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."