Gotta Make That Gold

Sure their spearhead is breaking through but if this flank crumbles then the surging soldiers would find themselves encircled without any salvation or room to retreat.

"Take the shields, lightning strike there." The commander gives orders to a specialized unit, their shields covered with materials that might direct or conduct lightning. A spell like that, aimed perfect in the water would be disastrous for anyone caught.

The order is given and immediately the commander puts themselves between the strongest on the field and that group carrying their odd shields.

The gaze of the armored warrior focuses on Elyna, having parried and deflected so many blows with such a large weapon. The twin blades twirl in their grip before advancing.

The clash is a dazzling display of Elyna's dexterity with her large weapon, how it moves and uses all it's length and weight against the dual blades of the Kemerovo leader.

Water splashes, ice covers their body by vibrations seem to crack any build up. There's a resounding heat coming off them now, a rattling... Whatever skill or magic they have, is has nothing to do with heat or cold.

It's a vibrating, a shaking or echoing sound. None the more clear when after being pushed back, they swing a blade to a reverse grip and with a harsh clap. A horrifying and ear straining sound reverberates from their blades.

Everyone around them even allies hunker over as they step forward aiming to pierce Elyna's defenses.

"MY FUCKING EARS!"

A hurling blade, crashing between the two, a burst of flames so hot it makes Elyna sweat. Rushing in to drag her ally back a pace or two, shoulder to shoulder is Veronika.

"Think you can keep that pressure up again?" She asks, pulling her blade from the steaming muck. "Grand fucking General Falke Frostfall. We need to shatter and melt her armor..."

She should have seen the trump card coming, yet her mind is too focused on balancing her own stamina against the danger the commander poses. When the ear-piercing screech comes, it's already too late for Elyna to brace. She stumbles back, careful to not drop her guard, though at the cost of her hearing, almost bring her to a knee...

It very well could have if not for Veronika's fiery entrance burning through the cacophonous noise. Elyna's ears till ring, her world still spins, and it takes her a moment to realize what has and is happening.

Her eyes see Veronika's lips move before her ears hear the question. It takes her a moment, but Elyna responds.

"Let's...I don't care who they are...But they are too dangerous to remain unchecked."

She stands on her own before giving her own head a vigorous shake and rolling her shoulders.

"I will do what I can. I can only hold that pressure for a little while, though."

Even if it was all just words about relying on someone, words that Flavia slowly starts to realize... might have been too much. Amaya had set up this interview, and all Flavia has done is poke and pry, cutting away from her list of questions about idol life and magical girl life.

When she sees Ama-chan reacting how she does, that anxiety starts to spike, screaming at her to back off. To settle down a bit more, return to the interview. She's already given up too much, she's allowed someone else to even slightly peer into her problems.

Though Ama-chan had seen her before as a monster with all those features. She must already know, she has to already be aware that Flavia is deep in over her head. Yet here she is, not for a moment has her gaze shifted even with that anxiety and worries.

But Flavia somehow holds firm, "I want... we spoke before. In that alley, you saw what had been done to me."

The girl sets her notes down and moves to the seat beside Ama-chan, then crawls towards her. Getting close, "It's not as a fan. It's not that shallow!"

"Magical girls saved my life, they taught me everything. I could never thank the ones that saved me that day, and for all I know they're done. But you, you're right there. Shouldering all of this."

She's so close and intense, but at no point does it feel like it's a fan gushing over their oshi, or a para-social relationship gone too far. It's genuine, heartfelt words.

"I said it. My friends are taken from me I will never abandon them, even if I can't ask anyone for the help I truly need. You'd do the same right? For someone you believe in? I would... for them, for Amaya..."

"I want to be there for you. Even if you never call me, I want it. I'll always be there Ama-chan, a hero like you.... deserves to have someone waiting on them to succeed and come home."

There is that smile, bright and brilliant. So close and without a hint of deception or doubt, even as Ama-chan concedes a start. Flavia just had to lay it all out.

It's clear with all her hero worship that Flavia wanted to be one too, like a little kid wanting to do what her idols do. She bears a cross, one caught between self-imposed and left by fate...is it fate? Or maybe the poor girl was at the wrong place at the wrong time...It's what happens when Ama-chan fails to do a good enough job.

