open || spears for long reach

[complementing]

WHO: Minako Arisato and YOU!
WHERE: Deadeye Shooting Range, Hollingberry Field late at night, and the Towers
WHEN: Early to mid April for regain prompts, mid April for dress prompt
WHAT: Minako gets more presents from Retrospec in the form of weapons. Later in the month, she's out dress hunting for the upcoming charity event.
WARNINGS: Content warning for gun talk. May add more later if Minako gets some Evoker memory regains.

I. SHOT TO THE HEART
Evoker regain; Deadeye Shooting Range

[At the first Dreadful Women's Adventure Club event, she'd mentioned to Penelope she wasn't planning on returning to the shooting range anytime soon, where 'anytime soon' was supposed be at least a few years when her police officer training would ideally start. And yet here she is, a month later. She doesn't know why, but it feels kind of omninous.

You might find Minako lingering near the entrance, clutching a small case in her hands, or eventually inside the range at the rental counter. She and the attendant seem to be really, really confused as to why there isn't a proper ammunition chamber for her gun.]

But you fired it earlier, so it should have ammunition in it, right? Which means it should have a place to put ammunition in...?

[Would you like to offer your own two cents?]

II. SLASHED LINES IN THE DIRT
Ultimate weapon regain; Hollingberry Field late at night

[Minako's second 'gift' in the mail from Retrospec this month is arguably more disturbing than the first, and unwieldy to boot. She should have tossed it into a storage closet somewhere, but the pull to try and use it is too strong. So yes, that's her, sneaking into Hollingberry Field around midnight, dragging a spear a head taller than her behind her.

Once she finds a place she deems private enough for her purposes, she dusts off the abnormally large peacock feather tied around the moulding and then sweeps the weapon, blade out, across her body.]

This is so weird...is this even how I'm supposed to be holding it?

[Hopefully she didn't just accidentally slice open an artery of yours. Or maybe you heard her voice behind the trees. Either way, you might want to stay back at least ten feet.]

III. NEVER-ENDING STAIRS
Tartarus and other related memory regains; the Towers

[She keeps coming back to these bridges. Or maybe it's just this bridge in particular, the highest one connecting the two Towers together. Minako doesn't understand it at all. Doesn't understand the alternate Minako at all, the alternate Minako who's just a bit younger than she is now, staring up at a mountain of a building and ready to fight through whatever was inside to climb it. The alternate Minako gripping the gun in her hand, familiar but cold.

There's no proof yet that the visions people have been getting are of their past lives, but if they are, then what the hell kind of life was her former self living? What was she going through that she physically feels twin senses of dread and despair whenever she stands here? There's desperation but razor sharp focus, as well, the feeling of pushing her body leaps and bounds past its absolute limit. Some Retrospecers have been regaining memories of fighting, of being soldiers and warriors or whatnot. It's possible the alternate Minako was one too despite her age.

She's not sure she wants to keep seeing more, even so, whether it's a past life or some sort of weird inner desire or delusion manifesting as hallucinations. Whatever the explanation of the week is.

Minako sighs and runs a hand through her hair, the wind picking up around her.]

At least she has a Badass Leader thing going for her. Not sure I could pull that off.

IV. CLASSY OR CUTE?
Dress shopping; the Towers

[Minako pretty much signed up to help set up the Black Ties and Tails charity event as soon as it was announced. The only problem is finding something to wear to it for the party afterward. She has some business casual outfits for more professional ReVA volunteer work, of course, but this is going to be a formal dance event. That means evening dresses.

Japan doesn't do proms, and the only dancing she's done in America is club dancing, which...honestly encourages less clothes on than more. All in all, her experience with shopping for these kinds of dresses totals up to zero. Still, she's determined, and the days leading up to the event she can be found at the Towers, browsing boutiques and chain stores alike. She's going at it alone since her free time is all over the place this month, so she might be soliciting strangers for advice amidst the racks.]

Excuse me, which one do you think is better? This one, or this one? I have a third option over there too, but I'm on the fence about if I should wear something that revealing to a charity event.

[If you're a lady and happen to be in the fitting room, you might see hear a grunt of effort coming from the next stall over.]

Oh, crap.

[And then fifteen seconds later, a knock on your stall's door.]

Sorry for knocking, but um, the zipper is stuck on this dress. Could you help me get out of it, please?

Comments

I is for guns.

[mincingminuet]

[Since the Dreadful Women's Club meeting, Penelope Raban had been making sure to visit the range more often. Thinking about her parents, about Phoenix and the trips into the desert with her pop had really renewed her interest in shooting and it was cathartic in a way. Weird, because it also called to mind this lizard man, but that could be chalked up to a lot of things. Swamp gas, maybe?

Either way, she was all for an afternoon of shooting.

And more than a little surprised to walk inside and see the younger member of the club who'd specifically said she wasn't coming back fiddling with a gun. Marching up with a cheerful expression, she eyed the weapon.]

Check the bottom of the grip? There should be a clasp that unhooks a clip. I'd have to be there since that doesn't look like it's got a top loading slot.

[complementing]

[Minako offers a smile of greeting before wordlessly checking the gun as per Penelope's suggestion. She even hands it to the clerk to double check that she didn't miss anything, amateur that she is-- alas, nothing unhooks or opens up. She makes a small noise of bewilderment.] Is it a fake gun? A prop?

[mincingminuet]

Well. You said it was firing before. Right?

