Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by BrokenPromise
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BrokenPromise With Rightious Hands

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That Goth Asian girl
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Su had told Helga that she needed to use a restroom before leaving the Keijo arena, and to tell her what happened when she got back. But in truth Su wasn’t really interested in the competition. Having been both a competitor and a spectator, she could safely say there was nothing about the ‘sport’ that interested her. It only served to degrade everyone involved. Su had also fibbed about her intended destination. She had left to go sit on the beach and watch the waves roll in. This made for a much better atmosphere for thinking.

The past few hours had been quite the ride. It was her relationship with Helga. Helga seemed to be in high spirits, but Su was having doubts. She knew she loved Helga, but she was worried about how much her life was going to change on account of letting her know. Would Helga grow tired of Su as the years turned to centuries? What if she really was cursed and Helga died during the vacation? Would they start sleeping in the same room now, and would Helga’s body heat make it too hard to sleep at night? But before this post could delve into the kind of debauchery expected of BP’s posts, she got a visitor.

“Something troubling you?”

Su closed her eyes. ”I really don’t feel like talking right now.”

“That’s fine, I can be the one who talks. So long as you listen.”

Su didn’t look, but she could hear the sand shuffle under Veronica before she sat down. With a sigh, she turned her head away. ”Aren’t you worried about someone figuring out the connection between us?”

“I think that’s probably one of the worst kept secrets in Penrose.” Veronica sighed and leaned back onto her elbows. “Have you been enjoying your vacation? ”

Su looked at Veronica out of the corner of her eye. She was wearing the same swimsuit she came to the island in. ”I’m concerned for Penrose, Boteg in particular.” She looked back out at the ocean. ”But I’m starting to become accustom to my surroundings. I haven’t seen Mika much, but she seems happy. Lupa seems like she’s enjoying herself as well.”

“And Helga is happy too, right?”

”Yea.” Su didn’t doubt the claim. She was sure Veronica had heard everything she told Helga. It wasn’t like she was trying to keep it a secret. That didn’t mean she was comfortable talking about it. ”I trust you were able to make the vacation worth your while somehow?”

“Oh yes.” Veronica grinned. “No one has an idea what a boon this has been to me. Without the Mint to bar my progress, I’ve established connections in days which would have taken me months if not years.” She turned to Su. “I’ve been able to learn a lot about everyone here, and am aware of what my next action should be once we get back to Penrose.”

”Good for you.” Su stretched out her legs and laid her hands in the sand. ”Was there something in particular you wanted to tell me? ”

“Nothing important.” Veronica’s smile only grew as she gazed into the infinite blue. “Someone got me thinking about twenty years ago.” Veronica took one of her hands and stroked her cheek. It was on the side that Chloe had kissed her on.

”I see. ” Su lifted her fingers to her lips. ”Me too, actually.” Su thought back to her Keijo match. She had kissed Chloe on the cheek before retreating. ”By any chance, did you start thinking about it because of Chl-”

“Who it was isn’t important.” Now it was Veronica who was refusing to make eye contact. “The important part is that it has caused me to reevaluate a fundamental law of our world.” Veronica continued to caress her cheek. “Love is not a myth, it may yet exist.”

”I would hope so.” Su couldn’t help but chuckle. ”I won’t lie, I half expected you to just come over here and tell me how foolish I was for telling Helga I loved her.”

Veronica remained silent for a moment before speaking again. “I should warn you love is rare. Very rare.” She turned her head to face Su. “People who wander for what they search for are quick to misidentify their quarry.” She dropped her brow. “Kimble thinks she loves Alicia, but that’s simple infatuation born from a desire to please the person who saved their life. Penny thought that she loved Thalia, but that was just a depressing duet between two narcissists who didn’t want to be alone. I would pity Chloe if she took her romantic pursuits seriously. I’m not convinced what Alexander and Lily has is anything more than a shallow high school romance. Need I even mention Mika’s ‘love’ octagon? I refuse to speak of Regina and Annabelle. That barely counts as friendship.”

Su closed her eyes and sighed. She hardly expected a motivational speech from Veronica. Was that wine on her breath? Best to just play along. ”I’ll be honest, I was unaware there was so much misplaced emotion on this island.” Su opened her eyes. ”I noticed you left Helga and I out of your rant.”

“If I had, would it have swayed your mind?” Veronica rose to her feet. “The existence of love does not invalidate what I’ve been saying all these years. I still think the best thing one can do is form a series of relationships which are mutually beneficial regardless of what happens. If your love is part of a mutually beneficial bond, I see nothing wrong with it.” She folded her arms behind her back. “But thinking that you can share in someone’s emotions so deeply that you can feel what they feel is dangerous. The fact that love exists isn’t wonderful, it’s frightening, particularly that you might have it.”

Su remained in her spot in the sand. ”Um.” She nodded. ”Right, well, thank you for the warning. I’ll make sure Helga and I have a mutually beneficial relationship.”

“Good.”

Su blinked as Veronica walked out of sight. She had heard about Veronica being on the island, but had never expected the former coin broker to approach her least of all to offer a warning. But the more Su thought about it, the more sense it made. Who else would try to scare you out of your newest relationship other than a former girlfriend?
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by MadManMoon
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MadManMoon Where Stories All Ring True

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Thank you for waiting.


A collaboration between @MadManMoon and @Flamelord




The first day here on the beach had come and gone. It had taken Alicia a bit after waking up to remember that she was not actually in Penrose right now, but instead some summer paradise resort where she had been brought by force.

Truth be told, she had hoped that they would wake up to find themselves home, but it was clearly not the case. She wasn’t entirely sold on Dan being behind this, but whoever was clearly still had some sort of lesson to impart to them. They would just have to make the best of it.

It turned out that that was remarkably easy to do when one awoke to the smell and sight of a full scale continental breakfast. It was unclear exactly who had prepared it, so in lieu of seeing anyone that wasn’t a dolphin here Alicia would just assume it was magic. She didn’t let that bother her, instead selecting a variety of food for her plate. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, some fruit, everything for a hearty breakfast. With how this trip looked to be going, there would be plenty of activity to burn it all off anyway.

Humming, she took her plate and a glass of orange juice to a nearby patio where she could enjoy the warm sun, the ocean air, and the coming morning as she ate. Well, this wasn’t so bad after all.

Another girl came out onto the patio area, looking it over for a good breakfast spot. Her gaze fell upon Alicia, and she paused.

“Oh,” said the newcomer. “I didn’t expect to see anyone else up this early.” She was balancing a plate of food in one hand - varied about as much as Alicia’s breakfast, though with a decent chunk of china reserved for ham slices. “Would you mind if I sat with you?”

Alicia was also not expecting anyone else to show up, but she had only just barely begun her breakfast when she shifted to look at the new arrival. “Go ahead. There’s plenty of open space,” she replied with a gesture around the immediate area.

She sampled a strawberry while the new arrival was doing that, finding it to be firm and juicy, the peak of freshness for a fruit. As she chewed on it, she observed her new companion. ”I don’t think we’ve met before,” she noted aloud, before extending an open hand. ”I’m Alicia.”

The new arrival put her plate down next to Alicia’s before accepting the handshake. “I’m Joanna,” she said, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” the Seraph assured her companion through the firm handshake. One it had come to an end she would return to her food, taking a sip of her orange juice. ”Enjoying the vacation, or are you paranoid about the dolphin too?”

Joanna sighed. “Honestly? D-” She abruptly coughed, and took a sip from her mug of breakfast tea. “I mean, that guy is an odd fellow, but so far he doesn’t appear malicious.” Joanna began cutting her ham into smaller pieces. “As nice as the vacation itself has been, though…”

Joanna fell silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. “It’s also started showing other sides to people. Not necessarily bad ones but,” she hesitated again. “It’s just given me a lot to think about.”

Listening to Joanna’s observation, Alicia understood and she nodded along with her. ”I feel that,” she agreed, her mind flying back to Kimble’s confession. ”Without the usual conflicts a lot of stuff is coming out that might have stayed buried otherwise.”

She looked out towards the horizon, simply appreciating the view of the sun rising over the water. One could only wonder if the people responsible for this were getting what they wanted out of it too. ”Still, I have to admit that aside from a new enemy or two, I haven’t really become friends with anyone I didn’t at least have some acquaintance with before. I guess the attacks and the end of the world stuff make Penrose seem bigger than it actually is.

Joanna took a syrupy bite of pancake, nodding. She knew the feeling pretty well. Sometimes it felt as though her entire world spanned that one city, what with how much time she and her friends spent there. Come to think of it... when was the last time she’d actually left Penrose?

Hmm. Actually, there was something else about Alicia’s response that had her wondering. ‘Haven’t become friends with anyone I didn’t have some acquaintance with before?’ Joanna swallowed. “Wait, ‘before?’ As in, before you became a magical girl?”

