---

”...”
Lily did not speak a word as Alex brought her back home; she hadn’t summoned her motorcycle as usual, looking into the distance in a daze of sorts. Even stranger was when she was greeted by the various pets who showed their affection to her, not petting a single one of them. It was only when she reached the familiar, safe space of the couch, that reality came crashing down on her.

And she started uncontrollably crying, holding her face with her hands.
”Alex, I...Ixion is gone!”
She finally managed to blurt out. Before Alex could do anything else, she had wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest.
”I tried to...save those girls...But I messed up...And Ixion protected me...Now he’s...He’s...”
Her sobs continued for a while, until they quieted down into pathetic whimpers. She released him, and wiped her face with her arm. Still, her eyes were red from the numerous tears. Her lips trembled as she finally spoke again:

”Alex...I...What are we fighting for?”

---

The Inquisitor scoffed at Eden, her hammer held tightly in her grip. “You are in no position to bargain, witch! Atone for your sins!” She screamed, and turned her hammer upside down, planting it down with explosive force as she cast a spell of Reinforcement. "Viribus Excelsior!" Her eyes and glasses glowed with radiant light, and her hair floated behind her, shimmering slightly. Most noticeably, her form seemed to somewhat thicken, her muscle density having increased. "I will end your malice in a single blow! Raaaaagh!" She kicked off the floor of the warehouse with explosive force, heading towards Eden with the hammer raised; she could tell her power had grown to a fearsome degree.

---

Helga nodded as Su made her speech, and waved at Askefye. “Yeah. If you want to do some friendly sparring, I’m always up for a scrap, hah. But be warned; I won’t go easy on you.” She added, hoping that her offer for battling would intrigue the gung-ho girl.

'Gone!?' Alexander wasn't too familiar with Ixion, but he still recognized that name instantly 'Now I really want to know what happened. But...I don't want Lily to have to relive that, especially in her current state.' She let go of him and looked at him with red eyes 'Fuck, that just looks so wrong' and asked him;

”Alex...I...What are we fighting for?”

Not even needing to think, Alexander answered "Not the same thing, I can tell you that. I didn't take this gig for any noble reason, like wanting to protect others, I just wanted power and the means to provide for myself. I grew up with barely anything, so this house feels like a fucking mansion to me, even though it's not any bigger then the orphanage I grew up. Going out to fight monsters is just a day job to me, a fun day job, but a day job none the less." He then shrugged "And...I guess somewhere along the line, I started to fight for you too. You just brute forced your way into my life, and I grew to like it. You're like some kind of heart worm; you burrowed your way in there, and I can't remove you without losing chunks of my heart." He put his hand on her head and started patting her

"You though, you're different. It's...hard to put into words, so I'm probably going to fuck this up, but for as long as I've known you, you've had this...energy, about you. Like you were working in service of some higher calling or something, and that knowledge somehow fueled you...or something. It's always felt like your driving force was to make this world less shitty or something. I'm just a magical salary man, but you've always felt like a hero, or at least someone trying to be a hero." Suddenly hit with inspiration, Alexander sat next to her on the sofa, and grew a bunch of tails, which he then used to wrap Lily up to her neck in a fluffy cocoon, he then laid her head on his lap and resumed stroking her head "Girl's like soft things...right? So just...try to relax a little bit. I do this for as long as you need."

_{@PlatinumSkink + The others im collabing with lolololololz}

”Gah!” The chain pierced Nuncio’s shoulder, tearing through ligaments and bone before coming out the other side. There was a spray of blood, but Sophia had missed any vital organs. The chain would hold strong. ”What?” In the next instant, Nuncio was slung towards Mariette. ”Amaryllis! You need to run!” Was all he got out before he, Sammy, Eli, and Mariette vanished inside a portal.

Rosa’s charge was intimidating, but Vermin Killer didn’t budge an inch. He remained stationary behind his wall of crows. Rosa would never get the chance to test its strength before the wolverines set upon her, tearing into the tiger’s rear quarters and front leg. It swiped and kicked, but the wolverines were relentless and without fear.

The wall of crows separated, with half of the birds flying up towards Sophia and the rest remaining before Verminkiller. Each one that flew by tried to take a piece of her flesh with each pass.

”Bring two, bring three, bring four magical girls. I will outnumber you every time.”

The pirate simply leveled her magical shotgun-axe and drew upon her Focused Assault once more. The wear and tear and drain from battle were one thing, but no matter how much she felt tired it wasn’t like she was going to relent either.

BOOM!!!

The girl unleashed an erupting shot from her gun at Vermin Killer, not caring if his birds got in the way or not. It was a more powerful shot than normal, which was to her favor, but even so she lightly winced at the light pain she got from her body as a result. Not like the birds trying to tear into her flesh with their wee little beaks wasn’t painful as well, but she’d just about had enough of today to use the pain to help her keep focus.

The bullet tore through a few birds, but moments before the bullet struck Vermin Killer, his body split apart into even more crows and scattered. With all the crows swarming the warehouse, it was hard to tell where they went, or if they were there fighting alongside their companions.

All the while, her patron floated overhead with worried creases forming in its worn wooden planks.

“Do ah’ look lak’ ah’ give ah’ fook about yer’ ‘cool guy talk’ at all, ya’ soddin’ bilge rat?

Ahm’ tired of yer’ kind ah’ trash prancin’ bout’, so get yeh’ ass movin’ outta’ ere’ if yeh’ don’t want yeh’ skull mounted on mah’ patron’s aft and yer’ beasties all fried golden brown!”

”It is my vultures that will pick your bones clean, corpse sailor.” Vermin Killer’s disembodied voice filled the warehouse.

The golden shields that had formed for Mariatte and company vanished, no longer needed, as they soon reappeared to form a bubble around Sophia with an opening in the front. That...and at least her clothing was incredibly tough and rather covering on her body.

Vestiges now. Vestiges and traces, seconds remaining. Amaryllis could feel her form begin to revert, the fatigue such that even though her own stamina seemed to sustain itself, her strength was beginning to flag. Her Sword grew heavier in her palm, the world around her seemed to be speeding up, and her magic no longer responded to her.

It would have been lovely to retort, to say that being outnumbered only made magical girls stronger, but the Knight of Rose knew that soon enough, she wouldn’t even be a knight anymore.

Nuncio was out. Sophia was still going strong. And Rosa…

“Pirate! Bring the whole warehouse down! We’re getting outta here!”

With that, Amaryllis charged into the forefront, her Silverlight ever-hungering as she used Sophia’s shotgun blast as cover fire. Reaching the mangled tiger swiftly, but not nearly so swift as she’d have liked, the midnight-haired swordswoman swung her weapon with wild abandon, disemboweling any wolverine that got its jaws on the bloodied tiger. Not to kill, nor to chase away, but simply to reduce the weight. She could lift a sedan with one hand, and a male tiger only weighed a quarter of that weight, but those records were on a good day. A flicking of a wrist reduced another wolverine to just a head, before Amaryllis reached out with her off-hand to grasp Rosa and toss her towards Sophia.

Her stump pressed against the white fur.

Fuck.

Even though Sophia hadn’t started to bring down the warehouse, the ground was starting to shake. Vermin Killer may have departed, but his reinforcements had arrived. two hippopotamus bulldozed their way through the wall, stampeding towards the magical girls.

Almost all of the most dangerous animals in the world originate from Africa, and the hippo is no exception. While they have a reputation for being docile creatures, they are anything but. They are heavyweight fighters that are far faster than their size would lead one to believe. They can move through water swiftly since the water doesn’t impede them at all. They weigh so much they sink to the floor of any body of water they traverse, allowing them to run as if they were on land. Their hide is so thick that they seldom have to worry about other predators. A pack of lionesses are unable to dig through their two inch thick hide, while the hippo has more than enough strength to crush their skulls in a single bite. Hippos aren’t just a problem for the wildlife in Africa, they are a problem for humans too. They make short work of boats and cars. Out of the entire animal kingdom, it is hippos that claim the most human lives per year.

Their jaws swung open, revealing jaws filled with tusks and teeth. Nothing was going to stop the two-ton behemoths from charging.

“That’s arr’ cue, lass!”

The pirate shot out her chain arm to grab up Amaryllis and the injured tiger, whilst she smirked and reached her other arm up into the air. The golden shields faded away once more, and through the roof crashed in an-...anchor? An anchor attached to a chain to be specific, but called forth by Sophia’s magic to help her up onto her patron.

So as the two ton piles of man-killing animal flesh charged, Sophia would suddenly be yanked up as she grabbed onto the chain itself. Was a little spell she’d been granted by her patron to get on the ship if she ever couldn’t fly up to it. A spooky precaution that was hopefully going to come right in handy. If Amaryllis and the tiger were on the other end of the chain arm, however, it would pull them along as well as it attached itself to the anchor chain in turn for more support.

The Anchor was hoisted into the air, Pirate knight and tiger in tow. The hippos snapped their jaws shut, but bit nothing but air. Big and strong as they might have been, they weren’t jumpers by any stretch of the imagination.

The warehouse was still filled with crows however. They bit and tore, but between Amaryllis’s swordsmanship and Sophia’s gunplay, they were no match.

Once they left the top of the warehouse, the animals seemed to retreat. The crows simply flew away, while the hippos retreated behind a building, only to disappear from sight.

Yet even as the enemies disappeared...the pirate seemed to have one last thing for those she and her allies had just been fighting.

“Remember this as the day you almost caught...Captain. Sophia. Von Zeerover!!! Hahahaha!”

---

_@DarkwolfX37

Tetrad raised an eyebrow. This Puchuu seemed to care about Shion. Which was a good thing but it just went against everything Tetrad knew about Puchuus.

“Uh, yea! We can do something about that.” Tetrad snapped her fingers and tapped her foot. A few seconds later, and a door to a run down bar seemed to rise out of the ground and swing open. “It’s my interdimensional…bar…place. I don’t really ‘live’ in there so you’ll have to pardon the mess. I’ve been meaning to clean it up but I keep getting side tracked.” It also looked drab because it was a more fitting atmosphere to interrogate prisoners in. “There’s a few holes in the couch, but it’s still really comfortable. And you’re welcome to whatever is in the fridge.” Tetrad twiddled her thumbs. “So you can just relax in there. Or just her if you have other things to do. I’ll go back to the hotel I’m staying at, and then she can come back out in a place that isn’t surrounded by violent monsters. Sound good?”

