Snow Fairy

“Hmph.”

Anyone else might’ve knocked without hesitation.  Mami rummaged through her bag for the fourth time, checking she had remembered everything as she awkwardly stood outside dorm J2.  She had already wasted enough time picking an outfit and deliberating whether to wear make up or not, and now she was wasting more even time by just standing there.  She wanted to look presentable as she delivered Mizore’s bag of treats to her, but now she started to doubt the amount of care she put into her appearance before arriving.  Is the perfume too much?  The lip gloss?  Would Mizore notice?  Would she care…?  Mami laughed to herself and looked down at her shoes.  ”Probably not,” she said under her breath, putting her insecurities to the back of her mind.

And it was probably this train of thought that stopped her from noticing the presence outside her door until they knocked.

She placed the small newspaper in her sidetable, not bothering to properly close the draw. Her arms felt stiff as she stretched them, looking around the room. "... Huh." She quietly commented as she stood up and walked to the door.

Hatter stands and puts his hands on his hips.

Closing her eyes again, she tried to focus on sleep rather on the presence that she felt every now and then.

..Although, she felt an icy feeling on her back, which caused for her to let out a yelp and stand on all fours immediately.

"Just go back to sleep." She said quietly, in a dull tone. She was tired and just didn't want to bother with anything... Then she sighed and rolled over so she could see the dog, unfortunately touching it again. She grunted in annoyance. "I won't do that again, so just... Chill." She smiled in spite of her discomfort, sometimes terrible puns were the only way to go.

“A sophomore?”  She said, voice lilting in surprise.  Mizore’s height was very deceiving, Mami had thought they were in the same year or that Mizore was a junior at the very most.  A crinkled smile came to her lips.  She was assuming things again…  ”Forgive me, I thought you were more around my age,” she chuckled nervously and delicately dipped her head in a small bow.  With her formal upbringing, a faux-pas like this was quite the embarrassment for Mami.  Even with Mizore’s laid-back attitude, Mami deemed it necessary to apologise.

Mizore's lips twitched, wanting to form a smile. "I think you're just rather tall for your age, wouldn't you say?" Some long lost memory flickered through her mind, something she had... 'looked into' when she first discovered Tsukune. "Isn't the average Japanese woman 5 foot 2?" That is, if Mami was Japanese. Mizore couldn't be quite sure, and since this was a boarding school, the chances of foreigners joining were higher... Sending your spawn as far away from you as possible was almost like a hobby for the more selfish humans.

"... Yes." She took the cup in both hands, grabbing it firmly and covering most of the available surface with her skin. Only her slight pause would alert anyone that she was worried about the tea but, considering her normal speech pattern, she was sure it would go unnoticed. She carefully studied Mami as she lifted her tea and mimicked the motion, easily cooling the tea so it became something similar to iced tea. The only things Mami could have noticed would've been the sudden lack of steam in the air and the fact she would not remove her lolly.

"Thank you." She said quietly, closing her eyes and taking a small sip, the now cold cup a much more pleasing sensation than the burning pain she had felt mere moments ago.

“Hmhm~  Feeling refined today are we?  Earl Grey it is!”  Tin in hand she made her way into the kitchen, mood considerably more upbeat from the prospect of tea - with a guest no less!  The kettle was easy enough to find as it sat plainly on the counter-top, a teapot however, proved to be a bit of a challenge.  Mami called over her shoulder to her guest as she rummaged through the cupboards.  ”Make yourself at home.”  She laughed dryly.  ”It doesn’t feel right saying that, seeing as I’ve only just started living here…  Ah!”

She caught sight of something white and shiny.  She carefully pulled the dusty teapot from it’s hiding place and planted it on the counter.  ”Success~” she breathed and gave the teapot a rinse under the tap.  Mami glanced back with a smile, there wasn’t much else to do except make idle conversation as she prepared the tea.  She had the feeling her guest might not approve, seeing how little she had spoken so far, but for Mami as long as was talking to someone - anyone, about anything, she was happy.

She moved away from the tea and stood awkwardly in the room, content to just watch the girl. While her mother was a tradition woman - well, of sorts - Mizore herself had never partaken in any sort of formal training, she only knew about one ceremony and how she needed to act - and that scared her - so properly 'enjoying tea' was something she didn't understand. It was with a hidden fascination that she watched the blonde set out everything she needed in precise order, it was obviously a well practiced event.