The magical girl shakes her head, casting out negative thoughts before they take hold.

"I...look. I can tell you really, really care, and I...I appreciate that. Even if it's just words I appreciate your support. Really." For once, she finds herself at a loss for words.

"But you can't always be there for me. You're your own person, after all, you need to go out and live your life too. It'd be toxic for me to expect you to wait at the door like a dog, even if the thought is as cute as it is kind."

Another pause.

"I don't really got anyone to drink with, what am I supposed to trust the losers at the bar for stuff like this? My sister isn't in town yet, and everywhere else is sketchy. I said I'd pay you back beyond the bill so."

Tomiko cracks another can, between bites she hammers back another. "Tomiko."

"Nagasawa Tomiko, and before you get too into it. Yeah you might have heard that name in the news, please don't look too much into it. It'll only cause trouble, there's no reward for me anyways." The name isn't too fancy, it's not something related to a crime or anything, at least not wanted for one.

It's just the name of a girl who had gone missing some years back, a camp out gone wrong. But for her to be siting here...

He finishes his can of coffee before reaching for a can of juice next.

"You're gonna ask for that and not my name? I feel like you missed a beat somewhere...but whatever, I don't care. You probably knew who I was before coming to my 'clinic'. Most people do...but you can just call me Lex. Feels too stiff to call me Dr. Forger or something."

He bites his rice ball and washes it down with a big glug of juice.

Spaces left blank so Flavia can ask Amaya later these same things, to talk about her friend making and love life, anything that shows how hard it is for a celebrity to try and live both a normal and business life.

Stuff she has written down, already drawing parallels between the magical girl's double life and a celebrity's personal and private life.

"The cheers from fans and those who care, it's important. But even those in a work place, don't view all their coworkers as people they can share a drink with, or meet up outside work hours for a bite. Non-romantic I mean, friends."

Flavia looks up, "fans put idols and magical girls on pedestals right? E-even me.. I'm a super fan as you say... would my offering you to hang out for a bit be taken seriously right? You need to protect your identity, it's a risk and a para-social situation. I think... that would make one feel lonely then, when desiring someone to rely on, the people to open up to are limited."

She rests her notebook and pen for a second, "I wonder if Hasegawa-san feels this too? Difficulty finding someone to inform of their lifestyle with? She did seem excited that we were both rather recluse to our classes, come and go? Ah sorry, she only set this up with a contact no? I shouldn't pretend either of us know her."

Shaking her head, she's about to move on before Ama-chan's question sees her seize up. Flavia was about to get back to her long list of questions, rather than simply sharing thoughts with an amazing magical girl before her.

"That..." Flavia doesn't know that Ama-chan would know anything, but the magical girl has seen her, she has seen her with all those features and without. Yet she's not brought them up again...

Biting her lip, her thighs rub together. Flavia nervously places a hand on her notebook to cover it, as if to suggest this is off the record.

"You're... a real magical girl. You've seen monsters, beasts. Things that control people... my friends."

Her shoulders sink a little, "my friends... are not themselves anymore Ama-chan. But you are right... I could never abandon them... just seeing them, knowing I haven't lost them. It does alleviate the loneliness, but it doesn't fix it."

Her eyes catch Ama-chan's, those yellow eyes almost piercing with a sort of... gaze that penetrates one's soul, there's a hint of rose across her cheeks.

"You do inspire me, because of heroines like you. Even someone weak like me, I can be there for them. Even if I'm alone, no matter how much they hurt me."

"I won't abandon you." She says it like it's a confession, like she's speaking right to the people she wants to save the most. But in this case it's words that sing right to the magical girl before her.

"Don't you want someone like that? That sort of close someone? Far beyond fans?..." In a way Flavia is speaking her own vulnerability, how lonely it is to shoulder her own impossible task of freeing her friends from Edina.

Equating it with a magical girl's endless struggle to save her city, all alone on the mountaintop.

Silence fills the room, Flavia truly hasn't realize that she's gone a little far for an interview. She merely wishes to understand how someone like Ama-chan can keep smiling despite it all, being a hero with so much pressure...

The magical girl lets out a sigh. This woman is a headache of complications. Still, something about her earnest self makes it difficult to write her off. After all, she's one of Amaya's super fans, one that needs more help than the rest...

