Yume gently touched the grief seed to her soul gem, watching it funnel away the black substance that had tainted the grey-pink color. "Sorry, friend." she thought, blinking back budding tears. "Don't you dare cry." she scolded herself. This is how it always turns out, how it has to be. Without this sacrifice, the world, no, everything, would fall apart. She knew that before she took them on and became their sister in heroics, and she'd promised herself not to let her feelings get in the way of the greater good. But still...she couldn't stop thinking about them. This grief seed in particular had once been the soul gem of a girl very close to her heart, someone who'd trusted and looked up to her.

"Why?! Why you too?! I could have helped you, why did you fall into despair?!" she screamed, holding the grief seed painfully tight. "Where are you, you damn rodent. I want to know what happened." Yume hissed, starting to feel her anger fade and be replaced by coldness.

Before Alice was about set off somewhere, she heard a 'bang' sound nearby. She froze for a moment before checking what the heck it was and where it came from. Alice need not walk far since she saw a large group of girls not long after. Alice quickly hid herself.

"Looks like some of the Authority's dogs? Wonder if they are friendly?"
Alice chuckled to herself. She decided to read their minds however she only managed to get a vague reading. For some reason, its hard for her to read minds of the magical.
"Well, at least I know they are magical girls."
It was then there was the ringing of a mobile phone. It was coming from the blonde leading them.
Alice tries to get closer quietly to hear the girl talking on the phone. After successfully doing so, its to eavesdrop so as to find out what the Authority were doing here.

Violetta turned the corner, nodding at the unfamilliar girl going about her business, and perked up when she heard her cell phone ringing. She reached into a pocket without breaking her stride, but it took her three guesses and an awkward moment of self-fondling before she found the phone and flipped it open. She thought it was one of her squad of magical minions still stationed somewhere secret. She was wrong.

"Violetta?"
"Speaking."
"Yes, this is Maria."
"I'm not gonna ask how you got this number, boss, but imagine I have."
"I've been informed that there's been sightings of illegal magical research at the industrial sector."
"And this is my problem...How?"
"Conduct an investigation and apprehend the people behind this activity."
"Is this one of those need-to-know things?"
"Once you're done report back to me."
"Fiiine."
Click.

She seemed chirpier then usual, Violetta noted as she dialed another number into her phone. Like someone was listening in on their call, and she had to put on the Charles Xavier poor-pitiful-me impression for just slightly too long. Mmm, Charles Xavier. He was gonna be played by Patrick Stewart before he'd died in one of the first magical girl uprisings in america. Hollywood had been one of the first places to fall. Despite herself, she kinda wished she could've seen that film.

Somebody was behind her. She didn't even need to turn round, she could see her in the black reflection on her phone. It was the magical girl from earlier, making some half-assed attempt to sneak behind her. Violetta wasn't going to ruin her fun. She kept marching on, glancing in rear view mirrors and lamp post reflections, constantly keeping her in sight as she cued up another number.

"Valkyrie squad? This is Violetta, i'm at the corner of straße Zauber and Doppelzwei, in the industrial district, and we've been called out for some recon work. Vi out."

Eponine headed back towards the border where her jeep waited, expecting Chloe to follow. She got on and ordered, "Take us back to Lady Maria's estate."

"Roger," the driver answered as the two of them entered inside the jeep, followed by the vehicle speeding off towards Maria's headquarters.

---

It didn't take long for a fortress-like object to come into view as the jeep slowed down and stopped before the gates, which were ornate and flowery in design. Once Eponine stepped out of the jeep the guards immediately opened the gates and saluted, not thinking twice about the girl following her as they passed through the gates and into the mansion that the walls surrounded.

Maria put down the phone and sighed; she knew that Violetta was part of the law enforcement division, and thus her command could be belayed by the head of the law enforcement department, Alexandra. Other than that, she was one of the few people outside her domain she could trust with discreet matters. She remembered an incident where a cluster of Shadow Compact sympathizers were found and their hideout was burned to the ground along with the rest of them; Violetta was the one who carried out that task with her flamethrower. The sounds of screaming and the stench of burning flesh that day was something she remembers fondly.

