[x] Sounds meh.
Since when does she get to make the orders? Damn it, you're mission lead here, not her. The Guild knows about your profile – what sorts of things you will and won't do – and they choose to put you in charge of this operation. They trust your judgment.
Yet, she won't. And you're not sure that she ever will. What she's asking isn't unreasonable, you admit – what good would a half-assed ward be? - but the way she presents it is a bit abrasive.
“Fine, I'll take it,” You say, with a sigh, “I'm getting kind of sick of this constant bickering, though. Look, maybe in Rokford I wasn't, but I'm your mission lead now.”
She scoffs. “You're going to pull rank?”
“No,” You say, shaking your head, “Just... tone it down a little, ok? This is frustrating enough without having people question my judgment at every turn. I mean, how many times have I gotten you killed so far?”
She sighs, taking a seat nearby. “Probably more than once, if I'm allowed to add up near misses. But, alright. I see your point. This thing has us both on edge.”
“You're not going to shoot each other?”
“Haha, told you! They just like chewing each other out.”
The koakuma near the front pique up, now that it looks like the conflict has finally subsided.
“I might shoot
you,” Marisa growls, before turning back to you, “Think you can take them with you, Jack?”
“What?” You laugh, “That wasn't part of the deal!”
“Well, I can throw them out the window if you want,” She says, “Somehow, I don't think anyone would mind.”
“Come on, you two,” You say, “Let's go see Patchouli.”
As you go to slide open the door, Marisa calls out to you.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for listening to me bitch,” She says, “Good luck coming up with something.”
You can't think of anything but parting shots, so you just nod and continue on your way. It's good that a mission like this only happens once in a lifetime. You'll probably lose half your life dealing with all this, anyway.
By the time you make it to Patchouli's room, the shade is already open. She must be done with whatever she was doing. Still, to be safe, you knock and wait for her to motion you in.
“This one didn't know much,” Patchouli says, immediately beginning to talk about her interrogation. “Enough to accomplish its mission, but that was about all.”
You see the subject, still paralyzed, sitting on the table you and Marisa were playing cards on the other day. It's probably best not to mention that to her, you decide.
“I'll, uh, have to ask you to fill me in later,” You say, “Unless it spit up something incredibly important.”
“It did not,” She says, “There is something more pressing?”
“I need an enchantment school,” You say, “But I'm drawing a blank.”
“What for?”
“I let Sakuya keep the watch,” You say, “Marisa... wasn't too thrilled, so I agreed to either come up with a way to ensure that the maid isn't going to attack us, or let her take the watch back.”
“Not too thrilled? They were fighting for the last hour!” One of the koakuma next to you notes, “It was nuts!”
Patchouli casts a glance to the koakuma, causing it to immediately fall silent. “A bold move. I would not have done it personally.”
You nod. She's so much easier to deal with than Marisa is. Well, unless she's got a book in her hand. “It's a bit of a gamble, but I think it'll pay off. She mentioned that she's going to keep us alive long enough to give our statements. Makai's probably not interested in keeping the Guild archives around, so she's got only one choice of sides.”
“Perhaps,” Patchouli says, “Or perhaps it was a ruse. That would have been a substantial gain for a small lie.”
“I don't think so. She sounded sincere, and you've seen how twisted her sense of loyalty is. I wouldn't be surprised if she thought lying would stain her Lady's name or something.”
“... then, it is not something that can be debated. What sort of enchantment?”
So, so, so much easier than dealing with Marisa. “I'm not sure, or I wouldn't be asking. It's been way too long since I've needed to do something like this.”
“I assume you would like her to be able to use her abilities,” Patchouli says, “Or else you would just take the watch back.”
“That's preferred,” You say, “I was thinking something like a geas, but I don't deal in curses.”
“Nor do I,” She says, “Perhaps it would be easier to work on the power, or the watch itself.”
There are a few ideas tugging at your mind, trying to pull you into a suitable paradigm, but they're very. Mostly, you deal in active abilities – things you apply and use immediately. Enchantments usually require at least a little commitment on the part of the caster to maintain, or a great deal of dedication and study (that is, something you can't give) to make permanent.
You can't think of anything offhand that would be useful, and that
“Can you think of anything that wouldn't take a lot of skill to place, and none to maintain?”
She pauses for a moment. “... for the former, no. That would make counter-magic much more viable than it is. Allow me to think on the latter. You would probably need to take the watch back to place it, in either case.”
More mental tugging, but it's so indecisive.
[ ] <Divination>
[ ] <Barriers>
[ ] <Energy Manipulation>
[ ] <Propose a well-defined school>
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A bit of an explanation is in order. I started writing when [x] Sounds good was winning, but I made the mistake of watching the actual winner swing back and forth while I was writing. So, I tried for a good middle ground.
Also, for the write-in, give me enough to work with. It's really for flavor's sake, since I've already taken the previous write-in into consideration.
