"It sounds like we both lost a lot so I'll try to avoid re-opening the wounds. If you were used to the old-me holding you close though, just let me know if I'm supposed to be the big spoon or the little spoon. G'night."
And then we hug her.

>>681687
let's not imply we want to fuck.

"I... Ok. Don't stay up too late, you need to take care of yourself too..."

You start to head for the door to the hallway, intent on going upstairs and maybe finding an empty room to claim as your own. You pause as you reach the door, though. Behind you, Annette is already barking orders at the servo-mech, apparently intent on at least putting it to use. Still, simply leaving things as they are bothers you. You can do better to reassure. You WILL do better. You turn on your heel and stride back over to her, taking hold of her hands and drawing her surprised attention to you.

"My lady?"

"Even if it 'doesn't matter' to you, it matters to me. To be honest, I don't care what you're duties were, I just know that I've been thrown into a world on fire, and I don't need a maid. I need someone to support me.

"I will remember, ok? I got some of it back, the rest has to be in here somewhere."

You pull Annette into a hug, and you feel her tense against your body. For a moment, that's her only reaction, then she seems to slowly relax and wraps her own arms around you, though she seems somewhat hesitant.

"I believe you, my lady. I will continue to follow you, until you no longer require me."

You roll your eyes, but release the other woman, bid her goodnight and head upstairs, locating a vacant bedroom that, while sparse, has a bed in it at least. You barely lay down before sleep claims you.

You awake to gentle nudging and the sound of a woman's voice. For a moment, in your groggy state, you can't place the person or the words, but as sleep releases its clutches on your mind, you quickly catch up.

"My lady. It's time to wake."

You sit up reluctantly, noticing a blanket that hadn't been there before over your still clothed body, and find Annette standing next to the bed, an amused grin on her face. You frown in response, wondering what's so funny, but she simply bows once she notices your attention, a fluid and elegant thing that you silently marvel at. You have no idea what it takes to learn that, but damn did it look good.

"Good morning, my lady. I trust you slept well. Breakfast has been prepared and is waiting for you downstairs. Emmett and his men left early this morning. They left a fair amount of money for us to use till we get situated, though I'm afraid most of it has been put towards this months expenses. We will have to look into acquiring a source of stable income soon. I've also gathered up some data on the local resistance groups, which you may peruse at your leisure. If that is all, I still have the cookware to clean, as well as making sure that Spot is cleaning the bathroom properly."

Annette straightens from her bow and leaves, humming slightly to yourself as you stare, somewhat confused as to what just happened. Regardless, you get yourself out of bed and find your clothes have been both organized and placed into a proper dresser, which you are fairly certain wasn't in the room before, as well as a your multi-tool being placed upon a desk that was also not there before. In fact, on closer inspection, you find that the room you now occupy has been furnished much more than it had been before, drapes over the windows, a carpet on the floor, as well as a small decorative flower vase on the desk. You bed even has fresh sheets and pillows on it to match the blanket. It seems someone had been busy, and somehow you'd missed it all in your sleep.

>Input

>room redecorate around you while you sleep
Either you're a very heavy sleeper (you'd think the military would have trained you out of that), suppression takes a lot out of you, or "ninja maid" is in the resume Annette isn't sharing with you.

>Spot
Pfff.

>a small decorative flower vase on the desk
...lilies?

>what do
Get dressed (casual civilian clothes), pocket the multi tool, and find your breakfast before it gets cold.

Then we can look over the information she found us, and our options.

>>681924
>"ninja maid" is in the resume Annette isn't sharing with you
We met her in full combat uniform walking through a firefight, and barely phased by nearby explosions. Anette is full-on combat-butler.

Time to purchase some mechanics textbooks. See if you can upgrade "Spot" to a "Spike".

But yeah, "Spot" is a good name for the robo-pet.

Eat breakfast, read briefing, check spreadsheet, consider getting in contact with Kaguya's family (or Kaguya herself) to ask what the opportunities are like for people with greasemonkey talent.

Let's focus on getting dressed and ready before we start spending money- grab clothes, eat breakfast, maybe check out those leads she mentioned, then call kayuga?

You dig through your drawers and extract some random set of civilian clothing. You pause as you strip out of your loaned clothing, noticing a mirror on the back of the door and, more importantly, you notice yourself.