The question caused the Beckoner to shake her head. ”Sorry, there I meant magical girls I’d at least met in one of the previous world ending crises, before we were all yanked here,” she clarified. And her fellow Beacon members of course, but beyond that it was mostly business, with a bit of casual acquaintances (Katarina, Lily, and Amaryllis primarily)

“Ah,” Joanna said. She took a moment to eat some glazed ham, and reflect on her own relationships. “I’ve mostly been meeting people outside of those cataclysms,” Joanna noted. Speedwagon, in that cold and windy alleyway; Nina and Alice, after following them up to the rooftops; the one calling themselves “A,” right before she made it to the cathedral-

“Actually, I think we almost met before,” she remembered, a beat after she’d speared some scrambled eggs, “during one of those crises. I’d arrived to help fight off the witches, but after the Overcity Shift I had to help my patron keep her husband under control.”

It took Alicia a moment or two to remember that specific occurrence, before nodding. ”I remember that,” she confirmed before taking a bite of some crispy bacon. Regardless of what else you might say, the food here was done to perfection.

After a few moments she shot Joanna a sympathetic look. “Still, having to play go between for a personal Patron relationship? That sounds rough.”She couldn’t imagine what that must be like, as the Beckoners usually presented something of a united front to the rest of them in the organization.

“Sometimes it can be,” Joanna admitted. “Especially since we have to calm him down in the middle of that aura of anger he puts out. To be honest, I think my patron’s trying use those sessions to teach me self-control?”

She drank some more of her tea. “How is it like for you?”

”It has its ups and downs,” Alicia admitted with a shrug. Fortunately it was still the morning, with a fresh day ahead of her and relatively little to tug at her annoyance.

So she went on to explain. ”Long hours, lots of fighting monsters and patrolling, and we’re not exactly well liked around town.” Where one might think she was griping though, a warm smile soon appeared ”Still, the Beckoners are kind, understanding, supportive. Plus you’ve got a bunch of people there too who all believe in the same thing. We may have our differences sometimes, but when the chips are down I know that I can count on all of them to do the right thing and have my back. It’s a lot nicer than having to go it alone like some girls do.”

Joanna smiled, feeling the love in Alicia’s voice for Beacon shine through as radiant as the sun. And she could certainly agree that it was nice having people by your side. In combat. Philosophy. Life. Love.
Once again the English language proves inexact. “Φιλία” may be more accurate than “love.”
Her smile faltered, though, as she recalled Speedwagon’s history with Beacon. Or rather… what little she had divulged on the matter. Their Patron had hinted that one of the Beacon girls in particular had left her friend on edge, but refused to speak further on the matter. Joanna took another bite of food to steel herself.

“Yeah, I’m… I’m aware of Beacon’s reputation. My friend told me about it, not too long ago.”

The amount of food that Alicia had was slowly diminishing, almost unnoticed because of the ongoing conversation. She considered going to get some more, but decided that she wasn’t far enough along to make a decision like that.

Which was probably for the best as Joanna brought up their reputation. ”I can probably guess what they said,” she replied, voice steady. ”But we’re working on fixing that and doing better.”

Her gaze returned to the horizon and the rising sun, if only for a few moments. ”After all, we don’t exactly live up to the mission statement if we’re so willing to condemn and persecute. You know, Beacon. A model for all magical girls to strive towards. Kinda like Superman if he was a teenage girl I guess.” Her response fell off, consumed by mental musing about super heroes, comic books, and how they related to her current life.

Joanna’s smile returned, softly this time. “Well, she also said how she hopes for that. For Beacon to change that way, I mean.” Her gaze lowered to her tea, reduced to a teaspoon’s worth by this point. “Speaking of changes… how’s that girl doing? Regina Bates.”

Alicia managed to hold back something of a scowl as Regina was brought up, mostly for the sake of outward appearances. ”She’s adjusting,” the Seraph confirmed matter of factly. “It’s going to be a while before she fully settles into Beacon, or makes up for all the stuff the Bates twins did. Their actions aren’t the sort of thing you can just let bygones be bygones over.”

Joanna didn’t have Speedwagon’s level of intuition, but she’d been taught enough to notice that facial tic. “Of course,” Joanna said. “When you’ve hurt that many people, in such horrible ways… of course it’s going to be hard for people to forgive you. To be seen as redeemed. Or even be thought of as redeemable at all. In the eyes of others… and yourself. Is that what you’re getting at?”

It was odd. If Alicia didn’t know better, she would seriously suspect that Joanna was referring to her. Idly she thought of some random gibberish, just on the off chance that the girl was a mind reader and that it might earn some sort of reaction. To be safe.

”Something like that,” she agreed, fork scraping over her plate as she moved eggs back and forth. ”Still, if it was easy then it wouldn’t be worth doing. Regina just has a long way to go, magic purifying coin or not. Helping nearly destroying the world is hard to just walk off.”

Joanna certainly did not pick up on the mental smokescreen that Alicia had thrown up. A shame, really. It was actually rather well-constructed for someone of her skill level.

Joanna nodded, thoughtfully. “And even if she tried to stop it at the end, it doesn’t erase the fact that she put it into motion. It’s just the first step on that path.”

”Exactly,” Alicia agreed, at last stabbing the bit of egg that she had been toying with. It might not entirely be worth the effort, but that wasn’t really the point was it.

Still, it did occur to her that she had been talking an awful lot about herself, and not necessarily her companion. Not very fair if they were trying to make friends while on the island. ”I suspect our general priorities may be a bit different though Aside from marital counselling, what do you usually do when the world isn’t in imminent danger of destruction?”

Joanna put a hand to her chin. “Well, my age didn’t change when I became a magical girl, so I still go to the same middle school. I try to spend some of my free time giving back to the community, doing volunteer work. Otherwise, I’m going around town for my magical girl duties... patrolling nearby neighborhoods, training, doing missions for my patron, looking for-”

Blood on the ground.

A mentor, a friend, now and once again a victim.

A flock, left to mourn their shepherd.

And his voice, low but earnest, as if letting them in on an old secret.

I saw her cradling one of them, you know.

Joanna shuddered.

”Huh.” Alicia was observant enough to catch the sudden abbreviation, but she did not push on it. Just like Penny, they all had their particular hang ups. There was no burning need to know.

”That sounds a lot like what I do,” she noted. ”We’ve got some smaller branch ‘community centers’, and I like to help out with training and study sessions. You’d think that would be odd, as a college grad before I became a magical girl.”

Internally, Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. “That doesn’t seem odd at all,” she said, completely earnest. “Plenty of students go on to become teachers in some way or another.” Though she did find herself wondering what kind of ‘study sessions’ Alicia helped out with. Maybe she’d be interested in some one-on-one tutoring?

Pleased to find that Joanna didn’t think any differently of what she did on her off time, Alicia carried on. ”I suppose that’s true. Though I hadn’t considered it as an occupation back them. But as a magical girl, everyone’s got such varied circumstances, and someone needs to show the new ones the ropes. Since Beacon decided that I was worthy of being a Seraph I guess I felt a bit obligated.” She didn’t mind of course, it made her feel better about the title than how she had earned it did.

Joanna’s expression became thoughtful. She wondered why Alicia felt obligated to fill that particular role, but she decided to ask her about that later.

“I know it's been a year since I became a magical girl, but it all still feels new to me,” Joanna admitted. “I've been lucky to have my friends and my Patron teaching me about what it means to be a magical girl, but... I also know that they can't tell me everything. Not on their own.” She considered that for a moment. “It’s like you said - everyone’s got such varied circumstances, such different outlooks on life, as a magical girl or no.”

Alicia nodded along in agreement. There was nothing she could, or even wanted to, argue in that observation. ”Things always find a way of surprising you, even if you think that you know what to expect.” It certainly happened to her more often than one might expect.

Finishing off her drink, she added to that. ”Still, we’ve just got to do the best we can. Whether that’s in fighting, or having a healthy balance between being a magical girl and our regular lives.”

Joanna smiled brightly. “For whatever ‘regular’ ends up meaning to us,” she said. “And what we want ‘regular’ to become.”

“Amen to that,” the Seraph agreed. She would have saluted, if she had anything left in her glass. An imitation of the motion would have to be settled for instead. ”The hardest part is finding time to keep up with my tv shows.” Which was not entirely true, though it was something she had to work around her busier magical girl schedule.

Joanna mirrored the motion with her similarly drained teacup. “At least we’ve got on demand,” she giggled.

Well, she couldn’t argue with that. Her plate looking remarkably bare at this point, Alicia leaned forward slightly against the table, chin resting in the palm of her hand. ”I suppose tat’s true. What do you usually like to watch?”

Joanna briefly wondered if she should list off her favorite shows or the broader themes that caught her interest. She decided to go with the latter, at least for context’s sake. “I like to watch shows that celebrate humanity. Not necessarily ‘humanity’ as a species, but the concept of ‘humanity.’ Shows that aren’t afraid to show their characters as people, at their best and their worst, as well as their potential to grow. Like ‘Stargate,’ or ‘Good Omens.’” She paused for a beat. “Or ‘Once Upon a Time.’”

A hum slipped out, Alicia slowly nodding as Joanna gave some examples and listed off what she liked to see from media in general. It was surprisingly deep and insightful, at least compared to the intent with which she had asked the question.That’s what she got for leaving it open ended.

”Once Upon a Time, I think I saw a few episodes of that once,” she mused aloud. “I take it that means you’d recommend it?”

“I absolutely do.”

”Hmm, I’ll have to look into it then,” the Seraph replied, index finger tapping on the table. After a few moments she rose, carrying her plate with her. ”I think I’m going to restock a bit. You’re not going to run off on me while I’m gone, are you?”