As she finished reminiscing, she realized that Kyubey, whom she was trying to pet, was gone. She didn't give much thought to the creature's disappearance, it was expected after all, before she heard the sounds of the front door opening and a pair of feet stepping inside, causing Maria to almost jump out of her wheelchair in excitement.

"Fantine! Get the dining hall ready for our guests!" She shouted, and immediately headed over to the foyer to greet the two.

The moment she laid her eyes on the rogue, Maria started to smile in a fiendish way, before it turned into the cutesy smile she was accustomed to holding.

Aah, yes. This one is boisterous and arrogant; just the type I wished from my wild card. And if I'm not mistaken, she seems to be a friend to a certain group of "friends" too. Phase 1 is successful. Now, onto Phase 2.

Maria put on a sweet and compelling voice as she spoke. "Welcome to the Goethe Estate. I am Maria Goethe, the one who has invited you here." She turned around on her wheelchair and headed to the dining hall. "Please, have a seat. Feel free to partake of any delicacies you find on the table. If you would like some tea or soft drinks, just speak the word and I'll have it served, heehee."

"Fantine! Get the dining hall ready for our guests!" She shouted, and immediately headed over to the foyer to greet the two.

The moment she laid her eyes on the rogue, Maria started to smile in a fiendish way, before it turned into the cutesy smile she was accustomed to holding.

Aah, yes. This one is boisterous and arrogant; just the type I wished from my wild card. And if I'm not mistaken, she seems to be a friend to a certain group of "friends" too. Phase 1 is successful. Now, onto Phase 2.

Maria put on a sweet and compelling voice as she spoke. "Welcome to the Goethe Estate. I am Maria Goethe, the one who has invited you here." She turned around on her wheelchair and headed to the dining hall. "Please, have a seat. Feel free to partake of any delicacies you find on the table. If you would like some tea or soft drinks, just speak the word and I'll have it served, heehee."

Fantine bustled around, setting up the dining table, placing small dishes, exquisite teacups, and dessert forks, as well as multi-tiered trays of sweets and pastries.

Eponine entered and upon noticing that Maria hadn't transformed, said, "Lady Maria, I would recommend that you be in your magical girl form for the time being."

"Eponine!" Fantine shouted as she threw herself at her sister in an exuberant hug. Eponine looked down, showing the faintest of smiles, putting one arm behind Fantine's shoulder and patting her head with the other, while strategically moving so that she placed herself between Fantine and Chloe. Then Fantine went back to Maria's side to wait for additional orders, so Eponine sat down very straight at the table, standing her hammer next to her seat, and keeping an eye on Chloe.

Chloe felt a shiver down her spine upon meeting her first member of Auroran 'nobility.' Is this what they're all like? These government types? Scary.

She wasn't very impressed with the furnishings or the building itself. It ended up being about what she was expecting. Lavish, rich. This girl had servants and underlings. This was a real life lady, with real power. Maria Goethe, she said her name was. Chloe wouldn't forget it, probably. She didn't mention a title in her introduction, which struck Chloe as odd. That either meant she was very casual and didn't care for it, or the more likely case: it was implied. Something like You don't need to know my position, except that I am far above you. Unlike Eponine, who had some nobility to her, but otherwise acted with humility, this girl was clearly putting on an act.

Chloe knew from moment one that she was never going to get along with either of these people.

She wanted to lash out right at that moment. If this girl was going to display her brand of power by asserting her control, Chloe desperately wanted to display her own brand of power, by destroying the things that gave the other girl power. To smash the architecture, kill some servants maybe. It didn't really matter what, but the impulse was fighting its way to the surface. Chloe had to almost literally choke it back. There were more important things for the moment. If she needed to resort to breaking stuff, then her grasp on the situation might as well be over right now.

"...Fine. It's not very lady-like, so forgive me, but if you have tea, you must have simple milk, right? I'll take you up on your offer. Skip the biscuits, just milk is fine." Chloe examined the large gauntlets granted to her by remaining in her transformed state, considering reverting back for the time being. But her emotions were running wild right now, so it was possible that she couldn't revert even if she wanted to. "...In a sturdy cup, if you could." Hands built for smashing were a poor fit for priceless tea sets.

