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AHHH EDIT WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

As everyone discussed what to do Janet and Jenna bounced ideas back and forth between one another as options were presented. There were several options to choose from but some made more sense than others. Janet making a final decision between the twins she spoke up. "I believe the simplest solution would be the best. Jenna and I can create a path to the island using barriers. That will allow us a path we can travel together. The Earth Bastion is not a bad idea either but feels like overkill to me." At the moment finding a solution was a good distraction as the two girls still felt exposed. Not that it really mattered as as they were all girls aside for Aurelio, though he apparently had eyes for Sally so that took a little pressure away from them. However they knew that not everyone shared their ideals, magically imposed or otherwise.

Jenna stepping to the water's edge she raised a hand and magic circles began to appear in sequence as they bridged the gap of the two islands. "We should be safe to cross. Please keep your hands and arms above the bridge at all times." She smiled coyly as everyone was directed to the structure. Maybe not the fastest way to travel but magical boys and girls were fast so it wouldn't be long anyhow with a stable path.

Lily, despite her outward personality of inexorable sunshine and energy, felt a bit wary about Tetrad at first. It was not because she felt that she would outright attack her or Alex; she seemed to be friends with Veronica and Samantha, and they seemed nice enough people in that regard, if a bit distant. However, she turned out to be more than meets the eye, giving out a surprisingly profound statement.
"Umm...Yeah. I'll keep that in mind..." She dug one foot into the sand, unsure how to feel about her just yet. In contrast, Chloe seemed to really like her compliments, which made the green-haired girl happy and hopeful that they could become good friends. She giggled at her demand, finding it funny.
"I sure will, Chloe!"
Betty also seemed sociable and fun to be around with; Lily would definitely want to spend more time with her as well, if possible. And so, for their short trip, she traipsed around, splashing her feet as they met the small waves on the shore, in awe of the stylish way Veronica traversed as well as ignorant of the fact that Samantha had disappeared into the jungle.

Lily frowned as she was witness to what Tetrad did to one of Alex' magical constructs, not amused by her antics. Fortunately, it was a clone, but it still hurt her heart to see such a beautiful girl flirt with someone identical to Alex. She knew she was being very stereotypical with her feelings of jealousy, and she hated herself even more for it. Even Tetrad's swift departure soon afterwards didn't help, as she only proved herself to be even better than her with powers of flight. But in that moment, as Alex admitted to not feeling anything, she looked befuddled. And then, a clone approached her.
"Huh?"

When the clone patted her head, Lily trembled, steam spilling from her ears like a whistle, and discharged an electric shock that knocked the clone back. She felt really embarrassed...But she also forgot her self-esteem
issues. The cherry on top was the sparkling barrier walkway that Alex conjured: upon reaction, she jumped up in excitement grinning from ear to ear.
"Yay! You did it, Alex! Now we can all cross to the island...Wait." She put her hand to her forehead, using it to block out the shade as she peered behind them.

"Where's Samantha? I thought she was with us." And then, she saw them; she recognized Samantha, but the other girl...Lily froze. She was hot, with luscious long locks of well-kept hair, smooth skin that seemed to sparkle in the sun, and the worst pair of offenders she had ever seen, bouncing in a bikini top too small for them. She greeted the excited girl back with a smile of her own, though she failed to match the energy: she was genuinely afraid now.
"H-Hi! I'm Lily. Are you Samantha's twin? You look nearly identical to her but...Huh."
She noticed that Samantha seemed slightly more timid than before. Of course, she understood the feeling well, being overshadowed by your super hot idol sister. She also had one in her older life.
"So you spotted her in the woods, huh. That was super lucky. You're really pretty." She then went over to Alex, and held his arm with alarming force: not enough to hurt, but close.
"A-Anyway, let's cross the island already, so Alex can save up on mana."
And so, with Lily and Alex leading the way, the party crossed the sea on a glimmering road.

---

Julia seemed unaffected by Hilaria's womanly charms, her emotionless expression fitting the spectral girl. In contrast, Jillian blinked, her pale face having gained a slight shade of red as her eyes dipped down to the bigger girl's stunning stance, transfixed.
"I-I see...You really love food, huh..." The ogling girl was promptly slapped in the back of her head by Julia, her cheeks puffed up like an irritated child.
"Staring is rude too."
"Whoops, haha! Sorry."
Jillian was then dragged away by Julia, the former looking embarrassed the rest of their trip.

Helga turned to wave a hand at the few girls who caught up to them. She gave a thumbs up to Nina and Alice, flashing them a happy smile.
"That's great to hear! We could use any help we can get." She stifled a laugh as Lupa went over to bug the stoic girl, only to purse her lips as Su reprimanded her idea.
"I do have better control of it than before, though..." She tried to excuse herself, but quickly gave up as Mika's limits were brought up. She sighed, and twirled the tip of her drill while leaning on one leg. At that moment, Hilaria was convinced by Mika, and set the board down.
"Heck yeah!" Helga cheered, and jumped to the board, placing Mika on it and keeping her in place by her hips like an attentive big sister. "Remember to bend your knees a bit, Mika. Eyes straight ahead, and keep your balance centred," she advised her, and gave a confident nod to Hilaria behind them. "Ready for liftoff, captain!"

"Jillian..." Julia pointed towards the other girls, and the ghostly twin nodded.
"Hey, Su and the spirit girl. We can help boost your magic, so the rest of us can float over to the other side-"

"BOOM!"

Hilaria kicked the board off, launching the three girls grouped up high into the air with an explosive lift.

"HOOOLYYYY CRAAAP! THIIS IIS AAAWESOOOOOOOOOME!" Helga screamed, holding on to Mika as they accelerated like a rocket. Soon after, Su and Nina, assisted by the twins channelling mental might to them to carry three each, lifted the rest of the girls with winds and spirits alike, carrying Joanna, Speedwagon, Alice, and themselves over the foaming waves of the sea.

---

Kimble blushed upon receiving the compliment from Alicia, and her tails wrapped around her legs as she slightly rocked back and forth, following her mistress' every movement once they set off in the direction of the central island.
"Mistress...Alicia..." She would whisper in a quiet voice that would only be heard by the sharpest ears, while occasionally drawing hearts in the sand.

While Sylvia was a little concerned, deep in her heart she knew not to have any doubts; her fellow sisters of battle banded together for the sake of completing the challenge. She managed to smile as even the timid newcomer to the organization, Serenity, spoke up.
"Very god, Serenity. We'll count on you as backup." She looked on as Alicia was surrounded by the girls, each of them looking up or at least respecting her suggestions on executable strategy.
I'm reminded of myself, back when I started... She would think to herself, before her attention was brought to Penny's answer. She raised an eyebrow at first, only for the other to raise as well in slight surprise; it seemed she bought the excuse.
"That is true: if something of that size is summoned next to us, there would be a risk of collateral damage."
She then nodded as Penny began floating off the ground, both hands on her hips.
"Excellent. If Penny takes Kimble, you can focus all of your magic on lifting two more, right?" She asked the catgirl, who stood up, glanced at Alicia, and saluted, having found new courage thanks to the Seraph's emboldening presence.
"Yes ma'm! I can carry Lady Sylvia and Mister Aurelio nyah problem!"

Sally giggled at Aurelio's remark, and took another sip. "You can save it, Wonder Boy~". She also saluted with her can-carrying arm, causing the liquid inside it to slightly spill up in the air...Only to end up right back in the can, down to the last drop.
"And I'll put my Wheel of Fortune magic to use so no accidents will happen in my vicinity...But that means someone's gotta carry me." She went over to Penny, and leaned in her direction, gazing at her body. She then poked her bicep.
"Looks sturdy enough. You can carry a motorcycle, right?" She picked up Kimble, who made an adorable flustered meow, and placed her to ride on Penny's shoulders. Then, she pushed herself against the monster girl in an unabashed manner. "Carry me, my knight in shining armor...Or a girl in glimmering bikini, tee hee~"

Sylvia sighed, and shook her head.
"Hmm...Maybe this wont work after all. Penny still needs to carry Tabitha, adding Sally to it would break even a metallic-ally reinforced spine." Sally then puffed her cheeks.
"You're implying I'm fat, aren't you Sylvs? I'm just big boned!" To that, Sylvia had no comment.
It was at that moment that a shimmering pathway unfolded before them, cast by the combined effort of the twins.
"Ah, Janet! Jenna! So you made a safe route for us! Excellent!" She faced the entire group, and lifted her fist into the air.

"Alright! Operation: Radiant Road shall now commence! Follow me, to the central island!"

"NYAH!"

And with that, the girls began crossing the sea.
"I knew Reinforcement magic was versatile, but to do something like this..." Sally commented out loud, now walking on her own with a big swing to her body: Summer had to actively avoid her swinging chest, lest she get knocked right off the golden bridge. "You girls are really something else!"
"Careful everyone," Sylvia ordered, as their feet soon met dry sand on the other side.
"The thicket ahead can easily hide an ambush. Be prepared for anything."
As the beacon girls got closer to the junfle, they would notice the brush up ahead started to shift. Instinctively, everyone prepared for the potential threat that lingered in the foliage. The leaves shook more and more, until Regina stumbled out.

"And on this side, we have even more water!" She looked out at the beacon girls and squinted her eyes. "And a few other familiar faces." She waved to them. "Hey guys! Reinforcement magic is pretty nifty huh?"