Joanna smiled again, a little more cheeky than her previous ones. “And cut this short? Perish the thought.”

Alicia’s grin widened before giving a small nod in turn. ”Good. I’m curious to hear your opinion on some other shows.” With that she headed back to the buffet, pleased to find that in spite of the outburst from Dan it would still be a pleasant morning in paradise.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Ariamis
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Ariamis MonMon

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The next day...

The park in the central island was lit by countless colorful lamps as a crowd of magical girls centered around the great stage, taking seats in preparation for tonight’s show. “Welcome, boys and girls!” Dan was wearing a flashy mullet and star-shaped glasses, wielding a tiny microphone in his fin. “For tonight’s talent show, we have a multitude of bright young talents ready to make their debut on the stairs to superstardom! Some yearn to be idols, to be revered and worshipped while others seek to astonish and surprise. But all are welcome to hop on the stage, for it shuns none!” He looked to the side, and saw Lily give a nervous glance. “And now, our very first performer, it’s Lightning Lily performing ‘Boo!’”

At the cue, Lily first clutched her microphone, looking a bit nervous; thanks to the magic of the stage, she had changed her look to that of a modern idol including a pair of goggles on her head. With a little push from Helga, she stumbled forwards with a cute yelp, and smiled as she waved to the audience. “This is a Japanese song, so hopefully there’s no weeb-haters here, haha,” she added, before she stopped at the center, and focused; soon enough, an illusion formed around Lily, setting her on an idyllic Japanese river bank. And then, she began singing.

Lily’s Song

Once the song was over, she breathed out in relief that she managed to pull off the entire song without fumbling, likely thanks to the magic of the stage, and waved again at the audience. “Thanks for listening, everyone!” Dan clapped his fins together.
“Wonderful, wonderful!A cute and energetic song always gets me pumped up! Now, please welcome our next performer, The Great Aurelio!”

Following that announcement Aurelio strode out onto the stage dressed in his normal magical attire. “Greetings ladies and gent” He would call out as he walked towards the center of the stage. “Now I’ve got a nice and easy game I would like to play with all of you but I’m going to need a volunteer”

Sally bounced up first, her hand up in the air. “Ooh, pick me, I’ll volunteer!”

“Great.” He would say as he pulled out three playing cards and a large screen flickered to live above showing his hands to everyone in the audience “This game is a nice and simple game, it only involves three cards. You’ve got This card” He would say flipping over one of the cards to reveal that it ‘This’ written on it before shuffling it to the bottom “This card” he would flip the next card also revealing that it said ‘This’ before shuffling it to the bottom “And you’ve got That card” he would flip the last card to reveal that is said ‘That’ before shuffling it to the bottom. “All you have to do is keep track of That card, ready? Go.”

This’n’that

Sally blinked, amazed by the trick, before she smiled and waved as she went back to her seat. The Beacon girls clapped loudly, and Sylvia found herself whistling in cheer before she blinked and calmed herself down.
“Thank you all, hopefully next time I can put on a full show” Aurelio would say bowing lightly as he wandered off stage to allow the next person on. Dan was once again Clapping his fins in delight “Simply Wondrous. A fine display of mundane magic. But now, please welcome our next performer!”

In the backstage, two girls were listening to a song using headphones that Dan provided to them. “I think this would be great Su,” Helga spoke, pointing to a magically generated hologram that showed the two of them wearing qipaos and dancing. “I know you love that Chinese stuff, and the dresses fit the song too! Please?”

Su did not answer right away. She was watching the simulation and nodding along with the lyrics. She knew Helga was going to pick something silly, which was fine. Su didn’t mind singing along to something like that. But the dance moves…

”Seems dancing has changed a bit since I last did it.” She struggled to keep a smile up. The type of dancing she did back in the day was more akin to martial arts or ballet. This new breed of dancing was more about displaying emotions rather than creating them in the viewer. It looked very amateur to Su, bordering on humiliating. ”Well, I think we should keep this one in mind, but I feel like doing something a bit more challenging.” She placed her hands together and looked into Helga’s eyes. ”There might be some better options we haven’t discovered yet. Maybe something like, um, a classical Chinese dance with Japanese outfits!” Which was not to say that the Japanese didn’t have some embarrassing outfits, but Su was willing to meet Helga half way.

“I hear some whispers in the back,” Dan spoke, this time a bit louder. “They must have something special prepared!”

Helga bit her lip, and took Su’s hand. “This is all the challenge you need Su! It’s showtime!”
And then, sparkles surrounded the two as they transformed into their new dresses. Helga dragged Su out onto the stage before her hair managed to completely change color; it gradually swept up, turning white as fresh snow, like a tide of bright winter over dark autumn. “Thanks for waiting y’all!” Helga greeted them, grinning from ear to ear at the excitement she felt.

”Wai-!”

Dan nodded. “And now, please clap your hands along to Su and Helga’s lovely duet: ‘AiDee!’”



After the song, Helga took Su’s hand, and bowed at a comical angle to the applause from the audience; Lily clapped her hands the loudest, seemingly loving the performance. “You’re welcome, y’all!”

Su cleared her throat. ”That was...” She smiled. ”A lot of fun, actually. We’ll have to get a room set up for karaoke and dancing in the hotel when we get back. I might even make use of it on the occasional weekend.”
“You betcha!” Helga answered, walking out with an amusingly smug look, as if she had won a contest. Dan squeked.

“That was...Marvelous,” he responded. “It’s like flowers were blooming in song form. But now, please welcome our next performer!”







Meanwhile, after a small break in the show...

"Oh boy, the show has been amazing so far!" Dan excitedly waddled back on stage like a penguin. "There's so much talent here! But the night's still young! Now, next up will be Kimble performing the 'Nya Nya Dance', whatever that means-"

"But before that, a surprise number!" Lily suddenly appeared from behind the curtains, snatching Dan's microphone from his fin, leaving Dan's beak to hang open. "Uhh...What?" Lily made an obvious wink to the audience, looking at a certain person in particular, before turning towards the side of the stage with a bright smile.

"Please welcome The Mysterious Madams!"

At that moment, two girls walked on stage:



“Hello everyone! We will perform a magic show!”

“And to make it different from Aurelio's splendid performance, we'll do a very simple one.”

“Yep yep. We'll just make something disappear...”

“...The World.”







Back in present time...

Dan was shocked, and made a strange sound between a squeak and a bubble pop. "H-How...Impossible! You should still be-" Before he managed to speak more, he wrapped his bottlenose in his fins.

Violet pointed at him.
“You're nothing but a fraud, Dan!”
“You were planning to keep these girls and boys trapped in this wish realm forever!”

Dan shook his head. "No, that's not it! I just-"

“And you even threw us in the ocean and began bossing the girls around!”
Sakura made a mocking duckface. “Pervert fish!”

“I'm a mammal!” Dan retorted, only to realize his mistake; a big sweat drop appeared on his head. "I mean, I was just keeping the place running while you were gone! Nothing bad with that, right? And besides..." Dan now looked towards the audience with a pleading look.
"Do you really want to leave? In the outside world, there's only pain and despair. You girls have to fight and suffer in an endless, pointless struggle, but here, there's no pain, and no sadness. Here, we can keep on having fun and relax. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"No..." Lily spoke from the side, her hands balled into fists.
"That's just escapism! Even if it sometimes hurts, life is worth living and experiencing. In fact, because we face hardship and challenges, that's why having fun has meaning!" She looked down at herself; she was still wearing the idol costume.
"Everyone here has experienced hardship, sure. Some have even lost their friends, or felt miserable. There were times we wanted to leave it behind. But even so, we continued protecting those we care about. It's because we're the ones who can fight. But staying here would throw all that away! It was fun, but it's time we end this vacation!" She turned to the audience and lifted her fist in the air.
"Who's with me?"
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Card Captor
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Card Captor The passing through Kamen Rider

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Alexander shrugged as he got up and walked to the stage from his seat in the back "I mean yeah, it was fun for awhile. But I'd get bored if I was stuck here forever. Also, I really don't like the idea of being kept in admittedly nice prison to fuel the power of some dolphin. I mean, who knows what your planing on doing with that that juice. The fact that you apparently threw the wish twins into the water to get rid of them doesn't really say good things about your character." He reached the stage and got on. Looking Dan straight in the eyes as he continued talking "So look, you had a good run, but now it's over. So let us go back home without a fight, or I'll find a way to stuff you and mount you over my TV, Lesser Spirit bullshit be damned!"
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by ERode
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ERode A Spiny Ant

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Amaryllis did enjoy her vacation. Heck, she could have gone for a whole month more.

Amaryllis also enjoyed the money. She more than doubled her magical bank account without even having to fight a single big thing.

Amaryllis, even now, didn't think that Dan was all that bad of a guy. It could be a universe of horror and torture, after all, but here, they were having fun at the beach and enjoying a nice, well-deserved vacation. When they left, there was a one hundred percent chance that some of the friends they've made here will turn out to be enemies over there.

And unlike Alexander, it wasn't like she'd actually get any bonus points for immediately sticking up for his girlfriend.

