a few months back, before dropping out after feeling she wasn't depressed enough for it.

"I bet she could." grinned Marisa. "Maybe like, make dice stick on craps. Turn it in to dice-gum."

"Gum-dice." mumbled Jeanne. "Dream takes the properties of materials, and sprays them on to others. So -"

"- sticky dice would be gum-dice." said Nuiko. "Just like your room of steel-water - looks like water, acts like steel, right?"

Jeanne said nothing again as the train came to a halt.

◆◆◆

The father's mansion was newly minted and lacked the sense of the old. The four stood at the front door between the columns, seeing golden tapestries through the windows instead. A man answered, and Mia bowed her head.

"You requested -"

" - who the hell are you?" he said, peeking with one eye from behind the door. "Names. Now."

"Swarm - Boudoir - Dreamer - and The Grand Couturier. Er, were you not notified -"

" - ranks?"

"43, 37, 50, 5."

"I told them to bring the best."

"The other students are currently busy, and several high-ranks refused -"

" - what, 1-4, 6-36?"

"Most of them are degenerates, anyway." said Nuiko, used to comforting paranoia, usually unpaid. "They're very bad influences for children, and -"

" - I'm not letting my boy out with anyone but the best. If you think I'll -"

" - do you remember the hospital bombing last year?" said Mia. "The gang that killed hundreds of people? I'm the woman who brought an end to that - by my hands alone. My Revenant is as strong as a professional hero's. I'm not going to tolerate you disrespecting me - or any of us - so, so blatantly."

Marisa grinned as the man grunted back with no answer.

"…no planes." he muttered. "No payment if - not a single plane. You transport him the route I chose."

"Of course." said Mia. "A road-trip?"

"A train-trip. My boy likes trains." He shouted back in to the home; "Gary! Come up here, now!"

"Now?" shouted a teen's voice back.

"Yes, now!"

"I'm in the middle of something!"

Nuiko tapped the pouch on her back. The bickering continued for a minute longer, and they soon met with the boy, who was as unpleasant as his father.

"Take me away, girls." he muttered and stepped in to the middle of the four.

Jeanne knew what Nuiko was going to do and smiles. The four exchanged information with the boy and father. Their train route was already planned, and they would stop at six cities on their way to the center of the country & a week away.

With repeated assurance, the four women walked away with the boy, and once he was out of sight -

" - good luck in there!" shouted Nuiko, sweeping her pouch over his head, and as her nails pricked his neck -

- he began to shrink inside, and was gone before any could react, Jeanne having her first laugh over it.

"He's safe in there, yes?" panted Mia, and Nuiko nodded.

"All safe. It's super reinforced." She peeked inside the pouch. "Unless there's certain types of bacteria in there, and he'll be eaten alive, but we won't know until we get there. What an embarrassing thing it'll be to swell his corpse on his mother's doorstep."

◆◆◆

Three hours later, the four arrived in Kitesville. Nuiko's savings allowed them a better hotel than their last trip, and the microscopic boy still wasn't privy to sight outside of the pouch.

Jeanne had stopped talking on the way over, and Nuiko's attempts to pull her in to their conversations only frustrated her. Over the semester, her mind's blinds had developed a tendency to open for a few hours and let emotions in before shutting suddenly off. She would gain ground for a few days, but the past months had been a stalemate, with no new events to push it back or forward.

Mia stepped in to her & Nuiko's room, setting her bag down on her bed. "Er, thank you for paying the bill."

"Three-star salary." Nuiko winked with one eye as she tapped her bed, her luggage & pouch swelling out of her fingernails. "Some day, they might think we're important enough to cover travel expenses."

"I had always thought it was." muttered Mia ruefully.

"Yep, and it won't change until someone gets blackmailed or shot."

Mia laughed as she sat down. "Er, also, I wasn't sure if you wanted to be paired with Jeanne, or…"

Nuiko shook her head. "She wouldn't have come otherwise. She barely wanted to…" One eye looked at Mia's badge. "You're a first-year, right?"

"Yes." Mia reached over to her bag, then pulled her obsidian beak mask out and Nuiko laughed.

"I remember. I asked Jeanne to go ask, um, Yuruko for - for the obsidian. I didn't start making costumes until a… few weeks in to the year, actually."

"And working with Jeanne?"

Nuiko nodded as she sat down across. "She was my protege. I guess I just thought that… something to force us to interact. I made some big announcement to Aimee to get her to tell everyone else about it, and by that time, Jeanne's comas started, so I ended up having to make most of…" She sighed, rubbing one eye. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"It's alright."

"Yeah. I don't know why I thought that - I just came off of a year of constantly doing contracts with her, and I thought that if we could work together again… Maybe I made some questionable moves. I don't know why I'm telling you this, either." (Mia smiled.) "But she's here now, and she'll grow an ulcer if she doesn't talk to me eventually."

Mia nodded as a knock came at the door. She went over and opened it for Marisa, who walked in with some annoyance.

"Mia-Mia, can you go grocery shopping with me?"

"Er, of course." said Mia-Mia. "Did something happen?"

Marisa shook her head. "No, Jeanne just wanted to like, rest for a bit. Said she was feeling pretty tired."

