The returned protégé sat with her returned mentor Monday, and Serena had her new cup&lid. Mia had requested Yuruko create the accessory, and though Serena was starting to feel coddled, she couldn't argue with the results.

But she still sighed as Blackburn's fog started to fill it.

"What are you trying to do this time?" said Mia.

"Just trying to -" - the cup filled with dirt, and Serena sighed. " - ugh. Was trying to do saffron."

"Saffron?"

"Yeah. It's, uh, some type of spice. Super expensive." Serena laughed. "If I could make it, I could sell it for like - a thousand bucks each."

"And ruin the economy." winked Mia, and the two laughed.

Serena flicked a switch on the lid, and the dirt disappeared like it'd been disintegrated. "…that's neat as hell, though. How did she do that?"

"Yuruko? I assume it's her Revenant." said Mia, Blackburn's fog heading for another volley. "Still, er. The government would step in if you were to use your Revenant for financial gain, so..."

"… aw." mumbled Serena, another cup of dirt. "This sucks. Barely got a salary."

"It'll increase as you climb in ranks." chimed Mia, knowing the raises were miniscule. "Still, if - do you need something? I may be able to help you."

Serena's head shook as she leaned back and flicked the switch of the Blackburn-themed cup. Yuruko had slapped a black fog decal on it, under fiery font that said 'Blackburn'. "Nah. Mostly videogames. They're $60 each - and now they have a bunch of microtransactions in them, so they just make you pay even more. That's why most videogames suck now."

"...er. Why do you play them, then?"

"…um. Well - some of the stuff you can buy looks cool. One of the games I play released a new costume for like, thirty bucks."

"It's… only cosmetic?"

"Yeah - it's a ton of money just for something that makes you look cool. I mean, I bought it anyway, but if I could make gold or saffron, and like, sell it under the table… Plus, uh, I also need money for - um - I - also - uh. Just - other stuff."

'Fuck fuck she's gonna ask.'

"Is everything al-" - Mia's phone vibrated, and she took it with a smile. "...Aimee. She's on campus now."

"O-Oh." laughed Serena. "Uh, should we go see her?"

"She has a contract for us." said Mia as she stood.

Comprehending none of this, Serena nodded, and the two went outside.

"Were you, er, saying something?" said Mia, and Serena shook her head.

"Oh - um, nah. Just videogame stuff."

Mia nodded. The two visited the Council of Four's office, and Mia found five familiar faces at the table.

"Ooo. I should've guessed." laughed Yuruko, blue-haired woman with her usual lab coat&goggles&gloves. "Gotta put that new cup to use, baby."

"Yeah." laughed Aimee, gesturing for the two to sit beside Samuel. His blue gauntlet was permanently affixed over his left hand. "Figured - uh, Saya wouldn't want to come, after our last trip, so we needed a medic."

"Our last trip?" said Mia, sitting down with Serena.

"Lanacca." said Jeanne across, more energy than their last outing. "Uh. That was it, right?"

"'zactly." chimed Aimee. "Guess I'll get to it, though. Been super busy, not been on campus much - uh, me and my three are trying to…" She pinched her brow and leaned back. So far, she'd dealt with five millionaires and was reconsidering how bad communism really was. "… trying to start an agency for students. Without the weirdos of the other ones."

"The weirdos of the other ones?" said Serena.

"The weirdos of the other ones." nodded Aimee.

"The weirdos of the other ones?" said Mia.

"Why do you keep repeating that?" said Yuruko.

Aimee shrugged. "Iunno. Anyway, yeah. The weirdos of - okay. Uh - non-military agencies out there have pretty strict standards. Bunch of masked and caped weirdos running around, strong sense of justice, yadda yadda, most of them don't like me, because, uh…" She gestured vaguely to Mia&Serena. "… uh, guessing she…"

"She knows." nodded Mia.

"It's the sickest power of all, you know." laughed Yuruko. "The power to murder!"

"Close enough." chimed Aimee. "But uh - yeah. Been running a lot of contracts recently, trying to get enough cash to get something started up. Some kind of base, see if I can't get funding for it - so I'm gonna be away from campus a good bit this year."

"No more tournaments." Jeanne yawned, and she waved Mia down as she caught her concern. "No - no, this is actual tired. Stayed up late. No more comas."

