@BrokenPromise

---

Katarina wasn't sure what to expect right now, aside from this quickly devolving into some sort of shitshow. The chances of it not were pretty slim. She sighed lightly, a small frown forming on her lips as she pulled her jacket over her shoulders once she was inside. Unlike some others, she just decided to throw on her usual casual wear. No need to get fancy for a party like this. She didn't own anything like that anyways.

"I don't think Vi will be staying anywhere." Rina commented idly towards Su. From what she could gather, the celebrity hadn't exactly ever made a public appearance before. In fact, she seemed fairly intent on staying hidden behind a screen most of the time. Understandable, really. She swiftly turned her attention back to Mika when she asked for a dance. Well, fitting in was better than not.

"Sure, why not. Just uh, don't be mad if I'm terrible at it."


@Shifter_Master

---

Penny wouldn't have to wait long for Chloe or Divina to make themselves known. The two would come walking into the roo,

"I do think its a bad idea..." Divina would say to Chloe. "At least take Aurora with you."

"He's busy keeping Vi in line." Chloe would reply, waving a hand dismissively. "I can handle myself. If the Mint wants me to handle it, I have no choice but to do it. Or would you rather they play their Ace?"

"That's...no, I would preferably not." Divina replied, mildly exasperated. "Just be careful. I'll make certain Reaver gets his punishment for going back on his word of help."

"Hmph. Then the matter is settled." Chloe turned her attention to Penny, her expression softening slightly as she walked over, and wrapped her girlfriend in a tight hug. "Hey, Penny. Nervous?" She would ask, though she wouldn't give her much time to reply. "Really sorry I can't help. But me being there would probably be a bad idea, not to mention the Mint's giving me trouble..."

"Hello again, Penny." Divina was currently in her unhidden state, letting the other magical girl see her true moth girl form. "You have been well, I hope? I was quite distressed when I heard of your troubles."


@Shifter_Master

---

In a hidden security room, Vi watched the party unfold from her chair.

"Heh, you seem nervous." A little imp said on her right.

"Eeeh? Me? Nervous? Aurora you really are a nasty thing, aren't 'cha." Vi replied, leaning back in her chair. "Ahahaha, the only thing I'm nervous about is that fucktoid organization PI having their own agenda. They probably do." Vi kicked off the floor, causing the chair to spin and roll across the room lightly. "The only reason I let them be here is cuz they can't do much to stop what's happening. Keeping an eye on them is the best idea."

"Ahahaha," Aurora laughed, a small smile curling across the dark magical boy's lips. "Did I ask about that? You're stupid, aren't you? You nervous, huh? You really shouldn't be unless you're scheming something yourself. Maybe I should just kill you already anyways?"

"...you're lucky It'd be a bad for us to kill each other." Vi replied with a huff, standing up from her chair as it came to a halt, conveniently in the direction of Aurora. Vi reached for her phone, checking Glimmr. Seemed like the party was going well. "Let's go get ready." Vi said. "Gotta make Vi-Chan's first appearance memorable."

"Wah! Right! I need to get changed!" Aurora ran from the room, towards the catwalks overlooking the main stage. She couldn't appear too suspicious, so she followed soon after, but not before sending a text to someone that might give her an out of this mess. Or at least give her an out with something other than dying. She couldn't trust beacon, not after everything, but if she could play on one bleeding heart to keep her alive then she'd do it.

"Hey, guy with the totally memeworthy name, lets do some real talk. I'm in kinda some trouble. I want help or I'm probably gonna end up with my pretty little head on a pike somewhere."

The gothic girl did not remove any of the documents from the folder. Rather, it went into her matchbox in a smooth movement, almost as if the file itself shrunk to match the small opening. A moment later, her gray eyes flashed, and she nodded. From that same matchbox came a seamless cube, its coloration swirling from purple to blue and then back again. There was a light hum emanating from it, nigh imperceptible in the rumbling of the amplifiers outside the room, and in Dolly's hand, it floated inches from her palm, gently rotating as if it floated upon the ocean's surface.

"The receptacle," she said. She tapped her finger against its surface, and it hovered over to Eden. There was something warm, moist about the object; though its surface was hard and did not give, if the Boss of the Penrose Independent were to press her hand against it, she would still feel her flesh sinking into something soft, no matter what her eyes told her.

The second item that was withdrawn from the matchbox was a hexagonal rod of the same shifting hue as the box. This one exhibited no anomalous properties compared to the receptacle, and Dolly physically passed it over to Eden instead. "The key. Per prior instructions, establish magical connections with the receptacle, press the key into the receptacle, grip the receptacle tightly, and envisioning the magic you wish to cast utilizing the magical energy you have gathered. Safety restrictions require a thirty second charge time, but you may shorten that to ten seconds by exclaiming 'Popipa pipopa popipapapipopa' and jumping upwards while raising the receptacle above you."

She slid her matchbox back into the folds of her dress, before placing her hands over her stomach.

"Al Sharpe will contact you following the end of the rave for future payment details, as per the contract. Do you have any other questions or requests?"



“If the stars align and the heavens stand with us, we won’t require reinforcements,” Amaryllis replied, inspecting the sheen of her Sword in the moonlight. But that was doubtful, and it would be disappointingly pleasant too. Her Sword wanted blood, and in a way, Amaryllis did too. For once, Wielder and Weapon were alike in their desire for violence.

But this wasn’t revenge. If they could get Sammy out without slaying any others, that would be for the best. For the best…

“Evening, Mariette,” Amaryllis tilted her head in the direction of the Mirror Sage, a half-surprised smile on her face when she brought a cat with her, rather than her Bunny. “I’ve no complex thoughts on the matter myself. Though it is regrettable that the perpetrator was merely a pawn, it is similarly expected. Our goal remain the same, though now our enemies are likely to expect our arrival.”

The Knight of Rose caught a petal with the tip of her finger, then flicked it off into the winter wind.

“Either we strike with vengeful immediacy, discombobulating their defenses and preparations with shock and awe and precisely extract the Super Sleuth in the chaos of our arrival, or we slip in with the Mirror Sage’s assistance, avoiding detection in the corona of the Rave’s magical density, and perform our operation subtly. I lean towards these two extremes; half-measures seem insufficient for the quest we aspire to accomplish.”

Oh. Oh dear god, Maura's fears were right?! The vision was honestly frightening, even for her. But the girl in the midst of the massacre, who was she? She couldn't have been Beacon, right??

"Hm?" Eliza was snapped out of her thoughts, turning her attention to the sharply dressed dame with red eyes contrasting the witch's gold. Was her tarot reading going into effect this quickly? Either way, she might as well humour the other girl. Might help her calm down even.

"Heh, cute. Wonder how much time it took to come up with that." Eliza chuckled, a sly grin playing at her lips. "Elizabeth Dewynter. But my friends call me Eliza. What do you go by yourself, sweetheart?" she asked back, while telling the rest of her team about her vision via magi-coms.

---

---

As the Cardinal left HQ, Anaya quietly followed. Not too far off but enough to intervene in case Cardinal Ishtar was to be attacked. Though from what the spirit girl had seen through her artefact, it was expected. Even if she wished to be alone, Anaya wouldn't allow the Cardinal to get hurt by whoever's wanting to negotiate with her.

Hell have mercy for them if that happens either way.

---

---

Celia was just on standby. Wandering the city as everyone else is busy.

Several hours before the Rave…

Violet sat in her study browsing various data feeds on her holographic displays, a frown marring her otherwise lovely visage. In just a few more hours, the rave would begin, and as yet, neither of the Mint’s agents had reported back on the status of their respective assignments. Violet still planned on attending, of course, but it would help to know who to look for, as well as to be familiar with all they were capable of. Casting her gaze to a screen displaying a Glimmer chatroom, she skimmed over a series of messages pertaining to the swiftly approaching social gathering.

---

Violet rolled her eyes. She wasn't even remotely impressed by this so-called "Best Magical Girl". She appeared indistinguishable from the typical internet troll with an over-inflated ego. In fact, as far as Violet was concerned, they were all nothing more than immature attention seekers. Well, if all went according to plan, they would have their attention drawn to something far different this night: The public interrogation and execution of whoever had foolishly dared to attack her family. Her request to take the Violet Princess for a “test drive” had been quickly approved, and both the prototype drone and its linked VR piloting system were fully prepped and awaiting launch. Now, if only her associates would hold up their end…

Just then, the voice of her butler dissolved her musings.

“Miss Covington,” he called out, his normally imperturbable voice containing a not insignificant tone of dismay.

“What is it, Winston?” Violet asked, slightly unsettled by her butler’s noticeable change in demeanor.