Your skin is incredibly pale, like it had been devoid of sunlight for a very long time, and you notice your hair, falling to just between your shoulder blades, seems to be stark white. You run a hand through it a moment, frowning, since you are fairly certain that isn't normal. No one else you've seen, other than the elderly, has hair like yours. Perhaps a result of Suppression? Regardless, you note that the rest of your body seems to be lithe and lacking in any overt muscle, but then, you suppose your magic takes care of most physical aspects of your day to day. While you wouldn't call yourself sexy, you are not without a certain curve to your profile, something you find a small bit of pride in. You take another moment to eye yourself before shaking off your stupor and slipping your clothes on. You have things to do, can't spend all day staring at yourself. As you exit your room you slip the multi-tool into a pocket as well, never know when that might come in handy.

You decide to keep your hair down for the moment, it's not like you can't put it later. As you make your way downstairs you can hear humming coming from the kitchen/dining/living room, and as you enter you idly identify it as a marching cadence, the source of which is Annette in the kitchen part, washing dishes. Your food is sitting on a table, eggs, bacon and pancakes it seems, with strawberries topping the pancakes. You dig in heartily, and notice as folder placed next to your plate. Opening it up, you find the information on the resistance groups Annette had apparently dug up from somewhere. You read over it as you eat, absorbing as much of the information as you can. Once you finish reading, and conveniently eating as well, you summarize what you can in your head.

There seems to be three main groups in Japan, each with similar goals(sorta) but different methods. Based in Kyoto is a group calling themselves the Ronin, after masterless samurai. Smallest in number, they focus on "freeing" the Emperor of Japan from the Court's grasp and actively working to weaken the Court's influence in Japan through raids on supply shipments and Embassies. Noted was that you only briefly came into contact with the Ronin, during an embassy raid that failed due to your presence. The second is based farther north, in Hokkaido, calling itself the Hokkaido Liberation Front and seems to be more interested in fostering local discontent with the Japanese government as well as the Court. It was noted you apparently directly fought their agents a number of times. The last is a group in New Tokyo, a pacifist group that works mainly to maintain New Tokyo's right as a free city. Most citizens of New Tokyo are either members or supportive of the group, though admittedly they do little more than protest Court attempts to influence New Tokyo. You had no interaction with them before, as you were never allowed within New Tokyo.

As you finish up, Annette takes a seat across from you, bowing her head slightly once she notices your attention on her.

"My lady. You've had a chance to review the files I take it?"

"I did."

"Good. Any other groups I discovered you'd either had too much interaction with before or were too small to warrant your attention. I plan on going out and finding a more stable source of income, I should be able to easily support both of us, if you choose to focus on your duties as a Caelestis Bellator. If I may ask, what do you plan to do today?"

>Input

>possible albinism
Hmm. White hair is a rather distinctive look. If we assume that's your natural coloration and not a result of suppression (and you didn't disguise it while deployed), that will make it easier for the court to locate you when they start looking in earnest / recognize who you are when you come into conflict with them. It could also make it easier for any resistance group who encountered you previously to recognize you, or for people who see you magical girl-ing to recognize you as a civilian.

If it's not natural, it decreases the chances resistance groups would recognize you from before. Not sure if it helps or not with the Court- maybe you don't match what they have on file anymore, or maybe this is a known side effect of suppression, and they're looking for a girl who recently left it.

Symbolically though, it is kind of neat, and white is thematically appropriate for a clean start (and symbols seem like they matter, here). And if it's a known suppression side effect, it might lend credibility to our story with resistance members who might doubt us (or hope others might get out). So possibly an advantage in connection building?

>resistance groups
Do we know if Kaguya or Emmet's (or Sunny) are associated with either of these three? They're what we have for a point of reference so far. Oh, and the obvious follow up would be to what extent these groups are already known to have magical girls working with them. (Say, if contact goes bad, they're a lot more of a threat if they have magic).

Not sure what pacifists could use us for, since what we are is inherently combat oriented. Philosophical conflict there, unless they accept the need for protection. (Although, I suppose a magical girl could follow a technical pacifist conduct if she was just careful not to kill anyone). Might be interesting to scout them out, just to see what their deal is.

The Ronin's methods seem more promising to me than the Hokkaido's, although I'm not so sure about the end goal. (How much does one man / leader really matter?). Probably best not to engage the Hokkaido right off the bat, as they'd be least happy to see us, and we're still pretty low on our power curve.

Things we need to do:
-Ensure we're adequately different looking that we're not instantly picked up by optical recognition software. Probably requires glasses, hair dye and possibly some other stuff. If our features look European-heritage enough I'd suggest red or blonde because that matches pale skin for those ethnicities, and black instead for pale Asian-ethnicities.
-Regain knowledge of what we can do that wasn't completely lost during suppression.
-?Look up who we were and previous history somewhere that won't get traced back to us?
-Drill and develop powers.
-Talk to representatives of the pacifist group. Ask them for contact info, and what their planned public events are for the next month.
-Work on our ethos, research and review options.