The two smiled. Jeanne had told Mia&Marisa about Dream halfway through last summer at Nuiko's suggestion, though they still didn't talk much.

"Good." said Aimee. "Still - big stuff this time, so - coming along with you guys, and a few fourth-years'll help your protégés in the meantime. Local museum's got some - uh, artifact. It's priceless, since you can't put a price on history, but it's gonna get sold for $300,000. Wanted us to transport it across the country and keep it safe. Just some clay tablet."

"And if we transport it?" grinned Yuruko.

"Three thousand dollars." murmured Samuel, and Serena's brow raised. She was still nearly forty thousand away. "Seems like a long road, though."

"Nah, nah." said Aimee. "It'll be fun, if - uh. Sorry - Serena, right?"

"Yeah." nodded Serena. "Uh - dope vest, also."

"Thanks." laughed Aimee. "You've got Blackburn, right? Would you be able to act as medic for the trip?"

"I - you don't have to if you can't yet, Serena." said Mia quick, and Serena tensed in her seat. She hadn't fought alongside Mia yet after Blackburn, but was starting to worry her coddling would move there too.

"I - no, I can do it. Definitely. I just - need to practice a bit."

Aimee nodded. "Phew. Puts one worry out. They want us to start next Monday - so uh, let Schultzy know how -"

- the ones not privy laughed, and the embarrassment shifted to Mia.

"… I mean, it's what I call her." said Aimee, and the two smiled. "Still, uh, some other stuff to talk about - but I'll let you guys know by then."

"Like Nuiko's job?" said Jeanne, and Aimee waved her down.

"Yeah, yeah. Gonna talk to her. C'mon. Kept you here long enough."

With a nod, the others, sans Mia & Aimee, stood.

"Serena, can you wait out in the lobby?" said Mia, and Serena gave her an odd look.

"...uh, I can't head home?"

"I - er…" Mia's eyes dipped. If she'd felt pressure to perform around Marisa, she felt drowning from Aimee. "Er - it will - only be a minute."

"… I, uh, okay." mumbled Serena, and she was gone.

Mia walked over and sat in Aimee's lap, and the two kissed mismatched.

"…haven't had that for a month." grinned Aimee. "Really am missing you. Been so busy lately."

"As am I." smiled Mia. "I've been busy with Serena, as well, however, so…"

"Yeah. You mentioned - uh, nearly got killed her first week. She doing alright?"

"I believe she is." nodded Mia. "But - I do wish to keep a close eye on her, and so…"

"Er. So…?"

Mia frowned, caught between protégé and girlfriend. "She, er... she's a bit lonely, and - I think it helps having me by her."

"… oh." mumbled Aimee. "Uh. So no, uh, Rider-time?" She laughed nervously.

"She requires training for the trip, as well." said Mia with a nod. "But I do want to spend time with you. I love you."

"I mean, I -am- your girlfriend." winked Aimee. "Uh - sure, though. Love you too. Guess you've… makes sense you'd be worried about that."

Mia nodded, hoping Aimee thought she was a good mentor.

◆◆◆

[Tuesday, Sept 10]

On the train to work that morning, Catherine overheard something from one of the vegans. Swarm still hadn't relented. Catherine didn't know anything about Swarm - not as much as Matoi, but liked to think the two would be good friends.

"E-Excuse me." said Catherine, the crowd packed tight. She tapped one of the women's shoulders, who looked back. "Sorry, I overheard you saying something about - um, Urasaria mail?"

"Oh!" The woman laughed. "Yes - were you trying to send a student mail?"

"U-Um. I usually - yeah." She smiled and nodded.

"The trick is - they aren't allowed to read fanmail addressed to their hero name until the end of the year. But if you know their real name, they'll inspect it, but send it through regular."

"They - regular?"

The woman nodded. "Right! They'll get it with their normal post."

"… O-Oh." Catherine laughed, having not known the fanmail restriction. "Um. So you just address it to their real name, right?"

"Right. Just like a regular letter."

Catherine smiled. "Thank you."

She'd buy a gift card on her way home, take a shower, and write a letter.

◆◆◆

Her hand was usually steady, but it wasn't this time.

'Dear Matoi Kujo,

I'm a big fan of your's, and you might remember me sending you the drawings at the end of last year. I hope you're doing well. I heard that I can send mail this way - but I won't if you don't want me to.'

