Half a year, six months, give or take some days. That’s how long I’ve lived in this new, strange city. This city called Purgatory. This city was anything but normal, and up until last night, those oddities felt distant and not quite like a problem. Only, now, that no longer seemed the case.

  Last night, I had my debut. Which meant, officially, I was a full-fledged magical girl. I had a uniform and a weapon. Perhaps, normally, nothing would have changed, but last night, last night was the blood moon. And everything had changed.

  And something told me, I’d be feeling those effects from here on out. A paradigm shift, as it were.

  Waking up, was not pleasant. My entire body ached and screamed at me. Last night’s abuse had only just now caught up to me, along with the hollow sensation in my core. A symptom of abusing my magic beyond reason. So much had happened, and even after going through my morning rituals, even then, I hardly felt better.

  It didn’t help that all the while, the news blared. The damage from last night had carried over to an extent. Large sections of the city were damaged, all of it was being blamed on a freak storm that had occurred over the night. Bringing into question the safety of sitting back and not participating during events such as these.

  That aside, plans were made to meet this evening with my fellow colleagues, Liche and Joan. Both co-workers at my job and fellow magical girls. Specifically, magical girls that fell down the proverbial rabbit hole like myself, which meant that they, like me, had been chosen by the rabbit mascot known as Usagi.

  In the midst of it all, my mind was still trying to process all that happened. Cobalt, my first and greatest knight had perished defending me. As had all the soldiers I had brought with me. Leaving only my new knights, now named Estrella and Luna to act as my familiars…

  The losses were eye watering. Yet, the gains more so. Sitting inside my cold storage were rows of leftover doll parts, and at the center of it all was the real prize. A body belonging to a lesser magical girl, a fox to be specific. She had nearly killed me. She had an ability to manifest spears from the ground and perhaps more, but now she was dead. Lying on the cold ground, awaiting my own decision.

  Only… was this the right decision?

  I could easily lay claim to her gold coin. Use it to gain ever more power, or perhaps… perhaps I could even use it to reclaim my manhood. With the power of a gold coin, changing my gender back to that of a man would be child’s play. If what I was told, was correct.

  Despite that, I was leaning towards resurrecting her, or more aptly, turning this corpse into another familiar, a kind of undead, a revenant to be specific. I had the means to do it, the knowledge as well, and yet, after last night I was now beginning to question that line of thought.

  Before last night, I would have just resurrected her without a second thought. Engraving my magic into her bones and raised her as a revenant, but… was that really the correct option here? Before, I had simply thought that was how it was done and yet…

  I’m now questioning that and delving through my memories, or rather, the knowledge implanted into me when I had claimed that book on necromancy so many months ago. Now that I was delving through it, I realized something.

  I had been skipping steps. Or rather, neglecting certain steps. Not on purpose, not really, but more out of the realization that I didn’t have the means to accomplish them. It was easier to create golems or undead through the brute force method. As it stood, if I kept doing that, I wouldn’t get very far.

  From here on out, especially now that I was a full-fledged magical girl, I needed to actually put effort into my familiars if I wanted them to be of help. Before that… I needed to make a call.

  With a few rings, my phone connected to one of my few contacts.

  “Hello!” A voice, a familiar voice, a voice belonging to the one and only éclair. A rather odd magical girl that likes to live in alleys and dig through trash for food. She lives in a house made of literal cardboard that was built into the space between homes in the lower district. She was a veteran, her knowledge and experience were incredibly valuable, and currently, I needed both.

  “éclair, I needed to talk with you, when would-“ I never got to finish…

  “If you’re hearing this message, that means I’m currently not answering my phone! Be sure to leave a message after the beep… Beep!”

  I took a breath in… “Alright, éclair, I-“

  “Beep!” The phone beeped…

  …

  “éclair, call me.” I hung up and continued with my day.

  Preparations needed to be made. Groceries bought, clothes washed and cleaned, the usual. After all, tomorrow I had work again. I had already slept through most of the day, so, by the time I finished it was about time for our meetup only… My phone rang.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Prima, its Grim. Can we meet? I had a few things I needed to discuss with you.” She asked without much ado. I was a little concerned, considering what had happened last night. Specifically, last night the police force had been gutted. An attack orchestrated by a faction of magical girls belonging to what was simply called Tartarus had struck during the blood moon. Wiping out a majority of the city’s police force. What exactly that would do, I wasn’t too sure, but it was unlikely to be good.

