[Life Will Change. I really use Persona 5 a lot. Instrumental or vocal version.]
That night, the scarab woman had set out on patrol alone. She yawned down one sidewalk, and her tablet vibrated. She took it quick -
' - bank robbery - already lethal.'
She rushed back the way she had came, sword readied, knowing the area well as she ran back down another three sidewalks. The bank was on the corner, and as she rushed inside -
- she saw her two foes on the other end, fifty feet separating them, both covered in metal and one carrying a bag. He turned -
" - here we fucking go." he sighed. "Polarity!"
- in the next instant, an unseen force yanked her sword out of her hands and towards him -
- but a swift scarab set her sword burning blue as it flew; instincts too quick for his mind, he caught the hilt -
- and shrieked in agony as he threw it away; Mia laughed as it reappeared in her hands, and a dozen metal spikes shot towards her ahead; her shield of ice raised -
- but through the sudden barrier burst the projectiles And in to her face; share ends slashing her cheeks, the pain staggered her back, metal bits starting to drill in -
- but a puff of blue erupted from her nostrils to disintegrate them -
- and fear punched her for a second as her own flames burned her, desperate ice chilling her sudden wound -
' - no no - this isn't, no -'
- her scarabs swarmed her wrists, and she nodded as they bowed to her mental command, thinking quick as she stepped back, eyes on the stairway to the second-floor left.
'That was a Revenant. Worldwide isn't going out of control - calm. It won't happen again -'
- with the speed of light she spun -
- just in time for her sword to meet her third & sudden for, blade of obsidian with rainbow streaks meeting her's, fourth foe huddled near the doors ahead. More metal spikes entered her back, and in the next instant -
- she felt liquid dripping out of the trips and into her blood; shooting right and out of the clash, streams of water flushed her wounds as she ran, dodging and sweeping underneath more spikes. Bleeding with no way to chill, she rushed to the stairs, and as she started running up -
- a red streak appeared on one step -
- and in to the invisible wall she stumbled, grunting as she turned, five foes on the first-floor now, new arrival a fattened man covered in orange slime. He rushed up to the base of the stairs; a glob of slime erupted from his palm towards her -
- but the next scene was instant. A tuft of fire scarabs disintegrated a hole in the wall; out of the aperture she leaped and in to the street, spikes & slime catching only air behind, and as she landed -
- direct on a yellow strip in the road; her movements started instantly to slow, reactions dulling, eyes turning back in time to see the slime&obsidian men leap out of the aperture -
- and a globe of ice formed midair, blocking another glob of slime as she staggered back and off the yellow strip, reaction & swiftness returning to her as she stumbled back across the road. Frustration grew at her normal sword. She saw the other three rushing out of the bank and starting to flee -
- but she was fired to reach an existential threat.
"Worldwide." she grunted as the obsidian & slime men rushed towards her -
- and two geysers of water blasted them separate ways as she rushed up the road, eyes constant on the three fleeing ahead, sheets of warmer ice forming as she skid&slid; she winced at the unfamiliar chill, but as she came fifty feet away -
- a red strip appeared ahead -
- but a ramp of ice launched her over; she hit the ground running as she laughed, cars parked by civilians who should've known better by then. Her sword scraped the gas tank as she ran past one, covering her blade in gasoline, and as she aimed her sword out -
- the next scene was instant. A geyser of water & gasoline burst out of her sword, careful fire scarabs boiling only the water away as the jet flew to hit the man -
- but a swift red strip burst out of the ground like a solid wall; and in to the barrier halted the gas immediately, Mia groaning as she turned -
- and swept back just in time to avoid the yellow strip on the ground, obsidian-man grunting as they clashed again -
" - this bitch is alone, you know!" he shouted, slime-man rising up to meet them behind - " - don't see why you're so fucking scared!"
- a swift dome of ice formed over the combatants, and by a sweep of her sword seeking his neck -
- he swept with the speed of light back -
- but the next scene was instant. A tendril of ice burst out of the ground like an overgrown root -
- and impaled clear through his back & out his chest; his sword glowed orange -
- and a swift slash melted the frozen plant, freeing him as he rushed back and against the dome, another whirl of orange melting the prison, water dousing he&the slime-man outside -
" - thank you!" laughed Mia, rushing forward with electrical sword readied -
- but the next scene was instant. Globs of slime erupted from the man's back and covered the two men -
- and her electrical bash caught only slime. Tendrils of ooze yanked her sword further in, grip lost as her sword sank in to the ooze -
- but spat it back out as it burst in to blue flames; she snuffed her blade before she caught it, dome of ice melting around. Her eyes turned and see the three men with eyes on her now, readying to chase, two foes ahead and stores flanking them.