“It is your father, Miss,” the butler explained. “I am afraid he has suffered a heart attack. He is in his room now, and the physicians are attending him.”

Violet gasped sharply. “Take me to him,” she ordered, rising swiftly to her feet.

“At once, Miss Covington.”

…

…

“Father!” Violet exclaimed upon entering her father’s bedchamber.

“Ah, there you are, my princess,” the elder Covington replied weakly. “Come, sit here beside the bed for a moment. I have something I wish to discuss with you.”

“Are you all right, Father?” Violet asked as she made her way over, her voice filled with concern. “Winston said…”

“I am fine, Violet,” he told her, his tone firm and reassuring, despite his clear fatigue. “It was just a small heart attack due to stress. A good night’s rest and, by morning, I shall be good as new. Now then, doctors, if you could leave us for a moment, I have some private matters to discuss with my daughter.”

Bowing respectfully, the collection of doctors and medical personnel filed out of the room, leaving Violet alone with her father.

“Violet, this is an important time for the company,” he began. “Many key projects are swiftly nearing completion and several important operations will soon begin. While my current situation is only a minor inconvenience, it has led me to realize that I must always be ready to pass on the mantle of leadership to you, my daughter. I have trained you well, Violet, and you were always an attentive pupil. I have no doubt in my mind that you are ready to assume your birthright, and I know you possess the same certainty. I just wished for you to hear such words from me. I am so very proud of you, my princess,” he told her warmly as he gently stroked the top of her head. “Under your guidance, our company will soar to heights undreamed of.”

“T-Thank you, Father,” Violet said softly, fighting back tears. “Your approval means the world to me.”

“You are fully deserving of it, my princess,” her father replied. “Now then, I do not wish to occupy any more of your valuable time. You may leave me in the doctors’ care and return to more pressing matters.”

“I-If you will permit it, Father, I should like to remain here and care for you personally. As your daughter, it is my responsibility to stay at your side in times such as these.”

“Very well,” her father said with a pleased smile. “I believe your ministrations will be worth more than those of the entire medical staff combined.”

“A photographic memory is certainly a valuable asset, Father,” Violet noted with a slight smile.

“Indeed,” her father concurred, “but for now, let us just rest for a while.”

Taking her father’s hand in both of her own, Violet gave a small nod.

“Of course, Father.”

Despite the seemingly tranquil atmosphere, Violet’s thoughts raced at a frenzied pace. Was it really just stress that had brought on her father’s heart attack, or was something more sinister at work? Perhaps whatever contemptible force was responsible for her father’s nightmares had done this? Now that their nightmare attacks were being repelled by the Mint’s amulet, perhaps they had decided to try more aggressive tactics? And what of the recent security breach in the testing chamber? Were these incidents all related, somehow? And who was behind them? Some lone magical entity with a grudge against her father, for reasons unknown, or an old adversary, like Lodovico Demiris? Regardless, she knew one thing for certain: she needed more knowledge, and that meant she needed to arrange another appointment with Al Scarpe…

“Don’t worry, Su, we’ll work it out once we get to speak with Vi-chan”, Helga responded with a smile, and then looked over to Sam and Trixy who greeted them. “Well hello there.” She nodded as Su explained who Samantha was, and she shook Trixy’s hand when she got the chance.
“Fine jacket you got there, hah. Any friend of Su’s is a friend of mine too.” She turned back to Su with a wink.
“I haven’t even entered the building yet, but I’m already feeling like home. Let’s go check the place out! We have some time before Vi-chan arrives.”

The group entered the rave, and passed by Eliza, who had decided to channel her Artifact, and gain a glimpse of the future. What she saw shocked her to the core: it was a vision of death and destruction, countless magical girls wearing Beacon insignias dead in and around the club, their eyes blank whites and blood trickling from their noses and mouths. And in the background, their face hidden by shadow, was the stoic smile of a magical girl.

---

Lily stopped, having realized she was making a scene with her back-and-forth movements. She turned to Alex, and took his hand.
”Y-Yeah, you’re right. This is just like...Hanging out with friends. Nothing weird with that. Ok, deep breaths...”
She took a deep breath, only to stop as she noticed Sakura address her. She made a heavy exhale, her eyes sparkling as they gazed upon her.
”Sakura! Oh my god, you’re so adorable!” She ran right up to her and touched her rabbit ears.
”You look like a little bunny, eee! If you were a real bunny, I bet Tom would like to be your friend~”

She blinked at her question, and gave a goofy smile.
”Not anymore now that you’re here, Sakura. Huh? Who?”
She took her hand, and looked around, followed by a look of surprise upon seeing another girl walk up to them. She opened her mouth, about to ask something, when Thalia revealed herself to them.
”Thalia! Oh wow, it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other, you look so different now!” Upon hearing Thalia claim she wasn’t eligible for a friendship hug, Lily pouted.
”That is a lie, and you know it!” She hugged Thalia, released her, only to hug her again.
”Now you got double the hugs, tee hee~! We have so much stuff to talk about. Hmm...” She took a look at the clock on her phone.
”I suppose Alicia will catch up to us. Everyone, let’s go PARTAYYY!”
She took Sakura’s hand, having misinterpreted her words, and led her into the party.

Lily looked spooked as she saw the cages, until she realized they were for dancing purposes. She ooh’d and aah’d at the exotic and dangerous patrons of the rave; it was like nothing she had experienced during her brief visit to high school parties held at backyards and the like. But, as with all things Lily, she was quickly swept into the moment.



”WHOO! YEAH! I LOVE THIS MUSIC!”
Lily screamed, bouncing and hopping to the music in an overly energetic fashion. Her initial nervousness seemed to melt as she surrounded herself in the uninhibited atmosphere of the rave. At one point she happened to bump into Connie, causing her to stop in shock.
”Whoops, sorry! I didn’t notice you there-Ah!”
She was startled as the masked girl turned, and Lily made a comical reactionary pose.
”Ooh...That mask is scary. But also really cool!” She winked.
”My name’s Lily Lightning! What’s your name?”
She was intrigued by the masked girl, and decided she wanted to chat a bit, taking a break from the dancing.

Elsewhere in the rave, Justine mingled with the locals, chatting and giggling as she shared stories and jokes. “And then she said; fangs for that! Ohohohoo~”
She seemed to be having a good enough time despite standing out a bit in her overtly elegant attire.

---

Cindy had walked into one of the side halls of the party venue when she happened to meet a curious young man. Her lips curled into an amused smirk.
“Taste, you say?” She scoffed playfully. “You are speaking to Cindy Ford, the queen of Penrose. You must be quite foolish to address me so lightly...Or brave.” She glanced at Ronin, giggling at her guarding enthusiasm, before she lifted a finger up Reaver’s chin. This gave him a small jolt of electricity, causing him to jump a bit, as if having touched a static doorknob. She giggled, her eyes warm on her as her electric form seemed to crackle pleasantly.
“Well, you seem quite intriguing, and we are thirsty. We suppose we could let you humor us over a couple of drinks.”

She took a seat at the center of the bar, causing other girls around her to make room with reverent mannerism. The bartender lifted a car battery to the mixing table, and poured the battery acid into glass for her to drink. “Order anything you want, it will be our treat. Now, tell us your name, and why we caught your eye. Perhaps you’ve never seen a being of pure electricity before? Ronin, would you like something to drink?”

---

The Cardinal didn’t seem to notice Anaya as she reached the designated meeting point; an empty park in Penrose. The Cardinal, having reached the center of the park, still kept her eyes closed and hands clasped, having begun praying in silence.

At the Beacon meeting, both Leena and FanFan saluted at Alicia, and afterwards Rachel adjusted her glasses. “Affirmative, Penny,” she answered, holding a hand to her ear. “Continue circling the drone around the perimeter. Alicia, keep in contact with the communicator earring Sylvia handed to you.” She also saluted, and Alicia, accompanied by the two Ascendancy agents, descended into the Penrose underworld.

Far from the party, Kimble was accompanying the Beacon squad led by Aurelio and now approached by Dorothy. She no longer had her cat accessories, having abandoned her past completely. The feelings of grief and betrayal still marked her expression, causing her to be quiet for most of their patrol. She was even wary of the monster girl despite seeming innocent. Is she Lamashtu’s spy? She might have been sent to kill me and Mistress. I can’t let her out of my sight, she thought to herself. She nodded in hesitant agreement with Aurelio; that was their job anyway, and if somebody asked for a White Coin, why not give one?