---

Thanks to Shannon providing a stairway, the rest of the girls successfully boarded the Ghost Ship, it's eerie sails at full mast as it swiftly sailed across the thin expanse of sea between the islands. In fact, the ride was so short that one could call it disappointing. On the flipside, they were the first to arrive on the island, and thus able to reach the very center before the others.
As the different groups ventured beyond the protective shade of the palm trees and foliage, they could not believe their eyes:





They found themselves in a tropical vacation resort unlike any other: there were pools and yacuzzis sprinkled around along waving paths that snaked around in whimsical fashion, surrounded by lush palm trees and lighted by multicolored lanterns. There were seven fancy cottages in a circle, each of them looking like they could comfortably fit five occupants at once. There were also attractions like a volleyball field on the beach, a big stage set in front of rows of benches, something resembling a shop, and even a mysterious-looking domed building, with statues siding the doors. However, the most eye-catching part of the resort was the central yard, where a big fountain was set. Before the fountain, the girls saw their objective: a simple wooden desk, the front of it helpfully plated "Help Desk." There didn't seem to be anything noteworthy about the desk at first except for a small counter bell.

The sudden appearance of a girl identical to a member of their little group instantly put Alexander on edge. 'Now I remember her; she's that girl that just came out of nowhere during the castle raid.' Having identified one of the faces with them made him feel a little more at ease, but her clone still bothered him 'But please don't let this be what I think it is.' His breathing started to speed in in a slow panic...until he felt Lily grip him tighter, and despite the immensely pleasant, almost ticklish, tingle following through his body, his mind felt clear. 'That's right; I have a girlfriend now. What was it that a boyfriend is supposed to do for his girlfriend in a horror movie again to make them feel better?' Alexander's mind began to comb through many hours of horror schlock recorded in his memory in search of an answer. Suddenly, he found it. Slipping his arm out of her grasp, he used it to lightly squeeze her next to him. Then he whispered in her ear "Don't worry; you aren't going to get replaced by a doppelganger. I'll protect you." With his girlfriend taken care of, Alexander was left to hope that the possible pod person behind them didn't hear him.

The trip was short indeed. Perhaps once they had a better idea of what was going on they could set up a proper time to sail around. Though maybe a nicer ship could be found. Nothing against the ghost ship but it wasn't exactly a luxury liner. Being one of the first groups to arrive they had a bit of time to explore the area unimpeded. The resort was extremely nice, nothing like what Shannon had expected. Not that she had really had a good idea of what had been awaiting them. Waking up in a strange place with random people was suspicious at best. If they was a trick then someone was going through a lot of effort to spoil them. A place like this must have cost a fortune.

Taking in everything didn't set off any alarms as far as could be told. So bizarre. Eager to get some answers the Earth girl made her way to the Help Desk and rang the bell. She looked back as the rest of the group followed or looked around. Boy did she hope this was what it looked like. Getting a break from fighting and a chance to relax was rarer than one would think. Many patrons had a way of pushing their charges into the next conflict on way or another. But with Paree and the others out of touch they seemingly were free of their influence for the moment.

---

Glad that the bridge option was satisfactory to the others they all crossed as a group. Splitting the load the Howell twins didn't have to expend much in the way of magic. The barrier also didn't need to be super tough since it wouldn't need to take the strain of a magical attack. Still they didn't daly making their way over. Before they could get too far in they all stopped as an intruder, or a supposed one anyway, made their way through the brush. Janet and Jenna took point ready to take the brunt of whatever came though. Taking a wide stance they probably looked somewhat silly in their bikinis. Their guard dropped almost instantly as Regina stepped into view. Letting out a sigh the two scrambled as they stood straight again. "Indeed. Takes a little thinking out of the box sometimes though." The girl blushed slightly having become aware of her appearance again.

Janet wondered a bit if there were any other groups of Beacon around, or other groups period. "Glad you could join us. Not sure if you saw the same sign as we did but we're on our way to get some answers." Now that Beacon was grouped up with another of its members they should probably get back to the issue at hand, what the hell was going on? Moving forward without rushing they would likely arrive later than most. Being an organization they had a method for doing things. So at the moment with so many unknowns precaution was the order of the day. Nothing would prepare the twins for the paradise that lay before then as they broke through the jungle. "What the... Am I dreaming?" The place was gorgeous, perfect even. Janet had never had the chance to visit a place so lavish before or after becoming a magical girl. Her internal voice was giddy with the prospect of lounging around the resort. Taking the time to have a better look though they could see others there had already arrived and others emerging from the green as they had. Friend and foe alike seemingly had been brought along. This definitely ruled out this being the Beckoners idea, unless this was some kind of test.

Well, if Amaryllis knew them they probably weren't bad people. She wasn't quite sure about some of them, but no sense in antagonizing someone for now while they were still getting their bearings. Odd that people couldn't contact their patrons though. Not that it was odd for her, being without one in the first place.

"Haaa...man why can't I just have a day without something weird happening." Rina mumbled to herself, walking aboard the boat. For the most part, she didn't approach the other magical girls. No real reason too, and she didn't feel like trying to make friends with them. "I'll be up in the crows nest." She waved back at them as she walked, heading up to the tallest point on the ship. If something bad was going to be happening, might as well be the first to see it.

Thankfully it seemed like her misgivings were wrong. The ghost ship sailed, and it sailed fast. They were quickly at the resort island. Its appearance did little to make Rina let her guard down. It was just all too convenient. Maybe she was being overly serious, but this all just was far too much of way too many good seeming things happening at once. Arriving at the help desk, one of the girls - Shanon was it, proceeded to ring the bell.

"Am I the only one who thinks this all seems way to convenient?" Rina sighed, frowning lightly. "Looks nice though." Reminded her of where she used to find the high class blue-collar criminal types. She'd much rather prefer a low brow bar or diner somewhere. Fancy places like this just weren't her style. Maybe it'd be a good relaxing vacation spot though, but she doubted it.



Connoisseur of flesh? Well that was one way to put it.

"I prefer to think of it as appreciating the beautiful things in life." Chloe replied with a smile. Vermilion Veronica, huh? Quite the grandiose name. She hadn't a clue as to what she could help her with. She doubted she could in any sense of the word. Things with the Archive were progressing nicely, so she didn't need help on that front. The only other thing she may need 'help' with was the Mint. Well, no reason to think about it too hard for now. "But hey, if by meeting me in private you mean buying me a drink, I'll take you up on that offer, heh." Wings forming once more, Chloe's magic orb spun in place atop her finger. "I'll keep ya to that. Don't go running off with another girl before me. I might get a little upset~"

Taking to the skies once more, Chloe followed the others towards the main island. It'd probably not be this easy, but - wait why were there two masochists? Lily seemed to think she was a twin. Her third eye was telling her differently. Well then.

"Heh, well, someone's into some fun stuff." Chloe only stopped next to the two, making the comment complete with a knowing chuckle just as they reached their destination. A tropical climate, a lush resort, plenty of activities - all she needed now was her dear little Penny and this might as well be as good as a honeymoon. And...were those some beacon members here? Oh how fun. Maybe they would decide to get violent and she could actually have a bit of fun, but for now she played nice and ignored them. Maybe for some dinner and entertainment later she'd mess with them. For now she was going to pester Sam and Shade for the foreseeable future. "I still think the original is cuter though."

Listening to the suggestions that everyone had as they discussed the problem of meeting this challenge left Alicia with a smile on her face. This was the sort of cooperation and teamwork that made strong, that and the trust they had in each other. "What, nobody for me to carry?" Alicia asked with some amusement as she eyed the rest of them. "I still have wings you know."

Still engaged in discussion over their course of action and what was most feasible, the entire thing was rendered a moot point as Jenna and Janet created a bridge for them using barriers to keep the ocean water from touching them. "I guess that works," she agreed. At the very least it simplified things more than the awkward aerial courier system they were coming up with beforehand.

"Thanks you two," she said to Janet and Jenna when moving on to the bridge. She wasn't sure about the name Sylvia gave to the maneuver, but it wasn't like it mattered all that much anyway. So for now she walked across with the rest of them, prepared for whatever they would find on the other side. Hopefully heeding this 'challenge' was worth it, otherwise she'd probably end up feeling a bit dumb about the whole thing.

The trip was a bit on the long side, especially with the bright sun, but Alicia kept moving with a dogged determination. She remained near Sylvia, scanning the beach ahead to see if she could discern anything more about the island that they were going to. "Kind of makes me think of Jurassic Park," she noted aloud. Maybe it was just the tropical island thing, though now she was wondering how they would actually do if they had to fight a T-Rex....

But at last they arrived on the other side, Alicia carefully stepping on to the warm beach and turning to wait for the others to join her. So far so good, but who knew what they were in for now/ She nodded as Sylvia told them to stay alert, the Seraph ready for anything or anyone, no matter how scaly. She stiffened as the bushes ahead rustled, the sound of movement coming with them.

Yet when it parted, it was just another person. It took Alicia a moment to recognize who it was, and while she knew that it wasn't a threat, she had a hard time relaxing entirely. "Oh, it's you." Odd that they hadn't started on the same island, though whoever did this probably had a reason for it.

"Well, let's see what else there is here," she said, not dwelling on the reunion for long. She'd prefer to interact with Regina as little as possible, outside of the responsibility of being a member of Beacon. It was just too soon for her to forgive and forget what had happened, different from her experience with Serenity. Maybe she would in time, but not yet.

So she led the way, moving through the trees and the greenery to emerge at what looked like some kind of resort. "Wow, didn't see this coming."