"But I suppose you'd best get used to it." She replied far too late for normal conversation as she looked at the beds in the room, staring at the one that was hers in her own room. All the rooms were set out the same, how boring.

“The… The first of your questions, I’m afraid I can’t really answer. You’ll have to refer to somebody else - be they student or staff - for a worthwhile answer. The second of your questions, however…”

His words trailed off, his faint frown returned. A peculiar young girl, he had to admit - but, then again, he was hardly familiar with a handful of students here, let alone a significant portion of them.

"Why? Do you not go out?" She asked, rather bluntly. The words seemed a little harsh coming from Mami's tongue, maybe the girl just wasn't as neutral as Mizore was... And maybe he was the same as her then, she barely left the campus. With no real friends to motivate her to, why would she suffer? She sighed, turning her head away from him as she crossed her arms, of all the people she could have found, she had found someone like her. It was almost funny.

She supposed that after walking around, trying to find out more information to increase her knowledge on Art would help with her teaching. After an hour or so in the library, she had left - with a bit of a headache, heading out of with subdued look, eyes wearily looking around. She walked across the campus, eyes peering about, flickering to see a student or two, or someone from the staff. She was about to poke her head into her classroom, and get a snack from her desk but it seemed like she left her key in the front office. Oh.

Going back would have require some more effort, and to be honest she didn’t want to do it. So she shrugged it off, and she walked down one of the halls and went outdoors. What time was it? She poked her head to one of her college’s classrooms (that seemed to be out) and saw that it was around 4 pm, which was good. It left her able to do what she wanted, thank goodness.

After heading outside she headed to that one spot, where the shade was and went underneath. She transformed into her wolf form and curled into ball and slowly fell asleep, hoping to sleep this headache off.

Mizore sighed as she staggered around the academy's campus, even with a parasol - something she disliked having to carry - the sun's rays beat down on her as if they were a physical presence.

She felt like something was pushing down on her body, forcing her to bend over slightly in an attempt to lessen the feeling.

It did not help.

She didn't often feel frustrated, but this was one of those days, and she decided to just give up and find somewhere to try to survive until the sun set... Or until there were enough shadows to navigate the school comfortably.

She careened over to the nearest tree and sighed as she hit the ground - rather unladylike, but when had she ever cared about something like that - and felt a wave of relief wash over her. She sighed and shut her eyes, letting her body relax completely until she felt something warm and decidedly un-tree like.

  She was brought out of her thoughts as he spoke. "I..." She paused as well, almost mirroring the man. It seemed that they both didn't understand what she was trying to do, a thought she found comforting and horrifying. At least if he knew what she meant, he could have told her and she would have been on her way, not in this embarrassing conversation... The fact that she noticed that was another alien feeling, in her normal state she wouldn't have cared less... "Outside." She stated, her arm slowly coming up to point at the school gates.

Mizore stood up to fetch a glass of water, Mami’s tired eyes looked up to meet hers.  ”Anybody…?”  Mami took the glossy red lollipop from her mouth and twirled it between her fingers, she smiled wryly as she stared into it.  ”I doubt it somehow.”  It was Mizore’s body after all, and who would know how to deal with it better than her?   Mami was surprised herself that she managed to get to Mizore’s dorm room, but what happened after she got in front of the door she couldn’t quite remember.  Just snatches of heat-filled terror that made her wince when she tried to recall.

Mizore shortly returned with water.  Mami thought to just take the glass from Mizore’s hands as she brought it closer to her face, but upon seeing the girl’s intention she let Mizore bring the tumbler to her lips. She finished the glass in a few short gulps, coughing a little as the water went down her parched throat.

“I didn’t?”  Mami leaned herself back again, finding it considerably less painful to speak. “That’s- I’m so glad.”  A wave of relief washed over her and with it a feeling of calm.  Her breathing became rhythmic, the water rippled with the slow rise and fall of her chest.    

Her neutral expression twitched as Mami coughed, but it wasn't as if her life was being threatened again, though surely her powers made it impossible for water to cause any kind of damage - not that Mami knew about those powers, or how to use them. She set the glass down near Mami's head, just in case she wanted to reach for it herself.

"I'm sure it will do..." She trailed off, watching herself fall asleep. It must have been blissful, her face contorted into pure relaxation and joy... If she hadn't seen her own face make such an expression she wouldn't have believed it possible. Her curiousity was piqued and she almost wanted to wake her up to continue the conversation, but she knew she hated people waking her up, so it would hardly be fair.