Ask Anette for things missing from the list, and help putting them in order of priority and schedule.

Right now, you're a freelancer. Joining any particular group may have severe consequences, so be sure that you're strong enough to take them on if they decide to betray you... or vice versa.

And screw the ideals of each group. What matters is the short term benefits and the long term plans, as well as the structure of power and the estimated sanity of whoever's in charge years from now.

For now, a few exercises, some research in EXO-Mechs, and a few magical target practice rounds per day should be enough.

>>682510
>And screw the ideals of each group.
>Daughter of the Stars, you know that you gain strength primarily through acts that draw others to your ideals. The more people that believe in your cause, and in you, the more magical power you can draw from the Stars above. All that remains is trying to remember what you once represented, or perhaps selecting a new cause to fight for.
Bzzzzt, try again! We are an ideology-powered weapon, the ideals matter at least as much as the goals and ends, maybe more.

>>682502
>Probably require
It might not require any tools of the kind, if we can tweak out appearance with magic. (Although I don't know if there's a risk of other magic users detecting we have passive appearance enchantments up while presenting as a civilian, or if we risk those being knocked out versus if we can make them more persistent).

I'm still kind of torn on if a disguise is a good idea right now though.

Oh, and it occurs to me that any attempt to disguise our civilian identity is only as good as the disguises of our known associates.

The files on Caelestis Bellator might be tightly held and slow to release, but Annette was an enlisted soldier, and I expect her records are a lot easier to pull. And she'd have been reported MIA as soon as that plane got back.

(Although I'm not sure if they'd have recognized she defected, if they'd think she was taken prisoner, or if they didn't notice who you grabbed, so they don't know who might have died in the engagement or the bomb going off versus who was taken).

>>682570
good point, be should ask annette about her defection and what that means for us in terms of court reactions.

I vote pasifist group simply because I like the idea of rallying people to a person and a cause. If we become known in the city, we gain power, and I personally like the idea of pasifist route. Seek counsle with annette about what she thinks the reprocussions of that vs the other groups will be, and then see if we can phone up kayuga and get her counsel as well. Maybe build something cool if we have time

"I have a few ideas. Was hoping you could help me set them up in order of priority. Also, uh, do we need to worry about the Court coming after you? Since you defected?"

"Probably, my lady, but that's only if they know I'm here. Don't worry about that, I can take care of myself. I might have less resources to work with, but it's my job to make sure your life runs as smoothly as possible. Now, these ideas or your."

You spend a few minutes outlining what you'd like to do over the course of the next few days. Annette listens intently, chewing on her lower lip as she thinks. After you finish she is silent for a few moments more before she replies, giving her own overview of what's important.

>-Ensure we're adequately different looking that we're not instantly picked up by optical recognition software. Probably requires glasses, hair dye and possibly some other stuff. If our features look European-heritage enough I'd suggest red or blonde because that matches pale skin for those ethnicities, and black instead for pale Asian-ethnicities.

"Disguising yourself might not be important. It's a known side affect of Suppression, though most put into suppression haven't come out. You'll be noticeable to some degree. Still, people dye their hair all the time, and you can just as easily play it off as a personal choice. Your face isn't known to anyone in Japan at the moment, and it'll take time to request those records. Hopefully we'll be long gone by the time anyone gets around to it. Still, if it'll make you feel safer, I can pick up some hair dyes while I'm out today.

>-Regain knowledge of what we can do that wasn't completely lost during suppression.

"It... might be important to do so, but I'm not sure how. Perhaps going through the motions? If that's true, I would suggest finding a mechanics shop or the like and... what was the word you used to use... tinkering? Tinker with some things. Perhaps you'll figure something out."

>-Look up who we were and previous history somewhere that won't get traced back to us?

"Most records regarding specifics are highly classified. You're family needed to be kept safe. There was another reason as well, but even I wasn't privy to that knowledge, or why, and you refused to talk about it. Personal, you said."

>-Drill and develop powers.

"While practicing your powers will certainly help you understand them, you can only develop in strength by being what you are, a Daughter of the Stars. You need to attach yourself to an ideal and begin to gather support for it as soon as possible, so you can gain strength. This is... the most important thing you could be doing right now. You're vulnerable without power."

>-Talk to representatives of the pacifist group. Ask them for contact info, and what their planned public events are for the next month.

"This is certainly a good start to getting stronger. Finding out about the groups around us, and what they themselves are working towards, will give you an idea of what you're looking for, and therefore where you wish to draw strength from. I can get in contact with them if you wish, and arrange a meeting somewhere public."