She's about to say something when Flavia makes her declaration. Maybe the oblivious girl doesn't realize the nature o fher words or the intensity with which she speaks, but Amaya swears that her fellow student is making a confession, one that catches her off-guard.

Amaya coughs, turning her head to the side as she feels her cheeks begin to warm. It takes a moment, but she manages to collect herself with a breath.

"Look, I appreciate the sentiment, and I get that you really look up to me as a fan..." She wants to rub her neck, wants to shuffle in place, wants to scratch her cheek, some kind of tick that'd help with this awkward feeling welling inside. "But...I mean, you probably shouldn't be getting involved with me. I'm happy to help with your friends and keeping my fans safe, but..." But she doesn't want to involve Flavia in her own issues.

Silence hangs in the air, heavy as it hangs. Eventually, though, Amaya lets loose a long and heavy sigh before smacking both cheeks.

For now all she can so is burn through a newly reignited enemy, the waters in the shallow sea are starting to turn red and soon the swiftness of the opening battle is slowly giving way to the slow painful melee that war entails.

A circle slowly forms, those without any reason to battle the two titans are battling around them as the armored leader dismounts and allows their beast to rampage with it. Something better left to Veronika, for right now Elyna has to put all her focus into the enemy before her.

A twinblade detached into two blades, the towering armored commander crashes with Elyna's massive blade. In a flash the commander is engulfed in ice, the shockwave seem to wrap them in ice.

Silence falls across the field as everyone watches, weighing the fate of the day on this encounter.

Soon the ice starts to shake, cracks forming, the ice bursts and out striking from it is the Commander.

Their armor is pale and chilled, no doubt they were frozen but whatever skill they have has allowed them to burst forward. The butt end of their blade handle connecting with Elyna's chest, hitting hard and with immense strength before a knee is brought to kick her away. Blades swipe chunks of ice off them as the towering commander eyes their foe.

But the ex-knight isn't a pushover herself. While far from her element, she shows the hardiness developed from her homeland as she tanks the attempt to shove her away. It stings as she winces, but she holds her ground as the heels of her boots dig into the dirt below and stop her from putting more than a few inches of distances between the two titans.

Of course, that would not be enough. Even the small opening is enough for the general to press the advantage, putting Elyna on the defense. She keeps up as she parries blow after blow. However, the increased energy she's burned to keep up with Veronika's heat begins to take its toll as her reactions begin to slow.

This time, it's Elyna that puts distance between herself and the general as she hastily makes a small barrier of ice before leaping backwards.

She catches her breath with what time she afforded herself, watching her opponent closely as she does. She can tell that this moment is pivotal...Can she take the offensive?

Here, not vanished, and pretty legit it seems. She really ought to not be doing that. She is squirming at least, half bashful and nervous, and slightly ashamed to be rather stubborn.

"Look I can handle it tonight, then tomorrow I'll take them." She sheds her coat, unzipping to sit more relaxed with a tank top. Gently inserting her arm back into her sling, a little twist of strong muscles and toned body.

"Not going to be able to have some good drinks if I have medicine in my system right? Or that's what everyone says, and I totally didn't buy this beer to let it go warm."

She cracks it with one hand and lays the rest out. A little feast of snacks and heated food, rice balls and pre-made small sandwiches.

"I won't, just because I.. ugh." She passes the food then with one long swallow, head back she pounds the entire can back. One of many.

Besides, in his role as a back alley doctor, it's not like people are coming to him to hear anything more than what they want to.

He shrugs and sighs as he takes his portion of the small feast the woman's put before them.

send an emoji/series of emojis for my muse to answer any of the following questions in character! for some questions, there are fields italicized and bolded for you to fill in with the name of a person/place/event/etc in the muse's life. please remember to fill in these spaces in order for the question to make sense! each emoji is described in case you can't see them, and they are listed alphabetically. ♡

✈️ AIRPLANE — have you traveled anywhere that helped you discover something about yourself and/or about the world?

😠 ANGRY FACE — how easy or difficult is it for you to express your emotions? if you find it difficult, what do you think is holding you back?