Instead she drained the bath and slowly patted the girl dry, feeling a small blush on her cheeks even though it was her own body. Mami stirred occasionally but seemed to be down for the count, Mizore was more than grateful for small mercies.

She stood up, the sweat on her body from hard work rather than heat, refreshingly familiar but foreign in equal parts, and lifted her body as best she could, moving Mami slow and steadily to her bed, then fetching the glass of water.

Not too significant an action, in and of itself, no, but he had stopped in his passing as a result of it nevertheless, interest apparently piqued by something so simply, so mundane. That being said, though, it perhaps wasn’t the wave that had the silver-haired spirit stop in his ambling as much as it had been the bemusement that had arisen from its (supposed) ambiguity: there seemed to be something distant to it, he thought, something at least slightly peculiar in the slowness of her gesture. That, actually, alongside the fact that he honestly wasn’t quite certain in regard to whose attention, exactly, she was trying to catch.

Or he’d simply spent too long an age observing from afar, and has since become skilled (if one will) in over-reading the simplest of movements, even if unnecessarily so at times - a normal enough wave fell victim to his habitual ‘analysing’, in this instance.

Whatever the case, whether she had been waving at him or at somebody else in an effort to attract attention to herself, he saw no harm in humouring the vague greeting with a hesitant wave of his own, a faint smile, before he stepped over towards her.

She stood there and watched him, her mouth opening slowly as if to say something, then closing much faster. While she wasn't that visably shaken, inside she had no idea how to start.

“Alright, you twerps, I’m new, and if you’re in my class, you’re all my victims. So, here’s your first assignment..!!” she barked. “It should be simple enough, just to get to know you miscreants. So, here it is! It’s due the 19th of July, so get it done before then! I will not tolerate late work unless you have a damn good reason!”

~

Name: 

Age and year:

Astrological sign:

What do you know about your sign?

What do you already know about mythology? (1 paragraph minimum)

Name: Mizore

Age and year: 17 (Junior)

Astrological sign: Sagittarius

What do you know about your sign?:

She leaves it blank on purpose, she had to look it up to even find out. She frowns at the mention of fire, but carries on in her research.

What do you already know about mythology? (1 paragraph minimum) I know most, if not all, the creatures' names and appearances

What’s your favorite legend? (1 paragraph minimum): Yuki-Onna. Creatures made of snow and ice, weak to fire. It is said that they appear in snowstorms and abduct lone travellers.

Fang asked glad that she could talk to someone else who had switched. So far she had talked to one other, and she switched with someone that she did not really hold some sort of affection for. Fang didn’t understand, but it should matter as such a change as this shouldn’t be random at all.

Well, she had waited enough time. As she changed her lollies she studied the woman. "I just met her last week. She doesn't mean a thing."  

Fang smiled and put her hands on her hips. Lightning might have changed her personality a bit, but her habits were still very much present. She was still Fang, underneath all that pink.

“So you’re Mizore huh? Well pleasure to meet you I’m sure. So what’s this about switching? You’ve switched something?”

  "Mmm." She made a non-committal sound, she didn't often go to class, so meeting a teacher on a regular day wasn't a cake walk. She sighed, obviously this Lightning wouldn't let her drop it, so she'd let her have it. "I've switched bodies with some girl." She motioned to Mami's body - her's now - in one bored motion.

Mami stepped into the spartan room that was now hers and looked about.  A desk in the corner piled with textbooks and a single bed beside the window, her uniform splayed upon the bed sheets beside her bag.  She delicately picked up the smart black blazer and ran her fingers over the lapels.  Such a contrast to the uniform she wore back home.  A sudden realisation came that she was about to enter a new school and maybe even a new life.  Hopefully one with a higher population density than her old one she mused.

“We have the same view.”

Mami gazed up from her uniform.  The academy overlooked a section of the business district and so past the school grounds all that could be seen were tall glass and steel buildings.  They appeared to shimmer in the summer sunlight.  Mami wondered if any other Puella Magi had already staked it as their territory.  She put the thought of possible confrontations with other girls out of her mind and took a moment to stare out beside Mizore.

She continued to look at that view she knew so well, hearing the odd small movements behind her, Mami was probably exploring her room. Mizore couldn't remember what she first did when she arrived, though she was pretty sure she shredded her uniform.