That is, until, Dorothy was completely and utterly spooked by a mysterious dark magical girl who had snuck up on her. The moment she began running off, Kimble took to the air, using her Air magic to eliminate the air resistance as she sped out after her.
“Don’t you run!” She angrily shouted; it turned into a high speed chase, the both of them moving far faster than either the Beacon squad or Hilaria would have been able to, quickly zooming out of sight.

'I swear, that girl is actually bipolar. How else can she go from nervous wreck to social butterfly at the drop of a hat?' Alexander sighed at Lily's antics. "Sorry about the ears" he said to Sakura "Lily doesn't really do personal space. She means well though, the girl doesn't have a mean bone in her entire body." Alexander looked around the place, and took notice of the cages "...the fuck? What kind of decoration are cages-" The he saw that some of them were occupied with dancers "Wait...that's an actual thing?" He just shook his head in disbelief and confusion, before turning back to Sakura "So how does this compare to the parties from your Yakuza days?" He also caught a glimpse of Lily talking to someone with a mask 'Aaaaaand she's already making a new friend. I told her it was stupid of her to be worried. She's totally in her element here'

@AtomicNut

Wow!

Now THAT was a power up!

Mac felt like she could take on just about anyone. Her physical side had always been a bit lacking, but now she was quite mighty. Haha! Maybe she could do some good with this. Only time could tell. But before she could be good, she had to be bad.

---

_{@PlatinumSkink@ERodeI’d type a joke here but you wouldn’t see it. Unless you used the guild’s RAW function. In which case, congratz.}

It was never pleasing to have to wait for answers, and that went doubly so when your girlfriend was held by the Mint. It didn’t even sound like Sammy being in the warehouse was a sure thing. Nuncio just wanted to know how much longer he had to chase Sammy. He would never abandon the search, but this was the Mint they were dealing with. They probably could make someone like Sammy just vanish without a trace.

Nuncio folded his arms and sighed. His thoughts had been getting darker as the week whent on. He thought he would of had an answer by now. He found himself wondering what he’d do once this turned up nothing. It was one thing to try and rescue someone, and another thing to do it without knowing if they were even there, or still alive. In Nuncio’s head this was starting to feel more and more like a quest to discover Sammy’s fate rather than Sammy herself. He did not know what his reason for staying in Penrose would be if she wasn’t here.

Nuncio turned to Amaryllis.

During this entire ordeal, she had been the most helpful. Yes, she needed the help of Mariette, and Brittany also tried to help Nuncio out, but Amaryllis was the first person who offered to help without expecting anything in return. And she was so modest about her involvement with the whole thing. Nuncio realized that she was largely motivated because Sammy was her friend rather than she took pity on Nuncio. But that was fine. If Sammy was gone, she could be the reason why he remained in Penrose.

He needed to confirm he wasn’t having impure thoughts though. Nuncio really didn’t want to become like that Italian stereotype. He would be lying if he said he didn’t find Amaryllis’s beauty on a level that Sammy couldn’t possibly hope to match, but that didn’t make him one of those. He’d never do anything if Sammy was still alive though. Which she probably was. But in the off chance she wasn’t…

Before Nuncio could think much longer on it, he realized that Mariette had offered Him Fabio back. Amaryllis was also looking at him. He wondered how long they had been watching him smile and frown to himself.

Nuncio accepted Fabio, and placed him on top of Rosa’s head. ”If we cause a ruckus, we risk someone escapin’ with Sammy.” He pulled out an anatomy doll and pointed its head into the air. ”Since we got Fabio here, he can case the join without causin’ a fuss.” The doll projected an image of Fabio’s point of view. He seemed to be looking at Mariette. ”Once we get a good look inside, we should have no problems sneakin’ in. If we even feel like it’s worth doin’.” Nuncio patted Rosa. ”If we get caught, You got a sword and I got Rosa.”

It always paid to have a plan B, after all.

---

_{@PlatinumSkink@AtomicNut}

Tetrad didn’t know why she wanted to talk to the mystery boy so badly. It was obvious he had his eyes set on a big prize, and Tetrad didn’t like to be second pickings for anyone. Perhaps it was the simple joy of dancing with a boy that she wanted. Those were in short supply, at least now that few non-magical entities resided in Penrose. But as much as she wanted to dance, it was just rude to bother him while he was talking to Cindy. Besides, a guy dressed like that probably valued manners to some degree. And this was Cindy. She wasn’t going to do anything with some new guy. She’d just have to find something to pass the time while she waited for his business to conclude.

Oh look, a tiny Ronin!

“Roniiiiiiin!” Tetrad kneeled in front of the small girl. “So that’s what you look like. I’m going to have to yell at Veronica, she didn’t tell me you were fun sized.” She extended her hand for a shake. “Tetrad’s the name. Not sure how into the whole Japanese sword person thing you are, but you might want a strawberry sake. Strawberry margaritas are also good.”

Tetrad was never old enough to drink. But that never stopped her friends from making her cocktails.



Lotus and Faith were stationed in Cindy’s general vicinity. Close enough to hear her talk but far enough away to not interfere with her dealings. They were mostly here to discuss things with her once the party had died down.

Faith was content to dance with strangers. She laughed, commended them, and moved on. There was no particular order to who she picked as a dancing partner. So long as they weren’t dancing with anyone and didn’t give off a murderous vibe, she’d approach them. Also, she didn’t move too far away from Lotus.

Lotus, for her part, could have been mistaken for a bouncer. She floated at about eye level with the tallest girls in the joint and scanned her surroundings for threats. Most of her time was spent looking out for Faith, but her eyes occasionally drifted over to Connie. Lotus would not soon forget their sparring match, and was determined to make sure she survived until the next one. Her tiny hands were balled into fists.

---

_{@Majoras End@FamishedPants}

Something was wrong.

The magical world was a confusing place. Nothing was certain, and few things were consistent. Least of which were people. But at the very least, Veronica could be happy that she herself could remain consistent. A leader needed to have a vision, and to have the ability to guide their agents to that vision. People who don’t know their desires can’t reliably pursue them. They will get distracted, chase targets that don’t matter, and waste everyone’s time. Fickle people make poor leaders too.

Though her consistency had been wanting recently. Dressing up in sexy swimsuits, buying things that she wanted rather than needed, signing contracts that benefit both parties, trying to get a doll commissioned, inviting her agents into her mansion, worrying about their mental state, allowing one to pick an outfit for her while also enjoying an idle conversation. None of these things she had ever done before, and they all happened within the past couple of weeks. She was slipping.

When Veronica attempted to track these changes back, she noticed that it all happened after she decided to officially start Crimson Cradle. There had to be a connection somewhere. Somehow being able to read the thoughts of her agents was poisoning her. She would need to find a way to fix this.

“We’re here.” Veronica and Maura were standing outside the warehouse where the rave was held. “That’s not exactly a subtle magical aura, is it? I’ll meet you in the party shortly.” Veronica stepped off to the side and placed her fingers on her temple. Now that she was alone, she could focus.

There was a gigantic magical aura blanketing the place. Her third eye wasn’t picking up anything but that aura, and it was so massive she couldn’t even pin point its location. Fortunately, that wasn’t the only tool Veronica had for examining an area. She preferred to use her ability to sense minds for that. There wasn’t a lot Veronica could discern without attempting to break into someone mind, but she could still pick up useful information at a glance. She could tell one apart from another as well as gauge how strong or corrupt a mind was. It was a bit like looking at people. It was easy to tell if someone was a body builder or not, as well as how healthy they looked.

She learned some interesting details. The locations of some key targets, possible beacon and mint reinforcements, even the location of Mariette. But that was all to be expected. What bothered her most was who wasn’t here.

Chloe.

After her repeated meetings, that was one person she could pick out fairly easily. But she wasn’t here. She was inspecting the area, clearly involved with its set up, but she wasn’t here to enjoy it?

With a growl, Veronica placed a hand over her face. Her searching hadn’t yielded anything useful. Aside from the fact that something bad was coming. But as Sam said, ‘water is wet.’ She had no idea what to do.

But an indecisive leader was a useless one.

“At this time, there’s just a small group of magical girls hiding on some rooftops. I do not believe it is necessary to keep a lookout for them, only to be aware they exist. Our main objective is inside the rave.”

After messaging her agents, Veronica entered the rave. It was tempting to stay outside, but she dressed up to be seen.