Emily was so excited to see all her different sisters in a non-violent scenario that she had decided to remain quiet for the most part. It goes without saying she wasn't particularly concerned that she couldn't contact Jonald, given how cruel he was. Instead, she thanked Shannon from saving her from losing the contest when the ghost ship arrived while splashing water around, and she did offer a 'Wow' and 'ooh' as she walked around the deck, but she was content with watching how her sisters interacted with one another. She remained this way until she reached the center island, where a gorgeous resort awaited them.

"Wow." she wasn't quite sure what to think. She'd never been to a place as beautiful as this before, and even if she had, she probably wouldn't have ever been able to enjoy it. But maybe now she could. "Ooh." the possibilities excited the fire girl. Volleyball could be a very fun way to pass the time, even if she wasn't good at it.

She gazed curiously at everything but eventually found herself drawn to the help desk, where Shannon had rung the bell and another girl questioned their situation. "I know what you mean. We don't know why we're here." Emily nodded. "But I hope things continue to be fun." she wanted to add, 'I could use a break.' but felt that to be too selfish of a thing to say.



Beaming a smile that gave the blazing hot sun a run for its money to Lily, Shade puffed her chest out in pride. "Sister? It's a bit embarrassing for an idol to be related to someone so... plain, don't you think?" Shade suddenly felt a jolt run through her body starting from her arm. Sil had, of course, pinched her in irritation. "A-anyways, yeah, that works. And I'm glad you can recognize a cute idol when you see one. You're a looker yourself! A uniform on you and you'd fit right in beside me." she encouraged, but then added, "Well, maybe behind would make more sense. I'd naturally be the center."

Spotting Alexander, she gave a sly smile. "Or maybe not. It's a tough biz, and relationships are seen as a betrayal to fans so that won't work. Though I suppose I can't blame you. He's easy on the eyes~!" she gave Lily a playful nudge, and then followed as they crossed over to the main island.

Silhouette never strayed too far from Shade, using her as a barricade against social interactions while she was vulnerable. The entire trot over to the main island was a quiet one for her, but Shade hummed a tune as they neared the place, obviously excited to see what was in store for them. She stared in awe at the place they wound up, but did not have much time to gawk. Shade did nothing to prevent Chloe from rousing rosey red cheeks from the assassin. Sil tucked herself even further behind Shade, grumbling something inaudible.

_{"S-shut up, p-p-p-p-penis face...!"}

Despite being summoned to deal with any interactions, Shade didn't seem too interested in shielding her 'sister' from Chloe. "No reason to be ashamed, because cuteness should be spread as gospel." she told Sil in an attempt to encourage her to come out of her shell. It did not work, however, and Sil merely tried to give a defiant expression, which fell apart rather pathetically. Shade sighed. "In any case, if even 'Coffee Girl Chloe' thinks you're cute, you should really be hap--EEEEE"

Shade felt another, stronger pinch this time. "AH! I was just teasing~" Sil was pouting from behind Shade. "Anywhoo~" ignoring the irritated Sil, Shade faced Chloe, sizing her up. "You..." her eyes narrowed at the girl. "...you're just plain adorable in that! It looks so cute and innocent~! And to think that Sil here only cared about your coffee! Oh, how I'd adore the chance to get a picture with you! Grumpy butt here wou---EEEEEEEEE"

This pinching thing was beginning to look like it was going to be a common thing throughout the trip.

The cruise had been short. So short that honestly, Amaryllis wondered if she could have just jumped the distance after all. But no, that’d be dangerous in its own way. After all, what would she do if the wind pressure caused her to have a wardrobe malfunction?

Probably cry and then drown in the salty depths rather than face the humiliation of seeing everyone else’s reactions to her spontaneous exhibitionism.

Still, no Patrons allowed? That was certainly more pleasant than she had expected. After months of having to share her mind and body with something else, it was almost liberating to have silence ring out in her mind. She could just…not think of anything. Wow. How novel it was, turning off her brain. Maybe this wasn’t so bad aft-

No, that was complacency. Just because this beautifully luxurious private island resort may be some divine gift to Magical Girls, allowing them respite from the demands of their Patrons did not mean that Amaryllis could afford to just stay here and do nothing. Shannon was checking out the desk and Emily was accompanying her. She got the feeling too, that the nameless trio with the one guy in the group, was way more competent and deep-thinking than herself, but she definitely just felt…nervous, not doing anything. Too much energy to burn, too many nerves despite the beauty of the place.

She bit the inside of her mouth. Usually, her Patron would be the one chastising her for indecision, but now she’d have to do it herself.

Coiling her legs, Amaryllis jumped up, sailing high into the air before latching onto the top of a palm tree. With grace that was almost akin to an educated pole dancer, she scanned the horizons, amethyst eyes flickering from one point to the other. So vast, so open, so empty.

“Looks like no one else is here,” Amaryllis called down to the others, “Like, totally definitely don’t even see random custodians around, so it’s pretty empty. But, uh, there’s definitely a lotta other islands surrounding this one. Figure we’re not the only ones. So…”

What, was this going to be a battle royale?

Veronica didn’t give Chloe any hints, or otherwise speak to her further. Not that she seemed interested in hanging around anyway. She had run off to play with Silhouette and her doppelganger. With no one else bothering her, Veronica looked ahead and continued to march across the water. As soon as she got to land, she dumped the PI agents she was carrying at the edge of the beach. Veronica had completed the challenge for them, and wasn’t going to move them an inch further.

“How aggravating.” Veronica wasn’t expecting to get to the island first, but between her companions need to socialize and Lily’s insistence on dragging the Pi agents along, it seemed that the island was already crawling with magical girls. She should have just fled as soon as she woke up. Then she would at least have had an idea what this place was before they started crawling all over it like some damn playground.

But maybe that was okay. Veronica noticed Amaryllis Evenings standing on top of a palm tree like some monkey. Perhaps not quite like a monkey, but Veronica liked the comparison anyway. @ERode

The shadow Veronica’s seat was resting on telescoped into the air, putting Veronica level with the rose knight.

“So it is you.” Veronica folded one leg over the other. “Small world I suppose. Regardless, we may have met at an opportune time.” She folded her hands together and sat up. “Have you formed many alliances since we last spoke?” Veronica’s eyes flicked down to Amaryllis’s breasts before shooting back up to her face. “I get the impression you’ll form a lot more in your time here.”

---

There was no curse word strong enough to describe the dismay on Su’s face. She was eager to get to the island before Helga and Mika landed, but it was evident that with everyone she was trying to move by wind, that wasn’t going to happen.

”What the hell were they thinking!?”

Of course, they were still under the impression this was all one big vacation. It might have been, but this didn’t really feel like Boteg’s style. He certainly wouldn’t have sent everyone else to the same resort. Su was pretty sure she never saw half of these people, and she was willing to wager nobody else had either. She’d have to talk to them when she got closer to land.

Su lowered everyone she was carrying at the edge of the beach. ”That worked out pretty well.” She looked at the ghost twins. ”You’re pretty handy to have around.” Su was about to enter the resort when she noticed the massive ship floating over it. ”Wha-” She ducked behind some foliage. ”Now I know Boteg didn’t set this up.” She looked at the others. ”I uh, don't think it's a good idea to venture ahead. Call it really good intuition.”

---

Mika did not get to fly very often. It wasn’t a viable combat option for her most of the time, and there wasn’t a lot she could do with just a few seconds a flight. The closest she got to flight was when she helped Lupa get a pair of wings and then they flew together. But it was always kind of slow due to the fact that Lupa wasn’t as aerodynamic when she was holding onto Mika. But this? This right here? Was the bee’s knees. Mika needed to give herself a pair of make shift goggles to prevent her eyes from drying out. This wasn’t all that hard for her. Aligators have a special third eyelid that is mostly transparent. This allows them to hunt in water without getting debris in their eyes. Mika theorized it would work just as well during a high speed dive. There was just one problem.

How were they going to stop?

The temptation was to crash into one of those small bodies of water. Water was softer than ground, she reasoned. But the problem there was that they would fail the challenge. They needed some way to reduce speed gradually. Mika’s eyes skimmed over the island, but didn’t see anything . She’d have to rely on her magic. But what animal to use? At this speed, she didn’t dare open her wings. She tried to break a fall doing that before and it didn’t end so well. But she wasn’t limited to just beast magic anymore.

“Alright Helga! Brace for it!” Fortunately, Helga was one of the most durable magical girls Mika knew, and was also big enough that she would probably take the brunt of what Mika was about to do. She extended her arms over her head and created a barrier. It was stationary, so Helga broke through it instantly, slowing up a bit in the process. But Mika didn’t stop making these barriers. She made another, and another, each one slowing them down a bit at a time. “We’re almost there!” Mika had managed to diminish their speed considerably, but it was only a matter of time before the two of them slammed into the top of the pirate ship and bounced away from each other. “Gah!” Mika eyes rolled around in her head. “I’m not sure if it’s stars or birds that I’m seeing!”

Penny didn’t flinch at Sally’s first touch, though she was thankful for the impressive illusion that was placed on her, and when Kimble got placed on her shoulders the only thing that happened was is that Penny went very still. It was when the lucky girl leaned up against her however that she flinched badly and quickly moved away from Sally.

“Don’t. Do that.” Penny would say flatly, hoping her eyes hadn’t started glowing. Had she not been carrying Tabitha Penny’s reaction would have been much more along the lines of an active assault, as the illusion worked both ways.

But Sally had been lucky.