Writing out the possibility made her frown. She put it in to some other category of 'worst outcomes' in her mind, where you don't really believe it'll come true, but figure it's best to be prepared.

'I don't know if this is too forward, but I would love to meet you in-person sometime, anywhere you would like, at any time. I promise I'm not some weird stalker or paparazzi, or someone with a Revenant. If you'd like, I could do a really nice portrait of you, but I understand if that would make you uncomfortable.

I've attached a picture of myself, a gift card, and two more drawings - one is of the train you saved on September 4th. I hope I can hear back from you, even if it's a no, but I'm sure you're very busy.

And I would say good luck on succeeding Aimee, but I won't insult you!

Sincerely, Catherine.'

◆◆◆

The following Monday, the six heroes went down to a local museum with the grand couturier. The curator wore glasses even thicker than Yuruko's and was just as jittery.

"H-Here." he said, and opened the door at the end of the hall to a dark room. As he walked in, he flicked the lights on, and the seven saw the tablet on a podium ahead. "Please be very, very careful with this. Please. Our buyer will be - he's very particular."

"I'm gonna turn it in to lead." chimed Yuruko, and he found the joke far less amusing.

Nuiko came up to the podium. A prick of her nails, and it shrunk to a microscopic size inside.

"It swells it back normally, correct?" panted the curator.

"I sure hope it does!" said Nuiko.

Aimee gave a vague wave. "It's fine, don't worry. She'll be staying about a city behind us - just in her Revenant's range. Pouch'll be with us."

"With me." nodded Jeanne, stepping up for the transfer.

"And, uh..." Aimee's eyes dipped as she glanced to Schultzy. "Uh - I'll stay with Jeanne, I guess."

"Wait, what?" said Jeanne.

"We discussed it before." nodded Mia. "It would be best to ensure I can help Serena if she needs it."

Serena winced again. If she proved herself on this trip, maybe Mia would slacken, but Mia did have more experience than her.

"Right." mumbled Aimee. She'd known mentors like Mia, too. Her girlfriend was probably smart enough to come out of it on her own, and she didn't want to have to have an awkward conversation.

◆◆◆

Aimee had rented another minivan for their trip, and Nuiko was keeping an hour behind. They wouldn't reach their destination in Fracassor for another week, and they'd been at it for four hours on the interstate by then, Aimee driving.

"Can we get fast food?" said Yuruko, in the back seat beside Samuel.

"Uh. We're like an hour away from Greensburg." said Aimee. "Can you wait?"

"Nope."

"Can't you just make some with your Revenant?" yawned Jeanne.

"Uh, For-Medicinal-Use-Only can't make food, dummy." chimed Yuruko. "Thus, the name."

"Feeling pretty hungry, too. Didn't eat breakfast." muttered Samuel. "Haven't felt this hungry since Matoi fed me dog treats for a week."

"She - what?" said Mia.

"That was on a week I did good. You don't wanna know what it was like when I failed a midterm."

"She probably shat on your chest." chimed Serena.

"No, but she did try to make me drink her -"

" - oh god -" gagged Mia - " - please don't finish that sentence -"

"If I don't get some food in me soon, I will. That'd be innocent urine on Aimee's hands -"

" - fine, fine, I'll get fast food." groaned the hostage driver, and peeled to the right lane, exit up ahead. "What do you want?"

"Two double cheeseburgers."

"Uh - I'm not that hungry." murmured Jeanne. "Just a coke."

"Wait, you don't need to buy that one." said Serena, and Blackburn's fog filled her cup with soda. She handed it to Jeanne as the van took an exit, and the former stoner drank as Aimee searched for a drivethru.

"Isn't having creation shit cool?" preened Yuruko, a master of that art. "Large fries, and a sundae - hey, up there, right."

The corner of Mia's eyes caught Aimee's smirk.

"Ice cream for dinner?" said Aimee.

"I'm an adult. I can eat as shitty as I want."

"Um, I guess - do they have pork?" said Serena, and Samuel shot her an odd look. "Isn't there a sandwich with ribs?"

"Not in season." said Yuruko.

Serena frowned. "How can a pig be out of season?"

The van pulled in to the drivethru. Aimee put the window down, and said to the speaker; "Hi - one coffee, black, please."