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist@BrokenPromise@PlatinumSkink

Reaver smirked, rubbing his chin as the jolt had partially numbed it. Good so far, I like. He chided to himself as he followed. "Much appreciated...your highness." He relented with a small courtly bow, before following her into the stage. Stares were upon him, and his behaviour would be no doubt under scrutiny. He felt uncomfortable, as if swimming through a thick haze. Someone was carelessly leaking magical power, and scrambling most detection abilities. Little he could do about it, and in fact he did not need to rely on detection for this kind of game. All he was doing was drinks and wooing. Maturing things to make them ripe. Ah, it was such a drag he couldn´t rush faster. He had noticed someone already looking him with eyes of lust. Had he seen that girl before? Well, he wouldn´t mind being stepped on by that lovely thing, he would not. But Cindy was the task at hand now.

"Mayhaps I met them, but your Highness would belittle the beauty of a stormy sea." Reaver said, laying thick on the flattery as he gazed at her, while drawing close to the mixing implements. His eyes darted to the car battery, afterwards. "I shall have what the highness is having." He said. The bartended looked a bit jostled, but due to his experience he seemed to recover quickly. Stranger shit he had seen, that one.

"Your funeral, bud." He mumbled as he poured the caustic drink on Reaver´s glass, as he kept looking at Cindy and her retinue.

"I seek challenges. My patron despises cowardice. And I..." It was at this moment when he tapped his phone on his pocked with his hand. "...odd, I thought I had a call. Nevermind, as I was saying..." Reaver added nonchalantly,as with that deft movement he had pressed the quick call button to someone he had saved in his contact list as "Lady dom bum bums".

"He is not fond... of excessively *pure* holier than thou types. I must say, there´s taste in variety, isn´t it? But for people like those... makes your Highness an appetizing target. Thus, with this arrangement, I could sate both my thirst for battle and serve someone...august." It was then when he lifted the glass full of battery acid.

"My name is Reaver, berserker of Odin... pleased to make your acquaintance." He finished, and downed the thing in one go, forsaking the agonizing yet sweet pain of having the flesh of his mouth and throat melted, only to begin scabbing and regenerate immediatedly afterwards. He finished by throwing a smile through his now bloody mouth.

"Just a couple of seconds," the dame replied, settling easily into the persona of an after-hours professional. "One of the first hits that came up when I looked up 'corny pick-up lines'. As for my own name...call me Fine." She paused briefly, her red eyes settling deeper into Eliza's own. There was something there, hm?

"Can I buy you another drink? Or would you like to be sober for what happens next?"



Oh?

Oho.

Ohohohoho!

The Bentley slowed to a stop as Myria parked her ride on the side of the mount. Her manservant immediately stopped his rapping, slipping out of the backdoors silently before opening the door for her and rolling out a red carpet (borrowed from one of Penrose's finer hotels) that lead all the way to a decrepit, boarded up apartment building. He understood where she was headed, but not why. Then again, it wasn't his purpose to ask either.

"Oujo-sama," the reverent servant spoke, presenting a cello case to his mistress. "Be safe."

Myria laughed, patting him on his irresistable soft and perfectly coiffed head. "Don't worry, Gerard, I know when to run."

She hefted the case over her shoulder, whispered darkly to her ethereal servants, and with a spring in her step, strode into the building, her eyes gleaming in the darkness as she followed the path that maligned spirits drew out for her. Down the hallway, across the lobby, past the laundry room, beneath the staircase, through the vent. Each step bringing her closer and closer to the obsidian mirror that her servants spoke to her about, another peculiarity worth investigating.

Another entrance to another world.

A rave for magical boys and girls was a new experience for Shane. He wasn't entirely sure how it would turn out given that it seemingly was mostly for the corrupted and Beacon was also invited. Relations, as usual, were not in the greatest of shape especially with the Ascendancy in town. That particular group was one he'd heard about but had not seen himself. Would be great if some kind of peace could be maintained. He himself was not corrupted but had been invited by Cindy herself.

After the madness that happened when most of the magic boys and girls got transported away, when they all came back Shane sought to bridge the gap just a bit. Beacon wasn't that tough of nut to crack since he and his Puchuu had no problems working with them. Cindy required more convincing. Or rather, required a show of loyalty. For Shane that came at a fairly high cost in the form of rebirth via a Red Coin. It did accomplish the goal though as he was in good standing with the Queen of Penrose.

Entering the warehouse he was greeted by loud music, flashing lights, and dancing obviously. Other than Cindy's inner circle everyone else would not have met him. Where to start was the question because there were a lot of people here. "Alright Shane, just do your regular thing." There were a number of others that he knew about, they'd been in Penrose for a while and had been active in a number of events. This city definitely attracted trouble so to see a number of them wasn't a surprise. What did take him back slightly was seeing Justine von Visceral. Justine had been off the radar for a while since her attempt to destroy love or whatever had been thwarted. Rubbing his chin for a moment he started toward her first. "Didn't expect to find you back in Penrose ever again. There are probably a number around here that would be less than pleased to see you." It wouldn't be a leap to figure out he was referring to Beacon. There could be a couple others, but the girl had done a number on the organization.

(Derp)

"I'm not sure about that," Alicia replied as Penny suggested bringing a drone into the party for additional scouting. "That might be a bit too provocative." As if to accentuate what she had said, the sudden flaring of a magical aura covered the warehouse. Either someone was showing off, or they were trying to hide something in there. It would be for the best to not pick a fight by making people think they were being actively spied upon.

Admittedly they were doing that already, but at least this base was outside. That made it easier to forget about.

Turning to Rachel, she nodded as a hand rose to tap the communicator. "Of course. Here's hoping we work this out quickly." The sooner this evident plot was resolved, the better that she would feel.

With a wave to Rachel, Alicia departed the cloaking field and the rooftop. Her dismount was on the side opposite the warehouse, a small fig leaf in the name of the secrecy they were at least pretending to operate in. After a minute or two she would resume walking, not moving so fast as to keep Leena and FanFan from keeping up as they rounded around and moved towards the warehouse.

Entering, an impressed whistle escaped as her gaze swept the main area. She wasn't sure how big of a celebrity Vi actually was, but she had drawn quite the large crowd for this gathering. It wasn't every girl in the city, but it was definitely a significant chunk of them. It was going to be interesting to see how long this party could go without a fight breaking out, especially with the drinking going on.

Adjusting the glasses that she had bought for the occasion, Alicia wondered how many people had realized Beacon had entered the premises. More importantly, how many people would make an issue of it. At least she had dressed for the occasion, A dark blue dress that complimented her eyes. The low cut flowed around her feet, while straps held it in place. It was ad different from her usual uniform, that was for sure.

"Don't wander too far from each other," she warned her companions. "If one of us gets in trouble I want to be able to have a quick assist." Obviously they had to spread out to uncover this plot, but that didn't mean they needed to be reckless about it in a potentially very hostile environment.

For now she'd skirt around the fringes of the party, getting the lay of the land. As she had said, the sooner they worked this out the better.

---

Sipping his drink, Ren watched what was going on. Plenty of dancing, loud music, conversations everywhere, the usual. He noticed Alicia entering about the same time as he finished his drink, but did not head over immediately. They were meet sooner or later, and it would be rude to not give her the chance to enjoy the party first.

Recognizing his empty beverage, Ren wandered back over to the bar for a refill. It was there that he found someone who looked like they could use a supporting shoulder. Red hair, padded gloves, some kind of bikini outfit, and currently venting her frustrations upon the poor bar while crying.

Well, he had time to spare.

Taking a seat next to her, he requested his own drink before looking to the magical girl. "A wise man once said, there's no point in drinking if you're going to do it by yourself. Hope you don't mind if I intrude." he was the picture of calm, though it could just be the sunglasses hiding his eyes. One way or another, this was going to be an interesting night.

_@ERode

@Ariamis@Card Captor@Vocab

The younger magical girl winced, but relented with a pout to Sparkly-chan´s clingy habits. It would´ve been rude to push her off just because she was squeeing at her cuteness. As vexing as it was, it was not okay to push the fluster on her, so she allowed herself to be manhandled like a doll. Just because it was Lily. Alexander would have been kicked in the nether regions.

After she was dragged in, Sakura winced as she saw the whole noise, lights, and dancing bodies on the cages. It was a pity she could not appreciate them fully... most of these girls looked too...underveloped to her liking, and the whole sensation of the party was too noisy and chaotic for his tastes. For a brawl? This level would be acceptable... but for a party? How was she supposed to have fun? She frowned at the bundle of energy that was Sparkly-chan. Were all lightning girls like that? Would she become one eventually? And there she went...

There was another girl named Thalia, an acquaintance of Lily, but she didn´t really pay much attention to her. Lily was a legit busybee, and she needed to pace herself out. Red coins? The hell were those? She would need to ask the rat later about it. Still, Alexander´s question rose her from her thoughts as she looked at the barrier bud.