She started rushing away and down the road, five sets of footsteps chasing her, eyes sharp for when the red streak would appear again as she ripped her tablet out. She tapped Marisa's name and nodded as she ran.
'Five versus one. Of course I can do this. I'm a national threat, but.' she thought, but in the next instant -
- she felt another volley of metal spikes fly towards her; she turned -
- and her flaming orange sword blocked it, metal melting and forming a molten wrapper around it, careful grip to assure her safety as the metal started to drip. The obsidian and slime man were still rushing at her ahead, and before they could realize her plan -
- his rainbow obsidian blade clashed with her own; Mia laughed as she shot back, one swipe catching his face -
- and the man shrieked in agony as the molten metal charred his face, cheeks & skin melting as Mia shoved him back. A glob of slime tried to shoot to his face -
- but a swift pillar of ice blocked it -
- and a second swarm tore the flesh from the melted-man's bones, orange fire reminding Mia of her first year as she swept back -
" - 'I don't see why you're so scared'?"she laughed, seeing their fear starting ahead; aggression and arrogance building, she started her rush forward, leaving the slime-man behind as she pursued her other three foes, but in the next instant -
- a dozen slime tendrils burst out of the ground and shot to her limbs -
- but a coat of water kept her slippery & out of their grip as she slid on to another ice sheet, careful ice growing colder behind to prevent any more tendrils from sprouting. Once she came thirty feet away, her sword started to slip from her grip, magnetism of one of the metalmen trying to pull her sword away. She rose to her feet charging as it disappeared -
- and a homemade shield of ice blocked three globs of slime from behind, hungry oozes starting to eat away at the ice. More ice formed to repair her shield; but their pace was immeasurable, hunger & speed growing as they ate & chewed through her shield -
- and she discarded it just in time to avoid the slime reaching her fingers. Clouds of steam burst out of the ground as she faked right, hiding her advance as she rushed truly left, sidewalk&store she knew were ahead. As she came up to the front door, a red flame burnt an entrance; and in to the store she swept, but in the next instant -
- a wall of spikes burst up ahead; a hundred jets of mercury shot towards her left -
- but the next scene was instant. A wall of ice formed over the spikes, swallowing their poisonous volley; she rushed to the left wall, foe having inadvertently revealed his position then -
' - the magnetism is alone. The creation of metal - magnetism is separate.' she thought, swarm of fire scarabs disintegrating her next entrance. She rushed in to another store and to another set of front doors, and as she came to the sidewalk -
- she grinned at her confirmed theory, three foes chasing after the other store & one metal-man left thirty feet ahead -
" - she's out here!" he shouted, and in the next instant -
- a volley of metal spikes flew towards her from the left -
" - Worldwide!" she laughed -
- and as he saw the slide of ice form in mid-air, he was doomed and he knew it, spikes hitting & sliding right in to his line -
- and the entire volley burst through him in the next, Mia keeping her laugh going as she rushed over to his pockmarked corpse, sword drawn with no worry for magnetism now, three foes with true fear rushing to forty feet away -
" - are you rethinking your - your 'Revenants can harm their hosts' ability now?" she laughed, taunting pushing her slight worry down, but in the next instant -
- the road started to buckle beneath her, footing crumbling and throwing her to the spikes below -
- but seven-inch frozen platforms formed for her boots; she leaped up & off of them & out of the hole, slime behind eating its frozen meals as she hit the road again. The men stepped back as she started stepping forward, car beside herself -
- and she slashed open the gas tank again, laughing as she pointed her gasoline-dripping sword towards them, no hope for the red streak counter then. More globs of slime & more metal spikes were thrown towards her -
- but she dodged every last, fire scarab burning a miniscule hole in the ground beside as she kept her position. More scarabs followed in like a line of ants, their mistress nodding with confidence in her plan.
"I know why you're protecting - is it him?" she laughed, sword pointing to the third man huddled behind, neither slime or metal - " - I could easily Solar Beam you if he was dead!"