Mia frowned, but knew she wasn't getting more than that with Nuiko around. At Urasaria, different years had a habit of not interacting outside of protege & mentorship, and Marisa tended to project her defensiveness over Mia to every other duo. She nodded to Nuiko, who waved to her & Marisa as they left and came out to the sidewalk.

"What happened?" whispered Mia and Marisa sighed.

"She's just acting like a bitch. Like, it wasn't anything she said, it was just… Did I tell you about that date I went on a few weeks ago?" (Mia nodded.) "Yeah. The one where I was talking about like, my family, and she got all snippy like 'oh, you should be glad you have a family that accepts you.' And she messaged me later and said she was sorry, because she isn't out to her parents, but… ugh. Jeanne just reminded me of those types of people. They can't stand anyone being luckier than them. I know she probably didn't want to come, but…"

"It isn't an excuse." nodded Mia.

"Yeah. Like, I'm not mad at her or anything, but Nuiko needs to be the one to talk to her."

Mia frowned. She felt connected to Urasaria's community, and had tried to know all her classmates' names & Revenants over the past year - even Kirihara's, who hadn't shared her's - so even though she didn't know Jeanne well, she felt she should care.

She thought until they reached the grocery store, and Marisa checked a recipe she'd asked Luna to send her as they went up to the meat counter at the back. The butcher was behind the counter, eyeing them careful.

"What type of meat is it?" said Mia to Marisa.

"Uh, lemme check." mumbled Marisa. "They've got so much weird stuff here. Do they even have just regular ground beef?"

"It *is* a luxury store." Mia sighed. "They can't have anything us peasants would like."

"Yeah." mumbled Marisa, a master of the art of couponing, now disarmed. "I guess we can just like, pool our money and try something weird. Like, uh… alligator?"

"It's a tough meat." said the butcher, nametag that read 'Sungalo'. "I wouldn't recommend it, unless you can fry it."

"We cannot." chimed Mia. "What would you recommend?"

His gloved hands dipped under the glass, tapping the sealed duck. "Duck's good - easy enough to cook. You'll want to put it in the pan, cold - bring the heat up gradually. Rends the fat out."

"I'd have to get a new recipe from Luna - but she's probably still up." mumbled Marisa. "Um - unless you have something?"

He shook his head. "Not much. I swore off meat years ago - though I used to be a professional chef. Something about…" He tapped the meat, and it seemed to wriggle. "… knowing something living made that, made it not sit right with me." His head shook again. "But a job's a job. Can tell you all about the tricks to these animals - but the recipes are all gone from my head, now."

"We'll come back after we have a recipe, then." chimed Mia. "Thank you."

"No issue." he said, and the two walked left across the back wall, past the shelves of eggs & milk. They came to the corner, and started walking down. The registers were up ahead of the aisle entrances, as was often the case with grocery stores.

"Maybe like… I dunno. Like, if we get food, a cooler, and some pots and pans, we wouldn't ever need to go out of our rooms, right?" said Marisa.

"And miss the opportunity for tourism?" said Mia, and the two laughed. "If Nuiko's pouch is as reinforced as she says, I wouldn't worry. That, and… it may be best to have Jeanne…"

"Get outside?" said Marisa, and Mia nodded.

"Some … fresh air."

They stepped near the end of the aisle, the register & exit a few dozen feet ahead. A set of squishing footsteps started behind them, and as they turned -

" - is that a fucking bear?" panted Marisa -

- and at the back corner, was a fucking bear, gargantuan and formed of meat.

It was like a red and marbled nightmare as it rushed down the corridor, legs hurtling enormous body along at terrifying gait, and as it hurtled halfway there -

" - Worldwide!"

- a swarm of fire scarabs flew to its legs, and as they burrowed within the creature's dead flesh -

- it burst in to flames, legs hurtling flaming enormous body along at terrifying gait; a swipe of its fiery claws burnt a gash through Marisa's chest, and as it readied for a second strike -

- a strand erupted from the floor behind to the women's backs and yanked them back through the register aisle, smashing tabloid magazines and overpriced candy in their wake, a second swarm of ice scarabs dousing the flesh titan as it rushed in pursuit.

Wanting distance first, the women rushed down the aisle and out through the front doors, then over the sidewalk and out to the parking lot; but the beast was close behind. They heard the front doors shatter behind in a rain of glass; the beast was only a dozen feet away now, and as it took a leap to crush the women underbelly -

" - Worldwide - White-Hot!"

- her gleaming white sword pierced through its belly and back, disintegrating a hole around the two women as the corpse sank and fell around them. Their heads peeked over the flesh cavern around.

"Hey, that's new." chimed Marisa, and a second sweep of Mia's sword cut a path out of the creature. "When'd you get that?"

"A few days ago," chimed Mia, and as the two stepped out of the corpse, they felt something crunch under their boots - a set of broken eggs. The liquid began to bubble, spewing geysers of yolk at the women's eyes, and as the streams sought their vision -

- a rip of Marisa's fabric, and she placed a blindfold on the two women, blocking the poultry projectiles; a second moment, and the material softened, went transparent around their eyes, a set of goggles for the two. Their eyes searched around for their foe; no time to waste again, they rushed back up the parking lot and to the store's sidewalk, and as they stepped over between the cracks -

- a worm erupted right out of it and entered between Mia's lips, wriggling down her throat and seeking a direct path down -

- but a string of Boudoir followed the creature down & yanked it out of Mia's throat, wriggling on Boudoir's strand like a fish. "All go-"

- the work broke free from its lofty containment and leaped to Marisa's right ear, starting to travel down the canal -

- a horrific shriek erupted from Marisa a second later, blood spewing from her right ear; from deeper within, an icicle burst out of her ear -

- and the worm was pierced upon it, leaving a safe yet agonized Marisa.