---

_{@FamishedPants @AtomicNut @Ponn @PlatinumSkink @Majoras End @twave}

Oros chose to watch the rest of the fight from a rooftop. She had given herself the skin of a chameleon to blend into her surroundings. Unlike octopus and squids, chameleons did not shift pigmented plates on their skin to change their colors. Instead, they had nano-crystal scales under their skin that reflected different colored light. Tighter clusters reflected blue and green light, and spacing the scales apart changed the color to yellow, and orange and red the further apart they got. The light reflected mixes with the color of the skin to produce their camo. It is the chameleon’s control over these scales that lets it change its color. Though chameleons typically use their colors to stand out more so that they can attract a mate or scare off another chameleon.

Her eyes had become that of an owl, which were the best the animal kingdom had to offer. At least when it came to night vision. Their tubular eyes had excellent depth perception and could catch more light than cat eyes. This gave Oros binocular vision, but she’d have to turn her head to look around. An owl’s eyes aren’t round, and thus can’t pivot in their eye sockets.

Between these two features, Oros was able to remain hidden and keep her distance. It was possible someone with deviation magic could pick up her presence, but that was hardly a concern. If someone wanted to get the jump on her, they would have to contend with her excellent hearing and sense of smell. She wouldn’t be here long anyway.

After the fight’s anti-climatic finish, her eyes tracked Faith. Or more specifically, Raven. Her actions had been rather questionable in all this. But after glimpsing at her blade, she could understand why. It was evident where Raven’s alliance laid with a simple glimpse into her past.

“Another Beacon hopeful.” She sheathed her sword. “Hope you don’t mind collabs, Raven. We’ll meet again real soon.”

There was no reason to stick around longer. Oros could track Faith with her sword at this point. She turned towards the shadows and faded from sight.

After letting everyone heal or otherwise assist Faith, Raven would have her spirit take off with her, the small entourage in tow. Being largely unaware of safe places for someone like Faith her one though that was out of the way was the twin's house. To anyone else this would be an insane idea and as the lot of them approached the suburbs Raven had adjusted her plan slightly. She could hide Faith and get in contact with the twins. Dragging everyone that close to her allies home seemed like a bad idea so before that got too far into any neighborhood Raven would stop. "Do you have a phone number or Glimmr so we can keep in contact?" She didn't have anything to write on, but she didn't need it. Committing their numbers or users to memory she placed a hand on Faith. "I know you want to stick with Faith and everything, but I have an idea of how to help her. I just have to keep her hidden for the night and then talk with some of my friends. They'll know what to do. I just don't want you to get in trouble in case they have anyone else come along. Sorry. I'll call you soon." Before anyone could object she, Faith, and the spirit would disappear from view. She didn't go far, just out of sight before moving on. It wasn't something she liked doing, ditching people that is. It was just too risky bringing everyone along.

Connie was somewhat surprised when yet another girl walked over and answered Gaia’s inquiry. Apparently, this recent arrival knew of a safe place for Faith to be taken, although she failed to specify the location in question. Wasting no time, the girl summoned a large spirit warrior, who picked up Faith and prepared to carry her off.

“W-We’re c-coming too!” Connie declared, in as firm a voice as she could manage. “Faith’s our f-friend, a-and I w-want to m-make s-sure she’s okay.”

The new girl seemed to accept this. Then, the tiny samurai girl spoke up to vouch for the new arrival and ask for everyone's contact info. Pulling her phone out, Connie quickly exchanged numbers with the diminutive girl. After that, the new arrival told the others that they’d “catch up later”, before she and her spirit headed out of the park, with Connie and Gaia following close behind. After a short time of travel, they arrived at the edge of a residential area, at which point the new girl stopped and asked for Connie and Gaia’s phone numbers and/or Glimmer account names.

“Neither of us make use of Glimmer,” Gaia replied, “and I usually refrain from carrying a phone while I am transformed. However, Connie should have hers.”

“Y-Yeah, i-it’s r-right here,” Connie confirmed, pulling out her phone for the second time and showing the girl her number.

After committing the number to memory, the girl proceeded to tell them that she would prefer to travel alone from this point forward, citing her concern for safety and promising them that she’d call them later. Connie was understandably less than pleased by this. She had never met this girl before. Could she be trusted? Was she actually one of Faith’s enemies, one of Lotus’s murderers? What had even happened in the park anyway? The tiny samurai had said they could trust her, but they didn't really know her all that much either... Connie's thoughts were filled with confusion and uncertainty, but there was one thing she did know: Faith was her friend, and she would do everything she could to keep the fairy girl safe until she had recovered. Unfortunately, before Connie could even utter a single syllable of protest, the new girl, her summoned spirit, and Faith had all blinked away via magical teleportation.

“F-Faith!” Connie gasped after the trio vanished before her eyes. “W-We have to g-go after them!”

“And so we shall,” Gaia confirmed.

Closing her eyes in concentration, the verdant magical girl focused on her link to the mystic energy still residing within the moss bandages she had applied to Faith’s injuries. Establishing contact, she used this as a means of locating the fairy girl’s current position.

“Quickly, Connie!” Gaia instructed. “She isn’t far!”

“R-Right!”

With that, they were off.

Ronin smiled to Connie and Mia after the thanks for her help, and then she’d spun to confront Hilaria…

Well, who knows if Ronin had any influence on it, but Hilaria returned to normal eventually! That’s a relief and a half. Then Eliza and Maura came down and called to her that it was time to leave.

‘Oh, alright! Things seems to have calmed down, here, anyway, so let’s go! … In just a bit!’ Ronin called, before spinning around to other people. ‘Yes! Let’s exchange all the numbers! You two, too!’ Ronin called for Mia and Connie. ‘Yeah, this one here’s a dependable and nice-hearted if somewhat chaotic girl! If she says the place is safe, then it’s safe!’ Ronin told, smacking a hand onto Raven’s shoulder (from low). That was before Raven left.

OK, number with Connie, at the very least, possibly.

‘Alright, now let’s go!’ Ronin called to Eliza, and it was time to fly, or whatever they intended.

@Majoras End @FamishedPants @BrokenPromise@twave@Ponn

And just like that, they were gone. The heavily wounded girl was carried away by someone who had just arrived, followed by the others in a frantic search. Barely an acknowledgement was made towards the newcomer with the healing item, and as such the gravity girl cast her gaze down, as she kept administering first aid for a bit to the other combatants, before finally turning sullen and back towards where her leader was.

She noticed then her mangled face, as she frantically panicked and began to heal Kamy's ravaged face. "WHO DID THIS TO MOTHER!?" She asked and yelled. Sakura was about to say something, but then the puuchu-turned woman raised her hand.

"It is of no consequence." She added, as she tried to calm down the triggered gravity girl. "We are leaving too. To somewhere else, far from this place." She added, before casting a look at the offending girl, Sakura.

"You shall remain in Penrose. And you shall continue in your work. As an effort rewarded...your family will be kept safe. It's what Beacon does." Kamy said in a soft-spoken voice, which the former-yakuza turned pink-haired-girl understood that she should not be really pushing her luck, and bit more than she could chew. Sakura boiled within, but she could not beat the crap out of Umukamui. Not in front of that crazy psycho who thought the silver-haired woman was her mother. Sullen, she turned her attention to Emily.

"You alright, Emily? I guess we should start to wrap up. Do you...uh...like godzilla movies?" She tried to break into small talk, there had been too much heavy ambience as of late.

She also had forgotten to ask for Bunbun's number. Oh well, she seemed a bit on a rush with green-chan, so she left it be and did not push it further. Everyone but a few ones were freaking out. I guess I really did a lot of carnage back in my day, huh The former thug elaborated. She really needed to get home...

And as if an additional cue, that damned pink bike had reappeared not too far away from her position.

Askefye stared at Su Fang even more intently than before, her scattered brain plucking fragments of the too-long talk the dragon girl had ejected out of her mouth. Beacon bad. Ascendancy badder. Washboard good? Psh, washboard trash. Who was Justine and why did she matter? Didn’t matter, really. Probably be old news after a couple more weeks. Whatever. Meetings. Ugh. Bureaucracy was even more ugh.

But…food was still food.

“Askefye,” she said, pointing at herself. “And sparring’s boring. I’ll go to the meeting though. But we’re doing all-you-can-eat, and you’re paying.”

If the meeting went to shit, she could at least properly kill that washboard, anyhow. Blow her up, as well as the room they’ll be meeting in, as well as the building the room is in, and hell, may as well blow up the crapsack city of Penrose too. Maybe Aria had a new bomb in stock…

With more disjointed schemes pingponging through her skull-frame, the fire spirit flew off again, this time at a slower pace for the others to follow comfortably.

Unless they didn’t follow.

In which case she was definitely bringing a radioactive smoke bomb to the meeting.

_{@Erode@Ariamis}

Su would be lying if she said she was 100% sure Askefye was going to agree, but she was confident in her strategy. Either Askefye would jump at the chance to be with the ascendancy girl, or jump at the chance to nuke her. And she’d get to eat either way. Having to pay didn’t bother Su much. “All-you-can-eat” was often a staple of cheaper restaurants. A shame, as Su wouldn’t have minded paying a little extra for decent food. Though for some reason, this was feeling like a victory she would regret.

Not like she could back out now.

“She’s heading in the direction of the shop I wanted to show you.” Su flew after Askefye, Su in tow.

---

Aria had actually finished everything when the door to her shop swung open. Multicolored luminescent butterflies flew all around the newly arrived, but Aria didn’t look up from her book.

”Daji is best known for her fantastical depiction as a-”

She wasn’t making that mistake again.

When she looked up, her mark had entered the store, Unfortunately she was with two other girls. The one with the metallic body didn’t concern her, but the other one, the one that was always ablaze.