  She turned to find Mami next to her. Her golden eyes seemed to be searching for something, but what, Mizore couldn't think. "Yes. I hear the shops sell most of the things a student could possibly want." She didn't often venture out too far, not in the summer. If she had any motivation to, she would.

“Oh!  That’s right,” she suddenly released her grip on Mizore’s freezing hand. “This must be awfully cold for you now.”  She looked away guiltily, and felt Mizore’s warm touch upon her forehead.  She closed her eyes and nodded in response.  ”I don’t think I can thank you enough for what you did.”  She watched Mizore turn the tap off, water level now at a suitable height.  The ice cubes started to collect themselves around Mami’s shoulder blades.  For a moment all that was heard was the dripping from the tap, Mami quietly asked for a glass of water.  She looked over to Mizore again, her voice taking a serious tone. 

She shrugged, a little awkward in her current position, but it worked somehow (mostly because her entire outward persona was one of an unperturbed person. Still, when she heard her own voice crack, she felt a shiver run through her. So, even Mami thought she was something horrendous... Not that she had expected her to think differently.

"It's understandable." She gave her own hand a squeeze, it was the only thing she could really think to do. "You don't often swap bodies with a... Girl you've just met." She looked away, not to avoid Mami's eyes, just to think. "It must end eventually." The death of her life as a normal girl, Mizore almost smiled sadistically.

"It... It's a nice change. Getting to enjoy the cold instead of-" She paused for a moment, swishing her hand in the water before taking it out and drying it off. "-being it." It was true, Mizore was fine with what she was, but she never got to truly enjoy the cold... When you used something to survive it was hard to see it as anything else. For a moment she longed for home, she could truly enjoy it there... But this was a boarding school, she'd be trapped for a while longer. "Anybody would've done the same. Well done for coming to find me in this state, by the way." Her voice was monotoned, but she was impressed that Mami had made it to her room. In the state she was in Mizore had been surprised she'd been able to do anything but scream.

"You know you could-" She stopped herself, Mami had been through a lot. "Okay, wait a minute." She stood up and left the bathroom for a moment, returning with a clear glass, the clinking of ice cubes the only noise she made. She knelt down and placed the glass on Mami's lips, tipping it so she could drink. She was sure Mami could have handled it by now but wanted to be on the safe side.

Mizore was confused for a moment, why wouldn't she know what she was doing? She was born this way... Maybe Mami thought she had become like this? Then she remembered the girl's almost drunken speech before, she must have still been a little confused herself. She just nodded and let her finish speaking.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine with an attitude like yours anyway.” 

Not true.  Not true at all.  Mami had kept up this attitude all her life and what did she have to show for it?  An empty apartment with a fridge overstocked with cake.  ”Good to know,” she said in reply, keeping up that smile of hers.  The girl finally gave her name: Mizore, but said it in such a way that it didn’t matter.  Mami followed the direction Mizore had pointed in and smirked at what she thought was a joke, unaware that such creatures existed in Mizore’s world.  ”I don’t have time for boys,” Mami smiled sadly and lightly shook her head.  Although considering this was somewhat of a break from her magical girl duties, maybe she could find someone here.  See if being in love is as great as her classmates back at Mitakihara had said.

Mami pulled the key out of her cardigan pocket and waved it in response.  They continued up the stairwell and soon found themselves in front of the door marked ‘N-2’.  Mami took the key and unlocked it, unsurprised to find the inside completely silent.  Seeing as it was after school, her dorm mates were probably off doing extracurriculars.  Mami looked back at Mizore and supposed she would have say goodbye.  But the idea of spending the rest of the day unpacking alone in her room made her second-guess herself.  And Mizore’s presence was… relaxing.  Mami didn’t want to let this girl go just yet.

"Really? I thought it was every girl's dream." Her tone was almost bored, though she had a similar point of view to those very girls, if a little warped by experience. If Mizore was honest with herself she wanted someone, but after her experiences at Yokai Academy, her previous school, she just wasn't sure anymore. It wasn't like she wanted to rule out her own kind, but... She shook her head. As long as she could stalk someone that would be enough. She'd deal with the past at a later date... Or never. Whichever came last.

Mizore just nodded, it wouldn't have been much of a hassle but she'd rather not have to talk to someone else at the reception, she didn't think they liked her very much. She'd only let the ice she created melt that one time! Humans could sure hold grudges.