Penny cut off her thrusters and chose to walk across the glowing platform that Janet and Jenna had conjured, using the steady feeling of walking to push down the feeling of static under her skin. She made sure to keep an arm’s length between her any nearly everyone else. The only person she didn’t keep the self-imposed distance from was Alicia, and she didn’t care how obvious she was being about it.

“Hey Regina” Penny would greet the newest member of Beacon’s forces. She had always tried to be nice to the new girl, as she didn’t really have any issues with Regina. She understood that Elroy was in there in some capacity, but having never met the female side of the twin soul it was easy not to let that grudge bleed over. To say nothing of Penny’s understanding of being ostracized within Beacon.

She was perhaps the only one who didn’t drop into a defensive stance when the bushes rustled, once again because she was carrying someone else, and the only easy to do such would have been to drop Tabitha.

Following along with the group Penny let out a low whistle at the sight of the resort they had found themselves at. It was quite the ritzy place, a true tropical paradise. That fact did nothing but raise suspicion within Penny as it made her think of the Lotus Eaters far too much for her comfort. Still she was quick to break off from the rest of the Beacon members.
“Going to go set Tabitha down in that Pavilion” she would mention to the group at large as she walked away, taking little time in accomplishing her task.

Afterward she would hop on top of the building and take a look around, making good use out of her vision magnification as she did, before she let out a sigh. There were a lot of other magical girl here, and Penny recognized quite a few of them.

“This is going to be complicated” she muttered to herself as she continued her surveyance. Lots of people from all walks of the Community were here and Penny had some connection to most of them. It begged the question as to why all of them had been brought here, and Penny wasn’t sure she was going to like the answer.

---

‘Now that is adorable’ Aurelio would muse to himself and the light hearted crush that Kimble had going for her. Her soft muttering and subtle drawings had not gone unnoticed by the acutely aware magician and he would not be ashamed to admit that he was toying around with the idea of playing match maker with the two of them. He just needed to make sure that was Alicia’s preference first.

Due to those wondering thoughts he was once again was caught off guard by the sudden surge of emotion that came from Penny. A potent cocktail of Fear, Disgust and Rage roared into existence strong enough that none of the Aurelio’s could help but snap their attention at Penny.

For a moment they all worried that Sally was going to be attacked, and once again they couldn’t help but wonder what caused such a violent emotional reaction from the normally laid back girl. Hell if it wasn’t for the fact they could actually feel her emotions they wouldn’t have really noticed much out of place, as Penny had one hell of a poker face.

”Seems we still got a bridge anyway” One of them would speak up pulling the attention away from Penny, just as the bridge popped into view.

The many hims kept a running conversation on the walk over, with themselves, about the stage magic show they were planning on throwing. Mostly to keep attention off Penny, Janet, and Jenna, as they could tell none of them wanted any more attention and partly to fill the silence.

“Hey there” Aurelio’s would greet Regina kindly, though it was somewhat hollow. While he didn’t condone any of the repugnant actions done towards the new girl, Aurelio did not have fond feelings toward the newcomer. Her prior actions left a mark that was impossible for him to miss as an empath.

Still he would stick to his Vow, and treat her with kindness. He just wouldn’t go out of his way to show it to her.

“I think I see the help desk” he would say pointing towards the small desk after they had all given the place a look over. “Shall we go give it a ring and get some answers?” he asked rhetorically as he started off towards their goal.

_{Each banner is a link to the swimsuit image}



Mariette spent a while using portals to examine the different islands, disguised somewhat by Eli’s Darkness magic. It wasn’t the most optimal of scouting techniques, as anyone with Third Eye could still detect their magic and Third Eye was a bit too common for Mariette’s tastes, but given the circumstances they were in it was something they’d simply have to accept.

Eventually, the scanning was done and a message was given to the forces on the island they had started on, before Mariette emerged from a portal on a currently unoccupied part of the main island. So, it was a tropical paradise, pretty much, and more people were arriving…

‘It could be a trap, of some kind. Draw everyone to the main island… but if they wished any harm upon us they could have done that without drawing us from one island to another,’ Eli analyzed, gazing around with her own Third Eye. ‘My Third Eye isn’t giving me any clues, and we’ve already searched mostly everywhere. Mistress, what do we do?’ Eli asked, looking over at Mariette.

‘…’ Mariette stared silently down into one of the pools available. So… people enjoyed soaking themselves in these pools for their own pleasure, did they? This was what people thought of when they thought “luxury”...

‘… Mistress?’ Eli asked, tilting her head.

‘… Let’s take a bath,’ Mariette declared, to Eli’s surprise, the reflective witch putting Bunny to the side so that she could lower herself gently down into the water, letting the fluids swirl around her body and embrace her. It was… comfortably warm… Mariette blushed a little as she got her shoulders under the water, staring down at her own reflection. Eli looked down at her, and gave a little smile.

‘As you wish, Mistress,’ Eli simply said, and then gently put her slime body down into the water as well, controlling her body to ensure her body didn’t disperse in the bath. Then, it was Mariette and Eli in a pool, silently enjoying a warm bath on a tropical paradise.

‘This… is nice,’ Mariette silently stated.

‘Yes, yes it is, Mistress,’ Eli replied, still smiling.

---

‘A challenge to get to the center island without getting wet?’ Victoria asked, with one raised eyebrow.


‘Hey, are we five already disqualified then? We already bathed!’ Suzette asked with a grin, meaning herself, Ronja, Taihei, Josefin and Lea.


‘I-I’m sure they’re nice enough to only count it if we get wet while trying to complete the challenge!’ Josefin said, eyes wide and slightly panicking.


‘Wouldn’t count on it,’ Taihei said, gazing away for the moment.


‘Hmpf. How childish,’ Lea shook her head a bit. She then took off into the skies with Wind-magic, crossing the waters on her own towards the main island.


‘Regardless. Have we decided we’re crossing?’ Freya asked, looking about at the present individuals.


‘Yeah! All the fun is gathering at the main island, and I want to be there!’ Mayra called out, eyes wide and excited.

‘Alright. As sub-commander, I then declare. Ronja, Suzette and me will be one group, the group the people of Penrose already know are hostile,’ Freya said.


‘Only a portion of them~’ Ronja said, the spider-girl giving a little playful smile.

‘Others already know Victoria, Jelena and Mayra know each other. Tullia, I’m assigning you to look after the three of them,’ Freya continues, looking over at the named group.


‘Me?’ Tullia asked in surprise. She quickly regained her cool. ‘Alright. I’ll do my best.’


‘What? We don’t need looking after!’ Jelena complained with a frown.

‘Yes, we do,’ Victoria said with a shrug, getting Jelena to glare at her.

‘Ahahahahaha! This is going to be so much fun!’ Mayra called, jumping on the spot.

‘Taihei, Josefin, you’re a group, because…’ Freya started, looking over at the two.

‘Because only I am lucky enough to survive being paired with Taihei,’ Josefin nodded, still looking a bit scared.

‘Let’s go, then,’ Taihei grabbed Josefin’s hand, making the girl flinch a bit, before both of them rose from the ground and flew by some unseen method over the waters.

Of course, various spontaneous mini-tsunamis and underwater geysers tried to wet the two on the way, but Taihei’s significant magical protection guarded them. Then a whale emerged trying to splash them on the way up, and then down. Then an octopus managed to grab Taihei's foot while she was defending against the whale's droplets. Realizing she had already gotten wet from the octopus tentacle, Taihei grabbed and threw Josefin safely ashore while Taihei was pulled into the depths by the octopus. Josefin was like ‘Taihei, nooooooooo’ and grieving for the comrade that sacrificed herself so Josefin could get ashore dry. Then there was something like a depth charge going off, and pieces of octopus drifted to the surface while Taihei climbed ashore at the beach to a Josefin that promptly hugged her.

‘And I guess I’ll be lifting you~’ Suzette said, letting yellow magical energy flow out and surround Ronja. ‘I only have around enough emotional energy inclined towards flight to get there once, but that’ll do, won’t it?’ Suzette declared with a smile.

‘Mm. Yeah, it’ll do,’ Ronja said, before the two of them lifted up, and took a detour to not look like they came from the same place. They'd arrive without complication.

‘Wait, how are we crossing, then?’ Jelena asked, frowning.

‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll find some way,’ Freya said, gazing towards the central island.

‘Sounds like you have a way already,’ Victoria commented, looking at their monster sub-commander.

‘Yeah. While this distance would be too far for basically any magical girl to jump…’ Freya told, crouching into a prepared position. ‘I’m not any magical girl,’

And with that, Freya thrust down with her legs and bolted off into the skyline with an absurd jump that sent a slight shock-wave over the four that remained. A small dot that was Freya could be seen in the sky for a moment, before she fell down towards the main island… only to splash down into the shallow waters a few meters shy of the shore. Because no magical girl can jump the gap. A blank-faced and freshly bathed Freya walked up on the shore, stretching for a moment due to feeling the impact of hitting the water. She then look around herself to see what was around her. She wasn’t going to socialize with anyone just yet unless they came and talked to her first.

‘Hahahaha! That was awesome! That’s an awesome jump! She didn't make it, but she’s sure stronger than I am!’ Mayra called with a laugh. ‘I wanna wrestle her!’

‘Don’t, you’ll lose. … Unless you use your flames, of course. You don’t get Freya’s kind of strength while retaining magical prowess…’ Jelena said with a sigh, then looked across the waters. ‘But now I’m really curious as to how the four of us remaining will cross.’

