"haa..."

Heavens preserve her, she's a gay mess.

"...um...protection...?"

"Hee. I promise you won't be hurt if you let that goblin go free, whatever it does next."

Well, with that said...she'll tentatively let it up.

The goblin looks around, confused, then sees the pair of them, eyes dashing fearfully between them, then runs for the treeline with a yelp.

...It's kind of failing at stealth when it peers over a bush with a glare a few second later, though.

"...How is it managing to be cute," she mutters, and pretends to ignore its peeking to see what happens next.

It's not that cute! It's really rather ugly, with a horrible stench, yellow teeth, a gangly appearance with hints of sores and muddy brown 'fur' (different regions produce different sorts; the local goblins are furry rather than scaled).

It hides again when it realizes it's been spotted.

"If you're just going to watch it I'm liable to get bored," Lilith comments archly. "But by all means, let it escape to go menace squirrels or maybe manage to kill some bunnies and foxes or a little old lady on a quiet walk in the park for her anniversary."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm going to just let it go.  But damn, it just managed to be, like...the equivalent of a toddler throwing a tantrum really loudly and running off to sulk, and then coming back five minutes later to sulk at you so you know they're still angry, yeah?  Even if...well."

...gods, she is too easily manipulated by positive attention from pretty girls.

"...I'm going to do something that's probably kinda stupid, for the sake of science!"

She fishes out a pack of Slim Jims from her bag, and throws one, barely opened, at the goblin.

"...I have no idea how those even got in there; I don't really eat them, but I'll take it; it's convenient.  You want one?"

"Sure, why not? I won't even make a dirty joke about it, there's such a thing as too much of a good thing and all."

Goblin scrambles for cover at the thrown object. It peers at the Slim Jim where it landed once it calms down, but doesn't seem especially interested once it decides it's not a threat.

"Is it weird that I'm surprised you didn't?", she says, handing one over.  "'cause I kind of am."

Presumably, some amount of time passes with the jerky unmolested.  "Well, we have determined that goblins aren't doing what they do for the meat.  Probably.  ...D'you have hobbies besides people-watching?"

"It's no fun if you get too used to it. If I tease someone I want them to be teased. And... Eh. We kind of move around a lot. Doesn't leave a lot of time to pick up random hobbies. I guess... 'be gay, do crime'?"

"Oh, trust me, I will be.  Despite myself."

"...There's a we?  I have to admit, I'm surprised you didn't just, suddenly exist in your full glory one day.  Or maybe you've been picking up strays?  That...strikes me as much more in character for you."

"Obviously I'm talking about my perfectly normal family and my annoying dad who travels, like, a lot. Anyone of my other friends would be people I shouldn't tell ya much about without some due caution, hypothetically."

"Obviously.  Opsec's important, given your hobbies."

"Yeah. I think it's time for me to go. See you around some time. Just remember, if you want to make an omelet you're going to have to break some eggs."

The snerk that jolts out of her at that last line is unexpectedly genuine.

"Well, I'll see if I can find some good recipes that work with the stuff on my shelves, but it's not like I know what's in the pantry around here.  I figure you can find me, so, see you 'round, then?"

"Yep! Enjoy your spear katas!"

And off she goes, hips swinging and humming cheerfully.

Oddly enough, after Lilith disappears beyond the nearest corner, she doesn't resume doing katas; instead, she starts doing research.

Also she calls and lets Animal Control know there's a goblin lurking in the park woods that she doesn't want to run off and have to chase down, but has cowed; it's sitting there in a bush, glaring.  In case someone wants to capture it.

'Vibrant Jade magical girl death in line of duty', 'how smart can monsters be', 'can monsters grant magical girl powers', 'can monsters look human', 'can smart monsters control or create lesser monsters', 'does telepathy exist', 'what happens if someone tries to make someone who's already a magical girl into a magical girl'...She'll refine these if necessary, but that's the thrust of her research.

Okaaaaay, Animal Control sighs. Thanks for reporting. We'll deal with it.

Flip-phones are not great for detailed internet research but there's a public library not too far from here.

...January 9, 1997 - Vibrant Jade, a Spirit Association South US member in good standing, tragically perished while participating in a monster suppression mission near Carol Springs, Florida. The incident also resulted in 3 civilian deaths, over 30 injuries, and severe injuries to 2 other Spirit Bearers (her teammates Gilded Slash and Brutal Croc). Her death in the defense of civilians and nonmagical society is in line with the finest traditions of the Spirit Association's protective mission. Her mortal remains were cremated and returned to family in accordance with recorded wishes. Her ghost passed on the mantle of magic to an undisclosed individual...

Makinak: Even goblins will actually try to dodge, I don't buy the 'like insects' argument. Warbols build tools: [link]. Trolls make shelters: [link].

