Yuriko met Michael in a cafe a couple of days later. They were in Winderfield, and it was mid-afternoon, right after she attended a short meeting at Pixel Fairy’s to handle a few things. The new academic year was just a bit more than a couple of weeks away. The meeting was about scheduling and work hours, and given that she had more than a few obligations from Mira-hi and a sports apparel brand GoHime, an Athleisure brand focused on women—though they did have apparel that was genderless. None male exclusive though. Most of their catalogue included tight-fitting, yet flexible training pants, tank tops, crop tops, and varied close-fitting clothes that emphasised every curve of the body while exposing minimal skin.

Well, she wore one of their suggested outfits now. A cream-coloured, spaghetti strap crop top, a tight, yet flexible pair of black training pants, and a pair of white sneakers. In front of her was a bubbly confection topped with whipped cream, and a cherry. It also had a little paper umbrella toothpick that was stabbed into a slice of lemon that was stuck on the glass’s rim. A long-handled spoon and a plastic straw had been provided. Why the spoon, though? She peered at the fizzy liquid and found bits and bobs drifting within. A glance at the menu told her that those were fruit bits and balls of tapioca. The drink was sweeter than honey and the fizz tickled her tongue.

Michael, seated in front of her across the table, had a cup of black coffee. He nursed it slowly, and he had bags underneath his eyes. Despite the weather, he had a long-sleeved button-down shirt on, which hid his Altered Ink tattoos from sight.

“I use makeup when I have to,” he said when he noticed her glance.

“Hmm, smart.”

He blushed at her casual compliment then went back to sipping his coffee. Yuriko did the same for her confectionary drink, noting that he stole glances at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

“Yes?” Yuriko asked when she abruptly looked up and caught his gaze.

“Ah, uhm, aren’t you… aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?”

Yuriko giggled as she leaned back and stretched her hands over her head. She tightened her core muscles and showed off her abs. His eyes dropped down from her face to her bosom, then to her tummy for a moment, before they dragged up to her eyes.

“I’ve an overactive metabolism. I don’t gain weight easily.”

She was actually a bit heavier than she looked now, though not as badly skewed as her true body.

“Ah. Uhm, part of your…”

“Yes.” Sort of, but yes, she wasn’t an Altered Human in the sense they thought of, but she supposed the truth was close enough not to really matter. “Any news about Graham?”

“Nothing, and…I called Victor.”

“And?”

“Calls go to voicemail, not answers to chat, either through the line or the Network.” He grumbled, “I had someone ask around, there’s no missing persons report. According to the studio, the man took a leave.”

“Understandable,” Yuriko nodded. “But?”

“Didn’t we agree to keep in touch?”

Yuriko tilted her head. Did they? Probably while she was preoccupied with the Living Monument. No, it was on the trek back across the bridge, when Graham spoke about wanting to heal people and the others dissuaded him from doing so. Openly, at least.

His current whereabouts were probably the result of indiscretion. Whether it was his or someone else’s in the group. Sandra had been at risk and now Victor as well. What about the other four? She knew Michael came from a rich family. Did he have bodyguards? She…couldn’t really tell even if she spread her perception across her reach. It wasn’t as if she could tell if one was Altered or not. Unless it had to do with weapons? Guns? A quick twitch of her fingers and an expression of the Severing Shard Style told her enough. There were a couple of men a dozen paces away who had guns and knives hidden underneath their clothes. The cafe was inside a mall, but they were seated in the al fresco area. There was a river of shoppers flowing down the hallways, and more than a few glanced at her.

Luvblooms had already aired four episodes and her fame had risen to the point where another couple of hours were shaved off her Ambrosia timer. Still, they weren’t famous enough to get mobbed out in public, and even if they were, her Mien would curb any who were too enthusiastic.

“...I don’t get it…” Michael mumbled.

“Hmm, what is it? About the possible abductions?”

“If they weren’t abductions, what were they then? You think they vanished on their own?” Michael shot back, then shook his head, “No, I…I shouldn’t be like this.”

“Like what?”

“Calm,” he muttered. “We were trapped in a different world, faced horrific monsters, and…I, uh, I expected nightmares, at least. But no. Nothing. I’m as calm as if that kind of thing happened all the time.”

“Your Alteration?” Yuriko said. She didn’t bother whispering since she already had her Animakinesis obscuring the sound of voice. Their voices, rather, and in the public place, with the bustle of shoppers, their bubble of relative silence didn’t stand out much.

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Nevertheless, the way she said it caused him to glance around nervously. When he realised nobody paid attention, he devolved into sour muttering.

“...great, I get inked, but she can manipulate reality any way she wants. I bet it bends over backwards if she smiles at it…”

Yuriko couldn’t help but smirk as she leaned over and mock whispered, “If I tried hard enough it will.” That’s what Sorcery was, after all.

He squinted at her and huffed. Yuriko was glad he shed some of his hard infatuation with Lilibeth. He survived a life-or-death experience with her, and that made them more than passing acquaintances. Hmmm, perhaps a friend? Not quite to the point where she’d want something more intimate with him. Er, truth be told, considering the differences in their level of strength, she’d likely kill him accidentally if she lost control. His Alteration didn’t make him any tougher than a mortal, after all.

Hmmm, perhaps he just needed to train? She wasn’t sure what kind of energy Altered Humans used to power their abilities. She still couldn’t detect anything and she suspected that like the Sylvanites, any and all energy usage was strictly internal. Anything that was expressed outwardly, like what Soundwave and Weavemaster did, was transmuted to the point and heavily laden with their personal Intent that she couldn’t pick it apart.

