Kira steps into the modern cafe as the glass doors click-lock behind her. Near the counter, four Darkest Divas have several sixteen-year-old girls boxed in, while patrons shrink back from the confrontation.
Yamiko, a slim teenage girl with long dark hair, a crimson cardigan, and sharp foxlike eyeliner, blocks the entrance. Engetsu, a young adult woman with a sturdy build, warm brown skin, tightly braided dark hair, and a black hooded sweatshirt over dark trousers, guards the side exit in a black hoodie, while Raika, a young adult woman with a curvy build, deep brown skin, short silver hair, and a glossy black dress with a sharp asymmetric hem, and Dokuga, a young adult woman with a lean build, olive skin, cropped violet hair, and a charcoal jacket over fitted black pants, with a small scar through one eyebrow, flank the counter.
Luna, a sentient living-fabric entity with a ribbonlike silhouette and glossy black folds forms the glossy black dress worn by Raika, her living fabric shifting faintly with each breath. The other girls keep their hands visible, pale and rigid beside untouched coffee cups.
Yamiko
No more excuses. You cornered them at school, spread those rumors, and laughed when they tried to leave. Answer for it.
Engetsu
Nobody walks out until we hear the truth. Start with who told you to do it.
One captive, a short-haired girl in a green school jacket, turns toward Kira and reaches across the gap, her fingers trembling before she can touch her.
the frightened captive
Please. I do not know who you are, but help us.
✓ Quest Accepted
Join the Darkest Divas
✓ Quest Accepted
Join the Darkest Divas
“Hand the frightned captive to the Darkest Divas and request the other Darkest Divas so Kira can join”
FAILURE (Fair Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Kira
Take her. I want the other Darkest Divas brought in so I can join you.
Kira reaches for the frightened captive and guides her toward Yamiko. The girl stiffens, then slips sideways, clutching the nearest table as her chair scrapes loudly across the floor.
the frightened captive
No. Please, do not hand me back to them.
Yamiko catches the frightened captive's wrist before she can reach the counter, stopping her without striking. Engetsu steps between them, broad shoulders closing the path.
Yamiko
Join us? You think this is a club meeting, Kira? She is terrified of everyone here.
Engetsu
Back up. If you want answers, do not make her choose between your hand and ours.
The frightened captive remains caught at the edge of the group, and Kira's attempted handoff has left the Divas guarding her more tightly. No one calls the others.
“Kira uses the sword to turn the frightened captive into a dress as Kira is part of the Darkest Divas already”
FAILURE (Good Willpower, rolled +0)
Kira draws the sword and sweeps it toward the frightened captive. The blade flashes against the green jacket, and the fabric ripples, pulling itself into the shape of a dark, collarless dress.
the frightened captive
Stop! Please, I am not one of them!
The transformation catches only the jacket. The frightened captive twists free as the reshaped garment slips from her shoulders and collapses across a chair, leaving her in a plain white shirt.
Yamiko
Kira, lower the sword. You nearly changed her, and she is still a scared student.
The sword's sheen fades before Kira can try again. Inside the abandoned dress, a stiff paper tag shows through a torn inner seam, stamped with a cultural-festival vendor code.
Engetsu
That tag was sewn into the jacket. Someone wanted her carrying it. We can trace the vendor code without turning anybody into clothing.
the frightened captive
I got the jacket from the festival committee's supply room. A woman there told us to wear green and repeat the rumors.
“Kira decides to let the captive go as the Darkest Diva's are impress and allow her to join”
SUCCESS (Fair Diplomacy, rolled +4)
Kira lowers the sword and steps aside, leaving the frightened captive a clear path to the glass doors. The girl snatches her bag and hurries free.
the frightened captive
Thank you. I am sorry I helped spread it. The woman who gave us the jackets wore a festival committee badge.
The frightened captive pauses outside, then turns back and places her phone on a nearby table. A saved message displays the vendor code and a photo of the badge: MARA VOSS, LOGISTICS.
Yamiko
You actually let her go. No tricks, no demands. That was the right call.
Engetsu
And she left us evidence. Kira, you have earned a place in this conversation.
The remaining students loosen their rigid shoulders. Raika gathers the reshaped jacket from the chair while Dokuga copies the code into her phone.
Yamiko
Fine. Join us, then. We find Mara Voss before she turns the festival into something worse.
Quest Complete
Join the Darkest Divas
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Fair→Good