She laughed -
- and the next scene was instant. She threw her sword forward, blade bursting in to blue in midair, and as it hit the ground ahead of the men -
- it disintegrated an enormous hole in the road, and in the next instant -
- an enormous geyser of water burst out of the hole & drenched the three men, electrical current following a second later -
- and charring the metal man to ash in an instant, armor of slime only enough to save the other two as Mia's sword reappeared, laughing as she started her rush in true confidence ahead.
"F-Fuck this -" panted the other man, starting to flee away -
" - no you fucking don't!" shouted the slime-man; tendrils burst out his back and yanked the man to him, unwilling cargo screaming and thrashing, Mia stepping forward grinning, twenty feet separating the two. A pouch of ice was on her sword's hilt, gasoline contained within, ready to fall at her mental command.
Ahead, the slime-man stomped; the ground started to buckle inward, slime eating through the asphalt as Mia stumbled back -
" - Worldwide!" she shouted, scarabs melting her container and dropping the gasoline to the ground -
- and she swept with the speed of light back as a blue pillar of flame erupted ahead, momentary purple as the slime-man rushed in to it; the brightness threw her eyes shut after a second -
- and once she snuffed her fire out again, she laughed at the lack of corpse ahead, final foe charred and rushing down the road right, true fleeing beginning then.
"I - I - I'll donate my Revenant!" he shouted as he ran - " - just don't -"
" - as fucking if!" she laughed as she cleared the clearing, and in the next instant -
- a swarm of scarabs burrowed in to his back -
- and ripped his still-beating heart out, Mia still grinning at her skill, having surpassed Matoi's record; once unintentional, once intentional.
"Five… five against one." she panted, crouching down to rest & scan.
After she scanned five times, she rested against the wall and thought for a while. She could remember her being declared a national-level threat and how afterwards Aimee had noted she was the 33rd host to ever achieve such. This confirmed she was still on her way to achieving an even higher echelon of host than Ryumi had, and that her reputation would similarly ascend to the respect she was quickly deserving. She often felt this need to place herself within a continuum of humans, at least in Urasaria aspects, to where she was equal to Matoi in largess yet still not as wide as Ryumi, but certainly not as tiny as Naomi.
She still did not like that Akira had been able to astute this aspect of herself. These comparisons to Ryumi were her internal ice floes, a strange shape she rarely exposed out of fear of ridicule to others. One might think this odd, as comparison is a certainly more relatable trait than having a criminal father, but she never thought of him as such: she loved her father. She was proud of him, thought him noble, to where when he was released from prison, she may have needed to lay a drape over him to keep the discerning eyes of others from him, to prevent the lashes his daughter had accreted on his behalf being then replicated upon his own gray hairs.
She heard Marisa landing behind her (by the squish of Boudoir's boots), turned, and smiled. "I just killed five hosts -- without a single Solar Beam."
"Wait, really? Maaan, Matoi's gonna be super jealous." Marisa grinned, and in the next instant -
- the two swept underneath a jet of water from up the road; they turned -
- and saw their foe two hundred feet away, greasy hair and palms outstretched.
"Time to make it six!" chimed Marisa, relevantly; Mia nodded as they started their rush forward. "You're good to - fight, right?"
"Of course." grinned Mia, scarabs and burning blue truly readied. More jets of murky water flew towards them ahead -
- but a wall of blue flame erupted ahead; in to the flaming shield went the geysers, flame suddenly wilting to red -
- and a cloud of murky steam burst outward; the two swept with the speed of light back, hearing the road weaken ahead -
" - makes stuff weaker?" said Marisa, and Mia-Mia nodded. Boudoir's glove growing as the two rushed left, she gripped Mia-Mia up -
" - go ahead." she laughed, streetlamps ahead and buildings beside. A strand brought them to the one wall, and down the street started swinging the two, more jets of murky water entering the buildings behind -
- and weakening the walls as they dodged, stores & ceilings starting to collapse as they came a hundred feet away & left -
" - hang on!" shouted Marisa, aiming her palm to the road; a strand yanked them to it -
- and another strand brought them to the other end of the avenue just in time to dodge another geyser, former mentor & former protege swinging along the buildings again. Marisa threw a Boudoir ball in to one jet -
- and nodded as it disintegrated instantly; another swing, and the two landed thirty feet ahead of their foe, empty lot of trees left. His hands flashed out -
- but the next scene was instant. Marisa stomped -
- and tendrils of Boudoir flipped a chunk of road in to the man's face; the pain staggered him back, tainted water catching only air above -
- and the two groaned as he rushed & ran left in to the empty lot, temporary rain slowing their pursuit before they could rush to him again, building's back at the other end as they entered the lot, foe fifty feet away and still fleeing.