  The fact that Grim wanted to meet, just made it all the more ominous.

  “I can do that, in fact, if you want, I was just about to meet with some colleagues that you met last night. So, would you be interested in joining us for a couple of drinks.”

  A pause on her end followed. Along with the sound of shuffling papers. “I can do that. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Sounds good, see you then.” I replied and hung up. I made one last check before heading out. I wasn’t dressed up in anything fancy. Just my usual off-work attire. It was still winter, snow clung to the ground and there was a chill in the air. It was early in the evening, the sun hadn’t yet begun to set, giving us a few hours yet to enjoy ourselves.

  My phone rang with each successive text, alerting me that both Liche and Joan had arrived at the bar before I had. Just as I arrived outside the bar, my phone rang a final time, alerting me that Grim had arrived. I had just looked down at my phone when Grim came into view.

  I couldn’t help but pause. Grim was, rather tall. Her hair trailed behind her, giving her a natural grace. Her strides were long and purposeful and on seeing me, she shot me a small smile. Both of us were wearing coats, but I could already tell, she was dressed better than I was, putting me on the spot.

  “Prima, a pleasure.” She said, as she always did, with a slight something in her tone.

  “Grim.” I said back, not so impressively, though with a nod of my head. “I already told the others you were coming, and they didn’t seem to mind.” I offered up and she nodded, running a hand through her bangs, brushing them out of her eyes.

  “I look forward to seeing them. I do after all; have something I’d like to ask of you and them.”

  And that worried me. Together we entered, her height garnering a bit of attention, which only grew when she took off her coat. She wore a turtleneck sweater that clung to her body. In stark contrast, I was just wearing my typical track suit…

  Maybe Grim was the odd one out? She looked like she was decked out for a date or proper event, not just a night of drinking and yet…

  Arriving at the table those notions were completely chucked out the window. Liche was dressed in quite the number. I’d call it more a cocktail dress that came up a bit short. She had her makeup done and all. She already had a drink in front of her and was taking sips of a colorful cocktail.

  Joan was equally dressed up, though, less provocatively. In comparison to Liche’s black dress, Joan wore a dress of white and gold that came further down and clung slightly less to her frame. Less skin was exposed, giving her a more innocent look and yet…

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  Had I missed some kind of memo. On seeing us arrive, Liche gave Grim an appreciating glance and when her eyes shifted to me, I saw a flurry of emotions run through her. Fear, concern, and something else.

  It hadn’t been long since the blood moon. Since she had failed to come to my aid. Not due to any fault of her own. I hadn’t expected much and told her that. Sadly, my words came out cold, sharp, and it had clearly hurt her.

  Finally, with a pained smile, Liche spoke with a note of forced humor.

  “Figures you’d dress so practically boss, even on a night out.”

  “I thought we were just having some drinks.” I say, trying to keep down my embarrassment. Had I missed something? Some cue?

  “Come on boss, you can’t be that dense, right? A group of gals, going out for drinks. What else to do but get gussied up, drink, and see if we can’t pick up a guy or lead them on?” She said, almost flippantly, trying her best to keep up the act. Her courage buoyed by the empty glasses beside her.

  “I don’t see the fun in that.” I reply, though, seeing Joan squirm a bit, and Grim’s slight smile told me, that maybe, just maybe… maybe I was in the wrong here.

  “Typical of a princess.” Liche says with a sigh, a hidden bite. “So sheltered.” She continues dramatically. Swaying ever so slightly.

  “Prima has her points.” Grim spoke up in my defense. “When we had coffee together, she ordered a mocha.”

  “A mocha, you mean that coffee with hot chocolate mix in? I figured she would be an all-black sort of gal.” Liche said, with a slightly different kind of barb. Putting me on the spot.

  “She does have a little bit of a childish side.” Grim said with a light laugh, brushing off the comment.

  “You were the one that got pumpkin spice.” I chirp in. Trying to distract from Liche’s faux pas.

  “I like pumpkin spice.” Joan adds in. “Do you think they still have that?” She continues. Tacking on.

  “I dunno, but they probably still have eggnog, or something of the sort.” Liche says after picking up the menu, picking up on the shift in conversation.