"Will that be all?" replied the speaker.

"Yep, that'll be everything -"

" - YOU FUCKING BITCH!" shouted Yuruko, and the four betrayed groaned in horror, the two devils at the front laughing as Aimee pulled up.

"…. Well, you asked for it." muttered Samuel, shaking his head like a piss-soaked reaper. "One time, I failed a midterm…"

◆◆◆

Their coffee machine had been broken.

The six came hungry, but no longer thirsty, to Greensburg within the hour, and the streets' backlit advertisements would keep them up for another ten. The electric city was one of the rare tourist traps for natives, the sidewalks packed tight, and Aimee had to park a mile away from their hotel.

In the midst of one mob stood the six, trying to negotiate through. Aimee could barely move without a request for an autograph.

"Should just set up a booth for this." she winced, pressing her way through the crowd, her hand on Mia's.

"Is that your girlfriend?!" shouted one of a dozen voices, and Mia's cheeks filled as Aimee turned to her.

"You uh, wanna get out of here quicker?" whispered Aimee, and Mia gave concerned glance to Serena behind, stuck with Samuel, Jeanne and Yuruko.

"Serena, will you be alright if - I leave? You know the hotel, correct? How to get there?" said Mia, and Serena's face clenched.

"Yes. Go."

Aimee hooked her arms underneath Princess Schultzy's legs; a flash of Rider's tendrils, and they were gone.

"She just Blinked out." chimed Yuruko.

"Maybe she took the talent for it." said Serena, and Yuruko grinned.

"You play DOTA?"

"Yeah." she laughed. "I'm not very good, though."

"Still hungry." muttered Samuel, and Jeanne nodded.

"Guess we should go eat. You two going to buddy up?" she said to the two who were going to buddy up.

"Yep. I like her already." said Yuruko, and Serena laughed&smiled. "Let's go find something to do."

The pairs went separate ways. They eventually notified Aimee of their new locations - Jeanne & Samuel, a restaurant on the other end of town - Yuruko & Serena, a nearby shopping mall. Yuruko & Serena talked about the videogame DOTA 2 on the way there, and Yuruko revealed she hadn't talked to most people in her class either. Serena thought she was cute, but felt some guilt over noticing it that quickly. Was she still thinking like a man?

They stepped down the central corridor, overpriced shops left, vendors of overpriced electronics right. Ahead, a four-way intersection, shops on every corner and wall.

"Man, I can't buy any of that stuff." muttered Serena, ruefully gazing at that stuff that she couldn't buy. "One-star salary sucks."

"I know your pain." chimed Yuruko, tapping her badge, which still read 'YURUKO'. "Allllmost at rank fifty, now."

"Wait, you aren't two-star?"

"Nah. Worked with Gamage for most of my first year, and he stopped fighting once he started forging. But I've still got a dope Revenant, and - oh shit is that an arcade?"

Yuruko gestured ahead and to the right, and there stood an arcade on the corner, minuscule and bare, only one line of machines at the back. Yuruko rushed ahead and gestured for Serena behind, and they came quick past the open entrance, clerk at the counter right.

But as the two dug in their pockets, the same frown grew.

"… No quarters." murmured Yuruko.

"... I left my money with Mia."

"She's like your mom."

Serena winced again. "I - eh. She's uh - just worried about me. Nearly died my first week, so."

"If you're not going to buy anything, you can leave." droned the clerk, as ugly outside as in. "And if you're going to play - what are your Revenants?"

"What's it to you, smelly -"

" - uh, mine is - a black fog - super corrosive." chimed Serena, patting Yuruko's back with a winking hand.

"Uh - yep. And mine... just lets me do this." said Yuruko, and she held her hands out and away. A spark lit at her gloved fingertips, and lightning arced between.

The clerk frowned. "Fine. Don't - fucking use that on the machines. They're expensive. Imported from Japan. Practically last of their kind - because fucking kids these days would rather waste their money on puerile shit rather than appreciate the classics. CAVE's been reduced to fucking mobile games -"

"- we won't." chimed Serena, and set her hands in her pockets, metal inside suddenly jingling.

Yuruko glanced with a question at her, but caught the trend again. The two walked to one of the machines at the back. "Quarters?" she whispered.