He passed by one tree, and in the next instant -
- a Boudoir-bullets sliced right through it; down fell the timber towards them -
- but a hasty jet of water wilted it black, man laughing as he rushed to the building's back wall. Another gust of water wilted an entrance for him, and they saw him sweep aside & within the store as they came up thirty feet away, more trees around them. Mia's palms swept forward -
" - I got it." grinned Marisa. A strand shot to one tree left, another strand to the tree right, and as a woman might uproot a weed -
- tore both clear out of the ground, Mia laughing as she realized it -
- and the true show began then, Marisa's newly found hammers bashing and smashing the roof down, building starting to collapse as the wooden jackhammers crushed it; inside, they heard the man shriek -
" - good luck!" chimed Marisa, fashionista turned lumberjack still smashing, new strands replacing her hammers every time they broke.
The two kept their laughter even after his crushed corpse popped out of the ruins, and Mia eventually went over to scan.
"So absurd." she laughed, relevantly, and Marisa grinned.
"Pretty fun."
+++
For Christmas Serena & Yuruko & Naomi decided to stay with Serena's mother, a neurotic woman who tended not to go out often due to Revenant-related fears. As they sat down to eat, Serena felt it fortunate she had been able to go out & buy a premade ham for them; before Blackburn, Christmas dinner had usually been a pot of boiled chicken put through the deflavorizing machine.
"But Serena said you aren't a normal student, exactly?" said Serena's mother to Yuruko.
"No, I'm a Phantasmology student. I still hun- fight criminals and everything, but, uh..."
"Phantasmology? What's that?"
"Um, it's supposed to be about studying Revenants, but I'm only just getting around to it this year. I had to go through a bunch of biology classes in my first year, then chemistry in my second year, and a few general classes spread throughout. It's basically a mix of an accelerated bio and chem degree in two years, and then the next two years are actually studying Revenants, how they work, how to tell abilities and stuff like that. I was going to work as a researcher."
Serena's mother looked to Serena, who smiled. She had always worried that her daughter would fare poorly romantically; she supposed she could not complain too harshly of her choice. She reached over and ruffled Serena's hair. "God, your hair is getting awfully long, sweetie. You really should get it straightened it again. Remember that time when-"
"-um, I remember, yeah." said Serena. She had once gone to a salon when she was 14: why this still stuck in her mom's mind she could not understand.
"I just thought it looked so beautiful like that. And a little more feminine."
With that Yuruko smiled at her, at least until the three went back to their room.
+++
Matoi's mother, Fuyuko, lived in a home that was one of the more respectable Mia had seen, and reminded Aimee of her parents' home. Fuyuko had made the five an entire spread of Christmas food; Matoi had to unlock the door while her mother was still in the process of making it. She was rather hospitable compared to how her daughter had turned out, yet there were certain patterns that Matoi unconsciously adopted from her; mostly of the physical gesture sort.
As they stepped into the dining room and Fuyuko came out from the kitchen, she greeted them as Matoi quickly put the table between herself & Fuyuko to avoid any patting of her hair. Of all the Japanese mothers, it had fallen on her to have one affectionate.
"And this is Aimee, Mia's girlfriend." said Matoi.
Fuyuko smiled as she looked to the two and compared their differences in height, as Aimee introduced herself. Once they sat down and began eating, their conversation soon turned easterly, and Fuyuko told Mia she was sorry for how the latter had been treated in Japan and the media's response to her.
"If you're curious, they haven't made any progress on the neighborhood." Matoi glanced to Mia, who was not curious. "Although I've heard a few Ueno students have wanted to replicate your 8 versus 1."
"That's a terrible idea." said Mia.
"You know you were about to 6 versus 1 if I didn't show up, right?" said Marisa.