Chloe couldn't help but notice a particular serving girl who was enthusiastic at Eponine's return. D'aww. Who would have thought the iron maiden could have such a close relation. A friend maybe? No, probably family. She made a mental note. If she was going to kill off some workers here, it might be prudent to avoid this particular one. It was an odd feeling, but she couldn't really shake it. If I break this girl, I will die.

After resolving everything in her mind, Chloe sat down at a seat across from the one Eponine had chosen. The other girl was keeping an eye on her, and for the moment, the intention was mutual. Despite that, her eyes were focused not on Eponine, but on Maria, who posed a totally unknown level of threat. She would be a magical girl, to be sure, but she hadn't transformed. Chloe knew not her weapon, nor her power.

"I'm not very good at these nobility games, if you couldn't tell, so you should probably just tell me straight out why you wanted to talk to me instead of trying to have me arrested."

Eponine entered and upon noticing that Maria hadn't transformed, said, "Lady Maria, I would recommend that you be in your magical girl form for the time being."

Maria giggled a bit. "Oh Eponine, she is our guest, not an enemy. I'm certain if we come into a conflict of any sort, which is ludicrous to even think of as a possibility, you will be there to protect us."

"...Fine. It's not very lady-like, so forgive me, but if you have tea, you must have simple milk, right? I'll take you up on your offer. Skip the biscuits, just milk is fine." Chloe examined the large gauntlets granted to her by remaining in her transformed state, considering reverting back for the time being. But her emotions were running wild right now, so it was possible that she couldn't revert even if she wanted to. "...In a sturdy cup, if you could."

"Wonderful. Fantine, if you would." Maria looked over at her maid for a moment, before returning her attention back to the rogue.

This could have gone a lot less smoothly if she refused to speak. Thankfully that is not the case.

"I'm not very good at these nobility games, if you couldn't tell, so you should probably just tell me straight out why you wanted to talk to me instead of trying to have me arrested."

Straight-forward type, huh? This makes everything a lot simpler.

Maria acted surprised. "Arrested? Why would I have a maker of such beautiful art arrested? No, you have a vision that shouldn't be shackled by the ignorant. The truth is, you and I are not as different as you might think. You see, I too am an artist. My canvas is Aurora, my paintbrush it's people. But my vision is also bound, locked up tight and the key thrown away by the tyranny of Alexandra, the Queen of Aurora City."

Maria took a break from talking, and sipped on her tea before continuing.

"She does not care for the people under her heel, for she lives only to subjugate us, and to separate us. But unlike the other Nobles who are too afraid to stand up to her oppression, I have the will to see her fall from her tower along with her supporters. I only ask if you share that will with me, and join the fight to free Aurora from her claws."

Fantine bowed and ran off to find a suitable container for Chloe's milk. Eponine loosened up a bit once Fantine left the room, but immediately tightened up again, even started fidgeting restlessly when Maria started talking about overthrowing the Queen. Eponine wanted to speak out, to object, to remind Maria of her loyalties and the severe punishments for treason, but a few factors prevented her from doing so. The first factor was that Eponine did not want to show weakness to Chloe, nor undermine the appearance of power that Maria had; if Chloe saw Eponine contradict Maria, Chloe might think that Maria couldn't even control her own subordinates. The second factor was that it was entirely possible that Maria was playing a ruse, trying to trick Chloe into divulging some sort of information. Still, Eponine was extremely uncomfortable, and gripped the armrests of her chair tightly, her wide eyes darting back and forth between Maria and Chloe. Despite her efforts, her nervousness showed through; such expression of emotion that she had not shown in a long time.

Fantine returned shortly holding a tray with a pewter beer stein and a large glass jug of cold milk. She placed the stein in front of Chloe and poured some milk out for her, before retreating back into her waiting position behind Maria's wheelchair.

Chloe pondered Maria's words as carefully as she could, expressing thanks for the drink she'd been brought.