Askefye.

That girlwas essentially a giant light bulb and thus attracted all manner of insects, butterflies included. This is because female butterflies have a special gland that contains a chemical that emits ultraviolent radiation. Fires and light bulbs also emit this, which is why moths will seem to fly to certain death. Naturally, the butterflies would also swarm a burning woman thinking she was a potential mate. Fortunately her butterflies were more or less immune to being burned up. Well, the stronger ones anyway. But that’s getting sidetracked with animal facts! That girl… was especially welcome! Askefye was a regular, and one of the reasons why Aria was able to stay open.

”Welcome! You must be here for my newest bomb!” She reached under the counter and pulled out a giant disk. Its many reflective surfaces made it look like a two dimensional disco ball. ”I’m still deciding on a name. But the point is that when this bomb goes off, it releases confetti in almost every direction, causes spot lights to rain down on top of it, and fires a dazzling light array in every direction. There’s also a slot so that you can insert a music CD and play it at full volume.” Aria climbed onto the counter and stood on top of it. ”This model is entirely non-lethal. The idea is that you stand on top of it and BOOM! You are instantly the center of attention! Perfect for outshining other girls at a rave or getting full agro in a fight! You need this!”

Meanwhile, Su was examining the book that Aria had abandoned. “Daji?”

”Oh?” Aria turned to Su with a grin. ”Have you heard of her?”

“Something like that.” Su turned to Helga. “Seems like Askefye is shopping. We might as well take a look around before returning.”

---

”...”
Lily quietly listened as Alex shared his own views on what it meant to be a Mahou, occasionally nodding to the points he made, and she averted her eyes when he brought her up. She knew Alex long enough to know he wasn’t sugarcoating his words just to cheer her up, but nonetheless she felt her cheeks starting to glow.

”A hero? Me?”
She asked, and bit her bottom lip, her hands gripping her knees.
”I’m not a hero. A real magical girl would have saved those girls. She wouldn’t have lost her friend like that.” She felt Alex’ hand on her head, but it didn’t seem to help as she lowered her head; a new wave of tears began.
”I’m a sham! A fake! A...failure...”

But then, Lily felt something soft and fluffy surround her, embracing her. She stopped her sobs with a stuttered breath, and realized that Alex used his tails to comfort her.
She lifted a hesitant hand, and touched the warm fur; it reminded of her last moments with Ixion.
She remembered how Ixion wasn’t disappointed with her; he was proud of her. And that was why he chose to save her.

”Alex...” She quietly spoke, having closed her eyes as she laid her head on his lap.
”Thank you...For being here for me...” She whispered. Then, she simply stayed there, for hours upon hours. Even after Alex would release his tails, she would still stay there through the night, not sleeping, but reminiscing on the times she had with Ixion. It would take time for her broken heart to heal, and Lily knew she had to face this loss by properly grieving. After all, she had made a promise with Ixion that she would move forward, and to do so without any regrets. She didn’t know how, but she would find a way.

Alex did know how to make bridges, so that would definitely help, she thought as she fell asleep.

---

Rachel lifted her hammer, and delivered it down on Eden as she was pinned down by ranged attacks by Alicia and Sophia, expecting to crush her into a pancake. But when she lifted the hammer, there was no sign of the P.I executive in the cracked concrete. When she looked up, it was already too late; she had flown up, and blended in with the night sky, having disappeared. “YOU COWARD!” Rachel screamed, shaking her hammer.
“Come back here, you craven witch!” Her frustrated yells did not receive a reply, and she sighed heavily; she took her glasses, and wiped blood off them with a handkerchief in a silent moment.
“...Alicia,” she finally stated, turning towards the Paladin Seraph.
“Call in a squad and secure the club. Search through the place for any clues the P.I might have left. Don’t engage enemies unless necessary,” she added with a disgusted tone. “After that you’ll prepare to intercept any rioters reporting in from HQ.” She put a hand to her ear. “Leena,resume retrieving the corpses-”
“It’s gone, Inquisitor,” Leena responded. “The ghost ship had left.”
Rachel grit her teeth, and activated a homing beacon. “In that case we’re retreating! I will retrieve our fallen sisters if it’s the last thing I do!”
She gave one final fingerpoint to the rest. “The time of your Reckoning is nigh, sinners! I’ll be back!” And so, Rachel and Elora teleported away.

---

Helga wasn’t initially interested in Askefye, as she seemed like your average battlemonger by first appearance. She had seen plenty of them in her time as a rogue monster girl, and she liked their company; they were the least likely to stab you in the back and sell you out to Beacon, like what happened a couple of times, even if it did mean an occasional brawl over what food tasted the best or what hat went best with that dress. She was surprised by her declining the sparring offer, however, and it made her realize there was more to the high-temperature gal than her explosive exterior seemed to suggest. She seemed very tsundere, which amused the toothy monster girl to no end.

“We’ll see you there, Asskefyerhot,” she responded, holding back a giggle from blurting out the childish nickname. She turned to Su, and gave her a sharp-pointed thumbs-up. “Glorious success.” When the group reached the shop, Helga held one of her arms straight up in the air, and stretched it by hooking the other arm behind it. “MAN, I’ve heard of trashing the set, but that was ridiculous! Whoever came up with all BS is one screwball.” She then smiled at Su’s suggestion, and took her hand. “Sure thing, Su-Gar. Heh, get it? Cause you’re a sugar?”
She smiled, though it quickly faded. “Okay, I’m tired, so my puns are getting stale. Let’s check the place out. I heard there’s some cool sights.”

---

And so, the night of terror came to its end, and morning arrived; as gloomy as the night before, but nonetheless brighter in feel and atmosphere. For the following days, while the most offensive riots were quickly contained by Beacon, general unrest spread across the city.
Corrupted girls who steadfastly believed in Cindy’s power became disillusioned after her passing, and many of them left the Sanctuary to seek better ground. Some gathered at the Golden Trove, having heard from the place from Helga at the rave and seeing advertisements on Glimmr. Others decided to hold out within the Sanctuary, having thrown their lot in with Penny as the successor. A lot of them decided to go out on their own, no longer able to trust in their fellow magical girl. However, most of them went to the Mint, motivated by their fear for Beacon and the promise of sanctuary that Mint offered behind their contracts. And so the mysterious organization’s power grew within Penrose at an astounding rate.

“...”

“...Yes. The numbers have picked up, as planned. Red Nest has agreed to continue cooperation with us for the time being; they have smelled the slave smuggling trade, and come for the pickings. But they are pretty picky, so no pecking them too much.”

In a monochrome office, Al Scarpe was talking on an old-fashioned handle telephone, a cigar spewing smoke on the table. “...No, they’re still around, hasslin’ the joints. The hit failed. But good news is, they’ve cut down on the raids in favor of the riots.”
After listening for a bit, he grit his teeth. “...Still work in progress. I know for a fact she still has goons snoopin the block. It’s only a matter of time before she slips up.”
Another moment of listening on the phone. “Got it. See ya on the flipside.”
He waited for a moment, and slammed the phone down. “Stronzos.”

He lifted up a lid on the desk; it opened up into a computer interface, with a screen under the lid. “I get the coin, they whine and moan about the broad. No surprise,” the Coin Broker mumbled, when he happened upon a single message.

He squinted, and took a puff of smoke.

“...Well, this is interesting.”

---

It was a cold and windy night at the rooftop of the Penrose cathedral. Once, it was the lair of Justine von Visceral, but now, it was but a mortal shrine of worship. Justine observed the mass that was held there for the few who clung to faith, her crimson eyes apathetically glancing over the crowd from an open window. The priest delivered a sermon, and began leading the others in hymn. She listened to the song, seemingly reminiscing about something far in the past.

“Faith, huh...”

She then felt a magical presence. Her fangs glistened in the moonlight, and she turned. She curtsied.

“Ah, it is my pleasure to finally meet you...Mister Scarpe.”

The tall shadow that stood on the far side of the rooftop moved, revealing an arm holding a ruby-coated lighter. He lit up a cigar, and took a puff of smoke; despite the winds around him, the smoke was not disturbed in the slightest.

“I would be surprised by how you managed to find my business number...But then I remember...Visceral.” Al grumbled, biting his cigar. “You cost us lot of money with your little plant, winged rat. You gonna pay up?”
As he said that, his shadow seemed to stretch menacingly towards Justine. But the monster girl only kept smiling.

“I admit I set certain things into motion that I did not fully predict. But in a way, it was also a blessing. After all, I exposed a vulnerability in your information network, didn’t I?”

The shadow stopped stretching just before Justine, and Al’s muscular form rose up from it, towering over the short girl.
“A wise gal, eh? You think I’m gonna buy that?”

Justine rolled her eyes.
“I suppose not. But I do have something else...Something I believe you would be very interested in buying.”

As she said that, she snapped her fingers, and Sonia teleported in, holding the hand of a certain girl whom Al Scarpe recognized; Betty, as expressionless as a pristine doll. However, the Coin Broker did not show any reaction.

“Well now...One of Veronica’s broads.” He approached the girl, and lifted her chin with his hand; the brainwashed girl did not react. “O’l V’s a real tunnel treader. How you get your hands on her goon?”

Justine gave a little laugh.
“Oh, she practically offered her to me, it was that easy. Anyway, I would be willing to return her back to you in exchange for some...Assistance with a little project of mine.”

Al dropped his hand, and took a new puff of smoke. “What kind of assistance? Cold hard cash?”

Justine shook her head.
“No, nothing so mundane.” Her eyes flashed red, and a sinister grin emerged.
“I want information; more specifically the location of a certain hideout. One that belongs to Mariette Pedersen, the Reflective Witch. Also, I would like to rent some agents for an itsy-bitsy raid there.”

Al began laughing so hard he coughed, causing inky black smoke to escape from his mouth.
“You jokin’, lady? You think dirty deeds are done dirt cheap? Raiding a sub-dimension, let alone one so close to a Horror is expensive, capische? One broad ain’t enough to cover that kind of bill.”