Sitting in the backrow of the park, the Beachside Feline closed her eyes, listening once more to the beauty that, in Penrose, she'd not have the chance to enjoy. The scent of salt and fruit. The warmth of the sun. The plush hotel rooms and the magical hot tubs. The whispering of the birds, the laughter that, even now, didn't feel so real. Because it wasn't real. Because the world wasn't saved yet. Because the memories hadn't faded yet.

...Make sure the new girl...doesn't make any of my mistakes...alright?

The eventual end to my contract with my patron I predict to be far more unpleasant than that, and also far along in the future.

...Hilaria suggests you determine exactly what it is your Patron truly desires as soon as you can, and do so in a way that leaves no room for doubt.

Somewhere far away, a monster emerged, plucking a child off the streets. Somewhere far away, a demon schemed, machinations undetected by their mortal foes. Somewhere far away, someone was crying, and no one was there to wipe away their tears.

Somewhere far away, her Sword laid without its Wielder.

Who was she?

Not a volleyball player. Not a jet skiier. Not a Keijo queen.

Not a listless girl, floating in the center of a pool.

Her soul was tempered in flame, her bones hammered a thousand times over. The Scion of Chains and the Usurper of Behemoths, twas her lifeblood that shielded fifty thousand innocents from supernatural malice. Her Silverlight reflected the true nature of one's heart, and her swordplay eclipsed the brilliance of myth and legend.

She was Amaryllis Evenings, Knight of Rose.

She could not stop here.

Rusted roses paved the road before Amaryllis as she found her place beside Lily.

"Dan. You have my gratitude for enabling this fleeting dream. But all dreams must end. The moon falls. The sun rises. The flower of your heart has not wilted to its core, and I pray that you do nothing to further besmirch my good opinion of you, for as beautiful as this dream was, the duty of a magical girl is not to dally in daydreams, but to end nightmares."

It had been an eternity since she grasped her sword, but she did so now, the silence of her partner more deafening than it had ever been before. Who knew the memory of that bastard Lesser Force could pull a smile to her features?

"Open the door, Dan, for those willing to leave. And when the time comes that our weary souls require respite once more, I hope you'll let us visit this Beach Resort again."

✦【I】 【A】【M】 【R】【E】【B】【O】【R】【N】✦


Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Majoraa
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She never really agreed to this anyways. While Maura was out trying to look for Penny's patron, Eliza stayed on the sidelines as everyone enjoyed their apparent prison vacation. Celia? The empath mostly stored up as much postive energy as she could, then spent most of her time exploring. Yeah, she was bored.

But the witch had better reason to not be involved. Eliza still had a mission to complete, though capturing Shion there and then would be risky, and something inside her told her to destroy the place, to stop this, create chaos. Luckly she could repress it for everyone else's sake.

Atleast until the truth came out. Eliza's curiosity was peaked as she watched the dolphin's cover get blown. Apparently he wanted them to stay on the island forever? Once Alex and Amaryllis had sided with Lily and the sisters, Eliza decided to speak up as well.

“Look, I wanna atleast give ya' a chance to do the right thing, but if I don't go back to work, I'll have my head severed on an onyx plate. Hell, if ALL of us don't go back, there will be little to no one protecting our home! As far as I know, it's probably being attacked now.” she said, joining the others on the stage from her seat at the back, and looking at Dan.

“So either you let us go now, and we won't have to fight. Probably. Or you stay stubborn, and I finally tear this place apart. Or some of it, I don't know.” she shrugged. Celia walked up from behind Eliza, and tried to pat Dan on the head, using some Joy magic to calm and reassure him. “...We can visit.”
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&



~ Retconned Into Somewhere Or Another ~


A light thud reverberated through the interior of the Earth Bastion, carried through the metal of its construction - the sound of something intentionally quiet landing atop its hull. In the night air, the infiltrators hair and fur danced against a light ocean breeze, the bells that had been formed as part of her swimsuit held firm in her left hand to prevent unwanted noise.

It would be the first time Thalia had properly engaged with Penny Asimov for months - in her mind, their last encounter at Cindy's meetings barely counted. There was a sense of nervousness in her, but furthermore, an underlying, sickening sense of apprehension. The Boss of The Penrose Independent had made her stance painfully clear, enough for even The Vixen to recognise it. There was a good chance that her issues began the moment she fled from Penny's lair those months ago. In some ways, it felt like crawling back to an old flame for forgiveness, and she hated herself for thinking so.

She took another step forward, scanning the top of the Earth Bastion for an opening or hatch. Approaching Penny during the day would have been a smarter, more acceptable way to have gone about things, but in some perverted twist of confidence, Thalia felt more comfortable sneaking her way in, than making the choice to approach her inland. Her ears and tails were low, keeping her form obscured against the moonlight in case anyone on the island chose to look towards the ship. And onwards she pressed.

It wouldn’t take long for Thalia to notice something had gone wrong with her plan, in fact it hardly lasted more than a few steps into the Earth Bastion. For as she crept further into the ship it’s massive engine would start up and the darkened corridors of the ships internal network would light up.

For far above in the ships command deck, still riddled with blankets and pillows, Penny had awoken. She had woken up initially due to the light reverb of the intruders first landing. Paranoia about this place keeping her rest light. Internally she had cursed about not affixing the cloaking artifacts, as at this distance she knew nothing about who it was that landed upon her ship.

Once Thalia had entered however, Penny melded into the Earth Bastion more completely till she was effectively everything and everywhere in relation to her battleship. The lights in the corridors and the starting of the engine reflex due to seeing who it was that had come skulking about in the night.

“Thalia” Penny’s voice echoed out near the fox girl “What are you doing here?” her voice would ask thought there was notable tension in it. At the same time one of the walls ahead of Thalia began to twist and distort and Penny stepped through seamlessly not long after, though her feet never fully detached from the floor and her entire stance was tense and ready for anything.

In the back of Thalia’s mind, the sudden spurring of the Earth Bastion had been enough to suggest that her attempt at stealth had been thwarted. She didn’t care - in a small sense, she was impressed. It had come to her attention that Penny had somehow come to be in possession of the ship, but to see and experience it up close was another thing entirely, though technology had never been her strongest of suits.

Penny’s voice, though, resounding out around her from no source in particular, through her steps off entirely. Thalia had heard similar tones a number of times before; memorised them, even. Fear, distress, anxiety, distrust - she had become well acquainted with the words in which those emotions took refuge, and as the wall before her warped into the form of Penny, she took an instinctual, hesitant step back.

”Me? - I-I’m, not really doing anything, just, y’know, a-admiring the ship, it’s pretty cool and all, and,” Thalia retreated by another step, ears lower, avoiding eye contact, ”...I shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry. She said I had to, and she’s right, but… it’s fine~! I’ll just, uh… h-head out over here, I guess.”

Penny’s readied stance rapidly deteriorated as Thalia slowly backed off, as did her anxiety. In it;s place was something easier to read but harder to deal with “Really?” She couldn’t help but ask as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto her back foot “You decided to sneak into the Earth Bastion, my ship, practically my second Lair, just to look around and now you want to leave?” Penny said calmly, though the anger in her eyes told a different story.

“Fine then” she would say after a moment of tense silence, the corridors moving in response to Penny’s words. The way that Thalia had come from was rapidly changing into a simple straight hall leading out of the Earth Bastion, all the various doorways and turns being smoothed over. “If you want to run away. Again. There you go. I won’t try and stop you this time.” She’d say once she was sure that Thalia had seen the change. “But don’t expect us to still be friends next time we meet if you do”

”Second Lair… it’s nicer than the warehouse,” Thalia replied. Her head turned, and her gaze caught the shifting hallway. She was being deadlocked into a decision - stay, or retreat further. The claustrophobia of the situation was beginning to close in on The Vixen, she could feel it, until her hands clenched into fists to stop them shaking. Without looking at Penny, she stepped backwards up to the hallway wall, and slid down to the floor.

”Did you get some board games like I asked?” As she looked towards Penny, she wrapped her hands around her knees. Along with the joke, Thalia smiled. But the smile was one part of a complex expression, betraying facets of emotions utterly alien to the faces she once wore. More pained, more lonely, more sad, and more manifold - more scared than even the night she ran away.

Silently Penny released the breath she had been holding. She’d been afraid that Thalia would run but she needed the other girl to know that it was the last chance. Needed her to understand that if she ran it was over. She was thankful that it turned out well, but next came the hard part.

Audibly, and visibly Penny took a calming breath placing most of her anger off to the side, she wasn’t calm, but she was measured in her actions. “No” She would respond, her tone weary, as this conversation had the possibility of being exceptionally painful for the mechanical girl. “There hadn’t been much of a point after you ran” She would explain moving to sit across the hallway from her unexpected guest. The hallway expanding as she did, opening up so that both girls had a bit of space to themselves.

“You should see the warehouse now though, spent the last week cleaning up. You’d hardly recognize the place” Penny would add with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as lurking just beneath the surface was all the hurt and confusion she’d yet to deal with, alongside all the anger. Yet if there was one thing that Penny knew it was that if you pushed too hard things broke.

”Haven’t had much time to play games recently, either,” were Thalia’s only words as Penny wandered over across from her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had seen things going wrong. Being attacked, being exiled - a layer of distrust permeated her like a miasma, no doubt The Vixen’s influence. Moments passed in between Penny’s smile, Thalia clawing at something to say lest the conversation die within moments of beginning.