"Sorry! Sorry! I - knew I had to react quickly -"

" - n-no worries." winced Marisa, and the two rushed back inside the store. "G-Gotta be him - right?"

"If he hasn't fled." muttered Mia, as they rushed past the register, up the aisle where the calamity had begun. The dairy back wall was up ahead, and as they came past the corner -

- a gallon of milk flew off the shelf and smashed the back of Mia's skull; but a knife of Boudoir pierced through the jug, a second strand's flick sending it scattering down the aisle, leaking milk & a white carpet as it went.

And all around them, began the chaotic burst of jugs flying and swarming, sticking close to the two women; but they were fired to the speed of maddened tigers.

A whirl of unnatural swords went through the gallons that smote at them, and again and yet again they slashed the jugs to bits -

- but soon realized they were standing in white puddles. A carpet of spikes began to grow beneath -

" - easy. Boudoir!"

- and a strand yanked them to the ceiling lights, Marisa's right&grown glove cradling Mia's waist. They swung down the aisle and saw the meat counter ahead, their foe still standing there, the cheese on chilled shelves beside -

- which started to buckle & crater inward, liquid oozing out; it formed a stream and shot towards the women, and as Mia barely dodged the cheese's liquid -

- it hit Marisa head-on, and she gasped as her grip suddenly weakened on Boudoir's strand.

"Tartaric acid!" said Sungalo, left, ahead and below, two dozen feet separating the two. "Used in the process of cheese fermentation - in high, concentrated doses, it can cause temporary paralysis."

"M-Mia…" winced Marisa. "G-Going to… f-fall…"

"Do you think you can reach me in time, Mia? Your compatriot's grip is loosening by the second, and if you land on the milk below -"

- but the next scene was instant. Marisa's grip loosened around Boudoir, throwing Mia weakly above; the two fell mismatched, and a trampoline spring grew from Marisa's chest -

- Mia landed on it and bounced off&forward - Sungalo threw his hand out as the scarab-coated projectile flew at him -

- and her blade cleaved his head clear from his shoulders, her body smashing against the floor and skidding in to the wall as she landed. The grisly head rolled by her, and she knew that he was dead.

"…I'm okaaay…" said Marisa, laying in a pool of milk, offering her hand out and up.

"…as am I…" mumbled Mia, rubbing her head with an ice scarab as she stood.

She heard Marisa's phone vibrate.

"…Luna says 'try the duck'…"

◆◆◆◆◆◆

Their groceries in tow, the two came to their hotel's first floor and set down the hall. Boudoir's bandages had patched their wounds. As they turned the corner, they saw Nuiko knocking at Jeanne's door. She paused as they came over.

"Oh. Swarmy-Swarm, and Bou… Boudwah-dwah." she preened.

(Somehow, Mia preferred her over Makoto.)

"Is everything alright?" said Mia.

Nuiko sighed at the door. "She's… just not answering the door. I was about to shrink it if she didn't reply, but…" She frowned as she stepped away. "I don't want to end up over-annoying her."

"Um, lemme get it." said Marisa nervously, and unlocked the door to a still-in-bed Jeanne, turned away from the door.

She barely glanced back as they stepped inside.

"We have our groceries." nodded Mia. "We'll eat in mine and Nuiko's room."

"And feed our microscopic child." said Nuiko. "They're so easy to feed at that size."

Jeanne moved her legs over to the side of her bed. She despised nothing quite so much as the three's pity, and the dispersal of her isolation tightened the corners of her expression, as she stood up to avoid being momentarily below Nuiko's eye.

◆◆◆◆◆◆

The next morning, the fashionista woke up Jeanne, and by the time Marisa had washed up, the stoner was eating a bag of candy she'd brought with her. Jeanne offered one to her, and Marisa shook her head.

"Um, I don't - do that type of stuff." chimed Marisa. "But, um… last night. When Nuiko was like, banging on your door, why didn't you answer?"

"Just don't like seeing her."

"How come? She seems to like you. Like, she wanted us to make sure you came along."

"…I just don't." Jeanne laid her head back. "I just - I hate the stupid mentor system. Everyone ends up like some stupid couple that spends every minute of every day with each other, and by the end of the year, most of them don't even like each other."

"…um. That's not true for like, me and Mia-Mia. She's my best friend. I mean, maybe like, Matoi and her's, but -"

" - lucky you. I'm just being realistic." mumbled Jeanne. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with it."

Marisa frowned. "With Kirihara?"

"Yeah. Doesn't even respond to my texts anymore."

"…I mean, I guess you're better off without her." muttered Marisa.

"Yep."

Marisa slowly nodded. "…okay. Let's go get breakfast."

Jeanne's hands went in to her pockets, and she placed payment on her nightstand. "…just get me something small. I-I haven't been eating much."

"Nope. You can pay, but you're coming with me."

"…j-just leave me alone."

"You can stay in your sweatpants, but you're coming." Marisa winked. "C'mon. It'll be fun."