"...An artist, you say? Hm. I wonder..." Maria was overestimating the significance of Chloe's random act of murder, to be sure, but her logic was still sound. And what was she saying in front of a stranger? She wanted to take down the queen of the city? Chloe's head, not quite set to spinning, wobbled and teetered dangerously off its hinges regardless.

"I gotta wonder about your intentions, here, Lady. It's real nice and easy to say you want to rise up against those who oppress you, but you seem pretty comfortable here. Don't you have all these... toys, because of your position? Your devotion to the concept of 'order' and your political scheming?"

Chloe took a drink to anchor her thoughts. She wasn't a philosopher, but she did believe that she was being worked right now. Still better than jail, so I'll put up with it for now.

"So, say I help you take down this queen. It could be we have the same goal, if you're telling the truth. I may be stupid but I'm not a total idiot. That puts you in power, I bet. What you do at that point ain't my business and it ain't even my hobby. You can do what you want. But what's to stop me from knocking you out right afterward? That sounds like a great deal for me, like a two-for-one. But a poor deal for you. Real sad end for a budding coup, see."

Keeping his reservations about Elysium's so-called honour to himself, Kolya bowed to his Lady. As much as he would rather see such threats put down immediately, he deferred to Lady Alexandra's superior knowledge in this department; he was no politician after all. 'I have no more to report, my Lady. With your leave, I must attend to my duties.' Well, actually he didn't have much more to do today; with the tax business dealt with and the border issues passed up the chain, Kolya's card was empty... He could always hijack a patrol to pass the time, or take some troops for training, but both were the job of his direct subordinates. He bowed again, nodding respectfully to Lady Caroline as he exited the room. Fuck it, he thought flatly. I'll just go have a drink...

A quick pit stop at his flat and Kolya switched out of the pristine uniform, donning a casual shirt and jeans combination that would let him blend in with the rest of the population. He still slipped a pistol into a hidden holster, just in case. Could never be too careful, what with anarchist nutjobs and Compact agents roving the undercity... He paused for a moment at that thought, cracking a sardonic grin as he realised that for many years, he had fitted into that category. Sparking up a cigarette with an air of laziness, Kolya headed out toward the outskirts.

Despite it being the morning, there were always a lot of bars and clubs open in Aurora. As one of the few fairly safe havens in modern Germany, the city had become a hub of trade and travel, with a bustling service industry cropping up to entertain travellers. Quite aside from a hundred eateries, you could go into the darker areas of the city to find pretty much anything on sale. Kolya himself had partaken more than once, even had his favourite girls in some of the more liberal establishments; Hell, it wasn't as though he had anywhere else to blow his wages. After an hour's relaxed drink and conversation in one of the more up-market bars, he headed off in the direction of a rather seedier area, tracking through some of the quieter parts of town in pursuit of adequate... distraction. A strained voice caught his ear, coming the edge of a nearby public park. Sounded like a girl, angry, upset; most likely a magi. Normally Kolya would have averted his eyes and moved on as the city's overladies generally preferred, but something else the girl said gave him pause. Damn rodent? An Incubator? The entities responsible for creating magical girls were a mystery to normal folk, half fantasy, half urban legend; he would admit to a certain curiosity. Mindful the dangers of barging in on an emotional magi, Kolya took a seat on a park bench a respectful distance away, casually smoking while watching from the corner of one eye. He didn't recognise the girl; he knew the majority of the city's nobility well enough, but there were hundreds of lower ranked and independent magi floating about. Could be anyone.

Alice tried to read the girl's mind while she was talking on the phone but again, she could only get foggy vague results. She cursed the Incubators for giving her such a useful power yet so useless. The only thing Alice got was the girl was going to stick around the industrial sector for awhile. Alice scratched her head pondering if she should just come out of hiding. When the girl started to move, Alice continued following her, unbeknownst to the fact she was already found out.

While following the girl, Alice was trying to make a guess on why the Authority was still sticking around. The Industrial Sector is not really much of a hotspot for witch activity or anything magical. Well, a witch domain does appear once in a while but that's not something that would attract them. Alice noticed the girl talking her phone again. She was not even hiding anymore since her curiosity got the better of her and she wanted to listen clearly to what was being said.