"Uh - hopefully close enough." murmured Serena, and pulled two bits of quarter-shaped metal from her pocket. The two held breath deep as she placed it in -

- and to their smile, the counterfeits passed. Yuruko took position beside Serena, readying for two-player, gloved hands on joystick and two buttons.

"Oh - this is a shmup." chimed Yuruko. "Shoot 'em ups."

"Yeah, I know. Bullet hell." laughed Serena, filling the coin slot direct now. "Guess it's close enough to quarters."

"If you're not going to buy anything, you can leave." said the clerk behind, and as they turned -

- there stood a costumed weirdo at the counter, wearing red sleeves&blue gloves, blond and shaking his head.

"No, no." His eyes caught the two at the other end, and he placed his hands on the counter. "Do you have change, by any chance?"

"Yeah. One dollar is fifty cents." muttered the clerk, digging under the counter. He pulled a roll out and clutched it like it was an artifact, one hand on the counter.

"What a dirty bitch you are." yawned the man. "Purify."

He tapped the counter, and in the next instant -

- the clerk's right hand fell in to the counter as if it were liquid, and his right arm corroded away as if by acid; he shrieked and stumbled forward, direct in to the incorporeal counter -

- and the acid dissolved his body from the neck down. The man gripped his head mid-fall, and threw it at the two women at the other end -

- and with the speed of light the two dodged away, the machines touching their backs.

"We don't have that tablet, dipshit!" said Yuruko.

"Yeah, dipshit! No tablet!" said Serena, feeling an odd connection to the blue-haired woman.

"Dirty, dirty mouths." muttered the man.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Yuruko caught something moving in the grisly head on the floor; a white worm. It slithered out of the stump and towards her, and as it leaped towards her boots -

- she dodged away and to Serena's side, assuring her balance on a nearby machine; the snake caught nothing but arcade cabinet, and as it dissolved in to one's case -

- a horrific shriek erupted from Yuruko, her gloves on the machine suddenly corroding and burning her skin, pain staggering her forward -

" - Medicinal!" shouted Yuruko, and her torn gloves reformed - but the women had no time to rest. The white serpent burst out of the machine behind and leaped to Serena's shoulder, and as it readied to burrow in to her jacket -

- Yuruko ripped it off and threw it back to its master.

"Let me handle touching it. Medicinal's got it." said Yuruko, the two stepping carefully back, the cabinets safe again. "Bet I can guess your Revenant now, dickless!"

"Yeah, dickless!" shouted Serena, utterly clueless, but less anxious.

"Knowledge is barely power." said the man.

Scooping the quarters up, he threw them rapidly forward, and before the women could react -

- three acidic quarters entered Yuruko's chest; she shrieked as she stumbled back against the wall, wounds corroding through her heart and dissolving her veins, and as another volley missed narrowly her neck -

- a stream of black fog filled her heart with new flesh and blood, healing her rapidly. With no time to waste, Yuruko pressed her hands on the back wall, gesturing for Serena to follow; her hands swept down -

- and the wall turned to water, roof starting to collapse; in to the back room ran the women, fog filling the hole with steel as they rushed across the room and to the back wall.

"This - this is near the parking lot, right?" said Yuruko, catching her breath quick. "Outside - outside?"

"Um - yeah, but -"

" - need to go - quick!"

She yanked Serena by her collar, her free hand sweeping down the back wall -

- and an entrance of sudden water was cleared again, the sidewalk and parking lot ahead as the women rushed through the sudden entrance, a second stream of fog filling the exit behind.

Over the sidewalk and through the parking lot the women ran; but a horrific scraping soon entered behind their ears, and as they turned -

- they saw the entire shopping mall collapsing in, the walls dissolving and melting, last screams inside. Billows of smoke filled their eyes and ears, and as the clouds of smoke threatened to strangle the two -

- a gust of black fog filled the smoke with gusts of wind, dispersing and throwing it skyward, clearing their ears and eyes. The women stepped carefully back, the ruins of the shopping mall dissolving ahead.

"That's - that's a lot - a lot of - dead." panted Serena, seeing their foe rise from the rubble in the distance.

"I - y-yep. He's - he's gonna turn this parking lot acidic when he gets here. Jump when I say jump."

"Okay."

