"Mm, okay," she says, rolling her eyes. "So, am I free to go?"

"You aren't 'being detained'. You can--" Briiiiiing. Period over. "You can go."

"See ya," she says, picking up her bag and going to her last lesson of the day.

Nothing in particular happens for the rest of the day... Or afternoon...

Beep beep. Text from Cynthia at 11PM: 'Hey what tonight? Still sorry'

She thinks on it for a few minutes, then decides that nah, she doesn't want to speak to Cynthia tonight. She'll probably just walk around with Brad for a bit and maybe kill some blobs.

Cynthia decides not to send a second text in case Thea is sleeping... Doesn't mean Cynthia won't be out, it's kinda her thing. Perhaps she'll walk by, who knows...

Time passes as it should, this documented fact remains true.

In the time it takes to blink, the world changes. The moon takes on a sickly yellow hue, while the clouds turn a poison green. Nearby people are replaced with looming jet-black coffins. Grass turns to burnt strands, puddles to splashes of blood, electronics to unworking pieces of plastic.

The Midnight Hour has arrived. This undocumented fact remains true.

Thea is already outside by midnight – she left her house about ten minutes before the hour – and takes in the change of appearance without much outward reaction.

She decides to summon Brad and maybe go attack some blobs.

And when she looks up, lo, there is a Brad!

... It's not really clear how he appeared. One moment he wasn't there, the next he was.

Of course there is. This is... what? The sixth different way?

He can be special if he wants, she supposes, and off she goes for a little walk. She talks to him every so often, but it doesn't seem to be anything of importance.

Coffins. Puddles of blood. Creepy ambience. Occasional noises of scraping, slopping, walking... Things move around. The wind also carries occasional bits of humming, easy to tell it's Cynthia's. She's out and about somewhere. Other moments leave dead silence, leaving footsteps to echo.

Everything remains in its place, merely filtered by the Midnight Hour. If Thea is walking somewhere, she can reach it eventually.

She's not walking anywhere in particular, but after about ten minutes she does in fact decide to attack a blob. Brad's not making particularly interesting conversation, and nor is she, plus it feels a little like talking to herself after how much Cynthia's stressed the fact that they're the same.

Go, Brad! Make like you're a pokémon and attack!

Brad in fact does make like a rather human-shaped pokémon and in fact attacks the less human-shaped blob.

With a knife.

Because that's all he ever does.

Woo. He is just so overjoyed.

>A wild Merciless Maya appears!
>Go, Brad! Persona!
>Brad uses [Stab that blob thing a bunch]!
>The Merciless Maya Takes 63 damage!
>The Merciless Maya is defeated!
*Dun dun da da-DA da duuuun*
>Brad gains 5exp!
>Thea obtains [Empty M&M Wrapper]
>The enemy drops 7c!

Brad picks up the coins, then returns to Thea.

Thea doesn't really want an empty M&M wrapper, thanks, but she takes the coins from Brad, and then off they walk for a bit more.

She doesn't seek Cynthia out.

Left right left. Footsteps echo. Besides the decision to avoid Cynthia and on where to walk, Thea is merely left alone with her thoughts and soul in this silent, tainted version of her city.

Left right left.

Left right left indeed.

She and Brad do, in fact, talk a bit, but unfortunately he's not got much to input into the conversation.

After another quarter of an hour, they go to attack another blob.

>A wild... Screw it.

Stabbing low level Shadows continues to be rather easy. It seems it was probably more tiring to keep walking around than to take them down tonight. Hur-hah. 1d8 cents.

Promptly afterwards a purposeful rustling noise to Thea's right reveals Libby, poking her head out from behind a house. Cynthia isn't in view.

Thea smiles but then walks away.

Brad follows Thea, waving at Libby.

Libby walks after them, holding up hands in the T shape of 'time out' to try to get them to stop for a moment. Cynthia is trying to catch up, Libby can go faster but can't quite talk.

Do they stop?

They... don't! They keep walking.

Cynthia and Libby might catch up to them, since they're only walking, but no, they don't stop.

Well, they walk with Libby walking after them, staying a few paces behind and remaining silent.

Cynthia would eventually catch up. She's already walking with her brace after today's incident, and now she's somewhere between 'sleepy' and 'tired from tonight as she walks over.