Recon work? What for? It was then something clicked in Alice's mind. She had heard rumours of some research going on in the sector but Alice had no interest in it at all since she had no idea what the research was about. If the Authority were here, maybe it was related to that. By chance, Alice had stumbled on a mysterious lab just a few days ago. She had been wandering around looking for a new target when she had fell through a hole in the ground. It took some time for Alice to realize she was in some kind of lab after using her magic as a torchlight. She quickly returned to the surface after that as she had other matters to attend to. If the Authority is involved, maybe its something important.

Alice decided to reveal herself to this girl. If its something important, maybe she would be able to use it. She grinned to herself. Alice jumped into the air and landed in front of the blonde girl who had just finished talking on her phone. She had transformed just in case but her scythe was still in its key form hanging around her neck. She was not looking for a fight but its just a precaution. Despite Alice's poor opinion of the Authority, she acknowledges the powers of those affiliated with the group. Alice put on her best 'innocent and friendly' smile.

"Well, hello there missy. I never see you before in this parts. What's your business around here? Not to disturb the normal folks around here I hope, haha."

@SevenStormStyle

Yume's voice rang out, the Witches Barrier dispelled to allow her to be heard in the surrounding area. such a display would have earned looks from passerbyers, but given the source, most people considered it wiser to leave her alone. No one wanted to anger a magical girl, especially one in a state like this. It tended to not be conducive to ones health in the grand scheme of things.

It was always risky to expect an answer, since the Incubators were busy creatures and never really inclined to humor magical girls when they didn't have to, when it wasn't in line with their interests to do so. Yet she would get a response, as Kyubey emerged from nearby to find her there.

Hello Yume Fubuki, he said, padding over and leaping onto a small ledge, from which he could better look at her. The answer you seek should be fairly obvious. Your friend succumbed to despair, like all magical girls will eventually. You know this. Certainly he didn't display any empathy for the pain she was now experiencing, delivering straightforward and truthful answers that would most likely not satisfy.

@TrixyTrix

The other girl grinned, and hung up the phone. The smile was more out of relief then anything, for a moment she was shocked and blinded as the purple-haired youth vanished from her sight. But she'd just transformed, showing herself off in a flashy way. Violetta glared into her opponent's eyes, for a moment wondering who did her hair, it looked fabulous, but she stopped herself. If nothing else, this girl could be pumped for information before she either died or converted to her side. She laughed at her own joke. Vi didn't. She took two steps forward, to within operative range of the flame machine, and began talking.

"I'm Violetta, if you must know. I'm here doing some gruntwork for my employer. Some stuff about a hidden lab, probably one of the humans cooking up meth. You seen any meth lab explosions around these parts?" She began, trying to keep her voice casual. She glanced at her phone, and thumbed through a set of maps for the area. According to maps that had been last updated around a year ago, there was nothing in the area except factories and sewage plants. But they would say that, wouldn't they?

Maria took a glance at Eponine. She knew she would react that way now that her intentions have become clear to her, despite her apparently emotionless status. Still, that was only a matter of time before it was resolved, since she knew exactly how to convince her.

Having decided on that matter mentally, Maria focused on the rogue's response to her offer, and just like she expected, it was met with resistance.

Chloe pondered Maria's words as carefully as she could, expressing thanks for the drink she'd been brought.

"...An artist, you say? Hm. I wonder..." Maria was overestimating the significance of Chloe's random act of murder, to be sure, but her logic was still sound. And what was she saying in front of a stranger? She wanted to take down the queen of the city? Chloe's head, not quite set to spinning, wobbled and teetered dangerously off its hinges regardless.

"I gotta wonder about your intentions, here, Lady. It's real nice and easy to say you want to rise up against those who oppress you, but you seem pretty comfortable here. Don't you have all these... toys, because of your position? Your devotion to the concept of 'order' and your political scheming?"