Irritated, Jeanne said: "Can you stop treating me like I'm some f-fucking retard who can't take care of herself? I'm sick of people acting like pitying me is the same thing as caring. You're just doing it so you get to feel better."

Marisa looked off to the side for a few seconds, then sighed as she turned back to Jeanne. "Fine. You don't want me pitying you? Because I think you're being a complete bitch right now, and you don't get to say that's just because you're depressed. I know Mia's not going to tell you that, and Nuiko definitely isn't going to tell you that, but it's what I think. It actually really fucking hurt what you said last night."

To Jeanne's surprise, she felt no guilt. She began wondering if her lack of emotions was indicative of some sociopathic turn.

"And I'm not trying like, tough love or whatever either." said Marisa. "Happy? Look, I know you don't like, want to be here, but the least you can do is come with me if a Revenant attacks."

Jeanne sighed as she stood, thinking she should've spoken further last night. Contrary to Marisa, this wasn't entirely her fault; she simply felt her best upset.

◆◆◆◆◆◆

Jeanne hadn't spoken much over their meal, and with an hour until their next train, the two were walking back when they passed by a clothing store.

"I need to get new clothes." muttered Jeanne, and Marisa nodded as they went inside, racks arranged in horizontal aisles. "Just sweatpants."

"Just sweatpants?"

"I'm a stoner." muttered Jeanne. "I should look like one."

Marisa laughed thinking she was joking. They went over to an aisle with clothes the fashionista might wear first, and as she picked one dress off the rack, she asked Jeanne what she thought of it.

Jeanne looked up, and her eyes stayed firm to it. "Looks alright. I guess."

"Ooo. I know that tone." Marisa grinned, displaying it to the side, and their eyes never left it. "I can make one like this for you. You'd look super cute in it."

"It's not for sale." murmured a feminine voice behind, and as they turned their vision -

- they found they couldn't turn their eyes away from the dress, and in the next instant -

- a dagger entered Marisa's back; with the speed of light, she ripped her own blade from her dress, sweeping it blindly back -

- but caught only air as their foe rushed back to the end of the aisle, blocking one of the exits -

- and as Marisa turned with dress held ahead, out of the corner of their eyes, the women caught their foe's appearance. She was covered in scars, her face a broken jigsaw puzzle, and her tanktop&gym shorts gashed.

"Of course." said Marisa, keeping corner eyes on the foe twenty feet away.

"Can't look away." said Jeanne, Dream's spraycan in hand.

"Simple - but deadly!" laughed the woman, whose name was Vess, and she vaulted over to the rack to the aisle beside, disappearing behind; footsteps started rushing from the women's left.

"I'll keep it." said Marisa, two strands holding the dress ahead, their eyes unable to leave it. She aimed it skyward and left, Jeanne at her back; they heard footsteps behind, and Marisa turned -

- only in time to block Vess's dagger with Boudoir's sword, the dress hidden behind Vess now, Jeanne huddling behind, and as Marisa's eyes were forced to leave it -

- she felt a dozen invisible spikes strike her eyes - stumbling back under the agony, she caught sight of it again -

- and the pain stopped as her sword caught another strike, her strands a flurry of movement, readjusting the dress while keeping vision of their foe; but a divided mind could not fight an equal battle. The pressure of Vess's strikes forced her and Jeanne further back, her strands still holding the dress behind -

- and a whirl of Vess's steel went through the encapsulating chains, tossing the dress to the floor behind. She swept back and away, and as she fled, she scooped the dress up, pressing her other hand around the corner of the shelf -

- but the next scene was instant. A spray of Dream caught her hand at the shelf, eeking the edge of its range -

- and the acid-wood corroded away Vess's right hand; with a shriek of agony she dropped the dress, and a strand of Boudoir pulled it tight to Marisa's chest, Jeanne's eyes as firmly planted on it as Makoto's had been in January.

A blind gesture to Jeanne, and Marisa pulled it forward, aimed it to the exit as the two rushed out of the aisle, down the center of the store, eyes still captured by the dress.

"Sorry - can't aim very well when I have to keep my eyes on it."

"Just gotta get outside with more space - we'll die if she gets her hands on it here."

Through the front doors and out to the road the women ran, a spray of Dream above and below as they passed the front doors; coming to a clear road, the women wheeled with the front doors thirty feet away, Vess in pursuit on the distance, right hand still gushing blood, and as she shoved open the front doors -

- the floor launched her in to the top hinge like a trampoline; the ceiling cracked her skull, and as she fell again -

- she was launched forward again & skid in to the asphalt ahead of the two women, only catching the spectacle underneath her eyes. Spinning to her feet she rose again, and as Marisa's sword rose -

- a bizarre laugh met their ears. Vess's hand went to her pockets and pulled a tennis ball out; their eyes left the dress, and before they could realize her plan -

- their eyes were glued to the tennis ball, and as she threw it up to the sun -

- they involuntarily blinked, and as the invisible nails began their slashing again -

" - Boudoir!"

- but as Marisa had before, a rip and recoloration of her material formed sungoggles for the two, keeping their vision on the ball arcing down, nearing down the street; and with no time to waste, they rushed in pursuit, Jeanne spraying the road to water-road behind.