Their foe stepped out of the ruins and rushed up to the sidewalk, and as his hands tapped the beginning of the parking lot -

"Jump!" shouted Yuruko -

- and the two women jumped, Yuruko kicking below Serena in mid-air. A platform of stone formed below, and with no time to waste, Yuruko turned and wheeled, a bridge of stone - then asphalt - then stone - forming beneath her boots as she ran, Serena rushing close behind on the midair bridge.

"Stay behind - two different materials - hard - hang on - need to catch my breath -" panted Yuruko, and the two halted, Serena huddling at Yuruko's back.

Not catching the trick, the man ran in pursuit below, and reached the beginning of the bridge; he leaped and tapped the asphalt, white serpent slithering from out of his palm, and as the asphalt in the area turned acidic -

- the women were unharmed, standing on stone now, Yuruko cackling ahead & above, the cars around melting and dissolving in to the asphalt.

"He turns -types- of material acidic. C'mon - we need to run, gonna let the others know -"

- the man tapped the stone; the women swept back to the asphalt, and as they readied to flee -

" - you know, Purity works on biological signatures too, young women!" laughed the man.

Yuruko's blood turned to ice as she saw the man crouch, and scoop something from the ground - drops of sweat she knew were her's, and as the white worm slithered in to the liquid -

" - Blackburn!"

- with the speed of fog, a black cloud filled Serena's cup with liquid, and as she threw it in Yuruko's face -

- the sweat flew out from her pores, landing and corroding the bridge ahead, the labcoat-woman unharmed. A second stream of fog repeated the same for Serena, the two women now dripping in hydrophobic grease.

Ahead, their foe leaped to the bridge and vaulted up; the women wheeled, rushing down the suddenly-forming bridge out of the parking lot. The road was just ahead, the streets below packed with cars -

" - hey - leap when I say leap, okay? Just - one step forward - " whispered Yuruko as the two ran, and in the next instant - " - leap."

Serena leaped over the next section of the bridge that formed, stumbling as she landed behind Yuruko, the women's bridge over the road now, civilians below and their foe behind.

"Wait - shit!" winced Yuruko, hearing their foe laugh behind, and in the next instant -

- the asphalt of the road below turned corrosive, dissolving cars and swallowing hundreds of civilians in its wake, the last screams filling their ears. Yuruko halted sudden, hand on Serena's chest, and the two women turned to the devil still in pursuit.

Yuruko sighed as she saw him leap over the same section Serena had, the trap she had left useless.

"Fuck - Medicinal - fucking don't have much left, fuck -" panted Yuruko, hearing the rushing of footsteps below, but daring not move her eyes for a moment -

" - you've dropped something, here!" shouted the man, crouching to scoop something from the bridge again -

- and Serena's blood turned cold as she saw him scoop the hydrophobic oil in his fingers. The white worm slithered from his palm to within, and as the oil on their faces turned corrosive -

"Medic-"

"- White-Hot!"

- a pillar of white fire erupted from below, claiming his entire body; he swept his eyes below -

- only in time for a frozen projectile to pierce through his brain & eyes. A second and third burst through his chest and out his back, and he fell rigid on to the ice platform suddenly below.

There, Mia stood, sending a swarm of fire scarabs to burn his body to ash. A fourth disintegrated his heart, and they knew that he was dead.

"Are - are you alright, Serena?!" she shouted up.

"I - yeah!" shouted Serena, and dropped her voice low. "Um - you're okay, too, right?"

"Yep." chimed Yuruko, wiping the oil from her face. "For-Medicinal-Use-Only'll keep me good."

Comprehending none of it, Serena nodded. Yuruko stepped off the bridge, and stairs of stone formed down. They came up to Mia, and the mentor's eyes shot around, expecting another fight at any moment. "I'm - I'm sorry I left, Serena."

'Fuck.' thought Serena. "I - um. Don't worry - it's alright. Um, where's Aimee?"

"Jeanne and Samuel were attacked, as well -"

- Yuruko and Mia's tablets vibrated, and Yuruko checked it.

"Oh man." laughed Yuruko. "Aimee tore that dude a new asshole. Fatality."

"Thankfully." nodded Mia. "I - we shall return -"

" - oh shit, she actually did." said Serena, peeking over Yuruko's shoulder. "Mia, you gotta see this, he literally shit himself when she killed him, but it went out his -"

" - some other time." said Mia, stifling a wince at the two laughing devils. She'd made another idiotic mistake and slipped from her plan.