>-Work on our ethos, research and review options.

"Another step towards gaining strength, certainly, and therefore important. Perhaps the most important step. The sooner you find an ideal you like, and a cause to support, then you'll begin gaining strength. Almost literally strength in numbers. That doesn't mean you should choose the most numerous group right off the bat. Just because they have the most support to begin with doesn't mean their ideal will lend itself to gathering more support.

"All in all, my suggestion is to focus on finding your ideal. While rediscovering yourself and your skills is all well and good, they do little for you while you're so vulnerable. And while it is unlikely the Court will do anything in New Tokyo, if we ever look to leave, you will need that strength.

"Finally, if I may, striking back against the Court, while not immediately advisable, is something we should look into. Currently they are reeling from the attack on the base in Old Tokyo, if we can keep up that momentum, it's possible we could do lasting damage to their hold on Japan. Of course, this only matters if you are aiming to take down the Court, I apologize if I presume too much.

"Regardless, finding an ideal is the most important thing in my opinion. I know of a Ronin supporter within the city we can use to contact them, and the Ronin are certainly the most active in confronting the Court. Hokkaido would require more long distance communication, but that's easily done as well. The Pacificsts are the easiest to get in contact with, but they are the least active, and generally only care about keeping New Tokyo free of the Court, they might not be willing to push for more."

>Meet with the Ronin

>Contact the HLF

>Meet the Pacifists

>Ignore the issue for the moment and focus on regaining lost skills

>Something else

>Input

I vote firstly for meeting thed pasifists, but if no one else agrees then I'd rather go with the Ronin than the Hokkaido

Hrrrm...
I like the Pacifists, and while we might be the least useful there, I like their cause the best.

So... No data then on if any of these groups have Caelestis Bellator associated with them?

The biggest risk of approaching the resistance groups is if the encounter goes south and we end up in conflict with one of their magical girls. We're underpowered right now.

>Need a group for power
There is a distinction between skill and power, right? I'm limited in what power I can draw on right now, but the skill should be in my head, somewhere.

I'd grant her that getting established with someone is probably our first priority.

>hair dye?
If she doesn't think it's gonna get us caught by the public, showing suppression symptoms would give or story more credence with potentially skeptical rebels. And showing people can escape also reinforces their cause. I think the risk is worth the diplomacy / belief bonuses, for now.

>keep momentum against the court
That, and if we do plan to act against them, any intelligence Annette has is time sensitive.

>what do
I think we should be feeling out groups for a cause match.

I'd start with the pacifists (probably the least risk to scout out) and the Ronin.

Oh, well, if we don't need dye yet let's save picking it up for when we've gotten some expert advice and use it right before we take our show on the road.

It's a clear majority for talking to the people with the least of a grudge against us, that are closest and least overall violent as well. I suggest we talk to them soonest, they may not have anything they know they want our help for immediately or (maybe) they have something for us to do which uses our tinkering talent. If it turns out they don't have anything in mind we can help with yet we can then go talk to Kaguya's mecha team and ask for direction on where and how to start greasemonkeying.

An hour later, after a great deal of constant drilling and worrying from Annette, you finally find yourself seated at a small family restaurant located a few train stations away from your new, potentially temporary, home. Annette, not sure if you'd acquired any disguise spells, had conveniently located a hoodie among your things, as well as a baseball cap from somewhere. Both were roughly pulled over your head before you left with strict instructions to keep your head down and not reveal your face to the rep. Apparently, it was precaution in case things got... out of hand. Besides, the only reason you'd agreed to it were because you hadn't decided if you were going to reveal who and what you were quite yet. You find yourself somewhat impatiently waiting for someone from the Pacifist group here, New Tokyo Freedom Movement you think was what Annette said they were called, whom she'd apparently made contact with herself and directed to meet you here. Just as the waitress comes around to your table for the fourth time, asking you if everything is alright, a older man, you'd say mid-forties, slides into the booth opposite you, looking slightly worn out but offering a kind smile to you and the waitress. A cursory inspection paints him as a slightly overweight office worker, a slight bead of sweat on his brow suggesting he'd at the least hurried here. Clearly this meeting was made out to be important. He orders a coffee, effectively sending the young woman away, before turning his attention to you, small smile turning apologetic.

"I'm sorry, running a bit late. Can't be a rep all the time, you know? Doesn't pay the bills."

You hum something noncommittal(you can't remember ever having a job, much less paying bills) as he settles back in his seat with a sigh, the coffee being delivered quite quickly with a nod of approval from the man. He takes a moment to savor the drink, taking a slow testing sip, though you notice quickly that he seems to be taking stock of you. You only hope you make a good impression.

