voice;

[entreats]

So, can the witch in charge come out yet?

[ It's a simple statement, and for a moment it does sound like the message might just cut off there. Just that one flat statement, seemingly devoid of any emotion aside from a vague hint of annoyance.

But then there's a sound that's faintly like a step, then a grumble, and then the message continues anyway. Still mostly deadpan, but a little more annoyed this time. ]

Sure, I get it. The whole crime and punishment theming? Very cute. Maybe start using that talent to build an amusement park or something more productive next time, if this sort of thing is your hobby. Either way, it's really not done to let yourself be heard on the way in, and then just act like you're not there.

[ A slight pause-- and then a sigh. ]

Just tell me someone can point me to the witch. I really don't have time to be beating around the bush.

Comments

voice to action!

[entreats]

[ Her side of the feed doesn't switch over to video, seemingly sticking to voice-only mode, making it hard to tell what exactly Ange's reaction is, or what she's thinking right now. Especially since she - at first - doesn't say anything.

But then she simply says: ]

I'll be there as soon as possible.

[ There's still something tight about the words. Something urgent and hurried compared to her emotionless tone from earlier, but before Touma might even have the ability to reply, the feed cuts out.

.. the problem, of course, being that Ange didn't bother to give him a visual description her at all, so it's not like he'd know when she'd show up there.. Except after a little while he might notice a teenage girl with red hair popping up who's looking particularly tense.

And maybe the way she quickly walks right towards him might be the second clue. ]

.. it's you, right? [ Her voice matches the one over the communication devices earlier. Her eyebrows are knit together into a tight frown. Something about her body language is guarded, but not aggressive. ] The loop guy?

[illusionbreaker]

Hey, don't just decide on your own to give me a weird nickname. It's Kamijou Touma and yes that's me.

[Touma couldn't help but notice how tense she looked. He keeps his own body language casual and inviting in an attempt to ease her stress.]

As you can see, I'm just a normal high school student who you could find anywhere. I'm not a witch and can't even use magic even if I wanted to.

[entreats]

Have you never heard of 'appearances can be deceiving'?

[ Kind of blunt still, huh. Even if Ange has very good reasons to want to be cautious here - just in general.

But after a brief pause, not more than a beat or two, Ange does slowly add: ]

.. Kamijou-san.

[ T-There. She's trying, okay!! Even if the tense mood hanging about her doesn't fully seem to fade. Something awkward shifted into it when she said his name, but then she seems to try to bolster her walls a little more again. ]

If you're used to being messed around with like that as well, you should know that it's not easy to trust anything you see.

[illusionbreaker]

Fair enough.

[As much as he wanted to rebuttal her, he couldn't completely dismiss her concerns. He knew from his own experiences with magicians that there were spells capable of concealing one's identity so what she was saying wasn't entirely unreasonable.]

So, how do I prove to you I'm not a witch? I feel like anything I suggest will leave you with some lingering doubts so I want you tell me what you have in mind.

[entreats]

[ Talk about a callout - though a valid one. Because even Ange knows it's true. She would've known it even without him saying those words. There's no way he can actually do something to prove he's not a witch, right? ]

I guess.. trying to prove something like this isn't true is pretty much impossible. [ Ange even admits it, though she looks a little reluctant as she's saying those words..

Even though she sure wishes there'd be proof like that. It'd help settle her nerves, especially when they're still so much more on edge than she's even showing in this moment.

It makes her pause for a moment, but then the girl slowly exhales a breath. ]

It's just hard to believe that a coincidence like this is possible. That out of all the people they could've dragged into this place, it's someone from the same weird circumstances as I was dealing with. Doesn't it sound a little too good to be true?

[ Because it is good, in a sense. The very idea that someone might be able to understand all by itself is good. ]