She turned, and the three stared at the former shopping mall on the distance, to the empty street around. They knew every corpse was dissolved, and they stood there for a while. Mia hadn't dealt with a villain as violent since the dreadnought.

"… he - uh - did that, yeah." mumbled Serena, and Mia shot up.

"Serena, did he say his Revenant's name?"

"Uh, Purity. Dude looked like a total weirdo." chimed the blue-haired woman, wearing a lab coat, gloves, thick glasses, and rubber boots.

"Yeah." said the black-haired punk, wearing a spiked leather jacket, boots with ten spurs and twenty straps.

"He did look slightly odd." laughed the white-haired woman, wearing an obsidian mask and beak. "Still - I - I apologize, Serena. We - should - shall be fighting as a pair."

"I - hey, uh - don't beat yourself up." chimed Serena. "Let's - er. Really hungry, now."

"Me too." chimed Yuruko, and the three set off.

◆◆◆

The three heroes came in to the diner where the other three had gone, and a bloodied scene met their stare. The fryers at the back ran red, and entrails coated the floor. As they turned left -

" - oh shit." panted Serena, seeing Aimee, Jeanne, and Samuel at the opposite end. Jeanne's chest was caved clear in, and Aimee's tendrils kept a steady pulse on her.

"C'mon." winced Aimee, hobbling with the wounded patient over to the medic. Serena nodded and set to work.

"What - what the hell happened?" said Yuruko as Samuel joined them.

"Really - fucking fast Revenant." sighed Samuel. "I've got Outcast's armor - but her, I mean - fuck."

"Just - just stay still." nodded Serena, fog filling Jeanne's wounds.

"Never had -" Jeanne winced - " - anyone break out of that trap before."

"The trap?" said Mia.

"Spray water underneath, they fall in, turn to steel. Almost always works -"

" - unless they're quick enough to drag you in." sighed Samuel.

"Water-steel - doesn't taste very good." coughed Jeanne.

"Let alone the - civilians." said Mia, gesturing to the remnants of civilians around. "We haven't seen such disregard since - I suppose in Lanacca, the Ch- the - group there."

"There - had to be like a thousand people in that mall." said Serena. "But I - I don't wanna sound like I'm - I just -"

" - it starts not to affect you." murmured Aimee. "Terrible - but we can't focus on it much. Just have to keep moving."

The six stood there for a while. Serena healed Samuel's few wounds. As they waited for the supply of fog to refill, he gestured to the table they had been sitting at prior, half-eaten meals and Nuiko's pouch.

"… Uh - you're still hungry?" said Jeanne, stifling a laugh.

"My burger got cold, but." he muttered. "Can't deny this is the safest place to eat right now. No civilians, pots and pans, food in the back. Should be untouched."

Matoi had desensitized him better than Outcast. By now, he was used to seeing chunks of gore like meat on shelves (which logically it was, as he didn't think humans were too distinct from animals so far as biology), but he was not a sociopath. It simply wasn't useful to dwell on these things.

"I'll... set to cleaning, I guess." winced Jeanne, and Mia with her. "Can spray all the... corpses - to water, and Mia can, uh…"

"I'll vaporize it." muttered Mia.

"I'll handle condiments." said Yuruko.

"I'll cook." murmured Aimee.

"I'll get drinks." mumbled Serena.

"I'll keep watch outside." nodded Samuel.

Many civilians more would die before their journey was done.

◆◆◆

Back at the museum that night, Gabriel stood with his three brothers over the curator, bound below. As he had for the last ten minutes of the torture, the curator screamed again; but no sound came. One of Gabriel's brothers, Chapa, crouched beside, pliers readying for the next fingernail.

"This could go much easier. Just tell us who has it. We won't even hurt them - unless it's necessary."

A wave of his right hand, and the curator's scream filled the room - but was just as suddenly snuffed. It would be many hours more before they got their answer. Gabriel hadn't imagined being a torturer, but the needs of his father came before his own.

◆◆◆

[Tuesday, September 17]

Catherine's anxiety hadn't stopped since she got Matoi's letter, and she tore it open as the treasure it was.

Inside, a picture of herself, a gift card, two drawings, and a sheet of paper.

'No.'