Tullia and Victoria exchanged a look, Tullia transferring the plan with no need for spoken words, and Victoria smirked.

‘Stand back, me and my partner has this covered,’ Victoria said, a touch of pride in her voice.

‘Oh?’ ‘Oh-hoh!?’ the metal girl and the dragon girl made noises of interest, and Tullia nodded to Victoria. Then, Tullia called forth her staff, and…

‘By the power of the Bifrost!’

‘Freeze solid!’ Victoria called out after Tullia, and the two ice-girls sent forth a powerful directed freezing beam which was directed directly down into the ocean. It froze the outer layer of the water, even building walls to the left and right to prevent splashing water from getting over and splashing those trying to cross the bridge.

‘Follow us! This is a continuous operation, we’ll need to continue freezing until we’ve reached the other side!’ Tullia called, starting to walk, staff and beam maintained before her.

‘Yeah, gotta maintain the spell so it doesn’t melt beneath your feet~!’ Victoria said with a grin, following Tullia, freezing any water that was about to overcome their barriers.

‘Well, suppose that works,’ Jelena stated, putting her arms behind her head and walking onwards over the ice bridge, then almost slipping and using her metal magic to put spikes under her feet and then continuing.

‘Hahahahaha! We’ll get to the island dead last!’ Mayra laughed, but yet happily started walking along the ice bridge they were creating, and would arrive sooner or later.

---

Strange. Exceedingly strange, thought the tiny girl that ran about inside the little house she had been placed inside. Her patron was gone, he hadn’t been taken along with her, but she herself had woken up here along most of her stuff and some additional things that she hadn’t had before this, and then this strange creature appeared before her and told her that a bunch of customers were going to arrive. Well. Better just get her shop ready to open! Not the way she had imagined her grand opening day, but HEY! She was nothing if not adaptable!

‘OKAY! Brittany’s Bewitched Beach Boutique is ready to roll!’ Brittany announced, holding a bat out over the register into the store, which was for some reason placed in the middle of a tropical paradise. Also, Brittany was in a swimsuit and a fancy hat. Which was curious, but Brittany wasn’t about to pay it any additional mind!





With that, Brittany ran over and turned the sign at the entrance from “Closed” to “Open”.

_{Though, you might want to wait for Ari’s next post before you visit.}

---

Meanwhile. On island 3.

As the main party sailed away on a ghost ship, a single girl stepped out from the palm trees. A tall girl with long brown hair and glasses.

She looked around in slight confusion through her bespectacled eyes, having found herself in a swimsuit like everyone else.




Finding that the rest had left her behind not knowing she existed, she looked for anyone else.

_{<This list says that Katelyn should still be on this island? She can totally wake up finding this girl standing studying her curiously>}

Otherwise, she noticed the sign with the challenge to get to the main island without getting wet.

She didn’t have any powers to get over that distance on her own.

That is, unless she…

She wandered in among the palm trees and started touching them.

The trees started to bend, crack, take new shapes, build themselves into…

Those who looked in that direction could suddenly see that the trees on the island of group 3 was shaping themselves into a giant palm-tree trebuchet.

"I-I guess it would be, yeah..." Lily sounded a bit defeated upon hearing Shade echo her very own thoughts, only for her to blink at the compliment she afterwards gave. The truth was, Lily did have a pop star for an older sister in her previous life. Because someone shy like her lived for so long in someone else's shadow, and unable to rise up to the expectations set by her sibling's example, was doomed to obscurity. However, Shade's following comment helped snap her out of her traumatic experiences.

"You really think so?" Even though Lily still felt sheepish about Shade's enthusiasm, she nonetheless felt a bit better, even if her hopes were dashed afterwards.
"Oh wow. That's kind of harsh."
She felt Alex's arm taking hold of her, and she gasped as she was pulled closer, looking surprised at the promise he made. Despite the strange reason for it, she blushed, finding her heart aflutter at the promise.
"I-I'm counting on you, Alex. And uhh...If you start doing weird stuff, I'll fry you with a million volts." She winked.
"If you're the Alex I know, you'll walk it off~" She giggled afterwards, showing that she wasn't actually serious.
Whenever she was with Alex, all her worries and anxiety seemed to melt away like ice cream...

"I want a popsicle."

---

"AHHHHH! It's so beautiful! Oooh, what's that? And that! Wow, a flying pirate ship!"
Upon arriving at the resort, Lily vocalized her wonder while running around the place, no longer holding Alex' arm. Instead, she dragged him by his hand with a half-run down a snaking path, causing him to nearly fall into a pool at a sudden sharp turn.
"Whoops, sorry! I got distracted by all this shiny! Oh, look Alex! There's other girls down there! AHH, is that Shannon!? OH MY IXION! HIII!" She released him to run right up to Shannon; the girl had just managed to turn before she was glomped by her enthusiastic friend.
"It's great to see you, Shannon! This is the goal, right? Did you get here first? You look really cute by the way!" She had once again entered rapid-fire words mode. She turned to greet the others, only for hr eyes to widen in shock.

"Hi, I'm-AAAH!"

---

Helga knew the risk involved in taking a boogie board and flying it over the sea like a rocket, yet the true implications only hit her once she had to close her eyes from the sheer speed of the wind, not to mention the fact they were starting to lose altitude; they were going to crash, and hard. Even though the both of them were magical girls and could take some punishment, the speed they were going at would deal serious damage. However, Mika seemed to be prepared, and at that moment, she would trust in her; after all, she was the one who could navigate the board.

"Get behind me, Mika!" Still holding onto her, she turned the both of them around, and took the first barrier with her back; just like she had assumed, her bikini provided as much protection as her regular uniform, and the durable girl afterwards turned to face the barriers head on, still holding on to Mika's side behind her with one hand. "Here we goooo!" She turned her hand into a claw, complete with the palm-mounted sound cannon, charging it up. She measured the distance based on the creaking sound of the ghost ship, and after the very last barrier blasted forward with the cannon, contributing to breaking their fall by a bit before the two hit the sails of the ship.

Mika managed to bounce off the sail, spinning a bit before she landed feet and hands first in the sand like a cat. Meanwhile, Helga ripped straight through the sail, and with a loud crack of wood, hit the deck of the ship. As the dust settled, the others could only see her legs and butt wiggling up from the hole she had created, yelling with a muffled sound. Fortunately Su arrived son after, and helped pull her back up; she looked frightened, and held her shoulders with a shudder.
"That place...It was spooky. And I've seen spooky."

Helga was the most quiet out of their entire group as they arrived at the resort, still unnerved by what she saw inside the ghost ship. But even so, she looked awestruck at the beauty and splendor. She nodded. "You're right, Su; this place looks way too good to be true. So what's the catch, we're forced into a killing game? Sounds trashy enough to happen. Lots of other girls though: probably came from other islands." But then, she saw something absurd happening at the central fountain.
"Oh. You've gotta be kidding me."

---

Sylvia smiled as Regina greeted them, and glanced at the others, looking a bit disappointed with the somewhat cold treatment the others showed her, including Sally who looked a bit awkward before walking past them, and even Kimble who quietly followed after Alicia. "I know it may sound facetious, but I am sincerely glad you're here, Regina. We don't know what may face us in there, but we will face it together. We are meant to trust in each other, and so I will trust in you." And with that, she continued walking, hoping to show a good example to the others.

"Nya-nya! So many colors." Kimble's eyes seemed to sparkle as she watched the lanterns floating about, seeming to gather around the ghost ship that loomed above it. "Well this is a tourist trap!" Sally exclaimed, and pulled Aurelio in with one arm, causing his cheek to press up against her round torso.
"Now where's the casino? I'm feeling like a rabbit's foot!"
"...That's not how the saying goes," Sylvia replied, before she noticed the strange happening at the fountain.
"Huh? Is that a...Plushie?"

---

"Hello there! How can I help you?" A high-pitched, cartoony voice suddenly came out from the desk. Tabitha wake up with a gasp, and looked around, wriggling her towel-wrapped body like a caterpillar. "H-Huh? What was that noise?" Then, as if on cue, sparkles appeared, and a strange creature suddenly sat on the desk.

"Uhh..." Lily was not sure what she was looking at: it resembled a Puchuu, but it clearly wasn't one. Anyone with Third Eye would see that the creature possessed a vast amount of magic.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself, right? I'm Dan, your vacation organizer!"





"Vacation...Organizer?" Helga approached the creature. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The tiny dolphin shook his head. "No sirree, ma'm! Even though I love to tell jokes, I really am your vacation organizer. Whether it's parties, festivals or jamborees, I'm your guy!"

"Dan? Like Dan the Dolphin?" Kimble asked, to which Dan nodded enthusiastically.
Sylvia's eye seemed to twitch. "This isn't a vacation. You trapped us here, didn't you? Did you really think you could get away with kidnapping members of Beacon?" Tabitha managed to pull herself out of the towels, only to blush and immediately wrap her upper body with it. "N-Not to mention putting us in these s-shameful swimsuits! You lecherous, perverted mammal!" Sally summoned a Shamrock Shooter, and aimed at the dolphin with a surprisingly wicked smirk. "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do you, punk?"

The dolphin shook his head wildly, and a big sweat drop appeared on his forehead. "No no no! I didn't do any of that, I swear! I'm just here to make sure everyone has a fun vacation!" The dolphin stood up on its tail, and began strumming a little song with his miniature flute. "That's my job, after all. Also, I'm here to make sure nobody breaks the rules."