"Well, I'm Kenji Morisato. I'm here to answer any questions you might have regarding the New Tokyo Freedom Movement as the most senior representative available, Miss..."

He looks at you questioningly, and you suddenly realize that you have to introduce yourself. You pause a moment, in a split second deciding what to do:

>Use Real Name
>Use Fake Name
>Ignore the Introduction

>Ask:

>Input

"Miss Whatever-You-Think-I-Am."

Get the basic details of what their organization is about, and how much infiltration / subversion a pacifist group undertakes.

>Use Fake Name
You're going to need one eventually, we might as well start now.

Saying something like "You can call me ____ " is a tacit admission you're using a false name, which is probably appropriate here. It says "I'm being careful, but I'm not lying to you about it."

(I'm blanking on what fake name to use for our magical-girl-sona, though. I'll trust someone else will have a good one, or I'll come back to it in a bit).

>Ask:
Um. Does he know he's meeting with a magical girl? That kind of affects what we can ask, if he doesn't know and/or we're keeping that back.

Obvious questions:

What are they trying to accomplish and why? What's their specific complaint with the Court?

How do they operate / what do they do?

How do they feel about the magical girls? (If we're inherently geared for conflict / violence, that's a big philosophical divide with pacifism. Why would they need one, what would they do with one?).

>also
I'm not sure we're close enough to him emotionally to do it, but can we feel out him or his group with our connection-sense?

"I apologize for not answering you promptly, but I'm not fully certain how to answer you about who I am. To put it cryptically, I am a was searching for her is and will be. If I could be assured confidence I would feel much more free to discuss that was, but if you were to lean closer as a close friend, family member or lover might for a hug or a kiss you might see what you need to know.
"To help find my is and my will be, I would like to know more about who the New Tokyo Freedom Movement is. I'm not entirely sure what I need to know but a starting point is to discuss what you do, what you aim for, what you are willing to say about your enemies, friends, allies and associates, and perhaps most importantly what you would do were you to have all the power of the Court at your disposal."

Fake name, along the lines of what >>683632 said so that we're being transparent about not being transparent.
I think our main question is what can we do to help? If we can become a figure head for the organization and really help the people we gain strength and so do they so it's a win-win. Whats the fastest way for us to acomplish that?

"You can call me She who is Searching."

"Searching for...?"

"For who she was and who she is."

The man looks a little confused, but he decides to avoid pressing the issue. Instead, he takes a sip of his coffee again before settling back, his attention more obviously working to figure you out.

"Well, hopefully I can be of some help."

"We'll see. I want to know about the New Tokyo Freedom Movement. How you operate. What your goals are. What exactly you are resisting the Court for."

"Our goal is easy. To keep New Tokyo as a free city. The Court may own most of the world, but it doesn't own us. As for how we operate, mostly peaceful protests and the like. We've never had cause for much more, the New Tokyo government supports keeping the city's freedom. There's not much more to tell than that, unfortunately. I'm not sure what you were expecting to hear."

As you listen to him speak, you let a part of your attention shift, reaching out with your sense for connection and feeling for what his might be. What you feel sets you back slightly. This man connects to a far bigger network, one that, if you're feeling this right, can't possibly be limited to this city. You follow connections and feel your magic pulled in dozens of different directions, stretched thinly across distances you can barely discern. You're forced to end the attempt to feel out the extent of the man's community, blinking as you return to full attention. Morisato watches you with obvious concern, eyes examining you questioningly.

"Are you alright? You went a little... glassy eyed there for a moment."

You wave away his concern, instead wondering what to do with this new information. If what you felt was right, then Morisato isn't telling everything he could be. He's the face for something much larger than a single cities protest movement.

>Input

Apparently we both have secrets to keep, which is... mostly surprising as far as wondering how the heck Annette managed to get us so high up the org-chart of the New Tokyo Freedom Movement (or whatever that is a front for).

I say we giggle softly and say something like, "Ha, we're both trying to hide something big apparently. Is this the right place to be discussing confidential matters, or do I have to establish myself to the New Tokyo Freedom Movement before we have a more earnest discussion?"

>You can call me She who is Searching
Haha, wow that's silly and dramatic. We really should have just picked an alias.

>If what you felt was right, then Morisato isn't telling everything he could be. He's the face for something much larger than a single cities protest movement.
Hmm. I really wish we knew if he knew we were a magical girl or not, already. Really affects how we can address that.

