"Do all the labyrinths look like this?  Sort of like real places, I mean?"

(She's not quite sure she's going to be so comfortable in school tomorrow, after fighting through this.)

"It feels like this witch was actually in school sometime."

Jenny nods slowly.  "The last one was a kitchen; the one before that was a grocery store... yeah, they're all realistic places.  Maybe they're human?  At least, they're nothing like the Kyuubeys."

Fairy bargains.

She should've been a lot more cautious if running into magic can turn some humans into this.

...Does she want a hug?

Yes.  She does.

Jenny, who isn't quite in the mood for hugs, hangs back.  "My first fight wasn't the easiest either.  But you learn."

"...I don't think that that's what either of us are upset about - though, come to think of it, I probably should be upset about not even getting guaranteed college tuition out of this, we're child soldiers -

"...There is something fractally wrong here!"

College tuition doesn't sound like it belongs in the same world as magic.

"It's good that we'll learn," she snaps over Diana's shoulder, "but if these witches were human, how'd they turn into witches?"

Jenny purses her lips.  She's never really thought about that before.

"I... don't... know.  Hey, Kyuubey!"

(Not that she expects an answer, but.)

If it did not hear the question, it is not obligated to expend effort answering it.

(Or, more likely, deciding to not answer it.  There are too many anomalies; it does not think that the risk to the project is worth risking.)

Jenny shakes her head.  "She usually doesn't come.  No telling when she will or won't."

She shakes her head slowly.  "That's a... thorny question.  Yeah, something's wrong somewhere."

"And I want to find out where and fix it.  Do you know any way to find out about magic besides talking to the Kyuubeys?"

She shakes her head.  "You can try doing things with your own magic, of course."

"...I believe there was something mentioned about purifying soul gems.  What causes them to need that?"

"Using too much magic, or being too sad or down."

"...so experimenting with magic is in fact contraindicated."

...She's rather displeased about this.

"So in fact we shouldn't be using magic just for fun?"

Shrug.  "If you want to be careful.  But -"

Jenny jumps up in the air, conjures some transparent red shape, jumps off it even higher, somersaults, and lands back in front of Lila.  "I'm not one for 'careful'."

"...You shouldn't have to be careful.  Magic ought to be the thing of joy it could be, rather than the stone the Incubators hang 'round our necks that it is."

Her soul gem pulses, bright conviction shining from it with her words.

"Yes!"

Jenny glances at Diana's soul gem.  Huh, it's full; she would've thought it would've been lower after fighting the witch and then sinking into tears...  Lila isn't advertising hers, though, and Jenny's not going to ask to see it.

"I could introduce you to some of the other magical girls.  Maybe they have some ideas...

"I wish Kiri was still here.  She used to talk like that some, but then..."  Jenny shakes her head.  "Her parents moved out of town, and I tried to tell her she could just stay behind by herself with magic - we don't really need to eat, did you know that?  And we only need a bit of sleep - but she wasn't up to that."  Jenny hangs her head.  "She hasn't shown up online in a while.  I hope a witch didn't get her, but."

'Full' is perhaps not the right way to describe it.  It's - definitely brightly scintillating, and not - dull, that's not in question - but...something is weird about it.

"...I hope that the Incubators didn't."

She pauses.  Considers.  Plans.  Acts.

"We should - make a trip out to her new address, you're her friend who's concerned about her wellbeing, and - search public records, probably.  I can drive.  We - need information if we're going to survive.  Let alone to win fighting against this ongoing travesty."

(Jenny's grades and school attendance record are much too bad for her to be permitted a driver's license.  Not that she's going to mention that if there's a way not to.)

Jenny looks confused for a moment, then brightens.  "Sure!  Thanks!  She isn't too far - we should be able to get there and back in a day - I think I've got her address somewhere -"

She could never just skip school and head out of town without even telling her parents.  Not for anything less than...

... well, actually, this could be enough of a good reason.  But still...

"I'd rather not skip school tomorrow unless I have to, unless we're going to tell Mom and Dad everything... and that still seems dangerous until we know more.  I could get away Saturday... but if we stayed there more than a day, they'd still be worried.  And we might have to."

"I wasn't proposing we do so immediately, no, though I want to do it soon.  ...Maybe we should 'have a sleepover'," she air-quotes, "and investigate instead?  ...hm, no, too much risk of inquisitive parents interfering...  I'll do the public records search from the library tonight, that'll help with planning."