Helga's teeth turned sharp as she gritted them. "I knew it! You're gonna make us kill each other! Just like in Battle Royale!" Lily gasped, and went behind Alex. Once again the dolphin shook his head. "What!? Why would I do something so trashy? I swear, you kids have been playing too much Fortnite! It's a bad influence." He made a big sigh, and hopped down from the desk. "Okay, okay...okay. I know this is strange, but you should relax, and not worry. The first rule is no fighting. We can't have a fun vacation if everybody starts running around swinging swords and shooting guns, or breaking stuff. Being a bully is a big no-no. However, if you realy need to vent some steam, you can do so at the Arena." Sally squinted, but upon glancing at Sylvia nodding sharply, she un-summoned her weapon. "The second rule is to not discriminate. Some of you may not like each other, but you need to face those differences and see past them. The third rule is-"

"How can we get out of here?" Lily suddenly interjected, looking a bit defiant as she stepped next to Alex.
"I'm still confused about that. It really seems like I'm trapped."

The dolphin nodded understandingly. "Yes, I was about to get to that. You should just relax and take it easy, okay? It was my boss' idea to have you girls stay here for a little bit."

"And how much is 'a little bit'?" Sylvia crossed her arms. Dan sighed, and seemed to perk up. "Just enough that you'll feel nice and refreshed once you get back." He looked at the others, who were clearly not convinced, and seemed to accept it with a smile. "Alright, time for me to announce the winners, who are..." He took out a small envelope from seemingly nowhere. "...Everyone present! Well, except for Taihei and Freya. It was a good effort though, so everyone applause for them." He clapped with his tiny fins, and his face scrunched up as only Lily joined him, making a few awkward claps before stopping. "...Okay. Well then, your reward for beating the challenge is...Tadah! You can get non-magical items such as sunblock, sunglasses, parasols, and more, completely free! Yay!" Lily gasped in surprise, and hugged Alex enthusiastically, while Helga bumped fists with Mika and Sylvia nodded with her hands on her hips. "The items are given out at the Beach Boutique, right over there." He pointed towards the building. "You can also rent vehicles like jet-skis and buy magical items. For more details, please ask the shopkeeper." Sally seemed to be excited, and looked at Aurelio with a glint in her eye.

Dan clapped his fins. "Now then, time to start the tour! Everyone, follow me!" And with that, Dan began flopping down the paved road...He was small, so he didn't make much headway. "Hey, I know!" Dan then hopped up into Tabitha's arms, causing her to shriek and drop him. "Ahh, don't come near me!" Dan ended up face down on the ground. "Ouch...I guess I'm not as huggable as my boss said. Being rejected by a cute girl...This is sad." Helga groaned and picked her up. "Alright, squeaky toy. Now lead the way; I'm tired of listening to your grating voice." Dan squeaked like a dolphin. "Alright, let's go!"

Dan first showed off the beach, where a big volleyball net was strung up. "Here at Isla Paradiso, we give out a participation reward for entering any of our local events and competitions without forfeiting. And for winners, there's a smaller prize, too. For sports events like volleyball, football and surfing, the participation reward is a Bronze coin." Next, he showed the stage. "Here, you can earn a silver for participating in a stageshow. Whether it's a poem recital, a magic show, or even an idol performance, everyone can be in the spotlight." Lily leaned her head with a concerned look.
"But, what about all the other stuff like lighting and costumes? And...I'd need to practice a lot." Dan smiled. "Not to worry! As long as you have a song you want to perform in your heart, the magic of the stage handles the rest: you can get the perfect lighting, costumes, and an illusory background, and even magical cue cards invisible to the audience, so you can sing any line with perfect timing."
Lily was stunned into silence, and looked at Alex.
"Alex...Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Then Dan went over to show one of the cottages. "The cottages have air conditioning and magically regenerating catering and room service, so you can relax as much as you please. Oh, here's the main attraction!" He led the girls to the domed building: there were two statues of girls in competitive swimsuits swinging their hips at each other. "This is the Arena, where you can compete in various unique events." The lobby was a strange one, with seating facing multiple television screens, and stone archways set against the walls filled with swirling mist and light: anybody familiar with Crash Bandicoot would notice it resembled a warp room. "For example, you can equip yourselves with water guns, and enter a squirt gun war in a closed environment, where being soaked means getting owned!" Nobody, even Kimble who hissed a tiny bit, seemed to like the 'radical' line he spoke.

"Okay, fine. Squirt gun war is a silver in participation reward. But, for the ultimate reward of a gold coin, you can participate in the most glorious sport..." Dan's eyes seemed to slightly water. "...Keijo."
Helga scratched her head. "What's Keijo?" Dan crossed his fins, and stood up on his tail. "Keijo is a glorious art from the far east, where two or more combatants are placed on a Land, a platform floating in a pool of water. The goal is to either knock your opponent into the pool, or pin them down for a three-count. HOWEVER," he dramatically paused. "There is one important rule: you can only touch your opponent with your chest," he demonstrated by placing his fins on his front, "Or your rear." Then he placed his fins behind him. Tabitha had to fan her face as she blushed hard, and Sylvia simply shook her head. "Hips can make non-prolonged contact, but otherwise any other bodypart can't be used to touch the opponent. Oh, and another rule: you can't use magic to directly attack or hinder your opponent. However, applying magic on yourself is fine. Almost forgot the final rule: to encourage getting to make new friends, you are only allowed to form teams with people who started on other islands. Participating alone is not affected by this rule. Now then, enjoy yourselves, and have fun!"

Lily looked flabbergasted, but then nodded, looking determined as she took Alex' hand.
"I think...I'm going to try and sing." Helga placed a hand on her hip, clearly deep in thought as she looked at the still images of Dan performing butt tackles and hip swings on the screen. Sylvia on the other hand scoffed. "Well, I suppose we are not in imminent danger after all. This is our chance to take a break and recover, so we're prepared for a possible change in the situation. We'll meet at the fountain by sundown. Dismissed." Sally took Aurelio, and began dragging him away. "I want to visit the shop, Aurelio. You'll take me there, right? And then we'll go on our double date, right Lily?" Lily nodded, feeling like she could make some wonderful memories here. The stage was now set...A vacation unlike any other.

The talking dolphin failed to completely dispel his worries, but there was very few things that could, so he didn't let it bother him too much. The fact that they didn't direct answer to the 'how long are we going to be here?' question was a little unnerving though. On top of that, they still didn't know who was responsible for all of this. Sure, the dolphin said he was in charge of this place, but he also mentioned that he had a boss. 'If this really is on the level, then why didn't we get a heads up? And why did we get brought here in our sleep?' he wondered to himself 'That's the part that really has me bothered; we didn't get any say in this. What if any of us hated the beach, or couldn't come for some other reason?' His mind suddenly turned the the Arena the dolphin mentioned, and some very dark thoughts flashed in his mind '...could it be?'

"Alex...Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Lily's voice pulled him out of his musings, and he briefly pondered the idea of Lily of all people, having the train of thought that he was "For your sake, I really hope not." That did manage to remind him of something though; if this really was on the level, then it had to go perfect. While he wasn't too worked up about about wasting his own vacation, the idea of a crying Lily was something he wished he could purge from his mind 'I'm still not used to that'. So while his survival instincts yelled at him to find somewhere to hide out, or to grab the dolphin and force the answers out of him, he stuffed that voice in a bottle and buried it deep inside of him. He had to at least try to make this vacation wonderful, Lily deserved that much.

"I think...I'm going to try and sing." Lily spoke up again as she took his hand.

"I didn't know you sang" Alexander remarked as some girl dragged away that one guy with emotion magic 'Dammit, what was his name again?' However, in an attempt to lessen his anxiety, he allowed his Beast magic to flow through his body. His hair grew and two ears popped up, and he felt his senses expand 'There, that should be better' He allowed himself to relax a bit as he suddenly felt much more aware of his surroundings "Well, I've never been to the beach before, and I sure as hell haven't been on a date before, so I'll just follow your lead on this Lily." he told her

Amaryllis blinked, a bit taken back by this blondie's sudden appearance. Hair like that, eyes like that, it all felt very familiar, but it also wasn't a stretch to say that Amaryllis had met way too many people in the last couple of weeks. The buxom bikini babe wasn't wholly certain if this was someone who was actually familiar, or just shared too many physical traits with other people who were familiar. Ugh, but it'd be super awkward to just admit to her that she had no clue at all as to who this woman was. Alliances...last spoke...a vague image, distorted by the lack of less-physically-endowed-Amaryllis shifted in the swordbearer's mind, but...was there a name? There may have been a name. Wait, and there was Mint as well? She had the vague sense that the scarlet-eyed lady in the vermillion swimsuit was somehow important, but then...

"Uh...yes," Amaryllis ended up saying, no longer willing to let this crushingly awkward silence persist, "So it is you...too. Less of a small world, maybe, and more of just...small Penrose? And, uh..."

She blushed, noticing where the strange lady's eyes were directed, but with one hand used to hang onto the palm tree, Amaryllis's remaining hand wasn't a sufficient defense at all from leering eyes.

"T-thanks? If you're being, like, genuine about it? I dunno about stuff like alliances and all that...but I have been trying to talk to people? Which, hm...reminds me..."

In the corner of her eye, she saw a talking dolphin acting as a tour guide, and knew in that moment that she was missing out on so much exposition. Which was fine. Whatever. She may not fully be Knight of Rose Amaryllis at the moment, but even she knew not to violently end conversations for the sole sake of chasing after lore of questionable importance.