They ran after the projectile, landing and bouncing further down, and as they caught up to it, a strand of Boudoir's caught it mid-air. Marisa swept the tennis ball back with their foe in pursuit behind, and as she flashed her palm forward for a barrage of bullets -

- their eyes suddenly turned to a window adjacent - then back to the tennis ball - then to a tile in the sidewalk. Their vision switched rapidly between the pebbles in the road, their eyes yanked & dizzying, feeling but barely seeing their foe step in an assured pursuit close.

"Marisa - tennis ball, give - I'll infuse it with acid -!"

Marisa's strand handed it to the vague voice she heard at her left. Only a dozen feet separated them and Vess now, and as Jeanne threw the ball forward -

- Vess dodged underneath, laughing as she glanced back, switching their vision to the disappearing ball on the distance. "Did you really think that through?-"

- a blue spray erupted from Dream's spraycan, landing at the woman's feet, plunging her in to a pool of water-road. A second spray solidified the watery prison, and the woman's body drowned in steel-road, only the vague shapes of hand and screaming features visible in her pavement coffin.

Their eyes were free again.

"Couldn't risk it until I knew she wasn't too close." chimed Jeanne.

"Good job. Um - isn't that acid-ball gonna be pretty dangerous, though?"

"…uh. I didn't actually infuse it. I just wanted to make sure she'd dodge it, so she'd transfer her Revenant."

"Oh." laughed Marisa, and so did Jeanne.

"At least Nuiko didn't have to fight that one." said Jeanne, relevantly.

"Yeah." laughed Marisa. "Uh, so. I dunno if this is like, weird to ask, but - why doesn't she have her other eye, anyway?"

"Someone threw a tennis ball filled with acid at it." said Jeanne, then laughed. "Um, we used to do a lot of delivery contracts, and she would - she always had to do everything in one trip for some reason."

"I guess that's why she's rank 5."

"I was fine with 25." muttered Jeanne, a little bitterly. "…she just has this addiction to work or whatever. Like, even when she was my mentor, she has this need to solve everybody else's problems. She even kept trying to solve mentor and protege disputes herself."

Marisa frowned. "She does, uh… I dunno, like - did she think she was going to get in to Aimee's squadron? With her rank?"

"Yeah, that's what I don't get. She wanted to be president, but - I mean, she was against Aimee. She doesn't know there's people you just can't beat." Jeanne shrugged. "She would be happier if she accepted that."

"Maybe. Uh, but what about her eye?"

"Oh, um, yeah. We were a few hours away from Urasaria - in Pennsylvania - coming back from some trip. She wanted to stop to eat, and when we sat down, we got some call a few minutes away. We were pretty tired, so I just wanted to go home, but she dragged me along, and it was… some guy who could throw these purple orbs or whatever. I thought it'd be pretty easy, but she didn't shrink quick enough, and… yeah."

Marisa winced.

Jeanne said: "I mean, we ended up killing him, but the first thing she said after was 'I guess you were right.' She meant it as a joke, though, that's what was kinda weird. She kept focusing on me and trying to calm *me* down, even though she's the one who just lost her fucking eye."

"She was probably trying to comfort you."

"Uh, I don't think 'you'll be the first protege at Urasaria with a one-eyed mentor' was comforting." said Jeanne. Marisa saw her expression tighten for a second, laughter coming up against it. "And - and the best part too was that - like, we had to drive b-back to Urasaria and -"

" - wait, why didn't you go to -"

" - we were so fucking used to - we didn't even think to go to the hospital down the street -"

" - oh my fucking god -" cackled Marisa -

" - and, and the first thing Hirogane asked was what color she wanted for the -"

" - Pulse couldn't heal it?"

"N-Not, not after - yeah." laughed Jeanne. "Um, because it wasn't right after it happened."

"The - yeah. The amputation healing."

"Yeah." Jeanne nodded. "But I still think it was pretty weird she was so focused on me. I think she just puts too much of herself in to other people. If she didn't, maybe she would have… I dunno."

Marisa nodded. "Isn't her eyepatch, uh -"

" - it's Shrink & Swell's, yeah." shrugged Jeanne. "She already had it for finding stuff she's shrunk, so. She used to threaten to unsummon it at me."

Marisa laughed, but paused when Jeanne said nothing after. "Everything alright?"

Jeanne's head shook. "I was thinking if I could get her to show Kirihara."

◆◆◆◆◆◆

An hour later, the four were sitting down in their train as it began moving. Nuiko had gotten a soda from the vending machine at the station, labeled 'BLACKOUT', sitting next to her pouch.

"Bathroom." muttered Jeanne, standing up and leaving to the back passenger car.

Nuiko watched her leave before looking at Mia & Marisa. "How's she feeling?"

"Uh, kinda back-and-forth." said Marisa, as 'bipolar' wasn't an option. "She was depressed this morning, and then she was talkative, and now she's..."

"Will she be alright?" said Mia. "Er, if she needs to go back, then -"

- Nuiko shook her head. "No. No going back. I know she can be a pain, too, but I want her to get better. Even if she lashes out, it's… it's not because of you."

"I'll try my best." said Marisa. "But, um, I… really think you should swap with me."

"…I know." Nuiko sighed. "I haven't thought of what I'm going to say to her. I don't know if I *should* say anything to her. She's too cynical to let anyone treat her humanely."