Maria's smile turned into a sad frown. "It may seem comfortable to you, but to me, it is a never-ending torment. The government is corrupted and uncaring for its citizens, and though I try my best to manage my domain, I can't stop the law enforcement that Alexandra governs. I've seen men dragged to the streets and shot, powerless to do anything despite my status. She must be stopped, lest the city falls into despair and is consumed by a horde of witches."

"So, say I help you take down this queen. It could be we have the same goal, if you're telling the truth. I may be stupid but I'm not a total idiot. That puts you in power, I bet. What you do at that point ain't my business and it ain't even my hobby. You can do what you want. But what's to stop me from knocking you out right afterward? That sounds like a great deal for me, like a two-for-one. But a poor deal for you. Real sad end for a budding coup, see."

Now this is problematic. She is too perceptive to be fooled, and judging by her response she can't be bribed either. Well, no matter. She is already caught in my trap.

Maria dropped her cute expressions and angelic voice, and suddenly revealed her true self; that of a dark, intellectual sociopath, making it seem like she changed personality. She then spoke with a chilling voice:
"So you would prefer making an enemy of me? It would be a shame for our relationship to end on such a low note. You see, you are currently in a room with two magical girls, with a garrison of trained soldiers along with two other magical girls ready to rush in at any signs of disturbance. No matter how big your weapons are, you won't be walking out of this mansion should you refuse my offer. That would be a terrible loss for Shadow Compact."

Even if the rogue didn't show it with her facial expression, Maria could tell by the movements of her eyes that she was correct in her assumption. She let that sink in for a moment before she continued.

"Indeed. Without my assistance Shadow Compact would take years before they could muster enough resources to even attempt to overthrow Alexandra's rule. Even worse for them if you were captured, and spilled all their secrets to me. I would then purge the city of their presence, and forget this meeting even took place."

She took a sip of her tea. "So, what will it be? It's your choice."

Alice sweat-dropped and she could feel the hostility coming from the girl named Violetta. Moreover, it was only now that Alice noticed the other girl had some kind of weird contraption with her. Some kind of weapon...maybe it will be hard to keep this peaceful. Alice wondered if she had been too hasty in transforming. It was like an invitation for a fight when its between magical girls...and Alice quite enjoyed those fights as she had fun 'playing' with her opponents. She shook her head as her 'crazy side' almost came out. Alice knew just by looking at her that Violetta was not like the small fries she had faced. She needed to keep calm.

Alice crossed her arms and pretended to think about it.
"Labs? The only things I know are the numerous factories and plants you see all around the sector. Much of the noise they make sure sound like explosions to me. If you are looking for meth, I could probably find you a place they sell for cheap though I would have to bust them up since the stuff is bad, hahahaha!"
After she finished laughing at her own joke, Alice continued.
"So how about it? If you want some meth, I can find some for you."
She said that with a smile on her face however her right hand is already grasping her small scythe necklace preparing for battle.

I can just lead her to the lab...but leading her while fighting will be more fun...and I want to talk to a member of the Authority anyway and also, I want to see her abilities and that weapon of hers...

So is this your true form, then, Maria Goethe? Or is there something deeper still?

"'Fraid you've made two mistakes, Lady. The first is assuming I care about what happens to the Compact. No sense hiding it if you already know, we have a relationship of mutual manipulation. I use them because I can't be everywhere at once, and I like the way they operate, and they use me because the strength of a magical girl is no joke, as I'm sure you know.

"The second mistake is appealing to my sense of justice. I couldn't give less of a damn if the city descends into anarchy and becomes the territory of witches. Every damned human here could die for all I care. They're all garbage to begin with. You, your political struggle, the state of Aurora, Incubators, the 'law,' all of it can crumble. Me, all I want is to have fun."

She took a moment to take another sip of milk, seeming oblivious to the dark aura that had engulfed the room. The balance of power had shifted dramatically, but it wasn't like Chloe was out of bargaining chips either.