"I don't think I've actually, um, caught your name before? So...who? Are you."

Seriously? This was supposed to be a vacation by some unknown patron? On one hand she was glad for the break, on the other, she really didn't like being given free stuff by some unknown character. Sounded way to much like a scam. Rina had to resist the urge to take the doplhin and launch him back into the ocean where he belonged. Well, she didn't want to be the one causing some commotion so for now she bit her tongue and stayed quiet. Sides, if they had jet skis, maybe this would be fun anyways. Mhm, where had Amaryllis gone? She took a brief glance and noticed her chatting with some shady character.

Rina frowned. Well...as long as there wasn't being any trouble caused.

"Well, I dunno about all this." Rina waved a hand dismissively into the air before walking off to the beach.
"But if anyone wants to do something fun or whatever, hit me up for a game of volleyball."



"...Pfft, ahaahahaah!" Chloe began laughing loudly at Shade and Sil's interactions. Jeez, she really was adorable, wasn't she? Ahh, if she didn't have Penny - Mhm, well, maybe she would anyways. "Coffee girl? Is that what I am to you?" Chloe pouted, further teasing Sil. "And here I thought you liked me for my girly charm. I was even prepared to invite you over for coffee sometime again, but I dunno now~" The dark magical girl smirked, glancing over to Shade. "...Maybe I should invite Shade here instead, huh? She seems to have appreciation for things other than coffee." Glancing over to the commotion at the help desk, Chloe couldn't help but to frown lightly.

...what was that weird dolphin thing?

He went on to explain the rules of no fighting, rewards, and the events being held here at the island. A vacation, huh? She didn't buy it, but she might as well indulge in a bit of fun. She was fairly certain she saw Penny, too! What a perfect little honeymoon. With the no fighting rule, she could probably pester all of beacon and get away scott free now! That sounded like a wonderful idea, heh!

"Well, this sounds like its gonna be a fun vacation." Chloe mused. "Hey so, you girls wanna do anything? I'm free for a bit, wanna go check out the boutique?"

At the edge of the jungle, facing the wide beach where various sports events were prepared, there was a small cafe, with an open entrance and a wide canopy roof, allowing customers to sip on smoothies while spectating the show. And Valerie had been put in charge of it. Having woken up sitting behind the counter, the monster girl wondered if the night shifts had caused her dreams to take a weird turn. She knows for sure she didn’t remember putting on a new work outfit, let alone travelling to a tropical resort. But she had travelled quite a bit in her search for new food; this was one of the least weird locations she had found herself in.


A magical dolphin soon arrived and told her to run the place, which begged even more questions. Oh well, at least she was getting paid. And she had the option of designing the menu as well, which was sweet. She was kind of laid back like that. She was in the backroom, plugging in juice machines and unloading crates when she heard somebody’s voice. “Sorry, we’re not open yet, still need to-Wait, where did you come from?” She had popped her head out, a quizzical expression on her face.

It must have been stifling in such thick fabrics, fine embroidery and delicate ruffles mismatched with the humid, tropical weather. But discomfort nor displeasure showed upon the pale-skinned girl’s face, her gothic dress and coat presenting no apparent demerit under such burning sunlight. Silver eyes stared in Valerie’s, unflinching and emotionless. Then, the strange girl shifted one foot behind the other, dipping down into a curtsy.

“Greetings, Valerie Herzstein. I am Dolly.” She stood up after, each word calculated, each word measured, the cadence and inflection wholly flat. “I derive no small amount of moral pleasure from supporting local businesses, and would, with the approval of my current owner, like to assist you in the menial tasks related to operating your establishment.”

Valerie’s eyes shot wide pen. “Oh, have we met before? I’m pretty sure we haven’t.” She stepped closer, and offered a handshake. “You must be the assistant the dolphin mentioned. You can start working right away.” Valerie smiled, finding Dolly’s emotionless behavior kind of cute; most girls happened to scream in fright when they met her on the magical community. Knowing that they were most likely isolated from civilization, she would take any employee she could get. “How about you mop the floor first? Some sand happened to sweep in. Oh, and afterwards you can help set up the drinks. Would that be fine?”

Dolly nodded. “You need not ask. Order me as you see fit.” Her eyes flickered, bright for an instant. “We believe it is recompense enough, being here to begin with.”

And without another word, the gothic girl got to work, completing tasks with the swiftness and precision of a professional part-timer. A good enough job that only sticklers for perfection would complain about, done in three-fourths the amount of time it would take for a regular. Measured grace, eloquence found in efficiency.

Soon, the others would arrive. Soon, her work could commence.

Getting paid to have fun was pretty much the best thing ever. It was unfortunate that she couldn't participate.

Aside from the Keijo match, the pay was pretty low anyway. Though it would allow her to study the magical girls of penrose a bit more up close and not exclusively through the spool of fate. As convenient as it was to see their future actions, she didn't always understand them, and that was because she did not know the girls on a more personal level.

As someone who spends so much of their time hidden, person watching was a bit of a hobby for Mac. Though she usually watched after humans rather than magical girls. It was less useful to her mission, but she found the everyday lives of mundane people more refreshing and interesting than the generic dramatic bullshit most magical girls found themselves going through. But if there were no normal; people to watch, this was okay.

---

@Ariamis

So it wasn’t Boteg after all. Not surprising, considering that the only reason why Boteg would get a bunch of magical girls together would be to remove them from Penrose. Thing is, he lacked the back bone to do something on this grand a scale. At least Su thought so. Regardless, it did seem like they weren’t in any real danger at the moment. There was the possibility that everyone had been removed from Penrose so that something sinister could be done back home. But if that were the case, killing them all made more sense. Su would play nice for now, but she was skeptical about this whole thing.

However, Su did not have a lot of opportunities to interact with the girls of Penrose. Boteg was afraid of magical entities, and Veronica had told her to keep a low profile with her powers to avoid attracting the Mint. As a result, she typically avoided or fought most magical girls she encountered. Though over the past few weeks, that was becoming harder and harder to do. Between Charlie’s angels, Lupa, and the ghost twins, Su was interacting with magical girls more and more. But such interactions were always strange with Boteg nearby. This was her chance to get to know her neighbors without worrying about what her Patron would think.

None of the “events” Dan mentioned really interested her. She did take notice of Helga’s interest in Keijo. The sport sounded ridiculous, which was another way of saying it sounded like most of the girls present would be interested in it. ”No cooperating with our own island group?” That was fine. Su had no interest in the sport, and knowing that she couldn’t ally with any of her friends gave her little reason to participate. She certainly wasn’t going to ally herself with Sophia or any of those Beacon girls. Simply participating in something so uncouth was below her, beyond the fact that she wasn’t very capable physically. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t play against her friends. Su wasn’t sure why that made playing more interesting to her.

”The stage show looks interesting.” Su aproched Helga while saying this. She didn’t look at her, but she spoke a little louder than one typically does. ”I haven’t danced in a really long time. That would be fun.” She placed her hands on her hips. ”But dancing by myself in front of so many strangers would be weird.” She turned to look at Helga. ”Would you like to sing and dance with me?” Su overheard Lily talking about a double date and her body tensed up. ”Actually, if you’d rather not, that’s fine. It’s your vacation too, and I’m sure Mika or Lupa would like to dance with me.”



“Yay! We all won!” Mika wasn’t sure how good the sun lotion tasted, but she was glad that she was getting an infinite supply of it. Her skin was already pretty tan, and she didn’t want to burn up much further than that. A shame Lupa and Hillaria hadn’t arrived yet, but that just meant she’d have to share with them. Maybe they could go to the beach and Mika could work the stuff into their skin. They deserved it for sacrificing their shot at the prize so that Mika could fly to victory.

Then Dan explained everything else. “We’re getting paid to have fun? It’s like Chunky Cheddar’s!” Needless to say, that sounded like a pretty good deal to Mika. She had to make sure to get a Keijo match in, and all those other sports sounded good too. But first she needed to find some opponents. But before that, she needed to get ready for Hilaria and Lupa’s arrival. “Gunna grab some lotion, I’ll be right back!” She got on all fours and ran towards the shop.



@FamishedPants

“Seems we were too late.” Without any animals on the island to pick from, Lupa had to catch a seagull and transform into a giant version of one. She then made two clones of herself which Hilaria and her were able to sail to shore. Birds are able to fly because their bones are porous, and thus very light. They wouldn’t be able to fly to the island, but they were more than capable of floating ashore. “Well, I think you made Mika happy anyway.” She stepped onto the beach. “Seems like there’s quite a gathering, maybe someone can fill us in.”



Tetrad was quite pleased that no one had uncovered her hiding place yet. Given the circumstances, she anticipated that she would have been discovered much earlier. In a way, she was almost disappointed no one had found her. But that was fine.

She was able to hear everything Dan said. It all sounded too good to be true, bordering on suspicious. But Tetrad wasn’t one to say no to free money. Even if the money was a lie, she hadn’t had an opportunity to meet most of Penrose’s most popular faces. So this was her chance to meet as many people as possible. The temptation was to make the first move, but she was in hiding. No point in doing anything until she was discovered. Or got bored.



@ERode@Rune_Alchemist

Veronica nodded to Amaryllis’s suggestion that all the girls came from Penrose, so the two of them meeting was nothing special. “I have not confirmed the location of all the magical girls present, but they do appear to all come from Penrose. In regards to forming alliances, I find that most magical girls are quick to ally with those they consider attractive or powerful, if not both. I’m not trying to flatter you, I’ve made an observation based on current trends.” When she asked for Veronica’s name, she had turned to observed the dolphin. “I am Vermilion Veronica. ” She looked back at Amaryllis. “We should probably be listening to the dolphin, let us descend and resume our conversation momentarily. ” Veronica stood up and leaped out of her chair, Amaryllis following shortly afterwards.