”Hope you’ve stopped storing your clothes in boxes if it’s cleaned up,” was all Thalia could come up with. With caution, she matched Penny’s smile halfheartedly, eyes trained to the floor away from the girl. Her words were quieter, and dissonant, and superseded with a layer of fear, afraid to voice something that would contract the hallway once more and force her back to the cold ocean breeze. A dull thud resonated through the hall as she leant her head back against the wall, tilted up to gain view of the ceiling, ”Wouldn’t want another girl to stumble onto your little collection, huh? I remember your face from back then, imagine it with one of your closer friends~”

Contrasting Thalia’s skittishness Penny was nearly motionless, her gaze never leaving Thalia as they spoke. Her legs and back were visibly merged with the titanic ship and throughout it part of her attention was diverted into the running of the Earth Bastion to ‘keep her hands busy’ as it were. She would be patient.

“Nope, still got them in boxes” Penny would reply evenly from her spot. There were dozens of things Penny wanted to ask, or more likely scream, the fox girl across from her, but she could see the fear that was near to overwhelming her. “Moved where the boxes are though” She would continue “No one I wouldn't want to see them will be finding them” With all of her clothes being stored in her room at Chloe’s apartment, it was an easy statement to make.

“I’ve got to ask though” Penny would start after a moment of silence, her voice still even but once again weary “Why?” The core of the issue really. The one thing Penny couldn’t understand “Why did you run?” She’d ask plainly keeping all but minor hints of her pain from leaking through. She’d wait a few beats “Or why seek me out now? If the first is too much right now” She desperately wanted her first question to be answered, yet she knew she would be fine not knowing. She’d grown past it, for the most part, thus she also offered a, hopefully, easier path if Thalia needed it.

Thalia hesitated. She couldn’t answer to Penny why she ran; the reason why felt as though it would insult her more than appease her. The indecision was easy to read upon her face, as she grit her teeth and directed her gaze further away. The surroundings remained silent as she thought, blinking back tears and digging her nails into her arms, retreating further into the ball she had formed of herself.

”Eden said to me - talk to Penny, or kill yourself,” she finally said, burying her face into her knees. Her ears fell flat against the top of her hair, and Thalia closed up, blocking line of sight from Penny to her face, and vice versa, ”Turns out suicide is a lot harder when there’s something in your head that wants to live, more than it wants to kill. I-I… didn’t know what else to do after that.”

There would be a moment of silence after that admission. One in which Penny’s heart silently shattered. The look of hurt and sorrow that spread across her face going unnoticed by Thalia due to burying her face. ‘I... suppose that… says everything really’ Penny thought as she grappled with that truth. That talking to her was ranked as a worse situation than killing one’s self.

For a second, Penny slipped away. Seeking refuge within the cold, emotionless, grip of the Engine. Within that second it contemplated tens of millions of ways to terminate Thalia and which would be the most effective.

Two separate things stopped it from initiating the attempt.

“Well” Penny would say her voice and face unchanged from the last time she spoke, and her momentary loss of humanity going unremarked. “Here we are.” The look in her eyes had changed though now completely closed off to Thalia. Not hateful or wrathful, or sorrowful. Just flat indifference. She would continue the conversation. Because she had no way of knowing how that stupid dolphin would react if she went about trying to kill Thalia. And even if Dan did nothing, Thalia wasn’t worth waking up Chloe.

That could come later.

“Mind if I ask who Eden is?”

”The head of that newspaper, the PI. Told me her name was Eden Campbell,” Thalia answered, quietly. She hadn’t noticed any changes in Penny - keeping her face hidden. And as she continued to speak, thinking of the past, she began to cry, ”Sh-she said I was an animal, and she’s right. I-I ran away from you, ‘cause every time that’s happened before, people died. Sometimes they were people I knew and… were my friends. You’re the last person I’d ever want to hurt, but everything I ever do hurts people. So that’s what you do with an animal you can’t control, right..? You put it down.”

“That’s…” Penny would trail off, uncertainty showing through her tightly guarded facade as she processed this latest bit of information. It was at odds with what a lot of what she had been assuming for most of this time and she wanted to believe that things weren’t as bad as she had thought.

But it was difficult, due to having been potentially burned by Thalia already, as well as the situations with Veronica and Alicia, and Penny wasn’t sure if she could handle it again if Thalia was lying to her now. Regardless of her Oath to Beacon.

Yet it was feeling Thalia’s tears hit the floor that tipped the balance. “Thalia” Penny would say softly her gaze critical of the fox girl across from her constantly seeking any hint of deception. “Do you…” she’d pause for a moment trying to determine the softest way to ask “Do you remember what happens when you Redline? Or is it all just blacked out?” She’d ask just as softly, because the answer to that had the potential to change things. Not everything, some damage was too deep to go back to how it had been, but hopefully enough things.

”I remembered the feeling,” Thalia said - distant, uncertain, and trembling. Pulling on the memory of that feeling, the blackened depths with which she associated her Monstrous Metamorphosis and The Vixen, was hard on her. It was something Thalia attempted to forget at all costs, every time it occurred, and though there were no lies in her account, within her voice was a gradually increasing note of anxiety, building with every second it remained in her head, ”I-I think I subconsciously lock away the memories, but I couldn’t get rid of that feeling, like my mind and body were collapsing in on themselves. That I was falling, and being crushed at the same time. I… I had to pick up the pieces and figure out what I’d done whenever I found the bodies. I let you see me like that, and when I woke up I wasn’t in the alley, and a-all I could think about was that feeling, and I, I didn’t know what else to do…”

Penny let her head drop back to the wall behind her, letting out a sigh as she did. “It’s always the smallest things” She would murmur to herself. She wanted to be mad, wanted to be angry, as in the end Veronica had been right. Thalia and Penny had put different weights to how they felt about each other, but the metallic girl couldn’t find it in her to blame Thalia for that, for not trusting Penny as much as Penny had trusted her.

Instead she was just sad at the loss. It was too late to go back. Too much had happened, for the both of them but they could pick up the pieces that still remained and try and start a new. “You carried me away.” Penny would say after a time “I had gotten injured and it looked worse the it was, you Redlined and rather than stay and fight any of the Beacon members that had shown you carried me back to the warehouse” she would explain her gaze distant for the first time in the conversation.

“I had assumed” she let out a weak chuckle at that, remembering an old adage about such “Assumed that you’re transformation was more like mine. I remember everything about my changes, you see, in perfect detail. Everything. Every single thought and reasoning, every bit of physical feedback. Burned into my memory forever more.”

“So I thought we would be able to talk about it when you woke up” Penny’s voice would crack due to the painful memories, but she would just let out a long breath before continuing onwards “But you just panicked and ran, and I had no idea why. I tried to call you for hours afterwards. I waited for you to come back. But you never answered and never came back.” There was no reproval in her tone as she explained things, just an echo of her loss and hurt.

”I shouldn’t have run… i-it’s been so hard,” she sniffled, finally raising her head from her knees to wipe away the tears, a faint, sorrowful smile on her lips at Penny’s account. They too were clearly not lies - Thalia’s eyes were bloodshot red, cheeks flushed, smile unstable and obscured. Her tears were a far cry from the girl she had shown to Penny those months ago, but though exaggerated, they were that much closer to her own truth, paired with her uncharacteristically cagey body language, and pained tone. Her own head fell back against the metal wall behind her, to gaze up at the ceiling, ”When I realised that I’d run away from you, I lost it again. The transformation tried to get me far away, but I-I got caught up in a cycle for most of the day. M-my phone was already gone when I took control back… Lothreen tried to talk me down, but I blamed her for it all and she vanished.”

”From there I’ve got… whole days and weeks missing,” she continued, leaning forward from the wall to nestle her chin into the crack between her knees. Thalia’s gaze half fell onto Penny, not really look at her, but into, through, and beyond her, to something completely other. Her furrowed brow and concentrated until the stare crossed the line between observing her former friend, and trying desperately to visualise something that she had no recollection of, ”I guess the transformation, or something like it… uh… took on a mind of its own? Eden called it ‘The Vixen’, so I suppose they got to know each other. It’s been… fighting me. Winning, u-up until recently. It… doesn’t want to talk to you…”

Penny wasn’t bothered by the intense gaze, too decentralised and too exhausted at the moment for it to really register. “Not surprising, that it’s developed its own self.” She’d say “Or that Lothreen disappeared. They are us minus human plus something else and the Gods have always been fickle.” To say nothing about how Penny herself could track the slow development of the Engine with each time she Redlined.

“You could use a Red coin” She would offer up after a moment of thinking “Or a White. Either of them should be able to help long term” Already her mind was at work for a way to help Thalia. “Short term it depends on if you’re still triggering due to stress and such, but I might have something that can help with that”

Shortly after saying that a small section of the wall would open up near Thalia and a small tray would slide out holding a moderately sized, pale white, oval stone. “It’s a Meditation stone.” She would explain “Focusing on the stone while holding it helps you recenter.”