"But the criminals were quickly caught afterwards, weren't they? I'm sure you saved more lives than you accidentally inconvenienced." Fuyuko sighed. "I'm sure Matoi told you this, but Japan is a deeply sexist country. When I was your age, there were very few career paths for women to follow, and the more success we have, the more men try to force us into stereotypes. It's very difficult to win in that regard. I'm sure that partly played in how you were treated: not because it was your fault, but because they needed to be harsher to force others to believe it was true."
"It was usually Japan First harassing her." said Matoi to Fuyuko.
"I'm sure it was. I saw they still have that oaf for a party leader. Have you heard anything more from Ueno? Other investigations?"
"No, but even if I do, I doubt we'll be returning to Japan -- Mia is banned from there."
"As if I'd want to go back." muttered Mia. "Yes, because it was so wonderful the first time."
"Least you sacrificed yourself so that one student didn't get expelled." nodded Samuel.
"That reminds me: before we get off this topic." Fuyuko looked to Matoi. "Was your girlfriend not able to come visit?"
"Her what?" said Mia.
"Who?" said Aimee.
"Who?!" said Marisa.
"Was I not supposed to reveal that?" laughed Fuyuko.
As Matoi ate deeper in to her meal, Mia noted that this was likely the only time she had seen Matoi display any *discomfort*; it seemed an alien emotion, as if she were attempting to see how it felt.
She realized that could the term have been coined of hosts, Matoi might have been considered a minor sociopath; the way she spoke and her self-conceit so intensely intellectual one hesitates at first to name it, her unwillingness towards heavy emotion. Matoi was her friend as well, which was why Mia found some of these qualities admirable despite the absence of a fully developed emotional spectrum. It was likely why she was an effective president.
"Do you remember the Japanese student - the one with the ice?" said Matoi and Marisa nodded.
"Aww, is it her? Yeah, she was pretty cute."
Matoi nodded and said nothing more. Fuyuko gestured over her shoulder to the hall, then went down it and into another room.
"Uh, she alright?" said Aimee.
Matoi shook her head. "She thinks I'm too embarrassed to talk about Rin with her around. I assume she's checking on her paintings."
"Okay, but tell us more about Rin, c'mon." said Marisa. "So do you like, Skype or something?"
"Yes." Matoi shrugged. "It's not that I don't enjoy dating her, it's that..." She pinched her forehead. "…it used to be that I was very, very much in to romance novels, yuri manga, very mushy things like that. Rin loves those. Obviously, I was already beginning to grow out of them by the time I attended Urasaria, but especially as president, not least of which because-"
"Are people asking you to play matchmaker?" said Aimee and Matoi sighed.
"I can't believe how many students..."
"Yeah, wait until you get two students fighting over the same woman. I just decided to tell both of them I'd wait until their crush didn't have a mentor or protege in a few weeks, so they could be alone, and then they both forgot about her by that time."
"How could you?" said Marisa.
"So, I know exactly how annoying it is hearing someone talk about their girlfriend." said Matoi. "But she'll visit Urasaria eventually - sometime in the next few months."
Fuyuko came back, holding a painting of black fog tending along a forest. "Matoi, did you already tell them about my paintings?"
Matoi smirked. "She does paintings based on certain Revenants -- usually from what I've mentioned to her about certain students."
Mia smiled. "Is this based on Serena's - my protege's Revenant? Blackburn?"
"I don't know their names." laughed Fuyuko. "But Serena was out here, recently. I told her who I was and if her & her protege would like something to eat, but she didn't visit for long. Matoi's told me she's one of the more violent students."
"I could think of somebody she could visit." said Matoi.
Fuyuko smiled at Matoi, then turned it to Mia. "Now, you were saying this is your protege's Revenant?"
That Fuyuko did not hate Matoi's father like Matoi did may seem odd, but the former had chosen him and the latter ended up with him.
+++
Before continuing on to the second half of this year, it would be a shame not to note an important event in Kirihara's life also occured around this time; call it *keeping up a character's presence* if you must, for she will not reappear until the final arc of this year.
After she had finished walking Naomi back to her home (the reason why you will later learn), she was in a good mood. She had gotten the ability to exert her capacity for violence without either being called on it by someone stronger than herself nor in a way that it birthed more little shits around campus who would mock her, and this was always enjoyable for Kirihara, for even as she loved murder & mayhem there always was the fear of being rebuked as she had when Serena punched her & Mia burnt her.