Once Dan was done talking, Veronica turned back to face Amaryllis. “I had wanted to talk to you sooner, but you caught me at a bad time. I was hiding from the Mint using an alter ego while trying to monitor the city during the graveyard escapade. But to skip to why I approached you, I think it would benefit you to ally with my organization.” She grinned. “Given the unique properties of this place, where our patrons are nowhere to be scene, it might even be possible for you to switch employers.” She patted Amaryllis on the shoulder. “If you’re unhappy with your current arrangement that is. Cutting ties with a patron is fairly serious, and they won’t forgive you for it.” Veronica looked towards Chloe and frowned. “I have to catch one of my former arrangements before she runs off. ” Veronica started to walk away. “Enjoy your vacation. I hope we get a chance to talk more later.” Veronica walked up to Chloe. “So” She folded her hands behind her back. “Maybe when you’re done there, we can meet me by the elevated swimming pools. You and me, no spectators. There may be beverages involved.”



@DarkwolfX37

”Oh my!” Betty placed a finger on her lower lip. ”There’s a lot to do! I just, wow.” She folded her arms. ”There’s almost too much to choose from.” She thumped her foot. ”Uh…” Betty walked up to Shion again. ”Is there anything you wanted to do?”



@Shifter_Master[@t2wave]@Flamelord

Regina laughed at Jenna’s remark about thinking outside the box. "Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else used a very similar method to get to the island. But creative or not, it worked, right?" She nodded to Janet. "I saw the sign, I just didn’t want to do anything until the rest of you guys showed up. I’m so scared and all of this is really new." She looked at Alicia when she neared. "Yup! It’s me!" She approached Alicia and gave her a tight (yet brief) hug. Regina might have had a petite appearance, but she was surprisingly tall. "Let’s have lots of fun later!" Regina gave one of Kimble’s tails a tug as she attempted to scoot by "Gotcha!" She waved to Penny as she walked past. "Hey Penneh!" Next up was Aurelio. Regina was able to pick up on his true emotions, regardless of how he tried to act. But she didn’t remark on it, instead choosing to embrace him in a tight hug. "Aurelio! I’m so glad you’re here!" She let go of him to hug Sally. "And you too! Man, everything’s going to be great!" She gave Aurelio a quick peck on the cheek before walking past them to greet Sylvia. But by this point she looked exhausted. "Yea, it takes a lot out of me to be this positive." She cleared her throat and puffed out her chest. "But maybe if we all work together, we can beat this and have fun doing it!" She turned around to run back towards Aurelio and Sally. "Yea, ring that bell, I’m kinda scared to do it."

After Dan explained everything, Regina placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I just realized something really cool." She pointed at the arena. "Aurelio, you and I started on different islands, so we can play Keijo on the same team!" She hugged him and laid her head on his shoulder, looking directly at Sally. "You should grab someone and fight against us, it would be a lot of fun!"



Abigail was watching everyone from the treeline. She was able to hear everything Dan said, but didn’t want to get involved with Regina again too soon if she could help it. That, and it seemed like there were a lot of monster girls present.

"Hmmm…" she placed her hands on her hips. "If Aurelio and Regina are going to play Keijo, I need to get on Sally’s side." She pounded one fist into the other. "I’m sure if I beat him at Keijo, he’ll want to go on a date with me. I just have to convince Sally to attack Regina, which shouldn’t be too hard given Regina’s history." Abigail lifted a hand to her chin. ”Unless she likes Aurelio. Then she might want to fight him and leave Regina to me. That would backfire considerably.” She lowered her arms. ”I need to talk to Sally regardless. If there’s a Keijo fight involved with Aurelio, I need to be a part of it!” The trees under Abigail rustled around. ”Huh? Who’s the-” She was pulled behind the tree line.

---

In hindsight, that didn’t work out so well.

It was a simple idea. Binky had made the world’s largest bowl of ramen soup. She then removed all of the noodles and emptied the broth into the sea, creating a giant boat. All Binky had to do was push it into the water, and use the oversized spoon as an ore to row to land. Binky had made a few oversights however. The bowl was perfectly round and flat on the bottom. When Binky tried to use the giant plastic spoon as an ore, it just caused the “boat” to spin instead of moving it in any particular direction. This put Binky at the mercy of the incoming waves, which appeared to be moving away from the central island. It was too late to do anything, as Binky’s mana reserves were quite low after making such a big bowl of ramen. She also had a hard time looking anywhere, as the sun’s rays were reflected off the white walls of the bowl directly into Binky’s eyes. She created a much smaller bowl of ramen to wear overhead to shield herself from the incoming rays.

”I’m okay.” She told herself. ”I’m okay.”

---

Penrose was a rather chaotic place. For the most part, that was because so many magical beings had taken interest in it. But just by removing the magical girls, things had calmed down considerably. Even to the point where a once timid dragon felt okay just taking a stroll by the interior swimming pools in his own establishment.



”This be a blessed day!”

Penny couldn’t help but feel interested in the whole situation. Granted it still seemed very suspicious to her and she wasn’t planning on eating any of the food, but the chance to relax for a bit was very tempting. Plus the chance to play around and get some Coins for it as well wasn’t something that she would ignore.

There was a snowball's chance in hell of her joining in Keijo with any actual interest of competing however.

Regardless there was something the mechanical maiden wanted to deal with first. If for no other reason then to avoid getting randomly jumped later, and to accomplish that she needed to track down Mika. Which wasn’t very hard a prospect in truth, as seeing the Beast girl go sprinting off towards the shop gave her quite the simple trail to follow.

“Here goes nothing” She would mutter to herself as she jogged off towards the shop as well, she doubted that there was anything there that she would need but she would only know once she got there.

Penny was able to see Mika bolt through the doors to the shop. She was only out of view long enough for Penny to grab the door and open it again. At that point she could see the other magical girl barreling towards her. Mika had a lotion bottle in each hand, a few pinched between her arms and torso, and even a few sticking out of the “keyhole” in her swimsuit. “GAAAAAAH!” Mika dug her heels into the ground, but still ended up bouncing off Penny. One of the lotions in her swimsuit fell out and bounced on the ground. “The terrible one’s champion...” Mika looked Penny up and down before fretting her brow. “Are you trying to give everyone on the beach a sunburn? Is that why you’re barring my path?”

Though Penny was caught flat footed, not expecting Mika to have already nabbed everything she wanted it was still instinctive to slip into a stable stance before frantic girl rushed into her. “...No?” Penny would reply before giving herself a shake, this whole illusionary contact was starting to get really old.

“I was actually wanting to talk with you about that title” She would explain as she kneeled down to pick up the lotion bottle that had fallen. “I recently broke away from him. Glad to have done it in fact, as your Paton’s name for him is appt.” she would go on offering the lotion back “I was more wanting to let you, and any of the other girls that are under Boteg know that I’m not with Laat anymore. Figured it would be best to get that taken care of first so we can all enjoy this place more readily”

“Really?” Mika examined Penny. “You do look a little different from last time.” The feline magical girl circled her. “Who do you serve now?”

“Yup” Penny would reply letting Mika circle once before she started turning to keep face with the other girl “The change is more noticeable in my standard transformation, right now I look more akin to how I do when I’m depowered.” she would mention glancing down at herself as she did so.

“Right now I’m with Beacon, they were the ones who helped me get out from under the jackass but...“ She trailed off for a moment as she did a quick check for any of her Beacon sisters “I’m likely going to end up butting heads with a lot of them. I’ve spent more time as a monster girl then a magical one, so I’m more willing to live and let live with that part of the community. Hell one of my closest friends is a DMG” she explained tossing the lotion bottle back and forth between her hands as she spoke.

“Hmmm…” Mika’s tail waved side to side. “Well, Dan doesn’t want us to hate each other anyway. So even if I don’t fully trust you, I trust Dan.” She smiled. “I’ll tell everyone what you told me.” She hopped forward. Mika timed it as such so that as soon as the bottle of lotion landed in Penny’s hand, her chest would envelope the cyborg’s hand. When Mika backed away, she had the lotion again. “Good practice for Keijo, right?” She winked at Penny before turning around. “I’ll talk to the others. Maybe we can hang out later.” Mika sprinted away as fast as she could.

“That’s all I can ask for” Penny replied with a relaxed smile, relieved that this little encounter had went as smooth as it had.

Then Mika reclaimed the bottle of lotion and Penny froze. Thankfully Mika didn’t stick around afterwards so she missed the shock bleed into anger as electricity started to spark off the hand that had been enveloped.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This illusion was starting to get really, really annoying. Finally she moved deeper into the shop to take a look around at the things they had on display, and later, when the fact she was a teenage girl caught back up with her, she had to fight down a blush at the lingering sensation of how it actually felt.

Which wasn’t all that hard, or at least it hadn’t been. Until the stray thought of what it would have been like had it been Chloe, or Alicia, that had done such an action... or perhaps bo- Penny slammed the sunscreen bottle she had been holding back down on the counter as she violently ended that line of thought before her blush became luminescent.

Mechanically she turned and left the shop, heading for the beach. She need to go dunk her head in the water and cool off.

‘Stupid friggin swimsuits...’