"I don't like being threatened, though I can't say I didn't see it coming. I'll take your threat as fair play. The truth is," Chloe continued as she stood out of her chair. Sitting was awkward for her when she was transformed, and standing just felt a little more natural. "I just want what's best for me, see. I won't ever be loyal to you, because I... I just can't. I'm not loyal to the Compact, or to Aurora or anybody but myself. That said, you," she said as she pointed to Maria, before shifting her hand and gaze to where Eponine was sitting, seeming a bit shaken by the ordeal, "and you. You're fun. It seems like interesting stuff might happen around you. And one day, if I go along with this charade, I might get to fight you guys fair. Maybe even kill you. I wouldn't be bored for like a week if that happens. Or maybe I'll die. Won't ever be bored again that way either."

This was a lot of talking, more than Chloe was used to doing all at once, though it was her own fault for her rambling way of speaking to others, she knew. "So... fine. Because it's interesting, I'll let you use me in whatever game you have concocted. But I won't... can't promise loyalty. I might kill you one day. Or smash up your house. Or even betray you. There's just no other option for me. You've gotta take it or leave it, Lady. But it might do you some good to discuss that with your subordinates, they might be a bit restless with the idea."

@TrixyTrix

The street instantly grew a few degrees colder, and Violetta tilted her head, curiously. Factories, as far as she she understood the term, were big houses to store even bigger machines in. Most of them should've been abandoned a long time ago as the raw materials that had to be supplied to them ran out. Unless there were such a thing as magical girl truckers, shipping and handling precious goods between places so the humans didn't whinge so much about not being fed all the time, but that seemed ridiculous to her. So who or what was exploding the factories? Magical girl fights? She brushed those thoughts aside, dismissing them as unimportant.

This girl got on her nerves, and she could tell the reverse was true, too. She was cocky, loud, and shifted her weight between her feet like she was ready to break into irish dance at any moment. Or maybe she really was ready to fight. Vi shifted her weight, and gripped at the metal rod of her flamethrower like a drawn sword. The small light at the end flicked on, and danced in the early morning chill. From a quick glance at it, Violetta read a wind speed barely over a knot. That meant lighter winds, maybe some three or four knots, the higher you rose, and with a ranged weapon like hers, wind speeds mattered. She was still wrapped in her smoke coccoon, which was still a plus. And there was a seed in her pocket, all that was left of Michelle "Cirno" McCarthy, that was still another advantage

"Nah, but thanks for the offer." She began, acting like they weren't each doing the magical girl equivalent of the showdown at high noon. "Tried it once, and it just makes you feel like you're controlling your body with a marionette. It's awful. But boss' orders are to shut it down, so i've got to do my duty like a good little government lapdog. Así es la vida."

Though Maria didn't show it on the outside, she was furious. She was outraged at the insolence of the rogue for completely defying her threats on Shadow Compact and her life and talking back to her with reckless abandon, but more than that, she was angry at herself for making a mistake like she said.

It never occurred to me that a Shadow Compact agent wouldn't have any loyalty to them. Or a sense of justice for that matter. How could I have been so blind?

Maria's rage started to take the forms of fantasies: they were about dragging her to the basement and torturing her, making her slowly bleed until the floor pooled with her blood. However, she managed to take a hold of herself once she remembered that she was actually willing to co-operate in a certain fashion, and Maria had a policy of not turning down the help of useful people, as loathsome as they could be. There was also the fact that Maria finally had a means of communication with Shadow Compact that was unknown to the rest of the Authority, which meant she now had as good chance as ever of actually achieving her objectives.
Still, she couldn't believe how little value the rogue placed on her own life or the life of anyone else, and wondered for a moment if she was actually a witch in human form, so alien did her thinking seem to her.

After a moment of sitting silent and staring at the rogue like an overweight man would look at a plate of salad, she finally spoke, in a low voice: "Take these." She called Fantine over and had her deliver two items to Chloe: a flash drive and a cellphone. She explained the items:

"The cellphone is in case I need to contact you or Shadow Compact. It only has my number listed, but you can call other numbers with it too. The second item is a flash drive: it contains important data on all the territories and personnel of Aurora City with the exception of mine or my people. It also has a list of weak points: buildings, locations and the like. Attacking these weak points is sure to destabilize the government and loosen Alexandra's grip over the city. Shadow Compact would sacrifice several magical girls to get their hands on that, so treat it with care."

