Chapter 18:

Hey, You!

Mage and Mama Wolf


Selena yawned loudly. “Excuse me!” The empty house didn’t respond to her. “Ugh, I'm tired.” Selena blinked her eyes, trying to keep her energy up. “I wish I could go to bed already, but I have to make sure Ma-Chan and Aqua come back safe.” While she was working on not instinctively reacting in fear to every situation that arose or everything Madoka said she wanted to do, she couldn’t completely defeat her maternal instincts. Just as she said that to herself, the front door flung open, causing the wolf’s jaw to hit the floor.

Aqua was completely soaked in muddy water and shivering. Elfrida looked disheveled and annoyed, with hay sticking out of her hair and robes, while Lirhilde had a gigantic bump on her head. Madoka looked physically unharmed, but she clutched her staff tightly in her hands and seemed embarrassed.

“What the hell happened to you guys?”

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*30 Minutes Earlier*

“Yowch! Aqua-Kun! You stepped on my foot again!” Lirhilde scolded. “Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry-!” Aqua apologized frantically as he cried in fear. “Wow, this is painful to watch, huh?” Elfrida asked flippantly as she snacked on candied violets. “Yeah. I almost want to intervene. Poor Aqua...” Mahannana mussed quietly, popping one of the sugary flowers into her mouth. The two mages sat on the edge of the town fountain, watching as Lirhilde tried to forcefully teach Aqua to dance. They’d walked around browsing the displays and stuffing themselves silly with food before returning to the central courtyard to enjoy the music and dancing.

“I don’t feel bad! This is prime entertainment! Not my fault the man has the backbone of the slime we ate earlier. Getting scared of an older woman setting him straight?! He has to learn to stop letting himself be dominated at some point!” Mahannana shrugged at her teacher. ‘Aqua is pretty timid and I can see why that might a problem sometimes, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him being shy and gentle. Let him be who he wants to be and do what he wants to do. He’s not hurting anyone, and he feeds us and looks after me.’ The two continued observing Aqua’s suffering. After a few moments, Mahannana hopped down and walked over to Lirhilde. “My turn to tap in.” She poked Lirhilde’s wing.

Lirhilde pouted. “But I still need to pound some more coordination into him!” “Pleeaasseee?” Mahannana begged, attempting to look as cute as possible. Lirhilde instantly melted and squeezed her in a tight hug. “Wah! You’re so cute! Fine, you win!” The Swan woman turned and joined Elfrida at the fountain.

“Are you okay, Mr Aqua?You looked uncomfortable.” Aqua gave a deep sigh of relief. “You saved me, Ma-Chan!” Mahannana smiled. “Not a big deal. But we might as well dance for fun. And so Lir-Chan doesn’t come back and take over.” “Fine by me. As long as you don’t laugh at me or get mad when I step on your toes.” He offered Mahannana his hands. “I’m not any better, so no judgement here.” She put her hands in his and the two started dancing.

It wasn’t dancing, so much as it was them holding hands and swaying, with the occasional turn or spin thrown in for fun, but it didn’t bother Mahannana. It was enjoyable and relaxing, even if she could feel Lir-Chan's judgmental glare burning through her back at their lack of gracefullness. “Are you enjoying yourself, Ma-Chan?” Aqua asked. Mahannana smiled and nodded. “I’m glad I decided to ask other people to go with. Thanks for coming with me, Mr Aqua! I know that this isn’t your sort of thing, but I’m having fun.” “You’re welcome. It’s not like I’m enjoying every part of this, but I’m still glad I came. It’s not so bad when you’re not alone, and I’ll get used to Ms. Elfrida and Mrs. Lirhilde eventually. They just have...strong personalities.” “Yeah, you’re right about that. Elfrida-Chan is super smart, but she’s also really sassy and stubborn. Lir-Chan is energetic and goofy, but she also can be stubborn and serious because she’s so much older and experienced. They’re really interesting people!"

Mahannana was glad that she’d met them. There were so many interesting people in this world that she’d never meet in her home world! And she’d only experienced a tiny slice of Nyxphiria! ‘This world is more interesting than mine ever was. It feels like anything's possible and there’s nothing to hold me down the way I used to be. I haven’t changed. If anything, I’ve been able to finally be true to myself. This world doesn’t feel like it’s oppressing me.’