  “Oh, that sounds good.” Joan says with a nod. “Maybe I can have some of that, I don’t like anything too heavy.”

  “Probably for the better.” I say, trying to regain some form of control over the direction of the conversation, “I mean we do have work tomorrow, better not to get too smashed.”

  Liche just laughed while helping Joan to order. I ordered a stronger drink, in spite of my words, whereas Grim ordered something light.

  “I have work tomorrow as well, especially with all that has happened.” Grim said, nobody presses and we simply talk, going back and forth.

  Topics flow in and out, with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Liche trades the occasional barb but otherwise keeps herself under control. Yet, as the empty glasses multiply, so does her restraint. Liche starts to make eyes at a random guy at the other end of the bar. Which turns into a whole conversation on whether or not he’d even bother approaching.

  “What if he does?” I ask. “Do you plan to go out with him?”

  “Go out with him?” Liche says, messing with her glass. “Please, it’ll probably just be a hook-up a one-night stand, you know, you could stand to get laid yourself boss. Might help to make you a little less frigid.” Again, with a not-so-subtle bite.

  I couldn’t agree with that. “I don’t see the point.” I say, trying to remain calm.

  “The point? To blow off steam of course. Even just a little flirting can be fun, you can’t tell me you’ve never done that before? It’s a fairly normal thing to do.” She says.

  “Can’t say that I have…” I answer honestly. She looks momentarily taken off-guard before nodding to herself.

  “Ah, well that makes sense. Not with how frigid you are.” Another jab.

  “It can’t be that normal, can it? I mean, you don’t do it Grim, Joan?” I say, bringing in the two.

  “Well… I…” Joan starts and stops. “It’s a little too embarrassing.”

  As for Grim. “I don’t have the time usually. As for hooking up and flirting, I have better uses of my time. Especially for a temporary arrangement.”

  “See, that’s your problem boss. You surround yourself with people like yourself, sticks in the mud and all. You need to loosen up a bit, get drunk, flirt, have a fling or two.” Liche started and before she could ramp up, I spoke out.

  “And did that ever work out for you?” Those words slipped out. After all, even I had my limits. Especially with the alcohol greasing the wheels.

  “Ha?” She utters, though, I could see she caught my tone.

  “I mean, why else are you here. I highly doubt that kind of lifestyle worked for you Liche.” I say, pushing the point in.

  “That supposed to mean something?” She growled.

  “Is it supposed to mean something?” I return back with a light smirk, knowing I’d nailed it on the head. Maybe it was the drinks, but… No, it definitely wasn’t just the drinks. Liche was being a bitch. The constant digs, the snips and jabs here and there. And really, I was willing to give her some leeway considering recent events, but this was too much. I couldn’t help but want to snap back.

  “Not all of us can be princesses, ya know? Some of us grow in the gutters. Gotta make our way up, climb our way out of the filth, ya know?” She slurred. The drinks she had been downing now finally catching up to her.

  “At least I know how to climb to the top. What about you? Have you ever tried climbing? Making something of yourself? Or what, do you just enjoy being pushed down?” I said, trading a pointed barb. She growled. The air tensed. Joan had a hand on Liche, trying to keep her under control. As for Grim, she was minding her own business, drinking and watching us with a neutral expression.

  Of course, just as it seemed like the situation wouldn’t escalate, a new variable appeared.

  “Ah, excuse me?” The guy she had been making eyes at all this time had actually approached.

  “What?” Liche snapped at the poor guy. Sensing something was wrong, the guy immediately excused himself and well… “Fuck!” Liche shouted, and in the process accidentally swept a few of her empty glasses to the floor, where they shattered. The music paused, eyes fell on us as Liche glared at me.

  She opened her mouth, but Joan tugged at her. Liche very nearly snapped at the poor girl, but seeing her terrified face shut her down. After a couple of breaths…

  “I’m… going to step out for a breath or two…” Liche muttered and went off. Joan quickly left to join her, apologizing profusely to everyone in the process.

  I stayed quiet, though, I did have to assure the bar owner that I’d pay for the damages. In the midst of this, completely unbothered, was Grim. After a few minutes and once the mess was cleaned up, the bar had gone back to its usual self.

  “Quite an entertaining little spat.” She said all too calmly. “Did something happen?” She asks.

  I hesitated a beat, considering, before settling on just telling her what had happened. She hummed.