Justine made an exasperated sigh.
“Well, what If I told you I could offer you more of Veronica’s girls?” She gestured to Sonia, who bowed in a polite maid-like fashion with her hands tucked before her.
“Delivery would be a simple thing with Sonia’s teleporting powers. Also, I have a little secret to share.” She came closer to Al Scarpe, and placed a hand on his chest, lightly moving it around in a seductive manner.
“You see, I have convinced the buffoons of Beacon to assist me. They will be occupied by the raid at the exact time I tell them to.” She smiled sweetly.
“Now, who would benefit from that kind of knowledge, hmm?”

Al took the cigar from his mouth, and tapped on it, causing some umbral ash to fall on top of Justine’s tiny hat, to her faintly hidden displeasure. “Now you’re talkin’. With the lantern heads out of commission, we could conduct some important business.” He chuckled. “You’se a shrewd woman, Visceral. We could use someone like you in the familia.”

Justine’s red nails suddenly extended, and she stepped back, seeming offended.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, now. I’m not interested in your magical mafia, only the services that it provides.”
Al tipped his fedora. “Comprende, m’lady. I’ll arrange the Red Nest to assist you for operation.” He offered his arm to her. “How about we continue this discussion in my office? I don’t care much for the weather up here.”

Justine took his arm like a proper lady, and smiled.
“Very well then. Glad to be making business with you~”

”Thank you...For being here for me...”

Alexander had a rare, peaceful expression on his face 'You know...it's kind of funny just how much my life has changed in such a short time.' Even after all this time, he still wasn't used to such heartfelt words of gratitude. Even when she was still in so much pain, she was actually able to thank him. 'Even though I couldn't really do anything but try and pick up the pieces. I still don't understand how someone as nice as you could think of yourself as a shame' he transitioned from rubbing her head to running his hand through her hair out of impulse 'I never really knew anyone like you back in my old life, so I'm not always sure how to handle you.' he shook his head 'When I think back to my old life...before all the magic happened...'

"Life sucks kid; we live, and then we die."

"Don't get your hopes up; no one's coming to get any of us, that's why we're here"

"They're paid to care! That's all we are to them; a job"

"...why didn't they want me...?"

'...none of it feels real. Like everything before was just some horrible dream. I guess there's a part of me that's afraid that this is the dream. And one day I'll just wake up in that rundown apartment. I...I think that might finally break me, I might actually go through with it.' He continued running his hand through Lily's hair, almost like he was in a trance, as he felt sleep start to claim him. 'It's kind of nice to be wanted.' As he slipped into dreams, his transformation came undone, and he slumped backwards, one of his hand falling limp on Lily's shoulders

Having gotten some contact information from Mia and Connie, Raven had to part ways with them. She wasn’t really comfortable bringing two others back home. Actually, maybe she could check that house down the street. Pretty sure it had a for sale sign. With it being late there were not a lot of people around so after running down a few blocks in the neighborhood she turned in to check through a window. Empty, no people, no furniture, nothing. Not ideal for sure but It’ll work until she could get in contact with Janet and Jenna. Blinking in she opened the door so she could bring Faith inside.

”Mmmhmm…”

Faith groaned in her pain induced slumber. Her wounds had been healed, but it would take a moment for her body to get the rest it needed. The spirit carried faith into a hallway to search for something to lay her on.

Raven turned around to shut the door, but found that it stopped a few inches before closing. No amount of pushing would shut the door. Soon enough, the door was shoved back towards Raven. Her only recourse was to release it and stumble backwards, unless she wanted to risk riding the door handle into the wall. But with the door open, she could tell why it wouldn’t shut. Someone was shoving it open. It was a woman in a black shrine maiden’s outfit.

”Sup.”

She stepped into the house. ”Gotta say, I didn’t take you for a squatter.” She used her foot to grab the door and shut it behind herself. ”Figured Beacon’s dogs were too noble to hang out in shit holes like this. But whatever.” Her eyes traveled up and down the front of Raven’s body. ”Oh cool, you figured out that inner boob is best boob. It’s pretty good isn’t it?” She pointed at the “keyhole” in her own outfit. ”Give ‘em a show from just about any angle, unless they’re beside you. It’s a good way to ensure your prey doesn’t move too far off to the side.” Her grin widened. She wasn’t remarkably tall, but she towered over Raven. ”So what’s your game plan here? Illegally enter an empty lot and play karaoke all night?”

When the door didn't close and it was revealed that someone else had followed her Raven cursed under her breath. She knew she should have teleported a couple times to avoid this happening. Though with how the magical world is it could have been inevitable. At first she looked defensive and gripped her scepter, but was taken back slightly by the banter. "Last minute decision. Next time I'll try and remember and pack the red carpet." Even though Oros was taller than her she wouldn't back down. She knew she couldn't keep up a sustained fight if one broke out though.

The small talk on their outfit did elicit a slight smirk. At the very least this girl hadn't tried to knock her block off yet, though she looked about ready to be able to do just that. Raven supposed she'd been unfairly given an upgrade from her benefactor? Predecessor? Amber. Not that she had any control over such. "It has its advantages." She turned slightly and shifted so she could get in a better spot to catch a glimpse out a window. She didn't actually look in case the girl in front of her hadn't already caught on to her tricks. "But since you mentioned Beacon, I didn't think it would be very safe to bring her around them considering everything that just happened. Just needed to make a little pitstop."

”So you’re not a total shit for brains. That’s good.” She didn’t move from the doorway. ”I’ve got shit to do, so lets make this quick. I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re way over your head taking this girl anywhere. You’re a Beacon science experiment, and they’re never going to forgive you for hiding something like this from them. Furthermore, it was a Beacon jihad who nuked herself along with her friend. That’ll twist her panties like you can’t believe.” she pointed down the hall. ”So it would save everyone some trouble if I took her off of your hands.”

This girl knew a whole lot more about her than anyone should. She hadn’t even had the chance to tell anyone where she’d come from. Oros was 100% correct that she had jumped into the deep end when she should probably be wearing floaties in the kiddie pool. "Just trying to help. I would have figured something out." Her stance would obviously be changing slowly as her plan, or lack thereof, was being picked apart.

”Sure you would have.” Oros walked deeper into the house. It didn’t take her more than a few seconds to find Faith and sling her over her shoulder. She came back into the front hall and looked at Raven. ”Raven Bianchi, right? Like Amber Bianchi?” Her grin only widened at Raven’s apparent surprise. ”How much of her do you remember?”

None of this encounter thus far was pleasant. Was this Twenty questions or something? Still she found herself answering almost out of morbid curiosity of what Oros might say. "I know what my patron shared of her. They're sticklers for the past. It's probably why I look so much like her." Having one's existence pinned to someone else was a little irksome, but Amber at least had a reputation and sounded a whole lot cooler than Raven ever hoped to live up to. Already she was regretting her choice in names. Even her first name was painfully on the nose.

At that moment, a new voice sounded as two figures stepped through the now open door.

“H-Hey! U-Umm, t-that w-wasn’t v-very nice j-just l-leaving us l-like that!” Connie told Raven in a distinctly annoyed tone, before gasping at the sight of Oros carrying Faith. “Oh! A-And w-who are y-you?!”

“A good question,” Gaia agreed. “In fact, I do not believe we have had the pleasure of making either of your acquaintances.”

“You girls were at the park right? Mask girl and what’s-her-tits with the popcorn rockets?” Oros drew her blade to examine the reflection. It was playing back the battle at the park. “Until I hear your name, I’ll just call you green giant. Even if those aren’t peas you’re swinging around.” She pointed at herself with her sword. “You can call me Oros. If you came here to save Faith I already did that. With my words and wit, I doth convince thee babe napper to change thy ways.” She sheathed her sword.

Yes, we did indeed fight at the park,” the verdant magical girl confirmed. “I am Gaia, Daughter of Mother Earth, and this is Connie, the Empress of Nightmares. We are both friends of Faith and are deeply concerned for her wellbeing. I am most glad that she is now in the hands of an ally, although I am curious if you can prove if that is indeed the case.”

“Y-Yeah,” Connie added, suppressing a shudder at the sound of the word “Mask.” “F-Faith said s-she h-had e-enemies at t-the p-park. S-She s-said t-they m-m-murdered L-Lotus!”

“Oh that whole thing. Let’s clear that shit up right now then.” Oros drew her katana again. “As previously demonstrated, Endless Eclipse has the power to divine shit. So let’s see how Lotus met her end.”

The sword’s murky black surface displayed a scene at the park. Faith, Lotus, Cindy, Ronin, Reaver, and others had arrived. The cardinal was there too. There was an altercation between Cindy and the Cardinal, but the image focused on Sylvia. She opened fire and nearly struck Faith if not for the barrier Reaver placed. Lotus gave into her rage and assaulted Sylvia. Lotus attacked aggressively, she mortally wounded Sylvia. But the beacon girl still had the strength for one last attack. They both died together.

“Pretty shitty way to go.” She lowered her sword. “Don’t have much to prove we’re friends. We serve the same patron if that counts.” Oros pointed at Raven. “Anyway, she’s with Lotus’s murderers. I didn’t think leaving Faith in her care was a good idea.”

”They’re not her murderers. They wanted the fighting to stop. Well, I don’t know about the rest of Beacon but the two I came with did.” She pleaded. ”I said it before. It wasn’t safe to take her to Beacon’s building so I didn’t. But my friends are healers and I know they would help Fath even though they’re ‘the enemy’ or whatever.” She looked over to Mia and Connie. ”That’s why I didn’t want to get you involved though, because they might have others with them that aren’t so sensible.”

Connie gasped as she saw how Lotus met her end. Such gruesome and senseless violence deeply upset her, and a black tear streamed down the cheek of her mask.

“L-Lotus…” Connie whimpered. “O-Okay,” she said after Oros and Raven had made their claims and rebuttals, slightly clenching her fists when Oros said that Raven was with Beacon. “B-But y-you s-still s-should h-have l-let u-us c-come w-with y-you!”

“Agreed,” Gaia added with a graceful nod, while placing a comforting hand on Connie’s shoulder. “If you feared for Faith’s safety, then surely that is all the more reason we should have remained at her side to protect her from your more fanatical associates. And as for you,” she added, turning to Oros, “I suppose we shall have to take you at your word, although I would prefer if we could wait until Faith awakens to see what she has to say about these matters.”