She saw Jeanne come back through the doors. Jeanne sat down next to her buffer as Nuiko took the cap off her soda.

"Nuiko." chimed Marisa. "What did you buy from the vending machine?"

"A soda." she replied, and Marisa leaned forward to give a mock-glare to Mia.

"What are you - oh."

"Mia called it pop."

"It's coke." mumbled Jeanne.

Nuiko took a sip of her soda pop coke. "Only where you're from."

"Where's that?" chimed Marisa.

"She's from Louisiana." said Nuiko. "Henderson. Right?"

Jeanne stared across the aisle. Far as she could remember, she had told Nuiko that while sitting in a truck with no air conditioning, driving over a road that'd seen more wagon wheels than tires. Usually sleep-poor, Nuiko had a habit of asking her miscellaneous questions like her favorite months & numbers to stay awake - that any of it stayed deeper than her ears surprised Jeanne.

"…um. Yeah." said Jeanne. "In Henderson. Near um, Baton Rouge."

"Is that the place with all the pirate ships?" said Marisa.

"That's in Florida, Marisa." muttered Mia, relevantly.

"How do you know?"

Mia opened her mouth, and in the next instant -

- Nuiko gagged as if her tongue had caught something, and as the others gave her confused eyes -

- she shrieked -

- and another shriek came from the car behind, two more from the front - the three shot up.

"Face - face blindness!" panted Nuiko, patting her face, standing up as her hands moved frantically to Jeanne's.

"I - what are you -"

" - face blindness." nodded Nuiko. "You all look like me!"

"What?" said Mia, eyes on the front, a gesture to Jeanne and Nuiko for the back.

Nuiko threw her hands to Mia's hair, tapped one casual tuft, and it swelled like a white antenna poking out of her head.

"Someone's Revenant was in that soda - all of you look exactly like me -" - she turned, gesturing for the civilians to stay seated - " - and them, too." She tapped Jeanne's hair, and an orange antenna grew. "But I can distinguish you like this."

A tap of Marisa's, and a black antenna grew. "Uh, that's reversible, right?"

"Probably not." said Jeanne and Nuiko laughed.

Another agonized scream came from the carriage ahead, and Mia saw a splash of blood on the glass slit of the doors. "Nuiko and Jeanne - here - Marisa and myself, up ahead. Y-Yes?"

"Sure thing, Mia-Mia." said Marisa, and the two drew ahead to the doors, flanking against the wall. With a quick breath, they threw the doors open -

- and a bloodied scene met their stare, the carriage long and coated in blood, an emaciated man standing on the other end, bonesaw in his left hand. The two stepped through the doors, and as they threw them shut behind -

- a severed hand&arm pulled Mia's hair from behind & yanked her back - a second later, a second hand from behind gripped her left arm -

- but a slash of Boudoir's sword went through and released her, and as the two turned back -

- there, along the doors, were severed hands planted, falling as their stumps were cut clear. With no time to waste, the two turned to their foe again -

- just in time to slash an appendage projectile to bits.

The two rushed forward, slashing through another volley of severed arms thrown - on the other end, the man's bonesaw flashed out and back -

- and sliced off his arms in a shower of crimson. New appendages grew rapidly from the stumps, and as he threw the grisly projectiles ahead again -

- the hair of the arms burst outward like brown tendrils and gripped the walls, constricting and constructing a rapid web along the walls. The women stepped back with sword and sword drawn, and as the tendrils shot from the walls to their necks -

- a flash of twin swords went through, slashing the hairs to split ends; but the hydras regrew, the next volley seeking their hilts -

" - Worldwide!"

- and a swarm of ice scarabs froze the hideous hairs, enacting a frozen web around and cracking the root arm. A bash of Mia's hilt broke the frozen web and arm to shards, and as they ran in pursuit again -

- the man stepped back to the civilians beside, and the next scene was instant.

A whirlwind of his bonesaw amputated his limbs and their's, and the severed appendages flew to his as if a magnetized force, their stumps burrowing deeply in to his flesh. Eight arms were planted on his back, and their flesh was added soon after, fattening and widening, eight legs supporting the monstrous weight. Bonesaw in grisly hand, he stomped towards the halted women -

" - Boudoir!"

- a series of bullets entered his chest and burst out his back - but he was fired to unholy resistance.

He was like a crimson horror as he rushed down the corridor, eight legs hurtling his body at terrifying gait; Mia rushed forward, white-hot sword in hand -

- her scorching steel went through his torso, burning through his eight arms, and a second sweep cleaved his head from his shoulders and sent it skyward -

- but as it flew up, the veins from his neck burst out and unfurled, tendrils of red filling the carriage like a crimson cloud; before Mia could react, her sword was ripped from her grip, and she swept back and away, the severed head still planted at the ceiling.

"This Revenant is so fucking gross!" groaned Marisa, relevantly.

The head fell upon the decapitated stump, regrowing on to its grisly occupant, the webs of veins still coating the arena. With bonesaw in grisly, regrown hands, he stomped forward again, Mia disarmed and Boudoir weakened.

"Marisa - do you mind doing something very, very dangerous?" said Mia, gesturing to the side, and Marisa nodded.

"Got it."

And the next scene was instant.