  “What she’s going through isn’t uncommon. Especially for a rabbit. A lot of your kind come here, unsure of themselves, uncertain of where they want to be, or where they are going. Likely, recent events reminded her of something she didn’t want to be reminded of. Surely you must understand?” She asks.

  Something she didn’t want to be reminded of? It wasn’t hard to put together what she meant. When I had been confronted by Leo, I had felt like I had been when I had been confronted by Him. My old boss. Like I was reliving an old nightmare, that there was only one escape. Only one choice.

  What did that mean for Liche? Feeling powerless? Watching from afar, unable to do anything?

  “I can…” I say after a long pause. “Is there a way I can help? Or…”

  She shakes her head. “Not right now. The best you can do is give her time. Right now she’s… Mm… like a can of soda shaken profusely. Under a lot of pressure, and a single wrong move will have her explode. Best you can do is wait for her to settle and give it another go.”

  “Another go?”

  “Yes, replicate that moment as best as you can, and see if that forces her out of her shell.”

  “And then…” I pause again, realizing what she means. “Her debut?” I say.

  “Exactly.” Grims says again. “But do be cautious of how you do it. If the conditions aren’t quite right, she might just shut down and quit.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind… and thank you. I’m also sorry you had to see that.” I said.

  “Don’t be. A little bit of drama here and there is expected from new rabbits.” She said with a slight smile.

  “Still, it is embarrassing.” I reply back.

  “It can be, but… it’s also rather refreshing.”

  “Refreshing, huh?” I mutter, giving her a look over. She didn’t seem concerned, if anything, there was a small smile on her face as she looked at me. Shaking my head, I press onto why she was here in the first place. “I suppose this also complicates your plans?” I ask.

  “No, not really. Those two are still hanging outside the bar. I can still talk to them individually after we’re done here.”

  “If you say so… now, what did you want to talk about?” I said.

  “As you know, or rather, as you must be aware, the police department faced significant losses last night.” Grim said.

  I nodded. After all, I was the one to make the report. And well, I saw the destroyed checkpoints firsthand.

  “This presents us with a rather unfortunate situation. Nights within the city are rather safe, or rather, were rather safe due to the patrols we had in place. Going forward, it is unlikely we will have the necessary manpower to keep the streets safe.”

  I leaned in. The dull sound of the surrounding crowd acted like an insulating barrier. Somehow making her words all the more impactful.

  “We’ve already sent notices, but from here on out, the curfew that is currently in place will be enforced more strictly. Free roaming monsters and entities will become a norm, at least until the police department recuperates which could take up to a year or more.”

  I could almost hear the ice in my glass clink as a suffocating silence held its sway over me.

  “Which is why, the purgatory police department is in need of magical girls to assist in nightly patrols. We are willing to pay, and you can keep any and all gains from your patrols.”

  “How will that work?” I ask.

  “We’re currently working on a patrol schedule. We’ve already contacted other larger organizations and are in communication with the various unaffiliated magical girls. If you’d like to join all you need to do is call the police department and set something up.”

  “I won’t need a team, right?”

  “You can ask to me teamed up with specific people, or be alone, however, if you are alone you will need to show that you can handle it.”

  I nod and ask, “Then if I were to apply for a solo patrol with my familiars?”

  “You’d likely be allowed. Especially with you being a full-fledged magical girl now.”

  “That does make sense. Is there anything else I need to know?”

  “Not particularly.” She says after a moment and checks her phone.

  “Now, if that was all your questions, I really do have to go… There is still a lot of paperwork to go through.” Grim said with a sigh, and a look.

  “I don’t have anymore questions. Don’t overwork yourself.” I say, eventually.

  She huffs, but gives me an honest smile, “I’ll try not to, now, I’ll be heading out then… thank you for the invite, and… before I forget here. Your payment for your assistance last night, and thank you for keeping my officers alive. Along with that, feel free to stop at the station sometime and we can see about getting you a new vehicle from the impound lot.” She proceeds to hand me a small pouch filled with what looked like bronze coins.

  “I’ll be sure to do that.” I answer as she leaves. I lounge about for a bit. Waiting, and eventually Liche and Joan come back in. Liche gets a few wary glances, but when she starts ordering water, nobody says anything.

  Eventually though, Liche brings up what Grim had offered her.