So, Mia was in her head again as she went to the grocery store. It seemed that the more she attempted to dislodge her presence the deeper of a grip Mia held over her, to where she believed she was constantly watched by these apparitions of her imagine. This was the feeling engendered in Kirihara as she saw a dog that had been abandoned a few lots over, whining, and walked over to it.
She crouched down and cautiously held her hand near it. She was afraid it would try to bite her, which would cause her a bit of pain and force her to stab it to put it down. Scratch that: she would have to kick its fucking skull in and slice it up with Carve. There: that was more relieving to Kirihara, for it would be unbecoming to her self to allow anything to get one over without proper restitution. There was discomfit, then there was not: like a sliding block puzzle, her mind automatically rearranged the order of events & memories to where reality was what she knew it were: Jeanne was indeed a terrible mentor, Matoi had indeed cheated, and Mia would indeed lose.
The dog sat down and extended its paw. She turned her head to see if anyone was watching her and felt embarrassed. She rubbed its neck and continued to look around, and that she expected its owner to come out soon made her almost impersonal about it.
Yet she sat there for a few minutes as it looked around laid against her. She thought it was likely hungry, and as she stood up it began to follow her as she walked over to the grocery store.
"Stay here, okay, girl?" She rubbed the dog's neck, then went inside and to the deli. "Hey, I need a pound of turkey, thin-sliced."
"Pound of turkey, coming right up."
"Is it fresh?"
"Fresh? Fresh as monkey's breath, sister." He turned after he finished slicing it. "Oh sh-, you're a student! What rank are you?"
Kirihara scratched her neck. "#1."
"Wow, that's something, huh? I'd ask if I could see your Revenant, but you'd probably have to kill me if I did."
Kirihara smiled.
"So you're like, the president or something?"
"Well... not yet, but next year, yeah. You know, there's a lot of sick shits who're students, and once I'm president I can get them expelled."
"Yeah, I feel that. Here you go, sister."
Kirihara nodded and left to go feed the animal. As she sat against the wall, it came up to her and they ate together. Sometimes Kirihara would tear through half a piece with her teeth, and offer it to the dog & vice-versa. It was disgusting, but one wonders how Kirihara may have turned out if she had such a lesser being to impart care on to, one which her few drams of empathy were able to be spent.
Soon a car pulled up, and a heterosexual couple got out and rushed over to the dog. Kirihara was about to bark at them before the dog nuzzled them, nestled against them as they hugged and kissed it. They apologized repeatedly for having left their pet behind, thanked her for feeding him, and it was this care that made Kirihara decide it would be alright not to maim them.
Yet as they thanked her again and the dog walked away with them, she watched them, clenched her forehead together, and the side of her lip quivered. As the animal grew smaller into the pave, she saw a human face look back, then it feared as it read her badge.
But, you may ask: what relevance does this have to the main narrative? One shouldn't ask such silly things at this point (for character is plot!), but as you may remember, there was a student who attained some notoriety for torturing a dog.
{Mia held her sword to the animal's throat, stuffed in a dark room, a torch of scarabs lit behind her. Her reputation would recover, when there was time for it.
"Era. After your pitiful display of running away, you happened to leave your pet behind. We will finish what we started - or I'll burn this worthless animal alive, and leave this town for good. You know where to find me."}
Kirihara watched the initial news report but never any of the follow-up clarifications Mia did. Thus to Kirihara's brain, Mia remained a psychopathic shit who tortured animals for fun, a hatred which intensity only was only amplified by experiences like the aforementioned. Torturing humans, sure. If you asked Kirihara what she thought about her species, she would tell you a bunch of vagaries: people are shit. People are insects and you need to be one step ahead of them. They lie and cheat. Animals were too stupid to possess a capacity for betrayal, which as a matter of course, made them better than humans. She knew what they wanted and how to control them. They weren't difficult.
So as she watched the dog disappear, she hated. She hated how she was treated at Urasaria. She hated civilians, she hated how others' eyes crawled upon her and dug their sprouts below her, forming opinions about her that they would carry around for whenever they read of her. She hated her mother who was often lost in booze at home, and she hated -- as a general concept -- one she could perhaps mold around herself to deflect from objective reality & the rest that surrounded her.
As she stood up and was herself, again, there was a primordial carnivorism in her renewed stride, something words should not describe further. After all, what right have you to watch her?