A series of strands erupted from Marisa's palms and shot to the man's neck, lassoing and coiling his fattened body - a swarm of fire scarabs burnt an exit through the left wall, and Marisa leaped out with her grisly cargo towed, a second strand keeping her tethered to the train -

- and a flick of her ropes threw his body clear underneath the train. She didn't wait to see the vacuum of gore before sweeping back in, and a barrier of Boudoir covered the hole, if not the blood leaking out.

"Really gross." winced Marisa, covered in blood and entrails.

"It's the best we can do, for now. We'll assist the other two, and -"

- a feminine scream erupted from the carriage behind, and with no time to lose, the women rushed back over the pools of blood, through the doors to the carriage behind -

- and a victorious scene met their stare at the other end, Nuiko's heels dug deep in a woman's spine, readying to shrink her alive -

" - f-fucking USE IT, ALREADY!" gagged the woman.

A blinding flash claimed the four -

- and in the next instant, the four heroes landed in an unfamiliar plaza, corridors of colorful buildings around, paths only wide enough for bikes, and in the early dawn.

"W-What the fuck?" Marisa sputtered to her feet, wiping her face & eyes with a Boudoirchef.

"Wait." said Jeanne. "I think -"

- Nuiko shrieked behind the three, and as they turned -

- she stood frantically patting herself, no pouch in tow.

"You - don't say it!" stammered Marisa. "Please."

"I - I don't feel it near me! Shrink & Swell lets me track whoever's affected by it, but I - I don't see anything!"

"Then - that means we -"

" - quiet!" shouted Mia, the whip in her voice for the first time. "Revenants first. Our - our lives are more important than one civilian's. We can't save anyone if we're dead."

At such times, a strong voice held precedent, and they fell underneath it with moving eyes. The signs hanging off the buildings were foreign, restaurants and small-time shops with menu boards out front.

"Likely a - a, er - transportation Revenant." Mia looked to Marisa. "Correct?"

"I - maybe - right?" Marisa looked to Nuiko.

"She could erode, and the face blindness Revenant is gone -"

" - and our's was some type of, er, rapid regeneration." Mia wiped her face with the traditional Boudoir-tissue. "Then we should find where we are, first."

Jeanne looked off to a restaurant in the distance. "I know where we are."

"Uh, must be a different timezone, too…" said Marisa, looking to the setting moon.

"Where are we, Jeanne?" said Mia.

"We're in France." Jeanne squinted. "Buffet froid crêpes, du boeuf â la mode…u-um. I'll try my best to remember. H-Haven't had to speak it in a while."

"Anything helps." nodded Mia, trying to keep her leadership going. "But, if the Revenant has transported us, then we should - we need to…" She trailed off.

"There's gotta be some like, embassy, right?" said Marisa. "In Paris? They can help us get back."

"At least Urasaria badges are recognizable…" Nuiko paused. "…worldwide."

"...ah, shit -" Marisa groaned -

- and Jeanne did a second after, textbook in her mind -

- as did Mia - " - are you thinking -"

" - 'currently, only North America and Russia allow lethal force. Keep this in mind if you are travelling.'" groaned Jeanne.

"What are we going to do if a Revenant shows up, then?" Mia sighed. "I suppose I could -"

" - just kill them anyway." Nuiko shrugged. "They just put that in there so students don't go crazy in other countries. They'll just ask us to leave."

"I'll remember that when we're in prison." said Jeanne.

"…alright." murmured Mia. "We… should stay here for a day, to see if the boy has shown up, and - if not, I'll need to call Aimee."

"Those rates are gonna be ridiculous." murmured Marisa.

"I'll only need to make one call, Marisa. How expensive could it be?"

◆◆◆◆◆◆

The four found an early hotel close where they landed. Jeanne's understanding was better than she believed, and Nuiko's savings had worked for getting the national currency, if not separate rooms.

Unfortunately, Mia made four calls that were ten euros each, and none had gone through.

"Um, maybe just bad service?" mumbled Marisa.

"She hasn't texted me, either." Mia sighed. "I'll try Matoi."

She tapped Matoi's number in and held it to her ear, readying for another prespoken speech -

" - hello, Swarm?"

Mia should've expected Matoi up, even if it was 5AM in the States. "Yes. I can't speak for very long. A Revenant transported myself, Marisa, Jeanne, and Nuiko to France. Can you tell Aimee that we're currently looking for the boy we were escorting, and that we'll go to the U.S. embassy in Paris to return to Urasaria?"

"…four in France. Lost boy. Embassy. I shall let her know when she returns."

"When she returns?"

"Her squadron left last night - I don't believe they've returned yet. Presumably, they're fighting a durable Revenant."

"…hopefully." murmured Mia. "R-Regardless, thank you, Matoi. Please tell me when she returns."

"Of course."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Mia hung up, and her face hung from her hair. "Aimee and the others went hunting last night, and still haven't returned."

"Oh." muttered Marisa. "I'm sure she'll be okay, Mia-Mia."

"Yeah." mumbled Jeanne. "I'm sure she'll be okay. Sorry. Just sleepy."

"It's alright, Jeanne." mumbled Mia. "Er, Nuiko and I can keep watch while you two sleep, and we'll swap."