Removing one of her hands from around her knees, Thalia reached across to the tray, and brought the stone close. For a moment, she sat simply looking at it, running it across her hand, feeling its surface. Since the destruction of Purification Artifacts, she hadn’t used anything of similar nature. Holding something of that calibre brought about a vague sense of nostalgia.

”What are… red and white coins?” she asked, glancing up from the stone cupped in her palm to look back at Penny, ”I haven’t really been able to keep up with stuff recently. I got some bits from The PI, but after that went through… I still don’t know what happened at the graveyard, either. Kinda feels like Penrose has left me behind a bit, ha…”

“Graveyard was the scene of a battle due to a horror nearly being summoned.” Penny would explain broadly “Beacon and anyone who made it there went up against a Monster boy and Monster girl siblings and their brainwashed minions.” She would rub her shoulder in phantom recollection at her own encounter at the graveyard. “We came very close to an apocalypse from what I hear.” She would add with a shrug before moving on.

“The Red and White, on the other hand, are a couple of new Coins that have started to circulate. Red Coins reshuffle your magic, and from what I’ve seen and heard the changes can be very drastic. One of my friends who used one went from being one girl with a water spec into twins with reinforcement and psychic.”

“White Coins are from Beacon and are powerful purifying agents. They break any prior Patron bonds that you might be suffering under and shift them to Beacon itself and come with an upgraded Spark that actively rejects corruptive agents. They are a hell of a trip to use, but not a bad one.”

”Hm…” Thalia uttered, quietly, nodding along to Penny’s explanations and recounts. She took a moment to think. Stone in hand, she didn’t attempt to meditate on it, nor seriously look inwards to herself. She merely thought, for a short amount of time, about the past, and herself, and her Patron, and Eden. And everything that had led up to the past months. By the time Penny had stopped talking, the quietness clung to the space for a brief while longer, as Thalia sat and stared towards the floor.

”I… uh…” she began again, abruptly, after several beats of silence. Her gaze slowly drifted from the floor, away from inside herself and back out towards Penny. Where she had gripped the stone until her knuckles ran white, Thalia loosened her clutch, so that the built up tension could be released, ”...I-I still haven’t said it yet. That I’m sorry for leaving you. Doesn’t… really make up for anything, o-or mean anything right now… What if I just upped and ran away again tomorrow, right? - haha… ha… um… I-I’d be willing, to trying out one of those coins, but I dunno how The Vixen’d react. A-and, before any of that, I just... want you to know I’m sorry.”

Penny didn’t seem bothered by the stretch of silence, content to simply let it reign freely. Still he reaction to Thalia’s words was, if anything, a curious almost non-reaction at first. Her gaze remain locked onto Thalia, as it had been for most of their conversation, but it seemed more distant after hearing what was said, more like she was just staring into space rather than observing.

Slowly her gaze would return to the here and now. When it had returned she would speak.“I believe you and I accept the apology in the spirit that you are giving it” Penny had not yet forgiven Thalia however, and a small part of her wondered if she ever truly would. “If you truly want to try one of the Coins talk to Cindy.” She would go onto say “She’s got a stockpile of Red’s, I believe. That would be the quickest way to get one. Once we get out of here I should be able to get a White coin for you if you need one. It’ll take a day or two however.”

”Can’t believe doing this was this easy.” Thalia said, accompanied by a quiet, light laugh. Her position on the floor shifted a bit, no longing withdrawing entirely into herself as it did so, ”I don’t know what else to say… not sure where to go from here. If you can get a coin, I’ll try it. She won’t like it, though.”

Pushing off from beneath, Thalia slid up the wall behind her, taking to her feet.
”Do you, uh, want this back?” she asked, holding out the meditation stone still clutched in her grasp, ”You probably don’t want me staying on the ship after all, with the whole… ‘losing control’ and ‘lack of trust’ bits, ha.”

Penny just gave a tired smile as her friend stood up, glad that she was feeling better, even if she wasn’t quite sure if she herself was better or worse off just yet. “You can hold on to it” Penny would say gesturing at the stone as she moved to stand as well. “I don’t need it right now. In fact, I bought it because of situations like this” She would say chuckling at the timing of it all. “I’m opening up my lair, and some of the surrounding builds as a sanctuary slash homeless shelter. There are a lot of girls out there that don’t have anywhere to turn to. I’m planning on changing that.” She would explain with quiet conviction.

“So, while your unfortunately right, I can’t say I’m fully comfortable with you staying on the ship” Both for the reason’s Thalia had offered, much more the latter than the former, but also that Penny wasn’t sure how Chloe would react to Thalia. “You’re always welcomed at the warehouse.” She would say honestly, before pausing as something occurred to her “You’ll likely end up there anyway. Cindy offered to help out with the project.”

”Okay, yeah… Thanks,” she replied, with a smile far less pained than before. Being right about their current standings was a harsher reality check than expected, but Thalia had anticipated it since they began talking. The hardest part to come to terms with, was that their previous friendship could never be restored. She had expected that too, though. All that remained was to pick up the pieces, ”Did you ever change your number? I-I’ve got some money at my… uh, current lair. If I get a new phone, could we talk some more?”

“It’s still the same” Penny would confirm, her smile becoming less tired and more relaxed and hopeful “Feel free to give me a call. Anytime” she would add before stepping closer to give Thalia a small hug. She moved slowly, giving the other girl time to back away if she wanted. “You’re still my friend Thalia” Penny would say softly “We’ll get through this”

Wordlessly, Thalia stepped forward, and accepted the embrace. For who knew how many months she had been without affectionate touch, without compassion, and without empathy from another. The last time had been Penny, just hours before she ran. For all the strength she had attempted to muster to deal with the mess she had made, still Thalia felt closer to tears than ever before, in the embrace of the closest friend she had ever known. She didn’t want Penny to see her cry again.

”Well, then,” she said, pulling away from the hug, and quickly turning her back, to keep the tears in her eyes hidden from view, ”I-I’ll see you later~! Kitsune Operative First Class, returning to base!”

And then, she took off, out of the Earth Bastion, and into the night of the resort island.

~


Penny would keep track of Thalia until the foxgirl was out of sight before letting out a silent sigh as her form would break apart and meld back into the Earth Bastion, as back in the command tower her eyes would open. The truth of the matter was that Penny had never left her nest of blankets, or at least her true body had never left. Gently she pulled the still slumbering Chloe closer to her as she resettled into the mass of blankets and pillows.

She would be spending the rest of her night reviewing the conversation that she had just gone through, alongside her normal introspection about how she felt. All together she felt that it had ended well, and had high hopes about the future.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by DarkwolfX37
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Summer stepped out from behind Dan. "Aww, the beach episode is over and I didn't get any screen-time!" She patted Dan on the head in a gesture of condolence. "I wouldn't mind staying for a while longer, if that's okay?" She glanced at Violet and Sakura with pleading eyes. Whether or not her request was granted, she'd stick with it. She had made some great sketches of Binky from the shadows the island and the events, so she was happy, even if she had to return to Penrose.



"..." Shion stood in silence as the others debated. She didn't really care about the vacation or it ending, but... "What's going to happen to all the magic in this place? What about all the coins that the dolphin has?" If she could just get her hands on that dolphin, maybe it'd be enough in one fell swoop... Though given that he was apparently a Lesser Spirit, perhaps he didn't have as many as she hoped.
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Obviously a lot had happened at the stage show. Alicia had come to support Aurelio in his stage efforts, and she was suitably impressed by the trick that he pulled. So she considered her time well spent on that alone.

What happened with Penny raised an eyebrow high, yet there was little time to question it as the Djinn sisters made their appearance and revealed what was going on to everyone there. So it had been a trick after all, how about that? Seemed she owed someone an apology for doubting.

And so the plea was made, lily stepping forward to call on those present while Dan presented his own premise for why they should remain here. It was true, there there was no violence, even if it was enforced on penalty of his wrath. There were still rivalries, but she had gotten to interact with people she never would have met outside of a crisis. That had to be worth something.

Yet the world was still out there, and it moved on without them. As easy as it would have been to remain, that was not the right choice. It was not the path that she had sworn to walk down.

Rising from her seat, Alicia glanced over at Sylvia and gave her a firm nod. "As pleasant as it would be to remain, it would be selfish to do so when there are so many back home who need our aid. Take us back," she said, adding her voice to those calling for Dan to end this.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by BrokenPromise
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T e t r a d



” The many must lose so that the few may win.”

— Tetrad

(Earlier in the talent show)


When it was Tetrad’s turn, she stepped out onto stage wearing a white hooded robe over her beach outfit, paired with sunglasses and lots of other #SWAG.



”I'm a pastor, I'm a priest,
Dropping beats like a beast,

Take your scrawny hide and turn you into a feast!

I'm a judge holding hammer attending Sunday mass,

And I’m about to pass judgement on your lily ass!”




We interrupt this broadcast due to time restraints and a stronger desire to get this shit on the road.


! E X C E L S I O R !






”Dan?” Su smiled. ”I’m grateful that you ran the vacation for as long as you did. I’ve been grieving for a very long time, and I feel like coming here did a lot to accelerate my recovery. I’ve learned a lot about myself, including the direction I wish to take my life. I don’t think that would have happened under the twin’s rule.” She squeezed Helga’s hand. Su’s face relaxed as she continued, with her smile vanishing entirely. ”However, this world will never be perfect. My patron likely wishes to know where I am. He and Penrose are without their protectors. Even if all of the magical girls are here, there are still monsters that could attack Penrose at any moment. I am ready to leave this place.”