[Penelope holds out her hand, looking at it, befuddled just as much as Minako.]

Can I see it?

[complementing]

Yeah, it did. [She doesn't sound so sure now, but she hands the gun over willingly, despite how something in her skin itches with nervousness seeing Penelope handle it. Never mind that the other woman is the expert between them.] What do you think?

[mincingminuet]

[Penelo's fingers run over the gun, feeling it out, exploring and getting a sense of it. It feels almost natural to do something like this. Almost like there's something she's forgetting, but it's not important. This is weird.]

Have you cleaned this gun since you fired it last, Minako?

[complementing]

Um...it was actually a gift. [A pause.] It came in the mail last week. [Hint hint nudge nudge.] So it might have been fired or not before, I couldn't say. It looks factory new, at least?

[mincingminuet]

[Pen's eyes widen slightly and she nods, tapping a crystal shard necklace with a small red blob just barely visible inside.]

Like mine then.

[Handing the gun back to Minako, Pen gestures to the outdoor range.]

Want to go see if it functions without ammo? I was heading that way to work on my aim in peace anyway.

[Eyebrow waggling, she hopes Minako takes her hint.]

[complementing]

[Her lips quirk and she stows the gun back into its case for transport.] Yeah, lead the way. I think it'll good to have an expert's opinion on this.

[mincingminuet]

Cool.

[She will lead the way out back, paying her fee to use the back range, and when they get out there she pulls the pistol case she's got out of her backpack and goes to the table to start setting it up. They're alone right now too, which is more what she wanted.]

So, where'd you see this thing fired? I'm guessing in a dream but I hope I'm wrong.

[complementing]

The clerk tried firing it earlier, and he said it was working fine even though we can't figure out the ammo thing. And yeah, I saw it in a vision. [A thoughtful pause.] I didn't see the other Minako firing it or even using it, now that I think about it. She was just holding it in her hands, and she knew that she had to use it soon. Battle preparations or something, maybe.

[mincingminuet]

Huh. Battle preparations.

[Pen keeps on cleaning her little pistol, glad she'd actually purchase the thing, with everything going on.]

Think it's a magic gun or something? Maybe it doesn't need ammo.

[complementing]

Oh. I hadn't even considered that. [Magic is something that's been brought up before. She's kind of dubious about it, but at the same time, that would be pretty cool and it would explain a lot. Minako raises her gun to the target off in the distance, hesitant though determined.] ...wait, maybe you should stand back, I don't know what this thing is going to do.

[mincingminuet]

[Pen had been half joking, but if Minako's taking it seriously, then that's fine.

Stepping back though she laughs nervously.]

A little thing like that? It's not that gun from those Agents in Black movies, Minako.

[complementing]

[She's taking this so seriously...] Better safe than sorry, right? [Though if it blows up or something then Minako won't be very safe, but. Details. She pulls on her headphones and levels the gun at the target. Breathes out, and fires. The muzzle of the gun explodes with bright blue light.] Oh my god?!

[mincingminuet]

[Pen watches intently, and lets out a gasp of surprise when the whole area lights up like a bad night in Baghdad. She jumps to her feet and braces herself for an explosion but…]

What the hell?! It just…light! Nothing else?

[Peering down the range…]

There’s no bullet hole anywhere either.

[complementing]

[Minako sets the gun down to shake off the lingering feeling of recoil, utterly bewildered.] Not even magic bullets? [Magic bullets would've been kind of cool, not gonna lie, and now she's a tiny bit disappointed they aren't.] So...is it just a prop after all?

[mincingminuet]

No, definitely not a prop. Props don't light up like that one. This is something else.

[Frowning, Pen settles back into her seat, crossing her legs and considering all while tapping her chin.]

What were you doing with it in your dream?

[complementing]

I didn't see much else, unfortunately...the other Minako was just holding it with her finger on the trigger like she was going to fire it. Like she knew how to fire it.

[mincingminuet]

Ah. So you didn't get a look at what she was aiming at, or why she was using it?

[That makes sense.]

[complementing]

[A shake of her head.] No...believe me, I wish I knew more too, but that's all I've seen so far. What about you? [She taps her collarbone to mirror where Penelope's necklace is sitting.] A necklace seems a lot better of a gift than a gun, honestly.

[mincingminuet]

Yeah. Sure...we'll go with that.

[Penelope's dry tone remains completely unenthusiastic, but then Minako may as well know. She is Freya's roommate after all.]

It's actually a huge pain. Because...well, hell, I'll show you.

[She squeezes the stone necklace and there's a soft flash of light, and something small and red appears in her lap. The little creature chitters once or twice and then sits down, content to be held and patted by Pen.]

It summons this little butthead.

[complementing]

[Even if the light isn't as bright as the gun's, Minako tenses, waiting for the other shoe to drop-- and then blinks down at the new addition to their meeting.] ...whoa.

[mincingminuet]

Yeah. Whoa is what I said.

[The monster chirps and extends it's doll-like arms upwards towards Minako.]

He's called an Alraune. A troublemaker, but he won't hurt you. Feels kinda like a really weird Raggedy Ann doll, honestly. With a tomatohead.

[complementing]

[Minako very carefully picks the little guy up, holding him in the palms of her hands.] This is so cool, Penelope! You're a summoner!

[mincingminuet]

Well, not...entirely true. [She laughs, and the little guy settles into Minako's hands with a weird trilling coo of his own.]

He just comes out of the stone. I'm not sure why though.