>what say
He didn't really answer our question. Fighting for freedom to be free is pretty much tautology. People fight for freedom because they want to do something with it, or because they see what happens when it's lost or abused. He didn't tell us why it's worth being free of the Court. Or why he's willing to leave the rest of the world as it is. ...if he even is, that is.

"You know, you've never said WHY it was you wanted to be free of the Court."

Morisato blinks, then allows himself a small smile.

"No, I suppose I didn't. I would hazard a guess and assume it's different for every person seeking it. Many simply want freedom from the rule of a power that is not beholden to anyone but themselves. The Court has no law or code that states they must work for the betterment of mankind, though they proclaim it to be a goal. I know that I personally wish to be free of the Court's... influence... over the world's magical girl population. Yes, their, ah... sacred... duty might have ended decades ago, and yes they can be dangerous, but they are also just girls. They have their own lives to lead... and many have that choice taken from them."

Despite his lack of any real tells physically, you sense despair, a very deep sort of despair, emanating from the man in front of you. Something must have happened, something deep and painful, but you decide pressing the issue would be both rude and unwise. Giving too much away would be a bad idea. There's a silence that follows, you out of both consideration and allowing yourself time to think. Eventually, you find this whole farce to be overrated. Information needs to be freely given on both sides, and if Annette trusted this man enough to let you speak to him, then it seems fair that you be candid with him. Still, the thought that you're both trying to hide things from each other tickles your sense of humor, and you giggle slightly as you make your confession.

"Ha, we're both trying to hide something big apparently. Is this the right place to be discussing confidential matters, or do I have to establish myself to the New Tokyo Freedom Movement before we have a more earnest discussion?"

Morisato blinks in clear confusion and surprise, before frowning slightly. Perhaps you'd been a bit too frank with him. He takes it in stride though, sipping at his coffee again to buy a few more seconds to consider you thoughtfully.

"So that implies you have something you'd prefer not to be mentioned to most."

"It does."

"... I can offer a safe place to discuss more... sensitive things. However, I'm afraid it would require you submit to a security check, as well as a simple pat down for weapons."

A security check... you aren't certain how much that would give on you...

>Submit to the Check
>Attempt to negotiate
>Refuse offer
>___

You can talk out here. It's pretty obvious what his story is, so let's not open up wounds here.

So, what are the conditions to join and the usual jobs posted on the mission boards?

Sure, why not.
I mean, the way I see it, magical girls can blow through anything pretty much as long as they don't get dunked in suppression, weapons or no weapons.

There we go. The personal connection. He knew a magical girl, she was involved in some way with the court, and it ended badly.

>what do
Your weapons aren't the kind that are carried. (Don't say that now, but maybe it's worth using after we're secure).

Agree to his terms. Comment that we'll see if his security check discloses our secrets for us. (Letting the pacifist front group check us is probably about the lowest risk way for us to test how much information is readily available on us or how easy we are to ID).

When the patdown comes discloses the multitool and to whoever is doing it. (Pretty much any useful tool can double as an improvised weapon).

"I don't need to carry weapons, but if it's necessary a strip search would only be one more indignity compared to what I've already suffered. What else would this security check do, if I may ask? I have difficulty with things that would tell you what my civilian identity is for reasons that should be obvious."
Being totally serious, we don't want these people looking up and knowing more about who we are (were) than we do. If they want to do a DNA-match test or something else that tells them we're Lily Iridium I say we walk, and take our chances looking up the local magical girl hangout to ask for help.

Negotiate-
"I'm not sure how much I can trust you, just as you're not sure how much you can trust me. Would it be possible for me to bring a friend? I feel vulnerable, being asked to an undisclosed location with vauge security mesures and I'd like to have someone I can trust by my side to help me evaluate the situation before I agree to anything whole-heartedly"

>>685980
We don't have anyone to ask besides Sunny, who we can expect is busy maintaining her fame. She may additionally get called in by the other side when they figure out what we are.
Also, in my suggestion I'm implying rather thickly that we're a magical girl. That doesn't fly with pretending to be scared. We're also the one who asked for the more-private meeting, which means this would make us look crazy or daft to suddenly change our mind as soon as we ask and they respond with something that is forseeably plausible.

>>685980
Annette is busy securing a source of income, and if this goes wrong, we're only putting a softer target we have to protect on the board. Magical girl firepower is more than she could bring, anyways.

>>685996
I assume you meant Kaguya? I don't think Sunny gave us contact info before she flew off.

>>685998
Following quote is from 676495. Kaguya did get us a phone, so I'd imagine we do have her number. Still a bad idea to call Sunny though, I doubt she'd have patience for us bugging her just because we're having trouble talking to people that aren't either Heaven Court folks or magical girls.