“I’m not really all about sitting on a beach. I mean it was fun and everything, but I’ve got a sore to settle with Feral.”

“Who’s that?”

“Uhhhh…” Lupa looked away from Mika. “A-a bad dude!” Lupa recovered. “This was a blast, but sometimes you can’t fully unwind when you know there’s an ass that needs kickin’, you know what I mean?”


”I have more banners than you. Get rekt normie.”

— Tetrad


Tetrad chuckled. ”It’s been fun, Dan.” She placed her hands on her hips. ”I never thought beating up a bunch of lesbians with my tits would be so rewarding. I mean participation was a gold coin alone!” She examined one of her gloved hands and flexed her fingers. ”But as great as that competition was, it had losers, and a lot of them. Few people enjoy losing.” Tetrad chuckled. ”Can you really say this place is free of pain? For a dolphin that feeds on a steady diet of happiness and good feelings, you enjoy watching us suffer for a victory.” Her finger shot out and pointed at Dan. ”Well that’s fine, But I don’t want to suffer in your game any more. I want to suffer on my own terms! The greatest risks for the greatest rewards! Oh, and I guess saving the world is pretty rewarding too. Don’t want to come across as a bad role model or anything.”



Veronica scoffed. “You’re a fool if you thought you could keep me here forever. Discarding the lamp the way you did was just sloppy. It was only a matter of time before someone found it.” She placed a hand on her hip. “It is by choice that I did not take action against you. This space provided me with ample opportunities, so I left you alone. But the circumstances have changed and there is no longer a reason for me to linger here.” Veronica fixed her gaze on Dan. “Release us at once. I might not have the power to make the world disappear, but making things like you disappear is my specialty.”



Betty blushed. ”I-it was nice to see Binky again. That made me very happy.” She looked at Dan. ”But the way everyone is talking, this place is just another prison. Out of the fryer and into the freezer.” She drew her weapon and stood like a samurai ready to fight. ”Binky deserves true freedom! I’ll fight ‘till my last breath if that’s what it takes!”



"I’m having lots of fun bonding with everyone!" After getting a glare from everyone from Beacon, she sighed. "Okay, yea, this kind of sucks. I wanna return to the real world now."



Abigail let out a jovial laugh. "I’m not going to let some creepy, squeaky dolphin control my life!" She folded her arms. "This really isn’t that different from mind control. You’ve created an environment where we are forced to do your bidding. You’re certainly a lot cuter than the last person who did this to me, and you’re not trying to destroy the world. On those two counts, I will show you mercy." Her grin widened. "If you let us leave right now, you won’t have to learn if it’s possible for a dolphin to survive passing through a gravitational singularity."



”I feel so broke up, I wanna go home.”




As the rejections started to pile up, it became more and more apparent to Dan that he would have to get serious in order to keep the fantasy world together. So he lifted his fins into the air and-



“Wait, You can’t end the world yet! I need to do my performance!” Mika Stumbled onto the stage. Her outfit was very similar to her magical girl outfit. Something fit for an Arabian entertainer. Before she came to a stop, she started to play her flute. The one that allowed her to control dolphins.



The Music caused Dan to stop whatever it was that he was doing. The sweat drop on the side of his head got bigger, but he could not fight the urge to move to Mika’s song. He spun and danced his way over to Mika, even performing a flip before landing on stage. That was when Mika lowered her flute and looked into his eyes.

“Dan.” Mika held the flute in front of her mouth, but wasn’t blowing into it. “I had mixed feelings about this place. It’s possible to have a lot of fun, but I don’t really feel like the barriers around us have really dropped. Everyone can be friends, but they will always stay closest to their respective groups.” Mika sighed. “Maybe it’s because I’m not very smart, but I don’t think there’s a way to change that. When you give everyone what they want, there isn’t really a reason to make new friends. People only need to cooperate when there’s a struggle. What happened at the graveyard was terrible, but we all came together to stop it. I made some friends when that happened. But here, I have made none.” Mika’s tail was wagging side to side. “While I want to leave this place with everyone else, our being together has given me the ability to make another friend.” Mika wrapped her arms around Dan. “Even if it wasn’t perfect, this was the best vacation I ever had! And knowing that you were here the entire time, hosting tournaments, watching us, making sure we didn’t fight…” She kissed Dan on the side of his bill. “I really like you Dan. I think you should come with us to Penrose. I know just where you could live!” Tears streak down the sides of Dan's head as he shivered in her embrace.

Su’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. This wasn’t unexpected behavior from Mika, but she wasn’t about to let a magical talking dolphin stay at the Golden Trove. Magical ghost twins were one thing, but Boteg didn’t like to be around things with even the smallest amount of magical energy. If Dan could manage an entire dimension like this, he would not be a welcome guest.



”Just one more.”

— Tonya “Mac” Murphy



Welp, it looked like things were wrapping up.

Mac hadn't gotten a lot done, but she'd be lying if she expected to. The goal was just to elude everyone until the vacation ended, and she did pretty good with that. She even had some fun in the process!

But Mac also knew what was in store for the future. This was a respite before a great despair, but it was one that her patron had put into motion. All she could do was continue ensuring the string of fate accurately foretold the future.

When it suited her at least.
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S i l l y S h a d e



"...okay?"
Samantha Howard

"This is where I bow out."
Shade


Stay in this false paradise and becoming something of a lotophage was perhaps appealing to some, but Silhouette had little interest in pretending everything was sunshine and roses with a bunch of magical girls, some of whom she'd clashed blades with. She wholeheartedly agreed with the general consensus that they should return to Penrose and resume their 'normal' lives, with all the despair, suffering, and violence that it entailed.

"I tire of this charade. There's no point in remaining here." it may not have been necessary to speak up since it was only natural that Samantha would follow shortly behind Veronica, whatever she did, but she had always openly argued against being in this place to begin with.

On the frlipside, Shade looked absolutely devastated at the direction things had turned. With each person voicing their complaints, the dire expression she wore worsened. It appeared much more serious than just enjoying the paradise. No, it looked almost as if each declaration against Dan's paradise was a knife in her gut.

Silhouette noticed this and tilted her head slightly. "What is your deal right now?" she asked plainly. If anyone, she should be able to understand her own 'self', but that apparently wasn't the case.

Samantha did not receive a proper answer from Shade, whose grave expression slowly turned to a wistful smile. Shade looked upon the majority of the girls one last time before turning to Samantha and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just...don't forget me." and then returning to being the shadow she was. Were it not for the utter confusion that her shadow's actions had brought about, Sam might've betrayed the surprise she felt at the fact her shadow could even do that without her consent.

...I don't understand her, at all. I thought I was the brooding one.

E m i l y



"Short post from the shortcake~"

— Emily


Emily couldn't deny that she had enjoyed her time here. She did very much so. This paradise where none would harm each other and only need focus on enjoying themselves... it was so very delightful. But as Tetrad pointed out to her -- it was merely a farce, and while they dilly-dallied here, people were still suffering in Penrose. Knowing that there were people out there she could potential save made it all but impossible for her to ever consider permanently relaxing here, as fun as it was.

"Umm, I'm sorry, Dan, but there's still people out there who might need my help, so I can't stay." Emily told the dolphin as though she was apologizing. She did not think he deserved so much hate for trying to make people happy, even if he took the wrong approach to doing so.

H i l a r i a



"Now... does Hilaria try to trick boys out of food again? Naturally!"

— TL Note: Hilaria does so unintentionally


Hilaria thought that this was a well-spent vacation. At one point in her life she was much like Emily in that she had desired a world without strife or conflict. A place where all could be happy and none would live in fear or want. But that was... a long time ago. Now, a place like this would leave her with no purpose, no reason to keep on going. It was almost like her own personal hell, at least the idea of a permanent stay here was. It was okay in short bursts, but that was it. She'd had her fill and would be happy to get back to saving people in Penrose.

"Hmm~ Hilaria has had her fill, but she would like to go back to Penrose now." she told the dolphin. "But Hilaria would not be opposed to helping Dan if he needs it, because that's her job~!" she saw a poor, ignorant idealist in Dan. Most certainly a fool, but likely had only the best of intentions behind his actions. She'd seen these sorts turn into villains more often than not, but it was really up to the individual. She would do what she could to save him regardless, assuming he desired her help.
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She for one, was glad that this whole charade was over with. She might have made a few new acquaintances, but this whole beach episode had gone to far, and she was done with it. She wanted to be back home in Penrose, fighting crime and dealing with the usual stuff that she was used too. Not being harassed on a beach by some dolphin or being forced to play some sorta totally weird game.

"Hm...well said." Rina replied to the energetic girls question. And it seems like most of us agree.
"This whole beach thing is starting to drag anyways, and I really want to get out of this swimsuit."



"Well I dunno about everyone else," Chloe chimed in, floating lazily with her wings.
"But I had a wonderful time." In fact, she couldn't be happier with how this little vacation turned out. Penny was hers, she got to mess with beacon a bit, and now here she was, in a vastly better mood than when she had first come here. She even got to make Veronica's acquaintance, and that was a relationship she was hoping would go well.