“Aaaaaand now we’re going to have a problem.” Faith was slung off of Oror’s shoulder and lowered to the ground. Her legs collapsed, and she sunk into a kneeling position. She was only able to sit upright because Oros kept a hand on her shoulder. “See the thing is that Faith’s ‘mommy’ never told her anything about me. So she doesn’t know who I am.” She rolled her shoulders. “We’ve been talking for a while, haven’t we? Tell you what, I’ve got things and people to do. While green and purple are typical anime villain colors, I feel like I can trust you won’t take her to Beacon.” Oros. tapped Faith’s knee with her katana. “If you two have a place you can crash with her, that’s great. She’d probably be safer around her friends. My blade will let me know if you’re pulling any shit.” Connie and Mia’s reflections were briefly reflected in the blade. “Otherwise, she can hang at my place. What do you wanna do?”

“W-Well, I g-guess s-she can s-stay with us,” Connie replied hesitantly. “R-Right, Mia?”

“Of course, my dearest Connie,” Gaia said serenely. “Faith is our friend, and it would simply not do to turn her away in her time of need.”

“T-Thanks, Mia,” Connie said with a smile. “B-But isn’t she still b-badly h-hurt?” she asked Oros.

“Do you want Faith or not?” Oros’s voice was getting sharper. “I’m more than capable of helping her, but your green friend seemed hesitant to let me leave with Faith. If you’re not capable of taking care of her then let me go already!”

Since none of them seemed particularly trusting of Raven she mostly sat back as they talked. Her goal in all of this was poorly planned, but went along with what was being discussed. By this point she had pretty much ruled out getting the twins involved. At least until she could talk to Faith about it. "I could... The three would all look at her and she would clear her throat and speak up. "I can get a hold of a healing artifact. I know that girl used one earlier but if there's more that needs to be healed then we can use that." She would offer. "Also I would like to point out that if I wanted to get her captured by Beacon then there was no reason to leave the park. They were right there." She would wave a hand about before pointing it off in the general direction of the park.

“Be at peace, Oros,” Gaia said in a soothing voice. “We would be more than happy to look after Faith, and I think having her awaken to people she knows and trusts would be the best option at this juncture. I believe my dearest Connie simply wished to know the state of Faith’s injuries as well as if she needed additional healing. To that end,” she added, turning to Raven, “Your offer of a healing artifact would be most appreciated.”

”Hmph!” Oros sheathed her sword and picked Faith up by the shoulders. She took a few steps towards Connie and set her down again, propping the fairy girl against her smaller friend. ”Her heart rate is normal, I don’t smell any bleeding. She should be able to finish recovering on her own.” Oros took a few steps back before looking at Raven. ”There was something I wanted to tell you, since it seems like you’re trying to take Amber’s identity for yourself.” Her grin slowly returned. ”Your teachers, I’m sure they gave you a romanticized version of the pirate. There’s no doubt that she accomplished a lot more in her year of being a magical girl than most shit heads do in a century. But people gloss over the ugly bits. They remember how charming she was and her accomplishments, but none of them really know who she was.” Oros closed her eyes as if reminiscing. ”Shining Scale was selfish. The only reason she agreed to help bring down Justine was because she knew her patron would bitch about it. She rescued one of Justine’s henchmen so that she could help find her treasure. It was not a selfless act, nor was it done out of any sort of mercy.” Her eyes opened again. ”But she was brave. In the end, she died stalling Justine’s ritual so that everyone had time to show up.” Oros’s smile turned into a sly grin. ”She hated the mint too. But not as much as Beacon. She was just a weak little pirate girl, and those shit eaters would kill her because of her debt.” The area around the black shrine maiden crackled. ”The two of you are nothing alike. You put yourself last, you’re a coward, and you dote over Beacon like a child.” She chuckled.

"But I am a child." Raven would state rather plainly.

”You’re a baby.” Oros corrected. ”All the same, most babies aren’t capable of doing more than crying and shitting in their diapers. You were trying to take care of a person, and were ready to hand them over to a complete stranger.” She gestured to Mia and Connie. ”You took her away from her friends. Who knows what I was going to do with her.” A black mass expanded behind Oros. ”Anyway, talking this long is frickin’ boring. I had a date with a damsel I saved from a troll in another world. Since Faith has some guardians now, I can get back to that.” She adjusted her sash. ”I think you can change. That’s all this speech was for. Otherwise, we might have to catch hands in the future.” The black mass swallowed Oros before fading into the darkness.

Frustratedly rubbing her hands over her face Raven groaned a bit. Feeling defeated despite not a single punch being thrown she dropped her head. Looking over at Connie and Mia she didn't make eye contact. "I'm sorry girls. I thought it would be better if was just me. Guess I'm not very good at this stuff." She kicked lightly at the carpet.

“T-That’s o-okay,” Connie told Raven, while giving her a small smile. “I can t-tell you m-meant w-well, y-you’re j-just n-new at t-this, like m-me.”

“Indeed,” Gaia concurred with a smile of her own. “Your intentions were pure, despite your mistakes, and I would be most pleased to count you as an ally in the future.”

Considering that Janet had been hurt pretty bad she suspected that she would be MIA for a while anyway. ”I would love that. I’ll get that artifact as soon as I can and get back in contact. I’ll give you a call.” She pointed to her head. ”We should probably get out of here though. I didn’t really want to break and enter.” The lot of them would exit, Raven would lock up and they would go their separate ways.

---

Following the disaster at Penrose Park, Jenna had immediately taken Janet to the Beacon infirmary, expending all the mana she had doing so. Janet's body had taken a toll from the dirty bomb, but with all that Beacon had that could be treated easily enough. What had Jenna concerned was that after a couple of days she hadn't woken up. Each time she would try and check on what was happening with her psychic power she got a jumbled mess of thoughts and flashes that made her head hurt. She knew that Janet had been trying to get details from Cindy's mind, so her best hope was that once she had time to process everything that she would wake up.

Due to the events at the rave though Jenna was called to produce more White Coins. With Janet's physical condition stable it was arranged to have her moved to the lab where she could personally be monitored by her sister. To some extent the work was the only thing that kept the girl occupied until she finally awoke. "...Oh... why are we... in the lab?"

Dropping what she was doing Jenna whirled around and was at her sisters side in an instant. "I had you brought here after your body recovered. We couldn't do anything to reach you while you were out." She gently stroked a hand against Janet's cheek before checking her forehead for a temperature, which there was none.

Smiling softly Janet patted her sister's hand. "I'm feeling fine. It's my head that's hurting." Sitting up she twisted a bit to pop her back from laying down transformed for so long. "I was in Cindy's mind, I got in and was getting everything I could when there was a big backlash." Thinking back she couldn't quite recall those last moments. Scratching her head a bit she gave up and turned to her sister who returned with a White Coin. "What's this for?"

"Someone at the rave took out a bunch of our sisters. Anyone who had the ShineSpark was protected from the attack, so I think it's time to use one. I'll fill you in on everything else." Both taking hold of the coin it activates.



Being filled in on current events it became clear that work needed to continue. Getting back into a rhythm with new vigor they two began pumping out coins as fast as they could. Funny how a repetitive task that days ago was grating could have such a new light. At this point they hardly minded being cooped up. They made sure to include Binky as well as much as they could. Considering the circumstances the girl didn't have anyone else to call a friend. And now with a war raging there basically was nowhere else to turn. So in the mean time keeping moral up was the least they could do, a thing as a pair of Reinforcement girls they excelled at.

Another day, another batch of coins being sent out. Janet had picked up one of the coins and was about to put it away when her step slowed. Starting she dropped the object and it rolled across the floor with a ring.

Turning her attention to her sister, Jenna asked. "Janet, are you alright?" She moved closer as Janet whirled around.

"Beacon!" Throwing her hand out a barrier pushed the other girl back. Seemingly perplexed by what had happened she paused. What kind of magic was this? Eyes darting down she saw her gauntlet covered hand, which she turned over trying to figure out what she was seeing. Janna had stayed on her feet though and looked hurt, not physically, but pain still showed on her face. "What have you done to me witch? Speak quickly else I strike you down." At the moment the girl was more confused than anything, but that put her on the defensive. Her magic wasn't working like it should and recent events were only just returning to her. She was stalling with one thing she did well.

Putting her hands up Jenna was shocked that her sister would suddenly turn on her. She was acting, well it was hard to describe, but nothing like herself that was for sure. "Janet, It's me. Jenna. W-what's wrong with..." She was able to get the briefest glimpse of her sisters mind before being repelled by her psychic defenses that went up upon realization. Drawing a hand back to her mouth she slowly sank. No, this couldn't... where did Janet go? "Cindy, please listen to me. You... you're..." This was scary because she wasn't sure what exactly to do. Fight back, sound an alarm, talk...? Nothing sounded adequate. The first two actually sounded awful and would only make things worse. A question? "Do you remember me?"

Everything about Jenna's response only served to confuse and annoy the other girl in the room. "I remember you, Beacon. We met on the battlefield. Your sister attempted to disway me with your hollow words of peace." Her scowl and words clearly were having more of an impact. Perhaps because the girl was alone. Pathetic. More and more of what happened was coming back to her though. Ishtar being run through, the bomb that had ravaged her monstrous form, Reaver... Reaver. Had he... And everything just stopped. Taking another look at the armored hand she took the chance to looking away from the enemy just briefly to observe herself. Who was this? It certainly was not her by any stretch. It looked familiar, but it was difficult to say for certain. Eyes snapping back to Jenna, the girl hadn't moved, frozen. "Do not move." She had spotted a surface that could act as a mirror, some sheet of metal on a contraption. Moving her way to it carefully she stole a glance. The one looking back was the Beacon girl that had done most of the talking that night they met. Janet her name was? Yes that was it. "Drop this charade at once! You think me a fool that you can convince me that I am anyone but the Queen of Penrose?" Though she was new to this kind of magic, she was bound and determined not to be tricked. Another barrier formed, blocking off Jenna from the exit.