🎨 ARTIST PALETTE — what are some hobbies that you like to partake in? do you think they're just to pass time or to distract yourself, or do you believe some of them potentially have therapeutic outcomes for you?

🎈 BALLOON — what is something you've created and/or accomplished recently that you're proud of?

🖤 BLACK HEART — what would you say is the darkest thought you've ever experienced? what do you think caused you to have that thought? have you ever planned on or fantasized about acting on it?

🏹 BOW AND ARROW — if there's something from your past that you'd give anything to go back in time and redo, what is it?

💔 BROKEN HEART — is there anyone in your life you wish you had a better relationship with? if so, how come? what makes this person important to you?

🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your favorite holiday and why?

🌙 CRESCENT MOON — what would you say is your current biggest dream and/or career aspiration and why?

❌ CROSS MARK — how would your life be different if [name of person] had never been in it? would it be better or worse?

⚔️ CROSSED SWORDS — do you have any skills that you are absolutely grateful you have and that mean a lot to you? how do you usually use these skills? would they come in handy if someone you cared about was in trouble?

🔮 CRYSTAL BALL — what is a core memory from your childhood that you think defines you today?

🗡️ DAGGER — what is something or someone you know you can't afford to lose? how far are you willing to go to make sure you don't lose it/them?

💧 DROPLET — are you grieving something or someone? do you feel like you lost something or a part of yourself with it/them?

😶‍🌫️ FACE IN CLOUDS — is there something you're hiding from the people you love? if so, how urgent is it for them to hear it? what's holding you back from sharing it?

🍂 FALLEN LEAVES — how would you metaphorically describe your life and the journey(s) you've been on?

👻 GHOST — is there someone or something that you feel is missing from your life? do you know if there's any way to find it/them?

🩶 GRAY HEART — what kind of friend do your friends consider you to be (mom friend, uncle friend, funny friend, etc) and why? what do you think this says about your personality?

🤝 HANDSHAKE — do family or platonic relationships mean more to you? or do they mean different things to you?

❤️‍🔥 HEART ON FIRE — what angers you the most? what triggers this anger, and how do you cope with it? what does this anger feel like, if you had to describe it?

💋 KISS MARK — if you had to share a romantic kiss with a loved one, where would you share that kiss and why? are you thinking about giving this romantic kiss somewhere other than the other person's lips?

✝️ LATIN CROSS — are you a religious person? did you grow up religious? does your faith mean anything to you today?

🩵 LIGHT BLUE HEART — what do you fantasize about the most often (generally/sexually/etc)? are there any people that are significant to or that you can see in this fantasy and why?

⚡️ LIGHTNING BOLT — how has [significant event in muse's life] impacted you? what has it made you realize about yourself? about others? about the world?

💄 LIPSTICK — have you had any romantic or sexual experiences that made you realize something about yourself?

🪄 MAGIC WAND — would you describe yourself as a superstitious person (someone who believes in superstitions)? do you believe in luck?

❤️‍🩹 MENDING HEART — how strongly do you experience your emotions? does it depend on who you're interacting with and/or the context of the situation?

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what song lyrics do you think most accurately describe you? your journey through life? who you are as a person?

🫂 PEOPLE HUGGING — generally speaking, do you feel very supported by the people in your life? how strong and cohesive is your support system, if you have one? do you often feel like you're at the front of the line or pushed to the side by the people in your life?

❤️ RED HEART — what is/are your love language(s)? how do you use it/them to communicate your feelings about others?

💞 REVOLVING HEARTS — who and/or what are you most grateful for in your life?

🎀 RIBBON BOW — how confident are you with your physical appearance? is there anything about it that you are insecure about? is there anything about it that you are happy about or gives you confidence? how do you think people perceive you based on your physical appearance?

🧪 TEST TUBE — if you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what is one thing you absolutely have to resolve and/or do before then?

🤔 THINKING FACE — what three emotions tend to dominate your mindset? do you know why they do?

💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — is there something or someone you find yourself thinking about more often than other things? if so, why do you think you do this?

💀 SKULL — how has [name of person] 's death influenced your outlook on life, if anything?

☀️ SUN — would you describe yourself as more of an introvert or extrovert, or are you somewhere in between? how come?

🪽 WING — if you could choose to have one superpower for a day, what would it be and why? what would you do with it?