"Ah, less lolis, more crusty old men, same amount of booze, probably more violence and less epileptic flashes, bud" said Sakura to Alexander before frowning. Was she seeing things? She thought she had spotted someone familiar at the rave.

Is that Emily? She said, trying to rush to her first acquaintance in the magic world.

@FamishedPants

So, the timeline of events here is a bit shaky, as Hilaria disturbing Dorothy should happen before Aurelio’s reply, but Hilaria disturbing Dorothy also activates the flinch that causes Kimble’s charge, and that sort of shorts out Aurelio’s reply, but eh! Let’s assume it all somehow happened anyway!

‘EEP!’ Dorothy positively flinched at Hilaria’s sudden appearance, and the rabbit did what rabbits do, jump straight across the street to get to relative safety before turning around and looking in shock at Hilaria. Now, Hilaria didn’t necessarily look particularly threatening, but to Dorothy right now, EVERYONE was a potential threat…!

Then, Aurelio came forth being supremely comforting. ‘R-really?’ Dorothy asked, sounding a bit relieved but also surprised as she looked over at him. ‘Th-thank you…! In that case, could you-’

And somehow she hadn’t realized Kimble was coming her way at high speed until now, nevermind that Kimble should have reached her before Dorothy had any time to do the reaction typed above.

From there, Dorothy’s reaction was as expected.

She threw one look at Kimble coming at her at high speed, her eyes widened, and- ‘N-nooooooooooooooooo----!’ Dorothy called out, as her rabbit-limbs went down on all four and she positively sprang into motion as she fled at a positively absurd speed. She did not stop when Kimble told her to.

D-did she do anything wrong!? Did what the boy say still apply!? Or was it a trick so that this air-girl could take her by surprise!? ‘Wh-what did I do wrong, aaaah, nooo---!’ she called out to nothing in particular as she fled in panic, but still sort of steered herself towards the park where she’d told them to meet. A different park compared to the one Cardinal Ishtar went to, to note, this park had a bunch of trees and nature and places for Dorothy to hide. Because hide she wanted…!

@Ariamis@Shifter_Master@FamishedPants

---

Ronin skipped along to the bar as Cindy and the random dude went over there, just to make sure that she was still guarding the woman. She didn’t actually take a seat, she just stayed around, listening in with a wide smile on her face… and then her eyes widened when Cindy referred to her by name.

‘Woah, the Queen of Penrose knows of me already!? I’m touched! I’m honoured! I’ll take some normal juice if you have it!’ Ronin said the last to the bartender, smiling widely and proudly. Woah, some friends she’s making, huh?

And then a wild Tetrad appeared!

Ronin blinked at her in surprise a bit first, but then smirked widely when Veronica was mentioned and now she got it. ‘“Fun-sized”, hahaha! Yupp, this is me! I’m Ronin, as you knew, happy to meet you! You’re my friend of a friend from Veronica, I take it? Then, you’re my friend, too!’ Ronin claimed so happily, while also glancing over at Cindy and dude’s conversation, too.

‘I’m plenty into the theme! But, I’ve sort of never drunk before, and this is a bad time to start! I’m on bodyguard duty, bodyguards don’t get drunk!’ Ronin said with a giggle. ‘Besides, it actually hasn’t been 18 years since I was born, even with Magical Girl years included. How does the whole “underage drinking” thing even work with Magical Girls? I bet this tiny body gets drunk quickly, if there isn’t any special anti-drunk magic I don’t know about included! And, judging by the floor, I’d say there isn’t!’ Ronin said with a bit of a laugh as she looked around the room a bit and then back to Tetrad.

‘Are you on a mission here, too? Do we know of anything going on?’

And then came that message from Veronica. Huh. Alright, then. People on roofs nearby. Very well.

Then random dude drank battery acid by Cindy. Ronin maintained her smile but also positively flinched. WHELP, if he finds that to be a fitting way of hitting on the queen, then Ronin wasn’t going to argue…!

@Ariamis@AtomicNut@BrokenPromise

---

Part of Eli’s mission here was to keep track of everyone going in and out of the party. Hence, she occasionally kept close to the entrance. Now, tiny slime-girl in a slime-dress with a white face was pretty eye-catching, too, but it didn’t matter that much if they knew Mariette had a person on the inside. Honestly, it was probably actually expected. So, with that, she could confirm individuals like Veronica, and…

Huh. Alicia and two Ascendancy members, in Clark Kent disguises. Eli wasn’t about to call any attention to them, but the fact they were here was interesting. Now, most in here probably wouldn’t realize who they were, their disguises did a bunch, but Eli was an attentive stalker of the night who had a mission to identify every magical girl in Penrose, it wasn’t going to fly against her vision. Still, it might be a good idea not to be seen by them…

Eli turned away and whispered into her communicator, which was inside the fluid that was her head.

_{‘Beacon has entered the building. Alicia confirmed. Intentions unknown, but it could get real rowdy if she’s fo-’}

Eli froze.

Her slime-manifested pupils narrowed.

Sitting there, in a pretty but dark, elegant dress and just mingling with the locals was none other than Justine von Visceral. She was so casual, cracking silly jokes, just having a good time, getting approached by some boy that Eli oddly enough didn’t recognize, raising the possibility it was one of Justine’s forces she’d brought to Penrose. How… why… why was she here!?

After having stared at her for far too long, Eli spun around and hurried to the other side of the rave.

_{‘Justine is here!’} she said, not entirely as carefully as when reporting Alicia. _{‘I repeat, Justine von Visceral has returned to Penrose!’}

---

Mariette listened to Amaryllis and Nuncio in turn. She didn’t really take note of if Nuncio was behaving strangely or anything. Regardless, it seemed they had a plan.

‘Very well. Secrecy it is? How confident are you your cat can avoid detection? If I know what’s inside, opening a portal should be no problem. I can open one without knowing what’s inside, just retrying until I find open space, but that could lead straight into the arms of our foes. Regardless, it’s time to move closer…’ Mariette said, as she turned to look out over the warehouses…

She paused.

Her eyebrows twitched a bit, as she looked around.

She opened a torso-sized portal in front of her, which Amaryllis and Nuncio may briefly be able to tell led to a bird’s eye view of the line of warehouses, above their position. Mariette gently stuck her head through the portal, her hair drifting out, as she confirmed something. She pulled her head back and closed the portal, while her hand went into another portal and retrieved the same map from before from her Hammerspace Handbag.

‘… They’ve moved Sammy. She is no longer in warehouse 9. She’s in… this warehouse,’ Mariette told, poking at one of the warehouses on the map. While Mariette couldn’t tell from here, the warehouse she now poked was warehouse q. Intentionally lowercase q. ‘I suggest we move. Your turn, then, feline mafioso?’ Mariette asked, as she opened a portal from the rooftop to an alley not too far from the warehouse in question, but still out of sight.

@BrokenPromise@ERode

---

Lea simply stood still as Vivian snatched the egg, Lea’s hand momentarily dispersing into butterflies as the egg was snatched so violently before said butterflies coalesced back into a hand again.

‘I did as requested. I’ll wish you an enjoyable evening,’ Lea said in a tone that didn’t at all sound like it was wishing someone an enjoyable evening, before Lea then spun around as Viva and Lea went separate ways. With that, Lea’s job at the rave was over already, and she sincerely saw no reason to stay. That was Eli’s job. Far too few patrons here for her liking, just the servants, just the Magical Girls and such. If a patron saw fit to lower themselves to this level, then they probably weren’t worth talking to, anyway.

With that, unless she was stopped by anyone, Lea would make her way out of the rave and then simply lift herself into the air and fly away, as a small green fairy in the sky before long, eventually disappearing. I might need that Combat NPC-slot, soon.

---

So, what to do with Nightwing? Well. Because of Amaryllis, killing her had been ruled out. However, Mariette wasn’t very keen on releasing her out into the world, either. But, keeping her locked up in Mariette’s manor invited all sorts of complications should she escape. Hence, the only place where Nightwing could be stored would be…

It was a basement of a random abandoned building in Penrose. Here, Nightwing was still knocked out, because they made sure to knock her out whenever she was about to wake up. Psychic-magic is good for that. Meanwhile, this whole room was covered in barriers formed from Ronja’s Reinforcement-spells, her webs covering the walls, and in the middle of the room was Nightwing, still out of it, tied to a chair by Ronja’s reinforced webs, limbs locked in place, as well as blindfolded and with her mouth covered in the same.