Suddenly, Aqua yelped and stumbled forward; bumping into Mahannana. A short person wearing a dark, tattered cloak held their hands up. “Sorry, sorry! Didn’t mean to trip ya!” A little voice laughed. “Don’t mind me passing through!” “I-it’s fine! No harm done!” Aqua quickly assured the person as the they continued walking. “Should we keep dancing or take a break, Ma-Chan?”

“Sir, you know they just swiped your wallet, right?” Someone called. Aqua’s hand immediately went to his back pocket and his eyes widened. “Hey, you!” The second the cat was out of the bag; the figure took off running, shoving people out of their way as they went with impunity. “Come back, asshole!” Mahannana immediately took off running after the thief.

While she wasn’t out of shape by any means, she’d never been athletic, so the speed and ease with which she ran surprised Mahannana. ‘Wow, this new body of mine is amazing!’ She thought as she nimbly dodged her way through the minefield that was the streets of Umbria during a festival. If nothing else, at least the thief made it easy to follow them with the merciless way they absolutely body-slammed bystanders out of their path. ‘Aqua is right about them being an asshole!’ But Mahannana didn’t have the time to worry about the townspeople. ‘Where is this person planning on going? How can I get Aqua’s wallet back? ' Mahannana gritted her teeth as she sprinted after the criminal. ‘Oh wait, that’s right!’

She reached her hand out and, quick as a thought, her staff was in her hand. The person made a sharp turn into the unilluminated back alleys and, with a skid, Mahannana pivoted to follow. ‘Perfect! I can use my magic without worrying about other people here!’ “Give me my friend’s wallet back!” She screamed, her voice echoing off the stone walls. All she heard in response was laughter as she consistently remained a turn behind them. She heard the sound of wings beating against the air and looked up. “Lir-Chan!”

Above the skyline, Lirhilde soared on wings that were bigger than Mahannana’s entire body. “Ma-Chan! I got Elfrida on my back!” The swan woman called down. “Aqua’s running in from the other direction! There’s an empty street ahead, let's cut them off!” “Right!” Mahannana focused on what was in front of her and, the moment she saw the advancing shadows that indicated light ahead, she didn’t hesitate. ‘Giant puddle in the middle of the road! Slown them down!’

With a flash, the puddle appeared in front of the thief but, to Mahannana’s shock, they simply jumped and sprang a good five feet into the air! “What the-!” The girl slid to a stop at the edge of the road. ‘They can jump nearly as high as mama!’ “Think again, you little shit!” Lirhilde flew in front of the cloaked person, cutting them off. “Elfrida, now!” The librarian sat up on her friend’s shoulders and pointed at the thief; a blue glow charging up as she began casting a spell. Before the women could react, the person suddenly aimed a flying kick directly at Lirhilde’s face. Despite being small in stature, they were powerful, and the blow sent the two flying towards the ground. Tumbling from Lirhilde’s shoulders, Elfrida landed with a *whomp!* in a stay pile of hay. Having enough time to slow her fall with her wings, Lirhilde tumbled to the ground.

“Elfrida-Chan! Lir-Chan!” Immediately losing all thought of the stolen wallet, Mahannana sprinted to Lirhilde’s side. “Are you okay?” “Ugh, my head!” Lirhilde moaned, clutching her face as she leaned on Mahannana. “Elfrida-Chan?” The librarian’s little head popped out of the haystack. “I’m o-o-okay-achoo!’ She sneezed. “Don’t worry about us!” Lirhilde begged. Mahannana shook her head. “Too late. They’re already long gone. They took off across the rooftops.” She sat with her friends as they groaned and nursed their injuries. ‘If I knew more magic, maybe I could have stopped them...’ Mahannana bit her lip in frustration. ‘It’s not enough. I need to learn more.’

“Oh my God! Are you guys oka-aaaaahhhhh!” Appearing on the scene, Aqua was too focused on the three girls collapsed on the ground to notice the puddle and proceeded to do a long slip before toppling face-first into the trap meant for the thief. “Mr Aqua! I’m so sorry! That was supposed to be for the thief! I’m sorry, but they got away!” Mahannana instantly began apologizing.

A grumpy, soggy, mud-coated Aqua sat up and bemoaned his fate. “This is why I hate going out!”