"I was only here to help out. I've got my own things to take care of. When you get her a phone, give her my number. I might not like it, but it is nice to see another magical girl free of the Court. I'd like to keep it that way."

>>685996
I mean i am genuinely worried about what kind of information the search may reveal and who it might tip off. I was thinking Annette because she has the most knowledge about the court and what might endanger us. I wasn't really thinking we need "firepower" to protect us, just someone who knows the courts and can give us a second opinion is all. Besides shes not the only one that can get a job and she could always get one tomorrow. I feel like asking for her doesn't cvost us too much

>>686075
It reveals that we have a fucking captain in the Heaven Court with us, if they have any sort of database about such things. If you're not scared them finding that out could lead to her capture or our discreditation you've got no imagination for what people fighting a war might think about folks known to have worked for the other side.

"I can agree to that. Still, there are some things I'd rather keep to myself, for the moment. How invasive is this search going to be?"

"Nothing too major, I assure you. More just assurance that you aren't a mass murderer, or something of the like. The Court has no need to send its agents against us, there are far more militant and destructive groups to deal with at the moment."

You let that sink in, then rise to your feet as Morisato does the same. You've decided you'd trust him for the moment, and despite briefly considering getting someone else to tag along, you doubt it would do much good overall. Better to keep what friends you have out of public sight for the moment. He pays for what he'd ordered(without an overabundance of money you'd decided against ordering anything yourself), and then he leads you through the streets till you reach a building clearly marked "New Tokyo Freedom Movement". Apparently, this group either isn't shy or has no need to hide itself. Makes sense if it's only a pacifist political movement. You are lead inside, where a security guard pats both you and Morisato down before stepping aside, finding a number of people bustling about, calling greetings to Moriasato and offering you friendly enough smiles and nods. The man responds in kind to those that greet him as he leads you to a room within, a nicely furnished office with the name Morisato on it's door.

"Now then, a simple check should suffice, give me only a moment."

Morisato dives into tapping away at his computer, and you take a seat as you wait patiently, eyes wandering about the room. There seems to be little of note within the room, though you do notice a picture frame with Morisato and what appears to be a young teenage girl, both smiling at the camera. Before long, however, Morisato seems satisfied, settling back into his chair and turning his attention to you yet again.

"Well, it seems everything checks out. You certainly aren't wanted for mass murder or anything of the like, at least locally. This room is completely safe to discuss things in. Now then, what is it you wish to discuss? I swear on my name that anything said in this room is completely confidential."

>Input

1. How far are you willing to go to get a Caelestis Bellator on your side?
2. What's your take on the governments of the world?
3. How many people in your organization can you trust?
4. Will you fight if necessary?
5. What is necessary?

>Now then, what is it you wish to discuss? I swear on my name that anything said in this room is completely confidential.
Well, it's quite simple. You'd like to know what they're really fighting for, and why. There's more here than this small group.

And in return... you'll tell him your secret. Why you're interested. You see, reasons matter to you. (Do something mildly sparkly with your hand).

Cards on the table- we're admitting that we're magic, and trying to get him to admit what he's really up to.

The people around us are nominally a local pacifist movement, but this person obviously has broader connections even if the rest of the folks here don't. We need to check that, is his network substantially different than other people around here? It could be the New Tokyo Freedom Movement has a mole and we're talking to him. Considering how open it is odds are they ought to have at least a couple Heaven Court moles if there's no way to find those and deal with them.

If he checks out, we should pull off the hood and say we've heard as hearsay that Heaven Court starves people. We'd like to know if that's true, why people would say that and who would, and what the solution to the current political problems at the root of the world's conflicts is. We're trying to get a read on what holds this group together, who they cooperate with, and what they believe in, so let's ask them.

"I want to know what you're really fighting for. There's more to you, at least, than appears on the surface, and I want to know what it is. You're reasons for fighting. Because reasons, they matter to me."

You hold a hand up and let a spark of your magic out of your hand. It shines and twinkles a moment before scattering into shiny fragments, then disappearing altogether. The man opposite you stares in obvious shock, mouth working but words eluding him. It takes a few minutes for his mind to catch up entirely, and even then his shock is evident.

"You're... you're a magical girl."

You choose to say nothing. It's obvious either way, but you see no need to confirm it with words. Let him draw his own conclusions."

"That's... you're a magical girl. This is... this is... no magical girl has ever... A stellar?"

You do nod at that. Best to come clean entirely. You've already put your cards on the table, now to see if he does the same.