Moving up and beating against the wall she called out. "No Cindy, wait! You don't understand!" She watched as Cindy rushed out of the room. "Dammit. Janet what did you do?" Being more adept with her magic she broke through the barrier without much fuss only to be met with another down the hall. Wouldn't have thought it, but she learned fast.

Racing down the hallway Cindy searched for an exit. There didn't seem to be anyone else here but one other girl and her clones. Batting away any that happened the misfortune of crossing her path they were little in the way of obstacles. Quickly running out of places to go though she realized she was trapped. Were there no doors to this facility? Was this a prison? It looked nothing like any prison she'd ever seen. Those clones though, in her haste she hadn't given than a second thought. Jenna caught up with her soon enough.

"Cindy please. I think I know what's happening. I can't just let y-" She was cut off as a barrier slammed her to the ground. It was too hard to see her as anyone else but Janet. Trying to get up Cindy grabbed Jenna by the neck and tightened her grip. Janet always had the slight edge in terms of strength, and try as she might she couldn't wrestle Cindy off now. Her Third Eye saw something building inside her sister. "S-stop. You nee-"

Determined to eliminate her enemy, Cindy held on. It wouldn't be long. "You are the ones I swore to protect my people against. I will find find my way out of here and show all that oppose me just what, ah, ahhh!" Her grip loosened and Jenna flung her back. Her mind was burning, the ShineSpark having differentiated the difference between Janet's cleansed mind and Cindy's corrupted one. The feeling wasn't familiar, but the result of this magic defense was clear. She remembered now, she'd died. Her core eaten by a monster. She had only just come back. Now here she was again. Jenna had scrambled over and held Cindy, yelling something she couldn't make out. Twice now she had failed at her purpose, her destiny. The intense heat suddenly gave way to an intense cold that rushed through her entire body. The magic defense that threatened to scorch the foreign persona out of existence, the ShineSpark, was quenched by an even greater cleansing force. Washing over Cindy's mind her vision turned into the dark field of space as her mental mutations faded into the void.

Vision slowly returning everything felt hollow for a moment. How does one describe waking up in someone else's body and having their demons stripped away? Catching her breath she rubbed a hand over her face and had to check her hand. Were those tears? That was never something she could do as a monster girl. It was very unbecoming of someone her status but at the moment she was just glad to be "alive". Having a corporal form again had so many weird sensations when one actually stopped to think about it. Despite not really having done much she ached slightly. Being helped up by Jenna, Cindy managed to eek out. "What kind of spell was that?" She hobbled a moment before insisting on standing on her own two feet. Looking back down the hall there were a dozen clones peeking and watching in terror. It finally clicked that this was the girl, the coin maker.

Meeting Jenna's gaze no words needed exchanging. In an annoyed tone the twin rolled her eyes slightly. "Hey, you're a guest in my sister's body _{I hope} so try and stay low. If people found out you were in Janet's head I swear, eeeeveryone would be trying to kill you. We have to play this smart. You want to live, I want Janet to live, let's start there." Turning back to the hall all the Binky clones turned to run. "Oh god." A psychic wave passed through the lab knocking out Binky clones one by one and finally Binky herself. She was going to have to expunge this from their minds, there was no way in hell she was going to let this slip out before they were ready. She hated to do it but there was no choice.

Jenna moved them to a secure room. Only really being around recently, she swore that Janet got herself into more trouble than anyone had any right to. How Beacon hadn't Excommunicated her yet was a miracle. With her overbearing need to defend Penrose stamped out, while Jenna worked to bury what had just transpired, Cindy familiarized herself with Janet's body and magic. Being "human" again was a surreal experience. So many little details she'd forgotten existed. The girl at least was not hard to look at. The long golden locks were pleasing to the eye. The eyes, eh. The knightly armor suited this form, but was well below her class. This would not do at all. Vanity aside she explored what magic was available to her. Reinforcement, Psychic, Fist, Melee, of course Twinned Soul which explained Jenna. No wonder they cowered behind their defenses. Wholly underwhelming yet befitting a lowly knight. Were they not Beacon the pair would have made excellent subjects. Oh, what was this!

Having taken care of the loose ends Jenna stopped to get a couple glasses of water. It had been a while since they'd taken a break and the brief tussle wouldn't have helped. On her way back she felt magic rising up inside her. The lights flickered slightly. Was Cindy? No, some of this magic was coming from herself. She could see that her magic capacity had grown significantly. Something clearly up she hurried back to Cindy. "What did you do?"

It was a very curious thing that one would just sit on something as valuable as a Ruby Coin. It was most fortuitous that she had discovered the coins the twins had stashed away. As Jenna entered Cindy was toying with a ball of lighting in her hand, rolling it and turning it over. "You befuddle me, Beacon. That you would hold such a treasure and choose not to use it. If I am to remain in this form I thought it best to make it more familiar." Casting lightning at Jenna, the girl reached out and caught it with ease, the charge harmlessly passing into her body. Clapping her hands together Cindy looked pleased. "So it is true what they say of a Twinned Soul. I've made some adjustments to make myself more at home." She said so dryly.

Oh, there was no describing how much the twin wanted to try and rip Cindy out of Janet's mind right now. That was easier said than done though. The combination of Psychic and Reinforcement made that extremely difficult. And with the ShineSpark seeming to have accepted Cindy there was little chance of that happening. Damn, if they had only used the White Coin sooner. Sparks in her eyes Jenna seethed which seemed to please the other present. Swallowing her pride Jenna let the air hiss from her lungs. Stepping over she set down a glass for Cindy to drink. Eyeing the liquid cautiously she was clearly suspicious. "What is wrong with you? Do you think I would poison my own sister? Snatching it back up she took a sip before placing it down again. Still her guest would hesitate. Jenna took a seat and put her head in her hands, rubbing her eyes. "I realize you and water probably don't have the best of relationships, but right now you and I are twins. If I need it then you'll need it too. Please."

Tapping a finger against her leg, Cindy had been observing and deliberating over every action Jenna took. It was obvious to the ancient magical girl that her "twin" was less than pleased with the situation. Yet she found the courage within herself to remain calm and kind, if not a bit curt. Even going as far as to provide basic needs to the enemy to ensure the care of her sister body. Admittedly this scenario was less than ideal in her own mind. Taking up the cup she decided to ask a question. "Do you love your sister?" Taking a sip of water it was surprisingly refreshing.

What kind of a question was that? Sitting up straight she was beginning to piece together the way Cindy acted. She was toying with her to find soft spots and ways to manipulate her. There was also probably some genuine morbid curiosity. "I would die for my sister." She would state clearly.

Cindy would raise an eyebrow for the briefest of moments. "My my, straight to the point of the matter." The glass once again resting on the small table before her the girl would take her time deciding her next course of action. To which Jenna would respectfully wait in silence. Coming to a decision she shifted. Crossing her legs and resting her hands together in front of her she finally spoke. "You spoke of knowing how I ended up with your sister's body. Explain."

Oh boy, here we go. "I can guess. I would need to look further. We had hoped that we could come to understand your side of the story. It seemed like the best way to help fix the rift between us. We had hoped to do that with words. After the bomb went off Janet was unable to participate in the fight, otherwise she would have tried to defend you. When your condition became dire it was clear that if we wanted to understand others like yourself that she was going to have to go in. With the window of opportunity closing she couldn't be selective so she tried to get everything. She was still connected at the very end and my sister suffered severe mental trauma from the feedback and became catatonic. It took several days but she eventually came back to me. She didn't remember anything of your memories so we assumed they had been lost. And then you showed up. So if I had to guess. Your memories have been forcibly planted along side my sisters and allowed to develop into a second conscientiousness." Her conclusion was an educated guess at best. She had not fully investigated the matter as there had been no signs of anything out of the ordinary. But considering neither of them seemed to have been aware of the other she assumed they were two distinct personalities now. That was if Janet was still in there, dread the thought that she wasn't.

Whilst the twin was going about her explanation and theories she was watched with a cold stare. So it seemed that the Queen of Penrose was indeed dead. She herself, as far as she could determine, was nearly a perfect copy of the queen's mind. Be it a sick twist of fate or great fortune, Cindy now found herself in the body of a Beacon girl. There was a moderate amount of surprise that a girl of this nature had accomplished such a feat. Under the circumstances it was a wonder either of them had made it out of it at all, let alone both. While the though of having her mind invaded disgusted her she was potentially in a much better position. Her foes that sought her life now thought her well and dead, this facility housed not only White Coins, but the coin smith herself, Jenna was actively trying to hide her presence from Beacon, she had access to a plethora of new magic, and this girl possessed some mysterious cleansing power. There were however a great many drawbacks as well. As she was running through those in her mind her heart rate started racing. Focused and absent minded of her new physical needs she failed to breath until her body involuntarily forced her to gasp for breath.

Instantly on her feet Jenna was poised to aid her sister or Cindy either way. Just as quickly though Cindy stood up with an arm outstretched to strike, expecting an attack of some kind. However, the sudden movement and lack of oxygen caused her head to spin and she could feel herself falling. Jenna was right there to catch her though and lay her down carefully, protest as she might. "Hey hey. It's okay, breath slowly." While Cindy was dazed she took the opportunity to see if she could find Janet's mind. She found it easier to locate than she had expected. Seemed her theory was correct, Janet and Cindy were still two distinct people from one another. What's more they both sat on level ground as far as the driver's seat of Janet's body. This was good news as it meant that neither was supplanting the other. Despite finding her sister's mind intact she could not communicate with her at all. Guessing while one was in control the other had to go dormant which would be consistent with what people would call a split personality, at least to Jenna's understanding. Important to note, this probably meant that the actions of one mind would be completely unknown to the other. Satisfied that her sister was safe and not wanting to provoke Cindy she didn't press any further.