‘Hmm, think you can get yourself out of this one?’ Ronja, Psychic/Reinforcement-specialized arachne, asked as she spun a little web of memories next to Nightwing. ‘Possibly. Records say you’re Darkness-specialized. You might just be able to get away anyway, just by turning yourself intangible. So, just in case you do that, here’s a little special something for you…’

Ronja said, as she lifted a special little piece of memory web, which she oh-so-gently inserted it into Nightwing’s mind…

They will kill me for getting myself captured.

It was a single sentence, an idea, that hopefully would keep Nightwing from going back home anytime soon. It would be overwritten if the Mint told her differently and she believed them, potentially showing no trace that she’d been given a false memory. It had to just be believable enough that Nightwing could believe it. And, after all, the Ebon Mint is such a scary organization, who even knew if they wouldn’t kill her for getting captured?

‘Enjoy your stay, “Nightwing”...’ Ronja said, as she went through the door and locked it behind her, reinforcing it, and then left again.

Then who knows where she went.

---

In an unremarkable corner of Penrose awaited an unassuming apartment, which gave way for absolutely no reason to visit it. Why would you stop here? It was where normal humans would live, and not so many of them anymore due to the state of the city, yet some lights still shone, mostly keeping magical individuals from visiting the complex as encounters could lead to awkward conversations…

Yet Myria found herself stopping right here. The reason being, she had access to something nobody should. Inside info.

She headed inside, passing the hallway, lobby and the laundry room. So far it was nothing but regular boring apartment complex things, that would interest absolutely nobody. Even when she reached the stairs, some flimsy wooden stairs which only purpose was to lead to the second level, who would even think to look behind the stairs, even if there was a place to peek in? It’s uses seemed to end at where a child might hide during hide-and-seek…

Yet the spirits guided Myria, and here… here was where things got complicated.

They told of a vent in the wall. There was no such vent visible to the naked eye. However, the spirits also told of machines, cogs and machinery hidden within the walls, linked to one of the steps of the stairs that was reachable from behind, too high to be reached by a curious child. It had something to do with that step, a connection between this wall and that step. Question was, did Myria want to mess with it?

From information drawn from the spirits, said vent went underground, to a room connected by no doors. This thin vent only barely accessible by children was the only way in or out, albeit Myria could walk so she stood above said room inside a specific apartment. There was numerous meters down to the room, but she could stand above it. Within was the price she sought, an obsidian mirror… but it also wasn’t the only thing. Some normal furniture, a carpet, a fireplace that didn’t connect to anything, some paintings. One of these paintings had been hung right above the entrance of the room by the vent, needing to be pushed aside to enter. The mirror itself was a large, full-body mirror standing with a support, and a jewel of some kind embedded into the frame…

What would Myria do here?

@ERode

_{@Rune_Alchemist}

The first thing Mika did when she entered the rave was take a firm hold of Katarina ’s hand. “Don’t worry about dancing, you’ve got me here to show you the ropes.” Mika walked towards the part of the floor where everyone was dancing. It was a tight fit, and there wasn’t a lot of space. On one side an oni-girl and templar knight were grinding, and on the other flank was a dark magical girl. She was twerking and looked to be holding a bottle of spirits. But Mika ignored them all.

“Alright!” Mika had to practically shout to be heard over all the other voices, and especially the music. “Now just put your hands up like this!” She placed her hands beside her head. “And then you just kind of shift your hips side to side, and kinda flap your hands! Like you have doggy ears!” Mika proceeded to do the caramel dance.

Su was unable to assimilate into the rave as easily as Mika was. Even if her job required her to deal with a lot of people, but she got to know them one at a time. People came in, chatted a bit, then they slept for the night. They might call for room service or have a question, but would ultimately leave a few nights later. Or in more extreme cases, rented out apartments indefinitely. No one came in or out without Su knowing about it. Su knew everyone in the Golden Trove. Here she was surrounded by unfamiliar faces. And not all the faces she saw she cared to know.

In particular, Justine.



Su had never been happy with how their last encounter ended. She allowed Helga and Lily to talk her down, but she knew it was only a matter of time until Justine returned. People like that couldn’t change. If she acted out, it would be the only excuse Su would need to finish her. Justine wouldn’t hurt her family ever again, not like she hurt Amber. She found herself fantasizing about their fated encounter, but dismissed her thoughts with a shake of her head. Regardless of what Su thought, it wouldn’t help anyone to start a fight. Moreover, she wasn’t going to let Justine ruin her night. She needed to focus on something else. Su got to do fun things with Helga all the time, so it seemed silly to take to the dance floor with her. Perhaps there was another interesting character in here.

_@ERode

That was when Su’s eyes fell onto a robed woman. Oriental magical girls were nothing new in Penrose, but she had seen few shrine maidens. Moreover, she had that look on her face that Su was pretty sure she was wearing not long ago. Su approached slowly, unsure how you were suppose to talk to people in here. Raves were places where people hooked up, and Su didn’t want to lead anyone on. Though she was still fascinated with the oriental woman. Su leaned up against the back wall and examined her a bit longer. She finally Decided it wasn’t polite to stare.

“What are you drinking?” That was a horrible conversation starter. Su decided to try again. “Never mind, I like your outfit.” She wondered if it sounded like she was hitting on her. “But I’m not looking for anyone.” What the hell Su? She rubbed her eyes and folded her arms. “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous. Feels like something’s about to happen.” She looked the woman directly in the eyes. “Su Fang, I’ve been out of town for a while, but I run a hotel. The Golden Trove. How about you?” A nervous smile crossed her lips.

"Subterfuge it is then," Amaryllis replied, nodding. Completing her inspections on her Sword, which really only made the blade more polished than before, rather than actually improving keenness and whatnot, the Knight of Rose stood up, tensing and relaxing her muscles to warm them up. There was a brief moment of confusion when Mariette poked her head through a portal, suddenly switching warehouse targets, but the Swordwielder nodded soon after. "The supplies they accrue for the Virtuous Pie originate from that same warehouse. And if they were to obtain supplies from there...they must also have a method of bringing those supplies to that same warehouse."

She paused, not to think, but simply for dramatic effect.

"Feline Mafioso, I bade you scout with utmost urgency and swiftness. The Mint doubtlessly plan on transferring our Great Elucidator off into a further location, using the same system they have in place for bringing in their pizza ingredients. As for myself..."

Amaryllis stared at the warehouse for a moment, a silent inquiry towards her Sword. It responded gleefully, pin-pricks of pain in her eyes drawing them towards certain areas before the landscape.

"...I shall make preparations for a distraction. Mirror Sage, if you could be so kind as to open a portal east of Warehouse Q so the distance my magic must cross may be abridged?"


Lei Zi arched a brow, surprised that anyone would really bother approaching her. There were a dozen more laviscious girls partying out there, after all, and she had done what she could to appear unapproachable anyways. Still, something about the woman caught her eye, and that wasn't only just because she wore a kimono like thirsty e-girls did. A spark popped off, scattering against the surface of her skin. A dragon. That's what it was.

Took one to know one, after all.

"I'm married," the raven-haired woman spoke curtly. It no longer fit her finger so well, now that she had effectively shrunk, but she lifted her left hand up regardless, the lights of the rave glinting off the gold of her marriage ring. "It's not a feeling. It's a certainty. Unfortunately, my god has a nose for storms and a predilection for guiding me to them." She sipped at her cup. "And it's baijiu. Personal stash, just borrowed the cup."

Perhaps there wasn't any need to be so on the edge. There will be time for that later. The woman tilted her cup towards Su Fang, offering it to the dragon lady.

"Lei Zi, priestess of the Venerable Tian Rong, Caller of Storms and Usherer of Spring. Unemployed though, if you don't consider missionary work as work." A flicker of a smile formed, but her eyes never truly met Su Fang's. "That's one thing you got over this old lady, at least."


Liss continued to pound down drinks of water, having not realized that the bartender did the conscientious thing and began swapping her vodka for mineral water. In due time, her bladder would absolutely murder her, but at least her liver wouldn't. Even as Ren approached her, the red-haired girl continued to make ugly sobs, snot pouring down her nostrils as she strived to cry out all the tears she had in her small body.

It was only when the older gentleman spoke up that Liss stopped. Turning, it was clear to Ren that the girl was a mess. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face looked like it was melting, her nose was rubbed raw, and her hair stuck out at every possible angle (though considering the hairstyles of most magical girls, that may just be its normal state). She looked at the man, then at the drink, and she promptly sniffed, loudly and obnoxiously.

"You," Liss said, her voice broken and raw, "Are y-you trying to pick me up?"


