Yui Arashi finally settled back into a routine that could be construed as normal. On the surface, a twenty year old young woman owning her own business and still attending higher education was impressive in its own right, even more so with her “delinquent” appearance and punk attitude. Just past the surface, Yui was still a perpetually recovering work in progress, but even to those closest to her, Yui had come a long way. It was on a day like this that Yui decided to treat her partner to an afternoon cup of coffee. Especially to actually have some time together without someone coming along to interrupt them. Sitting down at a table outside a small café, Yui stared up at the overcast sky, not even turning her head as two cups were gently placed on either side.

Yui: Damn, that was fast. You know someone here or something, babe?

The voice that answered, however, did not belong to Alice Rinju.

Diana: <Huh. Y’know, I joked in my head that you two were probably married. Didn’t think it was actually true, though.>

Yui turned her head to face the woman sitting across from her, nonchalantly grabbing the cup in front of her and taking a drink, much to the interloper’s surprise.

Yui: <I haven’t put a ring on her finger just yet. We’re just dating.> (Another sip) …So what’re you doing here?

Diana: You continue to surprise me every single time our paths cross. Should it surprise you that I’ve started crossing them on purpose?

Yui: (She casually pulls out two American quarters from her pocket, setting them down between their cups of coffee) No, not really. But I’m kind of accustomed to vague bullshit and mind games by now. (Yui takes Diana’s lack of a reaction as a sign to continue) …Anything special about these? One of them is a fair bit older than the other. 

Diana: <C’mon, man…> You already know the answer to that one. (Diana sips her coffee now)

Yui: No, like… I know you were sending me a message. Just haven’t picked up the message itself yet. Best I got was that the years of the quarters meant something.

Diana: Mm. I’ll give you a bit to think about it. You’ll get it, or you won’t.

Yui: …I gotta ask. That’s not like you being not great at Japanese, ‘cause like, you’re really good for an American. But you keep saying weird shit like that.

Diana: You have a guess. Ask me.

Yui: Are you like… another anomaly? Like, a Puella Malefica or something? Shit, hold up, do you even know what I mean?

Diana: (Her eyes widen) <Jesus, how does your mind even work?> …I know what that is, though. That hybrid Puella and Witch phenomenon. Since you caught me off guard, I’ll go ahead and answer a few more for free. Puella Malefica, which you and a few others here are. Next up is what people probably consider to be the exact opposite, Puella Vacua. 

Yui: Opposite…? Wait, you mean when a Puella’s Soul Gem just fades away from lack of use over a long ass time? I called that ‘Ghost’ for the longest time.

Diana: <Ghost, huh?> Not a bad name for it. It’s a pretty big problem in North America. Girls get complacent and just fade away after a couple decades. They get lazy, stop hunting, stop using magic, stop fighting… they just kinda live and fade. But if you knew about that, then… <Yeah, that makes sense.>

Yui: <I still speak English, Diana.>

Diana: Right, force of habit. Anyway, Malefica, Vacua, and a phenomenon you’re probably familiar with by now, Venefica in Puella. 

Yui: <…You’re giving a lot away by telling me that, you know.>

Diana: <Stick to the script for now, Yui.> We’ll get to that down the road, I promise. For now, hopefully you’ll just accept a blanket answer of “I did my homework” and move on. This isn’t what you want answered, anyway. Someone else knows what you know. What you are. Big deal, right? People did news reports on the Conductors during their little war with the Arashi Family. Not too hard to believe that someone else has been making mental notes on Puella-adjacent phenomena.

Yui: (She gives Diana a wary stare for what feels like forever, the other woman completely unfazed and waiting through sips of coffee) …The coins. So since you’re this… magical scholar or whatever, then the idea is to figure out what happened in these years, right? (She taps one of the quarters) 1983. Let’s start there.

Diana: (She hesitates, then sighs) You know a little already. <God damn, if only I knew to go to the fucking gym, instead of messing with that pink haired girl.> (She holds out a hand as she sees Yui tense up) …You knew her. Okay, sore subject. I won’t pry. The point, then. And saving a bit of time, since we both know what went down here in Mitakihara a few months back.

Yui: You… you’re telling me that whatever story you’re about to tell was about a Balancing?!

Diana: Keep your goddamn voice down. Yes. 1983, Buffalo, New York. I told this one to Bubblegum—

Yui: Shiori Nakae. 

Diana: (She studies Yui’s face for a moment, then continues) …I told this one to Shiori already. Not much to tell, really. It was a routine Balancing done right. Couple days after Christmas, pretty late at night. Firefighters respond to a propane leak, next thing you know, a city block goes up in flame. Minimal collateral damage, all things considered. 

Yui: …An Assassination, then.

Diana: (Her neutral expression shatters into pure surprise) <…How in the fuck do you know about that just four months after surviving a failed Balancing, Yui Arashi?>

Yui: …“I did my homework.” (Another nonchalant sip from her cup)

Diana: <God damn… I wasted so much time getting here, too. Fuck me, I played stupid games and now I’m counting my stupid prizes…>

Yui: Next thing you’ll tell me is that it’s “same story, different date” for the other quarter’s year, right? 1963…

Diana: (It’s subtle, but Diana’s expression gradually softens to its neutral resting place) Right. 1963. Indianapolis, Indiana.

Yui: …And was this one also—

Yui turned her head at the sound of Alice’s voice in the distance, slowly approaching the table. She turned to face Diana, to warn her, only to find the table empty, aside Yui. Both cups of coffee had also been removed, leaving no trace that any coffee had been there to begin with.

Yui: …Huh.

Alice: Hey, sorry I’m late. (she sits down in the seat across Yui’s) … You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

Yui: Heh… if you knew why that phrase made me laugh, you might hit me. But I’m alright.

Alice: O—kay? Probably some kind of movie reference I’m not getting here. Have you ordered already?

Yui: Nah. Was waitin’ for you. (She gives Alice a little smile before opening her menu) A’ight, let’s see…