Being coddled like a child irked Cindy to no end, especially over minor little mistakes due to her own negligence. Though she was too proud to admit such a thing. Jenna's kindness was both a source of frustration and curiosity. Not that this would be the first Beacon girl not to outright attack her, Penny had assisted her and her followers after all. But this was different, much more... personal. She hated it. Pushing the girl back and sitting up she coughed a few times, not listening to the advice. "Flesh is such a bothersome thing." There were still a great many questions she had, but for now she would stay her tongue. Best not to tip her hand should she need something.

Backing off, Jenna sat back down as Cindy got up. "You get used to it. Though there were some advantages to being made of water" Receiving a stare from the former monster girl. "Janet was briefly a monster girl made completely of water. She was purified (an irony Jenna only just now realized) to become a regular magical girl again. Things had been touch and go with how Beacon feels about monster girls after that, in Penrose anyway."

Cindy did not want to talk about Beacon, but the girl had touched on a subject she saw opportunity. "I cannot fathom how you can stand with the likes of Beacon when your ideals so clearly do not align. If you truly sought to better Penrose you would leave them." She stood over Jenna. "Or is it that you are afraid? Of Excommunication perhaps? If they were truly so righteous they would have no need to stoop to threatening their own with expulsion. I have watched them exact their form of justice for far too long. You haven't the slightest idea..."

Getting to her feet and raising her voice Jenna wouldn't take the verbal abuse, not even if the other person looked like her sister. "We wanted to change Beacon! I know they've been doing things the same way forever, but we were making progress. Then all of it got blown away after what happened at the Penrose Park and the rave!" She was done, and turned to leave. The space was more than sturdy enough to keep Cindy locked up in here.

The insolence of this girl. Magic building, Jenna was about to learn why so few crossed the Queen of Penrose. What stayed her hand was the last thing said. Grabbing hold of Jenna's arm and jerking her back, Cindy's eyes were glowing bright blue. "Tell me about the rave!" Recalling now that Ronin had warned her of events at the rave, if something had happened to her people there was going to be hell to pay!

The night had been long, and the day promised to be longer. Alicia had informed her parents that she would be busy for the day due to an emergency with a friend, lest they worry about where she was. That seemed like it would be important in the days to come.

Then she had thrown herself into work. Patrols organized, girls who were causing havoc from the rave dealt with. Because of what had happened the bleeding in the organization was severe, and that meant she could not afford to give anything less than her all. Not with how bad things were.

Eventually she did manage to get a break in, the Seraph seated in the lobby of the building. Her shoulders were slumped, her head fallen. She had recovered from what happened earlier, to some degree. Her hands only shook when she wasn’t paying attention now, so that was an improvement.

”Sylvia…” she muttered to herself. The tears had dried for now, but the pain of losing a close friend would not fade so easily.

God, this was a nightmare.

Alica would feel Penny’s presence only a moment before the newly reforged girl appeared. She stood a short distance away carefully watching Alicia, her gaze much more guarded and unsure then the light user had ever seen.

Soon Penny would gather up her resolve and slowly approach Alicia “Hey…” She would say softly pulling a seat next to her best friend, perhaps her only real friend, or at least that was how it felt at times. “How are you holding up?” It wasn’t the most burning question that Penny had, but it was still the right question to start with. She was working on being less selfish after all.

Glancing over at the arrival of her friend, Alicia looked over Penny for a moment. Her eyes held an empty look, vision dulled by the carnage that she had bore witness to and everything else. The fight at the graveyard, the assault on Justine’s castle, none of that was like that.

”As well as can be expected, better than some,” she replied slowly. She had to be strong, had to keep the others moving. That was what a leader did.

Of course there was one element that had not escaped her attention. ”You changed again,” she noted. ”Work things out with your human half?”

Penny would place a hand on Alicia’s shoulder in support, she understood, better than most, of all the carnage that the two of them had been through. Penny also knew that she was built to handle it better than most. Thus her heart went out to her human friend.

“Yeah. Only got one of me roaming around once again. It…” Penny would stall for a moment as she looked at Alicia once again, her gaze searching the other girl for some unknowable sign. “It was good, for the most part, and a nice send off. Came with a few nasty surprises though” She would go on to say as she pulled her hand back turning it so that Alicai could see it open up and reveal a small microchip.

“Were you aware of this?” she would ask softly even as her gaze focused on Alicia all the more intently.

”That went quicker than I thought it would. Should I expect an angry Chloe to swing by with murderous intent in the near future?” Surely she had not taken this change in the status quo lying down. And with what they had just been through another person gunning for their collective heads was the last thing they needed.

Her gaze narrowed as Penny opened up a portion of her hand to reveal a small chip in it. ”Looks like a computer part. Should I know what it is?”

“Chloe’s vanished” Penny would reply with more than just a little heat, the memory of feeling the Hero token slowly fade into just a simple trinket rushing to the forefront of her mind. “I don’t know where she went, but she’s gone for now. That abandonment is key to what helped heal the rift.”

Penny would let out a sigh, or at least the motions and sounds of one, before moving on “This, on the other hand, was snuck into my systems by Sylvia” she would go on to explain letting Alicia take another good look at the simple looking chip, before she sequestered it back into her frame to be tucked away until she knew what it was she wanted to do about it. “She didn’t tell you about it I’m guessing. Which I’m not sure how to feel about that, Other then I am glad you didn’t know about it beforehand”

She would rest back into her chair as she let her gaze drift towards the ceiling “It’s a mind control chip effectively” She would say succinctly “Installed back when we were working on my legs”

Somehow, with everything else that had happened tonight, Alicia was able to take learning that Penny had a mind control chip installed in her in stride. What was one more thing with everything else that had happened?

”Sylvia’s gone,” she said, the words heavy and like ash in her mouth. ”She was defending the Cardinal from Cindy’s sneak attack. She could have scried what happened, but had not been able to work up the will or courage to do so.

Another shaking breath escaped as her hands were clasped together in her lap. It was easier to keep them motionless that way. ”I didn’t know. I guess she just didn’t trust Laat.” Considering what had happened with him, it wasn’t the most unreasonable decision. But what to do about it now?

“I know” Penny would reply with a shrug “I’ve been tapped into the Beacon network most of the night doing what I could to help. I saw the report. Don’t blame her for not trusting the bastard, it’s…” She shook her head and sat up “Not important right now.”

“You are more important right now. Is there anything I can do to help, anything. I’ll even track down Kimble and drag her here if you need it” They could deal with this ghost later, it wasn’t important right now even if Penny wanted to vent about it. She could be patient, and ask Sylvia about it herself one day if she really needed too. Right now Alicia needed more support than Penny did, Penny wasn’t fine, she wasn’t going to delude herself on that, but her issue could be put on hold, besides Alicia didn’t know anything that Penny didn’t about it at the moment.

Well, if Penny didn’t want to discuss this issue further, Alicia couldn’t blame her. As she had noted, there was plenty vying for their attention right now, the very organization perhaps at stake in this struggle.

”Just doing what you would expect,” she replied matter-of-factly. ”I think we’ve got most of the monster girls who escaped the rave taking cover now. But we’ve still got to deal with the Penrose Independent, and the holes this left for dealing with the normal monsters. That and making sure somebody doesn’t blame us for what Vi and the PI did.” She had some plans in mind for that, but the time to do it was proving much harder to grasp on top of the current major crisis

“I might be able to help with that” Penny would say slowly as she thought about it “Or at the very least I can give you a starting point for that” as she spoke up her little drone would pop out and float over to Alicia and just bob in front of her for a moment before give a few cherry beeps.

“Meet Snoopy. I had him in the rave, even after you told me not too, because I saw Veronica head in and felt it would be a better idea to keep an eye on her.” Penny would explain as the drone bobbed around just looking at things. “That means I have a recording of most things that happened at the Rave. That should be a decent starting point for a PR campaign”

Her instructions might have been ignored, but for once Alicia could be glad that that was the case. Sure, it wouldn’t convince everyone But those individuals who were not swayed probably weren’t the ones they were trying to appeal to anyways. ”That’s good. We’ll have to see about getting that up in the public eye.”

For a moment she considered mentioning collaboration, before being silenced by the other thing which had been digging at her brain this whole time. The issue that grew more and more glaring as she looked at it. ’Still, for best you keep away from Rachel. Not with...whatever it is that you did to your Spark.” Her gaze was sharp, perhaps closer to a glare. A suspicion that perhaps Penny’s issues were not as resolved as she claimed.

Penny would give Alicia an odd look for a moment before understanding seeped in, a somewhat sad smile on her face as it did “The Spark is fine” She would say leaning forward onto her knees “And there isn’t going to be another Split issue either” She continued on her gaze tracing across the far wall. She didn’t have it in her to match eye’s with Alica for this next part. “There can’t be another split issue, Jason is gone after all, so it’s only me in here. For better or worse.”

”Explain,” Alicia replied, confused and not all that reassured by the answer. Jason? She didn’t want to force the secret out, but she would if she had to. Seemed she would be doing that a bit more these days.

“When we first met face to face, I told you I considered my name to be Penny, and that they had referred to me as the Engine. That’s because they never got used to all of this.” She would gesture around as she spoke quietly, for this was a secret that she had always kept close. “She used to be he, and his name was Jason. The Coin gave him a way out, something he had wanted for a long time if we are being honest, but it left its effects as you can see.”

She would look at Alicia again, a tired smile tugging at her lips “I don’t think it’s possible for me to become anymore human then I am right now, because at my core, I am no longer human. But the Spark hasn’t left me yet, which I think counts for something, and if it ever does that won’t change that I am here for you if you need it.”

There was something incredibly off putting here, the notion that Penny had reached reconciliation by excising the human portion of her soul entirely, removing it from the world of magic and leaving only herself behind. She supposed that did explain some things, even if this was a situation she had never been confronted with before.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about it, confused and still a bit worried despite Penny’s reassurances. After what had happened in the past, trust was proving more difficult to marshal. Still, she did at least have a point when it came to the Spark. Silently, the Seraph resolved to talk to the Beckoners about this later.

”Alright,” she agreed in the end. ”I’d still avoid Rachel though. Even at the best of times I’m not sure how well she would take this.” As it was now, there was just too great of a risk.