45366: flies dodge swatting tho?? and birds make nests and shit

Makinak: Guys, this isn't about goblins, I'm talking about so-called "infiltrators" or saboteurs.

Samwell: I've never seen one of those rl Mak but I've heard of them. The most dangerous kind of monster is the one that understands us and plans.

45366: do shades count as mostners

Makinak: No, shades are former Spirit Bearers. They're meaningfully distinct. Midway Airport 1991- The Rot Fuel incident. There's no way they didn't notice monsters nesting in gas tanks with all the insane checks planes go thru unless something was actively hiding them?

Samwell: Yeah that's the kind of thing I mean. Scrapped hundreds of planes after the first one crashed and hurt trust in the system.

...The prejudice and supposed "natural evil" of so-called "Dark Girls" is just another facet of society's deliberate organization to suppress and disadvantage certain subsets of the population for the benefit of the ruling class. When scientifically studied, there have been ABSOLUTELY NO discernable differences in the fundamental nature of any magical girls whether they be spirit born, genie wishes, ghost mantles, or tapped by a provocateur. The differences in observed behavior can be attributed entirely to personality, temperament, and circumstance with this blatant racism driving actions that would not otherwise be considered and...

...In some ways the most dangerous classification of monster, "Infiltrators" (or "succubi") can appear human at a distance, blending into crowds and taking advantage of the very people we try to protect. Seeming to revel in creating paranoia and discord, they will murder isolated individuals or cause property damage due to their presence (See: Miasma). Infiltrators cannot hide all the signs of their nature, so look for the following: Sharp claws, black or discolored skin, black eyes, an obvious smell, metallic hair, odd proportions, sharp teeth, lack of a navel. They are somewhat intelligent and capable of basic speech, but an actual conversation will reveal their true nature as they are incapable of complex abstract thought or reasoning, so ask suspected individuals math questions in order to...

The Monster King is a titan-class monster capable of controlling or influencing every monster within approximately 10 miles (16 kilometers) of itself, and constantly gathers as many monsters as possible to itself. The overwhelming swarm-like nature of Monster King attacks is even more dangerous due to the vicious cunning with which it uses them, with hundreds of examples of spirit bearers being confronted with tactics or enemies that exactly counter their own strengths...

Mind Maven: No, I would say 'true' telepathy does not exist. There are truth compulsions, glimpses of thoughts and memories, but these are always simplistic and surface level. My own ability to see the reasoning of others is sharply limited as it causes immense strain on my own mind and does not fully capture any emotion of memory connections for example.

Interviewer: What about mind control? Could a monster brainwash someone into evil, for example?

Mind Maven: No. Brainwashing is... It doesn't work that way. It's conditioning and convincing people over time, or tempting them to do things they wanted to do on some level. The general rule is that any mind-affecting powers tend to be fairly obvious. I wouldn't say it's impossible, but I would be deeply surprised if one could be "brainwashed" in a real movie style, and absolutely staggered if it was not obvious to everyone around you.

Interviewer: So the movie took some liberties, I'm hearing.

Mind Maven: Laughs. Yes.

The last search just gets general information on becoming a magical girl.

What, even if she site-searches the forum from earlier?

(And what does general information on becoming a magical girl look like for her area, anyway?)

Makinak: No, there's no such thing as a "double" spirit bearer. The initial transformation is from human into a different kind of being, and it's not something that can be done twice any more than a butterfly can metamorphose into a butterfly.

_xSilentStormx_: No but like. Can they give each other power? Like batteries or something?

Makinak: ...I don't know. I'm pretty sure they have to get stronger the hard way.

General information says: To become a magical girl you need to either wish for it with a genie (do not mess with genies), get a nature spirit to empower you (they usually demand servitude/employment in exchange), or get the ghost of a dead magical girl to pass the mantle on to you. You don't technically have to go join the Spirit Association but you really really should. If someone says there's another way, that's a scam or a hoax or maybe some kind of weird cult, don't trust it.

Well, then.

What are the spirits in her area?

Lilith really was quite right about putting up or shutting up.

...Also are there any genies in her area.  She's not going to ask to be made a spirit-bearer from them, probably...but favors from powerful beings are never wasted.

Oh, and "quantitative differences in spirit bearer initial power by source" goes in the search bar, while she's constructing her plan-tree.

Genie spotters of New England are kind of confused about how there... Have been no genie sightings in months? In the entire New England area? Where are they all going? To Canada, to the midwest, to Florida, to Europe?

Spirit Bearer initial power seems to be all set to the same, low standard. Apparently the first week to month of growth is explosive and then it settles down.

Is she still sitting in the park where she called in a goblin?