Altered Humans used their Intent and Will since they were absent any of the more malleable energies in easy reach. That’s what she determined over the past Season anyway. It was amazing, in their own ways. Intent and Will weren’t that relevant to Ancients, Imperials, and other Anima strengthening systems she encountered until they reached Knight Captain equivalents. Knight Commander was the generally accepted level for it. Well, Sorcery needed Intent and Will, which was how she was able to strengthen both aspects of her power early, though it was still annoying that she only had a way to measure it now. And even so, her measuring stick was too flawed, since she could only reckon by percentages. She knew her Intent and Will reserves grew by the day, but unlike Animus or Ennoia energies, she couldn’t quantify it. It was a road she oft trod and there was nothing new to ponder, so she moved her consciousness strands away from it.

“Who else is coming?” Yuriko asked, “And what’s really the point?”

“I want us all to be careful,” Michael said. “And Christine is coming. Hopefully, Alexis too, but he didn’t give a firm answer. I think he’s too busy at his residency.”

“Zach and Haley?” Yuriko hummed, then chuckled, “Ah, there they are now.” The other three, sans Alexis, just walked into the cafe proper. They went out to the al fresco after they made their orders, than sat down around the table.

“Lily, Mike!” Christine chirped brightly, “How’re things going?” Her voice held a bit of strain, however.

“Busy,” Yuriko said, “but good.”

“Yeah uhm,” Zach coughed. “I don’t think we’ll be private here.”

“Nobody will notice,” Yuriko said with an offhand wave.

He stared at her for a moment then grumbled, “Of course. You won the power lottery after all. “

Yuriko had not specified anything about her skills and had let them come to their own conclusions. Invisible Edge wasn’t obvious, of course, but Animakinesis was, especially if she exerted quite a bit of force.

“What did you do?” Zach asked.

“Our voices won’t leave our vicinity,” Yuriko said simply.

“Telekinesis is such an unfair power,” Christine muttered.

“So says the one who turned into a brute,” Haley snarked.

“You said you figured out how yours work?” Michael looked at Zachary.

“Yeah.” The former child actor blushed. “It’s…a bit unorthodox?”

“Care to share?”

“I don’t mind.” He snuck a look at Yuriko and she smiled back. “I…wear masks.”

“Huh? Alright, does it give you, uhm, abilities based on what mask you wear?”

“It does, but it’s not the mask you’re thinking of,” Zach muttered. “It’s, well, any role I played in the past…I can use a prop to manifest the character within myself.”

“But…”

“Yeah.”

“Is that a problem?” Yuriko asked, confused. Zachary was an actor and surely, he’d played many roles, right?

He chuckled out loud. “Well yeah. I was a child actor. What do you think my roles were?”

“Oh.”

“My one adult role, well, teenager role, was in the soap, Battle Ball Star. Fat lot of good that’ll do me against those things.”

“Well, get a better role?” Yuriko said.

“If it works for future stuff,” he said, depressed.

“I don’t see why not,” she said. “It’s your power, why would you hamper yourself without even trying?”

“Oh.”

Yuriko offered a smile. “Don’t give up. You can train and grow stronger as long as you put in effort.”

“Is that how you’re so strong?”

“Yes.”

“I see, thank you.”

Michael coughed and interjected, “Graham and Victor are missing, and Sandra’s spooked. She didn’t want to come meet with us after everything happened.”

“Do you think she’s in further danger? Could be a normal burglary,” Christine said, then swore, “Like any crime’s normal!”

“More to the point,” Haley said nervously, “you think we’re being targeted, too? That scientist said those fractures happened all over the country and that there were few survivors. You think all of them Altered?”

“If they went to the same place, yes.” Yuriko answered, “Probably.”

“Why?”

“The interstitial space…the dimensional fracture, is full of…well, different sorts of energies. Those may have triggered your Alteration.”

“How do you know? You experienced it before?” Haley pressed.

“I suppose, yes.”

“You’re being evasive, Lily,” Christine accused, “Why?”

“It’s not really relevant,” Yuriko said clearly even as her Mien nudged their curiosity aside. “We should focus on what we should do.”

“It’s not as if the police aren’t doing anything.” Michael said, “I’m not sure what we can do other than stay vigilant. We’re also all celebrities, so targeting us may be too much for whoever’s behind this.”

“You think it’s a group?” Yuriko asked. “There are millions of people living in Neo Prism City alone, what about the rest of the country?”

“A billion was the last census.” Michael shrugged. “That’s also a lot of Altered Humans.”

“So why would they target us?” Yuriko asked, though she wasn’t really frightened. Instead, she asked excitedly, “Is it a secret cabal, or anything like that?”

“You mean RuiNation?” Christine asked. “Terrorists? Or the AHLF? Altered Human extremists?”

“You think they were forcibly recruited? How would they even know about us?” Michael exclaimed.

“All speculation,” Yuriko interrupted. “And unless you’re willing to play detective, I don’t think we’re of much help to those three.”

Michael nodded and said, “You’re right, of course, and that’s not why I wanted us all to meet.”

“Why then?”

“You…you’re strong. I…want to grow stronger, too.”

Yuriko looked at the other three, who nodded along with Michael. “You want to know how?”

“If possible.”

Yuriko leaned back and looked at her cast mates. Well, Altered Humans were a mystery and it wasn’t as if she could learn and adapt how they grew without having access to them. And perhaps they would also be compatible with the other training systems she knew.

“Hmmm, alright. I’ll see what I can do.”