Oh, this was getting her excited now. Usually, monster girl lairs just happened to have a shit ton of magical traps that usually ended up in explosions of sorts, or would be something boring and vaguely sad like a tent underneath the overpass of a freeway, but this? This was almost a proper dungeon! The corners of her mouth lifted up into a smile, the very tips of her elongated canines popping out. A mechanism, connected to a meaningless-looking step, which would then serve as a button to expose the vent that lead into a doorless, windowless room. A room that could probably be filled with poisonous gases or fire or something equally nasty, the moment someone 'unrecognized' entered it, hm? Or maybe the step itself was the trigger for a trap, operating under the assumption that anyone who would use some roundabout method would obviously not possess the 'key' necessary to enter, hrm?

Once again, Myria thought about how nice it'd be to have a Skeleton Key like her senior...but then that'd make this so much more boring. Instead, the dark magical girl raised her hand up, at a height equal to her own. From her Hammerspace, a body dropped. A body of a blond girl. The flesh was missing at parts, rotted, slashed, or burnt away, to expose bone and putrid organs underneath, while fancy dress she wore hid the stitches that criss-crossed all over her. "Trump," Myria spoke, "Make this quick, ok?"

From underneath the sleeves of her loose blouse, a shadow slipped out, gleefully diving through the orifices of the corpse-doll. The corpse-doll twitched, twisted, joints creaking almost to the point of breaking off as the spirit warmed itself up. The corpse-doll saluted, an action that Myria acknowledged with a nod, before shambling over behind the staircase with a facsimile of feminine grace. The step was located easily, and from there, the corpse-doll groped at it, sliding her fingers over the area with surprising delicacy, feeling for hidden mechanisms and keyholes. It'd be nice if the vent opened up so easily, wouldn't it?

Though Myria wasn't opposed to a good ol' smash and grab either.

"Oh my, skipping to the good part are we? Atleast take me out to dinner first." Eliza joked, an eyebrow raised. "Ah, but sadly, I'd have to go through the night at least somewhat sober. Gotta keep my mind sharp for when things go to lunacy." Looking out to the others on the dancefloor, her grin turned into a sad smile, with a hint of concern hidden underneath. "I made an oath to protect everyone here, after all. Knowing what the darker magical girls have been through, they deserve a break."

The witch sighed, and looked back to Fine, her smile warming up. "Besides, wouldn't want a pretty face like yours getting hurt, right?"

---

---

"Val, calm down."

Amanda was never one for parties, it was an obvious fact. Even when she arrived with Valerie to the rave, the magician had her nose stuck in her spellbook. The android on the other hand was pacing back and forth in front of her. Valerie hadn't heard from Penny all week. Knowing the corruption the Beacon-borg consumed had tainted the girl's spark, she was worried. Looking back to Amanda, she took a few deep breaths. "My apologizes. I was thinking over some things."

Amanda glanced over to entrance, where Alicia and two other beaconers had appeared, then back to her book. "I'm sure Penny will be here soon, it'd be too much of a risk leaving at the moment."

Valerie sighed, then sat down next to her. "Yeah, yeah. Priorities..." The android started hacking into the security cameras to get a better look of the area. "So what's your excuse?" she asked the magician, earning a shrug in response. "Right..." Valerie didn't want to admit it, but she wished she could be out fighting instead. She sent out a quick text to Penny (Atleast, one of them.), then continued survelance.

While Amanda, glancing up from her book, noticed a curious sight. A masked magical girl; while omminous, seemed like a ball of nerves in contrast to most of the attendants there, talking to who the magician thought was a lightning user, going off the latter's high energy. She contemplated introducing herself to her.

---

---

How long has it been since she was a part of such a gathering, Maura wondered.

Stepping inside, the necromancer felt a bit...out of place among the other girls and bois. Sure, compared to other lesser forces, she might as well be just an ancient magical girl, but this? This was a bit much. Unsure what she should do besides guard the place, Maura waited by the entrance for Veronica.

"Ma'am?"

"Are you alright?"

Maura glanced over to the scarlet twins approacing her. "Oh, don't worry about me. You two go have fun." She reassured them. Atleast they had an excuse, they were the designated medics out of her group.

Cereza tilted her head. "Oh? Are you sure?"

"We can stay with you, in case the bad guys try to hurt you. We can be like your own bodyguards even!" Cerise giggled.

The necromancer couldn't help smiling at that. "I'll be alright. I didn't come here alone." She told the twins. Though her smile faded with Eliza explaning her vision to the whole group.

"Bad news. Maura, you were right, this party's bound to end in a bloodbath."

"You've got to be kidding! I was grasping at straws back there!"

"Then thank god I ended up with two forms of scrying."

Maura clicked her tongue. "Right, so what could you make out of your vision?"

"As far as I saw, most of the fatalities were, or seem to be Beacon. Among the stiffs though, was another magical girl wearing probably the most spine-chilling smile I'd ever seen. Unfortunately, I couldn't make out who it really was, but it's bound to be the storm we're all anticipating. Stay alert."

The necromancer sighed, and looked back to Cereza and Cerise. "You two should split up to both sides of the warehouse, if anyone is to get hurt, I suggest working with other reinforcement specialists to cover them." She told them, both nodding before walking away.

"God, just got here and already I'm stressed..." Maura leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

Trixy raised an eyebrow. "Veronica wants us all inside? I don’t think we need three of me running around. Hey Glacier."

The clone swiftly returned. ”Did you call, beautiful?”

"Yea, we forgot to do something." Trixy held out five leaves. "Before you run off, let me get you squared away."

An under appreciated application of wood magic was knowing the state of a plant that you touched. Trixy was unable to communicate with her clones, and if something happened to one of them, she’d have no way of knowing they had been defeated. But she could triangulate the location of a few leaves placed on Glacier’s body. Should her body fade to dust, the leaves would scatter and let Trixy know that something was wrong. After tucking a leaf into her gloves, socks, and one in her pants pocket, the clone departed to remain outside.

"I wonder if there’s any food." Trixy giggled as she entered the rave, Holding Samantha’s arm the whole while.

---

"There are so many cuties in here!" Trixy’s eyes scanned the landscape of flesh. She felt like an adventurer who had just stumbled into a dragon’s hoard. "It looks a little crowded, but that’s okay." Trixy walked past the bar, but made no attempt to look at it. It sounded like a girl was having an emotional breakdown. "This might be our first rave, but I’ve made plenty of friends online. I’m sure we can talk to just about anyone. That’s what Tetrad told me." Trixy scanned the party for potential targets. Foir her blog that is. People who were reasonably attractive and had a distinct appearance. Bonus points if they didn’t look too threatening and were wearing something "fetishy." Like glasses, or socks, or glasses and socks.

_@Flamelord

"Do you see that girl in the blue dress? With the glasses and stockings?" Trixy only waited a moment for Samantha to respond. "She’s got some friends with her too, we’re going in!" She practically dragged Samantha along, weaving between ravers like a total pro. "Gotta get some footage for the blog too!" Her phone fazed into her hand. With a single flick, she activated her camera and slid it behind one of her belts. A pocket would have been more ideal, but her stylish coat lacked such comforts. Eventually, Trixy and Samantha skidded to a stop in front of the trio.

"Hello girls! cute outfits." She adjusted her eye patch. "Are you looking for people to dance with? We could use some teachers. However! I don’t think it would take long to learn. We’re both martial artists." She stretched her foot over her head and leaned against Samantha. "Mmmmmm, just let me warm up first."

Sometimes Sophia dreamed. Every once in a while they were vivid enough to be a movie. They felt less like dreams and more like past experiences. Sometimes they were scary, other times sad. Though they could also be happy. This dream looked like it was going to be a good one. Not that Sophia knew it was a dream. That was something she would realize when she woke up.

If there was something surreal about these types of dreams, it was her own body. She was always very small and acted differently than she normally did. Sophia wasn’t even sure if it was her body. Though to be fair, the body she currently possessed wasn’t hers either.

---

Before her was a plate filled with spaghetti, topped with red sauce and meatballs. The only other person sitting with her was a tall, youthful looking girl with white pigtails and a velvet black dress They were seated around a small table that was resting on top of a building. Aside from the stars, a single candle was the only thing providing light. It was just bright enough for ambience, but it flickered with the wind. Most of these details were background noise to Sophia. She was eating, and you couldn’t get much better than hot pasta on a brisk evening.

”I’m sorry.” The woman across from her apologized. ”If I could maintain my human form for longer than an hour, I could make all sorts of food. But you’re stuck with pasta and defrosted meatballs.”

Sophia didn’t look up from her meal. ”It’s fine! Any meal I don’t have to make myself is a good one.” She twirled spaghetti on her fork and took a bite. ”Mmm! Tasty!”