"...that said you little sneaky little creature," Chloe landed next to Dan, smiling in a decidedly unsettling manner. "I don't like it...when someone tries to use me for something, or makes my nose look like some old hags." The crystal ball lit up in her hand. "Maybe you could pay me back by playing with Lucy for a bit, hm?~ He does need a new playmate."
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.:⋮Ending with a Bang⋮:.


“Called it” Penny would say aloud, even if she was mostly talking to herself in regards to having been right about thinking that Dan had been trying to keep them here forever. She couldn’t say that she disliked this little enforced vacation, but that had a lot to do with Chloe. Everything else was either alright or a detriment.

With that in mind, Penny walked over towards the Twins on the Stage “Anything I can do to help?” She would ask them. Not seeing any reason to keep piling on the aggression towards Dan. Plus the chance to destroy a miniature world wasn't something she wanted to pass on, she might not need to break things anymore but that didn't mean the action didn't have appeal anymore.





-=Ǝ Heart of the matter E=-


Aurelio was a bit torn if he was to be honest. This Beach had been one of the better surprises that he had encountered in his time as a magic boy, and while the air tended to filled with friction when the various cliques started to bump into each, for the most part it had been a place of Joy and Comfort.

That said, “I must say that I’ve enjoyed the break you’ve been able to give us” Aurelio would say smiling “But, it would be a remiss if, we stayed here forever. The outside world is filled with danger and terror, yes. That’s why Beacon needs to be there. To help those that are in danger and the shield those that are afraid.” He would explain as he strode towards Dan “I would enjoy the opportunity to return, however, as you have quite the gift when it comes to making an atmosphere of fun.”

He would extend a hand for the Dolphin to shake “Until then, it has been a pleasure”
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Of course, like Alicia, all Beacon members present were shocked to see what had transpired in Penny and Chloe's show, especially Sylvia. While she first lifted an eyebrow upon seeing the two of them together on stage, she didn't think much more on it, assuming that Chloe simply wanted another performer who didn't harbor any ill will towards her. But as the song went on, the look on her face gradually turned more disgruntled, until the act of intimacy that caused her to grimace in anger. She was about to stand up and protest when Sally pulled her back down. "Wait Boss, the next show's gonna start," the red-and-blue-clad girl whispered to her, causing her to bit the thumb of her nail in barely held resentment. "Penny, what is the meaning of this?" She muttered under her own breath, but had little time to reflect on it before the jig was up on Dan's operation.



The Lesser Force himself was in a bind in more ways than one. After Alex and Eliza threatened him, he made one last attempt to regain control of the situation, only to fail as Mika charmed him with her flute, causing him to squeak in surprise. "Oh no...No, please..." As the crowd gathered around him, he looked up with a pitiful look at them. "I'm going to be alone again..." He spoke quietly, ignoring the pleas of the crowd. The Djinn Twins looked at each other, and then at Penny after her question, as they pondered on whether they should destroy this false world.

But then, Mika embraced Dan, and the magical dolphin's heart melted from her kindness. "M-Mika...Even now, you still...Want to be my friend?" A couple of tears dropped down his cheeks, like sparkling diamonds. The dolphin extended his fins, and reciprocated the gesture, and for a minute simply held her back, slowly coming to terms with the end of his eternal paradise, with Celia helping to mend the hurt with her Joy magic. Lily sighed with a soft smile, and went over to Alex; she wrapped her arms around his arm, watching the events unfold.

Then, Dan finally released his hold, and floated over to Hilaria, extending a fin towards her. "Hilaria...Thank you." He turned towards the rest, a look of resolution on him. "I now understand. True happiness is not found by running from your problems, but by facing them. By keeping you here, I would only cause much more pain in the end. So, very well then; you are now free." He turned towards the other side of the stage, and launched a bolt of blue magic; as it hit the floor of the stage, a stone archway slowly rose up from the floor. And then, a blurry portal formed inside the arch. Golden letters then levitated on the top part of the arch: they spelled the word 'Penrose'.

Dan turned to Summer, and made a weak smile. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Summer. Of course, you're also free to leave any time you want." Then he turned to Shion. "The coins I gave to you are your hopes and dreams given magical form, constructed thanks to the magic of this wondrous world. As long as you keep those memories in your hearts...That magic will never disappear." Dan then addressed the crowd, floating upwards to see everyone off. "As your vacation organizer, I shall bid you farewell! Never forget what you're fighting for! And remember to have fun!" And with that, the girls were finally set free.

"Alright! Let's go home Alex! Goodbye Dan! See you all on the other side!" Lily waved to everyone, and took Alex' hand, leading them both out. As Sylvia and Sally were talking to the rest of Beacon and suggesting to leave, Dan approached Mika. "I am done escaping from grief and sorrow. It is time I make a difference in the world of man." She also beckoned Hilaria to come closer, and extended his fins to both of them. "Mika, Hilaria, would you be willing to form a pact with me? I wish to make your world one of peace and joy, and will support you as much as I can." With wishes for co-operation made and possibly received, the Djinn twins made sure everyone was able to safely depart before they also took their leave.

And so, each one found themselves back where they started; whether it was in their beds, or out wandering the streets, they were all back in Penrose.










But what waited them beyond was not the Penrose they remembered.



Sylvia, having woken in her bed, immediately realized something was wrong from what she felt: it was cold, far colder than what she remembered it being. And as she stepped into the kitchen, she was met by her mother's tearful hug; she learned she had disappeared for months amidst her sobbing. But she had to leave her for a moment as she quickly ran outside, and gasped at what she saw: it was snowing, carpeting the city into a white, freezing landscape. The sky was gray, with clouds roiling to the horizon. She could see her breath, floating up as vapors. She returned back inside, hoping that her father did record a snippet of old news on his digital TV. She also needed to console her mother, who has searched long for her.



A couple of bubbles floated up from a tiny wooden pipe, reflecting an alleyway tucked in the far corners of Penrose. The Supah Sleuth was on the case, tracking down a series of what she deduced to be cases of murder from the clues she had found, like blood, and strange scraping marks. It was easy to move in the streets, as only a few brave civilians still remained in the cursed town. Finally, after weeks upon weeks of detective work, she finally managed score a breakthrough in her investigation: it was the body of a young girl, lying in the snow, partly stained red from the wounds she had received. Sammy brought out her handheld looking glass, and used it to examine the corpse. "Blonde hair...clothing brands fashioned for 12-to-15-year-olds..." She quietly mumbled, until she blinked in realization. "It can't be..." She stepped back, unnerved by her discovery. "This girl...Is Valerie Herztein! And she was killed only a couple of minutes ago! So the culprit must be..." She turned around upon hearing movement behind her.

A scream, followed by silence.



Sylvia had learned from a collection of recorded news segments that a series of natural disasters had occurred in the city, from a lightning storm that set the town hall on fire to an outright earthquake that happened just a couple of weeks ago; of course, she knew that it was most likely caused by monsters and other nefarious entities. But, strangely enough, things calmed down immediately after organizations similar to WHO and Red Cross arrived to provide relief efforts. What Sylvia also found strange that at around the same time, an official evacuation notice was issued, resulting in most of Penrose's population escaping the city to other states.
"It's strange, but I think I've heard of this before. Does that mean-Wait, why do they have...Oh no no no." Sylvia saw something that sent shivers through her skin. She needed clarification.

She called June on the phone. Every second she waited felt like it extended endlessly. After about thirty seconds, the call was picked up. "Sylvia? Is it really you?" She heard the Beacon girl speak, but...Something was off. "June, what happened? Why are they here?" She asked, trying not to let fear sound in her voice. But it was impossible.

"Because they had to, Sylvia. You forced everyone's hand," June again answered; her voice was cold like ice. "There was no choice other than to call them in." "But-" Sylvia attempted to speak, but no words came out. She heard a faint voice on the line, like someone spoke to June. After a second, June stated: "You will answer for what you've done."



Sylvia dropped her phone to the ground, only able to stare forward. She slowly shifted towards a window, trying to keep herself on her feet; if she were to falter, she might fall down. Slowly, but surely, with an arm pressing against the glass stained with fractal ice, she looked outside, trying to comprehend her new reality by gazing upon snowy Penrose. Her mind rushed back to the phone call, and the realization that came with it.
"I was gone...for months. So that means..." She already knew, after she saw the familiar insignia the workers wore on their clothes, and immediately knew it meant only one thing.

"...So it is true..." She whispered.

"..."

"...The Ascendancy has arrived."

TO BE CONTINUED (IN THE NEXT SEASON)
<===
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'Huh...I kind of expected that he would put up an actual fight, not just give up like that' Alexander was baffled at how easy this had been. After hearing about how the dolphin had been feeding on their fun to strengthen himself, he had thought that it would use that power to force them to stay here to serve as his personal generators. 'I don't know, it kind of feels like he's just half-assing this now.' He was brought out his internal musings by the sensation of Lily's hand 'Bah, I guess it doesn't really matter.' he lightly squeezed Lily's hand back as then walked to the portal 'But why does it feel like I'm forgetting some-' and as they reached said portal, it hit him; '...The animals. '
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