◆◆◆

The boy hadn't showed up by the time Jeanne & Marisa awoke. Mia had called Matoi another few times to confirm she hadn't seen Aimee yet, and she'd started to panic once she remembered one day in the infirmary at her year's start. Aimee had come in with half her right arm ripped open; Dmitri had been carrying her, and Makoto's harp helped her survive until Saya got to her. She hadn't ever seen Aimee that wounded again until her fight with Eternity, and she was terrified Matoi wouldn't call again until they were back at Urasaria & a staff member would approach her to let her know.

Nuiko had trouble waking up Jeanne too, which worsened her worry that the orange-haired woman would fall in to a coma soon. Trying to keep her worries out of sleep's bubble, Mia fell asleep quickly, as did Nuiko.

Once Mia woke up, she checked her phone. Marisa & Jeanne left to get breakfast while Mia & Nuiko washed up.

"They might have gotten transported somewhere else, too." said Nuiko.

"M-Maybe." muttered Mia, checking her phone.

"And if it was something bad, Atori could have sent out an illusion for a message. Right?"

"I-I don't feel like talking about this."

Nuiko nodded and handed Mia a washrag. "Can you heat this up?"

Mia handed it back to her warm-watered. Nuiko rubbed her face, handed it back to Mia, who rubbed her's, and the two stepped out.

"I guess, um…" said Nuiko. "We're both worried about someone. I'm sure she'll be fine." She hid her bitterness as she added that Aimee was a good fighter, too.

Nuiko did not dislike Aimee, exactly - she realized Aimee was fundamentally empathic. It was precisely that empathy which made her a poor politician; she had extracted no leverage from Urasaria's staff, made no demands.

But it was hard losing to somebody for no bad reason.

Set off, Mia said: "Every time you assure me that it couldn't happen, the first thing I f-fucking think about is that it d-did happen." She closed her eyes. "Please, Nuiko. I don't want to talk about this."

"I'm sorry." said Nuiko. "...do you mind if I talk about Jeanne, then?"

"Just - something else."

Nuiko nodded, glancing back to Jeanne's bed. "…I'm worried she's going to fall in to another coma soon."

"Then Marisa will save her." muttered Mia bitterly, then quickly added: "I'm sorry. Keep going."

"She didn't used to go in to comas." muttered Nuiko. "Something changed with Dream."

"She didn't?" said Mia.

"No. The first time I found out about it was when Hirogane called me. I was worried that- Hirogane told me she just collapsed outside of her training room. She woke up when I was out, and Hirogane wanted to try to get her to a professional doctor to run some tests, but she just kept putting it off, and…"

"Er, a professional doctor?"

Nuiko shrugged. "Hirogane doesn't know much about Revenants. There's researchers who could take samples from her, but she just never wanted to make an appointment. She'd rather sit home, and…" Nuiko sighed as she gestured to Jeanne's bag. "…you know, she told me she started smoking for her anxiety, but something like that doesn't just start because of - it's not just a bunch of chemicals coming out of nowhere. I know she used to hate me trying to rush her to three-star, but at least I gave her something to do."

"Is it possible Dream's causing her depression?" frowned Mia.

Nuiko blinked. "Er, no. I just mean that - there's not one event that causes something like that. It's not just because of me, or because of Kirihara, or because of her comas, it's… people are more complicated than that. I don't think even she knows why, fully."

◆◆◆◆◆◆

Jeanne translated the four's orders at a local diner, though Mia's appetite was low.

"I guess if he's like, not showing up, we should check with the police, right?" said Marisa. "They can probably get us a car or something."

For all the scarabwoman cared now, the boy could've been the one thrown under the train. "I suppose."

"Sounds good."

"Shrink & Swell should've unshrunk him once I was out of range, but…" Nuiko frowned. "Someone else must have had the transportation Revenant."

"Maybe he's in Paris." mumbled Jeanne.

"Yeah." laughed Marisa. "…wait, uh. How many Revenants did we run in to? On the train?"

"Erosion, the one you two fought…" mumbled Nuiko. "Face blindness, and transportation."

"Isn't that really weird? Like, four hosts in the same place?"

The four hosts in the same place paused.

"Kinda weird." said Jeanne. "And all on one train."

"I guess they could've been like, tracking us, but - who the hell even transports their kid that way? Like, specifically by train?"

"Rich people are weird." said Nuiko. "I get what you're saying, though."

"Yeah." Marisa frowned. "Um, I think I'm gonna like, text Matoi and get her to check the guy who hired us out, because - I mean, I'm right, right? It seems kinda suspicious?"

"It does." muttered Mia.

The four theorized while they finished breakfast, and Marisa got her reply back from Matoi just after they secured transportation from the local police & were back in their hotel.

"Guy's just totally fucking gone." Marisa groaned. "Matoi even just blasted down his front door."

"He was setting us up?" said Nuiko. "Why would he do that?"

Mia wondered if it was the same culprits as January, but couldn't tell the others. "…at least that's one worry gone." She smiled, trying to press her worries about Aimee down.

"Probably didn't expect their kid to get shrunk." Jeanne frowned, then looked at Nuiko. "Uh, I thought hosts can't use their Revenants when they're shrunk."

"I thought so too." chimed Nuiko. "I'm gonna try not to think about how many people I've shrunk in to that fucking pouch."

"At least we have a car, like." shrugged Marisa. "Isn't it weird that France is way nicer to us than Urasaria? Aren't they supposed to be all snooty?"

Nuiko mused a while. "I think they already found out what a bunch of pissed off students can do."