The woman sighed. ”So, I’ve been thinking about us.”

”Yea, me to.”

”Really?”

Sophia tipped her head back and slurped all of the spaghetti off of her fork. ”Mmm!” She looked across the table. ”Yea! Boteg has been running us all over the country for, erm, whatever it is he’s searching for. We need a vacation!”

”Like a date?”

Sophia could hear the excitement in her voice, but was too busy eating a meatball to look at her. ”Interesting word choice, but yea! We could go to the beach. There isn’t one too far from here.”

”I got us swimsuits already!”

”Well blow me down!” Her plate was nearly clean, but she had to get those last few pieces of spaghetti. ”But I don’t know if I want to go to the beach in a swimsuit.”

”Why not?”

”It just wouldn’t feel right, you know? Not without my old body. I mean I don’t know any beach guys who would want a kinder gardener for a girlfriend.” She laughed.

”Well.” The white haired girl inhaled. ”What if there was a woman who appreciated you for exactly how you were?”

”Hah!” Sophia lowered her empty plate onto the table. ”Yea, maybe if I get desperate enough. I don’t think I could ever love a woman. That seems like something you do after you get turned down by everyone else.” Sophia wiped her mouth with a napkin before hopping out of her seat. ”Dinner was good Sue, thanks a lot!” She started to walk away. ”It might still be fun to collect sea shells. We haven’t really decorated the ship much. Maybe we could even just walk around town and hit up all the garage sales.” When Sophia didn’t get an answer, she turned around. Sue was still seated at the table, covering her face with her arms.

”Sue?”

The woman cried when her name was called out.

”Sue? Did you get all dressed up because… Oh come here,” Sophia ran towards Sue as fast as her little legs could carry her. ”Hey!” With a single leap, she landed on top of the table. ”Hey, listen, listen!” She pet Sue’s head, and eventually the woman looked up at her. Her face was all red, and she was using her arm to cover her eyes. ”Sue, look at me.” Sophia pulled Sue’s arm out of the way. ”I…” She hesitated. ”I do love you Sue, just not in the romantic way.” Sue began sobbing again and covered her face with her other arm. ”No, no! Stop that! Come here!” Sophia hopped off the table and dragged Sue along. ”Lay down right here, on your back, now!” Sue did as she was instructed. Sophia laid beside her, with their heads touching. ”Now look up in the sky.” It was hard to tell what Sue was looking at, but she seemed to be calming down. ”Now, what do you see?”

”I-I see Ophiuchus and Hercules.”

”I just see stars, but that’s a good answer, good answer.” Sophia inhaled deeply. ”But it’s beautiful, right?”

”Yes.”

Sophia stayed quiet for a moment. ”They’re very pretty, but we can’t have them.”

”That’s not like you at all. Y-You’re right here.”

Sophia dragged her tiny hand over her face. ”Yea, that sounded better in my head.” She looked to Sue, but didn’t move her head. ”The fact of the matter is Sue, you are my best friend. I’ve been a magical girls for, what? 9 months now? It’s you Sue, not Boteg, not that Beacon girl who happily let me steal her purification artifact, you.” Sophia sat upright. ”You’ve been alive for a long time right? Fifty something years? You don’t know me that well.”

”I’ve been in love before. Many times.” Sue didn’t move from her spot. ”I know what this feels like.”

”And you’ll fall in love again.” Sophia sighed. ”Look, I want my old body back, you want me. We’re both hunting for something, Boteg too. I think that’s why I continue to help him. I find his cause relatable.” Sophia walked towards Sue and smiled. ”I know I’m going to get the body I want eventually. Might not be my original one, but it’ll happen. You’re going to fall in love with someone too. Won’t be me, but it’ll be someone you can care deeply about. I’m sure Boteg will get what he wants too. We just need to be vigilant and keep searching.” She extended her hand. ”You’re still going to be my first mate though. At least for a while longer.”

Sue took Sophia’s hand and pulled herself up. There was a smile on her face. ”I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Sue sniffed the air. ”Is something burning?”

Sophia turned her head to the candle lit dinner scene. ”Gah!” It seemed the candle fell over onto the table cloth, and the wind fanned the flames into an inferno. In an instant, Sophia was surrounded by a wall of water, and she emerged with a ship’s cannon in her hands. When she fired it, a stream of water hit the table hard enough to split it in half. What remained of the table was thrown off the building. ”Ehh, let’s hope that doesn’t hurt anyone.”

“Understood Alicia” Penny would reply evenly even as she felt that the lack of an ‘eye in the sky’ inside would prove to be a bad idea in the long run. She wasn’t the one running this operation however so she would defer to her C.O. the fact that she felt it hard to not simply go with the standing orders serving only to highlight both her level of determination and make her slightly annoyed. “Will do Rachel” Came her reply, this time though the com earing.

Afterwards she simply went back to watching the surrounding areas through her drone, keeping tabs and tallies on the numbers and names of all the people that had shown up. It was due to her continued bird’s eye view that she saw something that threw a wrench into her plans of simply staying still and waiting for everything to go horribly wrong. She noticed Veronica.

‘Shit’

She wasn’t sure what to do exactly at this discovery. Pointing her out to everyone on the comms would easily kick start this powder keg into going critical. It took only a moment for Penny to make her choice; diving deeper into her guide drone she piloted the small drone into the Rave after Veronica. It was small, hardly bigger than a stress ball, and capable of independent flight it should easily be able to slip in when no one was looking. Once inside it would be nearly impossible to detect due to the massive Aura flooding the area.

“Rachel, I’m sending my eye inside. Need to verify something, as it could have made this a lot more dangerous. I’m not going to be as tapped into the rest of the drones so let me know if anything starts acting up out here.”

She needed to keep an eye on Veronica, and possibly talk to the mysterious Patron level magical girl. The other lady that she had come in with was also likely important, but Penny couldn’t place her, which was all the more reason to tail the two of them if she was being honest.

---

Aurelio couldn't help but let out a huge sigh as what should be a very simple encounter crumbled into chaos in only a few heartbeats. “I swear there is something fundamentally wrong with this city” He would say to no one in particular as he ran a hand down his face “Things spiral out of control here way too often for it to be normal, even factoring in magical weirdness.”

Taking a breath he shrugged off his annoyance and set about focusing. For even as things went crazy in an instant her was perhaps the only one to be able to deal with it all, the fact that he could do it both easily and in style just helped things really.

Once he was done gathering himself he held up his off hand and snapped his fingers and with a multicolored plume of smoke four more Aurelio’s came into the world. One of them immediately split away from the group by jumping up to a nearby roof. A second moved closer to the other two Beacon members that they had been patrolling with.

The third actually moved forward towards Hilaria, his cane tucked underneath his arm and his pace simple and relaxed. “Greetings to you my lady, how has the evening been treating you so far?”

The fourth simply stayed in place, though he pulled out his phone and started typing on it.

"Well hello to you too Vi-chan. Kinda figured that trouble part out myself when we first meet remember? Regardless, what’s the danger and what can I do to assist?"

The original Aurelio, possibly it was hard to tell which was which with him, just waved to everyone here before vanishing in a flash of light. He would reappear in a similar flash of light over at the Park that Dorothy had offered up as neutral ground.

Knowing what he did about Beast magic, as well as a few assumptions about monster girl physiology He was reasonable certain that he had made it first. So with a shrug he would find a bench to sit at while he waited for both her and Kimble to make it here. Dorothy wouldn’t be hard to find with the amount of Panic she was likely to still be giving off after all. Calming Kimble down wasn’t going to be fun either, but that was neither here nor there.

---

“Don’t worry about it” Penny would reply as she returned the hug, letting the sensation of her girlfriend ground her more firmly into the now. “I’ll be fine” She would say not wanting to voice her nerves. She wasn’t sure if they would slip away from her if she gave them anymore attention as it was.

She felt off, wrong, and she knew that it was because of her Split but there wasn’t anything to do about it now. That would be for later, Her other half was already putting the final touches on something that would fix this after all, and they both knew it was going to be a temporary thing at the start of it.

“You’ll just have to make sure that you’re here when I get back” Penny would smile, she didn’t really know what Chloe was going off to do, but she understood the rational about not wanting to be there when one’s Patron was going to be killed. Not to mention the Mint “Hopefully they’ll give you a break soon. They tend to be really pushy.”

She would release Chloe before standing up and nodding to Divina “Hey, I’m doing… as well as one could assume, considering” She would reply to the Moth girl “I’ll be better once this is all taken care of though and thanks for the help I don’t think I could have done this solo.”