She paused for a moment, and then said: "In return, I only ask for one thing: the name of the one who would stand up to me without fear."

"I don't like being threatened, though I can't say I didn't see it coming. I'll take your threat as fair play. The truth is," Chloe continued as she stood out of her chair. Sitting was awkward for her when she was transformed, and standing just felt a little more natural. "I just want what's best for me, see. I won't ever be loyal to you, because I... I just can't. I'm not loyal to the Compact, or to Aurora or anybody but myself. That said, you," she said as she pointed to Maria, before shifting her hand and gaze to where Eponine was sitting, seeming a bit shaken by the ordeal, "and you. You're fun. It seems like interesting stuff might happen around you. And one day, if I go along with this charade, I might get to fight you guys fair. Maybe even kill you. I wouldn't be bored for like a week if that happens. Or maybe I'll die. Won't ever be bored again that way either."

This was a lot of talking, more than Chloe was used to doing all at once, though it was her own fault for her rambling way of speaking to others, she knew. "So... fine. Because it's interesting, I'll let you use me in whatever game you have concocted. But I won't... can't promise loyalty. I might kill you one day. Or smash up your house. Or even betray you. There's just no other option for me. You've gotta take it or leave it, Lady. But it might do you some good to discuss that with your subordinates, they might be a bit restless with the idea."

When Chloe stood up, Eponine did the same, wordlessly grabbing her hammer in preparation for a surprise attack from Chloe. All this talk of rebellion confused Eponine, and not only was tension rising between Chloe and Maria while they negotiated, Eponine felt an increased tension between herself and Maria. But when Chloe told Maria to 'discuss her plans with her restless subordinates', Eponine retorted, falling back to her default thinking, "How dare you question my loyalty to Lady Maria?!" For Eponine, it was more of an emotional release; it was so much simpler to not have to think, to fall back on habit, on programmed behavior. Of course, Eponine would have to ask Maria about it later, but for now, Eponine took comfort in her zealotry, solidarity, loyalty, ignorance, and blindness.

After a moment of sitting silent and staring at the rogue like an overweight man would look at a plate of salad, she finally spoke, in a low voice: "Take these." She called Fantine over and had her deliver two items to Chloe: a flash drive and a cellphone. She explained the items:

She paused for a moment, and then said: "In return, I only ask for one thing: the name of the one who would stand up to me without fear."

Fantine did as commanded, while Eponine shifted from foot to foot nervously until Fantine was a good distance from Chloe. Eponine worried now more than before since Maria was actually sharing vital information with an unstable deviant, but resolved to hold her tongue until after Chloe had left. When Maria asked Chloe for her name, Eponine stared at Chloe with a look of judgment, mixed in with a slight smugness. Of course, Eponine already knew Chloe's name since she ahd told her, but Eponine wanted Chloe to say it herself as Maria had ordered. For Chloe to tell Maria to ask Eponine to tell her her name would be an act of incredible insolence that Eponine was not going to tolerate. She gripped her hammer tightly, waiting for Chloe to make that mistake and give Eponine a justifiable reason to smear her bloody corpse-paste along the estate grounds.

At the Incubator's response, Yume felt her anger be snuffed out by shame. "You are correct. Forgive my childish temper." She now spoke quietly, shifting back into her normal form. Betraying her lingering feelings, she let out a small sigh and tucked her platinum hair up under a baseball cap. This coupled with a regular shirt and pants made her appear a young boy, something that freed her from any suspicions of being magical girl when it be dangerous to be one. That's just how she liked it. "Fly under the radar and no one will hassle you." was her continual motto. It could be dangerous for a rogue like herself in this world of nobles and their subordinates, and she had no intention of making her situation worse, what with the whole "despair" thing and all.

"I'm honestly surprised to have gotten a response out of you, Kyubey." she said breezily. "Which makes me regret having wasted your time." As she started off, however, someone caught her eye. A man. Sneaking glances at her. She shuddered and turned toward him, maintaining a good distance so as not to appear threatening.

"May I help you?" She asked politely.