"This is... phenomenal. I... I do work for the New Tokyo Freedom Movement. That is true. But I also work closely with others, among the free cities, trying to regain even some control of the world from the Court. We have a few magical girls with us, of course, but... none here, in Japan. All those who are free here are more focused on themselves, or their own troubles. I don't fault them of course, but... with the destruction of the base in Old Tokyo, we have a unique situation in Japan. The Court is positively reeling from the attack, and no one even knows what happened! If you would help us... we could... we could... we could oust the Court from all of Japan!"

Morisato is pacing by now, eyes wide as the implications seem to hit him. You, however, are still focused on the reasons, something you note he hasn't given you, really. Something you feel you should steer him back towards.

"Mister Morisato, I hate to bring this up, but I never said I'd help you." That gets his attention. "I still need reasons. I won't fight for a cause I don't believe in. I want to know why you're fighting. What drives you, and your group."

"The Heaven's Court is corrupt, beyond repair. There are entities within it that try to do what's right, but beyond that it's officials do whatever they like, because they hold all the power. Starvation runs rampant throughout North America, infighting between "nations" in South America. These are just the tip of the iceberg. Myself, and others across the world, are trying to change that. We believe returning self-autonomy to the nations of the world is the best choice for that right now. Take away power from the Heaven's Court, free the magical girls from its control, and the world might be able to start addressing the problems again."

"But weren't magical girls fighting among themselves? Isn't that part of the issue? Why the Court was made?"

"Yes, that time was dark. But the magical girls were also lost and confused. The great enemy was defeated, there was nothing else to do with their power. Now, so many are part of the Court, but look at those who are free! They use their power to help people, to promote good causes, many given a choice wouldn't even use their power at all! That is what we aim for. Let the magical girls govern themselves, place them at the behest of no government but their own."

You frown slightly, taking all this in. Governing themselves? Freedom from the Court? Corruption? You're not sure if he's lying or not, though the connection you have with him, tenuous though it is, suggests at least that he believes he is telling the truth. His own connection with his comrades wouldn't be so strong otherwise. Still...

>This is... this is... no magical girl has ever...
Approached him? Approached them? I'm curious to know the context there, but I'm not sure we can afford to inquire, right now.

>with the destruction of the base in Old Tokyo
Let's not bring up our own involvement there, for now.

>we could oust the Court from all of Japan!
Don't we then go from a neutral or fringe territory to a resisting opposition? That makes Japan a target, and you're rather outgunned on the military and magic front.

>the cause
Dangit, I really wish we had all our memories. It's very hard to judge just how bad or corrupt the court is when you have no perspective on it.

I'm not entirely sure if he's advocating a kind of anarchism (every magical girl for themselves) or a kind of meritocracy of magical girls governing magical girls, without the civilian / muggle oversight (interference) the Court's structure has.

I'm leery of power-based exclusive governments (magical girls losing touch with the rest of humanity would be a bad thing, even if the nature of their power sources would check that to some degree) and I'm not sure widespread vigilantism is the best model either. Still, working to break up the court might be the right call at least, if it's gone far enough.

I feel like this is probably too far too one side to be what we're looking for, but we should keep the door open. We want to feel out the others, maybe come back if they're worse.

Time to carefully extricate ourselves, I think. Get out without losing him, but without making any promises, either.

At least this is one place where your being ex-court wouldn't matter. It's the prototype of what they want to do.

That strikes me as a short-term goal for how to improve the world: Humans have very long and deep experience of war and genocide pre-dating the era of magical girls, and there was no shortage of either during the political dominance of nation states. Morisato Kenji is, questionably, holding up that period with its crimes, injustices and outright atrocities as an improvement for the world and an ideal here. Do these folks have any plan for how to solve that small, 'nation-states won't actually stop war or genocide,' problem or are things so dire now that by the numbers it would be a genuine overall improvement where the gains clearly outweigh the losses?

only way to make the place really hard to assail would be to have us, a stellar, become the hope of the entire country. then any invading solars would be unable to gather mana as the people would not be swayed to believe in their fickleness. and with solars stuck running on low energy that means only other stellars and lunars can fight us. we have an advantage over lunars especially with a large amount of belief streaming into us and how a stellar vs stellar battle goes down would depend on who has the larger cause.

>>690440
I'm not sure solars need a local power base to function. The one at the military base that blew up sure didn't have a very big audience in that hanger.

Just because they need public appearances to keep their rep with their fans up doesn't mean they need to be seen or close to them all the time. (...and if they did, the Court could probably power in the field solars by making a television spectacle of it. "Hey look at your idol fighting those evil rebel terrorists in Japan!").