“I hear ya.” Penny would agree with a nod, Rachel had been accepting of her before but this was a change rather out of left field so there was no reason to provoke the Ascendency while things were still tense. “It’s not how I wanted this to turn out, but his spirit was too close to breaking and I was worried for the both of us.” She would add after a moment as she knew that what she had done was very much in a gray area, and she was under no illusions that Alicia’s trust in her was fully restored after only a week.

“Hey, at least this way I can claim to have known you most of my life” Penny would give a short lived grin as she tried to inject some levity. She couldn’t help but feel that it fell a bit flat so...

With a sigh she’d shift back to other topics “Other then the PR issues, anything else that I might be able to help with?”

”Heh.” Alicia snorted a bit at the joke, though it really wasn’t all that funny if she was being honest. But she at least appreciated the attempt.

That quickly returned to normal as Penny asked what she could do, if there was any way to help. ”I’m not sure. Just keep doing what we normally do. I wanted to try and do some of my plans, but when things are like this…..It’s hard to say the Ascendancy is wrong.” If their enemies were willing to go to such lengths, maybe it was easier to just burn it all and sort it out in twenty years.

“It seems like that” Penny would agree “But I wouldn’t say that they are sustainable long term. From my point of view everytime they purge an area they simply kick the issue down the road. For in twenty years there are going to be a lot of girls returning, and nothing will have really changed other than that to those girls returning Beacon has become someone to distrust which will only make it more likely that the Ascendency needs to be called on again.”

“You and the Beacon you have shown? Well there is me and Kimble at least, that know better, and untold numbers that will learn due to the white coin, that will only trust it because you showed you were willing to trust girls like me and Kimble. Those are the girls that will help change the world to one that doesn’t find itself needing to be purged again and again in two decade cycles.”

“I hope others feel the same way,” Alicia noted aloud. She was, of course, pleased by the support that Penny had for her dream and what she wanted to do. But making it work in reality, against the conflict that the Ascendancy and the Mint were pushing, that was an entirely different story. They had already lost some, and in all likelihood more would fall before this was over. Could she pay that price?

After a moment she rose, smoothing out her clothing once she was on her feet. There was no point in sitting around and getting down about it, not when there were things that needed to be done. ”Anyway, like I said right now we’re mostly doing damage control. That’s the big area you can help with. Once things have settled we’ll see about more long term plans,” she told her friend.

“I’ll do what I can” Penny would agree as she stood up with Alicia “That being said I am working on a longer term plan as well, they kinda dovetail into each other in this case.” She would add rubbing the back of her neck a bit nervously “I’m working towards taking Cindy’s place. I kinda took command of the girls that stayed behind when I got to the Sanctuary last night. Sent a few groups out to try and help quell the riots. And now with Cindy’s death I don’t think it would be a good idea to leave the Sanctuary without someone leading it for long so I’m kinda stepping into the void left behind.” She gave something of a helpless shrug after that admission, knowing full well that she had more or less admitted to massively breaking part of the basic vow each Beacon member took to the head of the local Beacon branch. Yet Penny didn’t feel right in trying to keep any more secrets from Alicia, she had done that too much already.

“I don’t really know, how well it’s going to pan out, but I know there is at least a handful of girls who will stick with me which is about the best I can hope for at the moment”

Alicia froze, eyes widening as Penny revealed what else she had been up to. The Seraph had been considering if she should tell Rachel the location of the Shelter, but it seemed that that might be off the table. At least in the short term.

”I...see.” Her response was slow, cautious. Another boundary to be pushed, for better or worse. ”Can you keep them under control? If they follow their instincts and start to hurt people, I won’t be able to condone the Shelter continuing to operate.” She was all for giving people a chance, but they had to make the effort.

“For the moment, I think so, but it’s hard to know for the long term. I’m going to be trying my best to make it work though.” Penny would admit “That said, if you need to drop me and the shelter, do so. Twenty years of you running Beacon will give us another chance at making this shelter idea work.” She would speak with quiet conviction fully willing to place her future into Alicia’s hands.

“Just, try and give me a warning if you can?”

”I can do that,” Alicia agreed with a nod. She wouldn’t make any predictions as to what might happen in the future, but there was no doubt that she would let Penny know if things went wrong. Ideally before any armed force was used.

The thought of that did cause something to occur to her, and she reached into a pocket before tossing a small bag to Penny. ”Before I forget, here. Courtesy of Aurelio. He said he felt like we needed them more than he did. she had her own little portion, but she wasn’t carrying that with her right now.

Penny would catch the bag and glance in, noting that it held a decent chunk of Coins. “I’ll swing by the infirmary and give him my thanks before heading out again” She would say as she sequestered away the welcomed boon. “Keep me in mind if you need anything done” She would say as she turned to leave, before she turned back and gave Alicia a short side hug “And I’m glad you made it through the night.” she would add in honestly before moving to leave. After all there was still much work to be done.

”I will. And thanks, you too,” Alicia assured her friend before moving off in a different direction. They both had their responsibilities, it was time to get back to it.

---

In the past, Veronica was a difficult person to get a hold of. With the advent of the Cradle’s Glimmr account however, it was easy for anyone to get in touch with Trixy. Alicia sent Trixy a DM requesting an audience with Veronica, and waited. It wasn’t long before she could hear Veronica’s voice in her head.

“Greetings, Alicia Hayden.” Came her monotone voice. “I had thought you would contact me sooner. Is Sylvia still interested in my proposal?”

Waiting patiently, Alicia had expected a phone call, or maybe an instant message. But she was not too surprised at the sudden sound of Veronica’s voice in her head as she relaxed in her bedroom for once rather than staying at HQ.

An eyebrow rose, mostly for her own benefit rather than any signal before she answered. ”Sylvia is no longer in charge of the Penrose Branch of Beacon. I am. I’m surprised you didn’t know that,” she observed while shrugging off the awkward feeling of talking to herself despite the voice in her head.

“I don’t really care who’s in charge, she said she was interested in allying with me and I thought it was best to get in contact with her. But if that’s to go through someone else, so be it.”

”As for the proposal you mentioned, that would depend on whether the attempt on the head of the Ascendancy would represent the official policy of the Cradle.”

“As I understand, said Ascendancy head ordered that my agents ‘be dealt with’ after assisting with the take down of a monster queen, during which they avoided firing upon the inquisitor.” There was a click. “Surely you don’t expect my agents to part with their lives just because they were told to?”

While Alicia would admit that Rachel had been a bit hasty, she couldn’t entirely fault her in the heat of the moment. ”By that same metric, your people also possessed the ability to leave at their will. Since the dealing with had been left to my prerogative, wanton violence had not been my first instinct. But attempting an assassination is a significant escalation, as I’m sure you realize.” She had to be firm, especially where Veronica was concerned. She was a former Mint broker after all.

“They could have left, yes.” Veronica agreed. “They also could have been attacked as they fled. They could have run into Beacon reinforcements or had a bounty put on their head. While we’re talking about hypothetical situations, Rachel could have kept her mouth shut. That would have solved everyone’s problems.” There was a growl in her voice. “If it were a Cradle agent ordering the death of some Beacon girls who helped them slay a monster, I know you wouldn’t take it lightly.”

While Alicia would concede that Veronica had a point, it still grated on her a bit. It took force of will and determination to take deep breaths and pull away from the pain of those memories. She had to follow her Virtue after all.

”You’re right. And I apologize. Emotions were running high at the time from all the violence, and we’re still working through the aftermath of that. I’m not opposed to an arrangement like the one that you approached Sylvia with before, as long as that stays an isolated incident. More fuel on the fire to keep the Ascendancy here is the last thing we need.”

“Then we are in agreement.” Veronica’s voice was still a low growl, but it seemed to be clearing up. “You’ve been rising through the ranks, Alicia Hayden. I believe you even outstrip Sylvia now. What is it, paladin now? Hard to keep track.” She sighed. “But I requested Sylvia not because of her rank, but how she held herself. Sylvia is cautious, yet has a rational mind. I hope you don’t mind me saying those are rare in Penrose. Even in Beacon, I would not be surprised if they allied with Justine just to take a shot at Mariette.” Veronica grunted. “That was a joke. I doubt Beacon would ally with a world ending horror worshiper. But Justine is no joke. She was at the rave. She turned one of my girls, so she’s clearly up to her old tricks again. Anyway, I have my agent’s soul stone, so don’t worry about ‘killing’ her should Justine use her when she sieges Beacon again.” Veronica chuckled. “Anyway, allying would be good for both of us I feel. I’ll give you some time to set that up. Message Trixy again in a few days with the news. But I’m getting off tangent here, you were the one that wished to contact me, So what would you like?”

For a moment Alicia got the impression that Veronica knew everything that had happened and was trying to subtly imply something, but she quickly dismissed that from mind. If she didn’t know about what had happened to Sylvia despite her death happening near her agents, then she probably didn’t know about the deal with Justine.

Besides, there was still a difference. There was no doubt that Justine could not be trusted, and she recognized that fact. It was just about getting the drop on her first. ”I’ll keep that in mind.” Odds were good she wouldn’t have recognized who it was beforehand anyway, but the assurance was nice.

That brought them back to the meeting. ”That incident was the main thing,” Alicia freelty admitted, before pausing to consider the opportunity at hand. ”Still, if you have information on where to find the people behind what happened at the rave, it would be appreciated. We’re working on it from our end but your sources are different than ours.”
“What is the likelihood of the Ascendancy attacking my agents again? Because unless it’s near zero, cooperating with Beacon will be more trouble than it’s worth.”

A sigh escaped as Alicia’s head bowed. As much as she wanted to say that there was no possibility, she knew that to be a lie. She couldn’t control Rachel, especially not after all of this. ”Then I guess there’s nothing else to talk about,” she replied.

“You may have the potential to change things at Beacon, Paladin. But such change is something you need to actively pursue if you want it. It won’t come falling into your lap.” A pause. “It is unfortunate that Beacon has reverted back to its old ways. With Justine hanging around and a war between corrupts and Beacon in sight, it’s feeling like a bit of a repeat from a few months ago, isn’t it?” A rhetorical question, Veronica continued. “I know you’re not stupid, Alicia Hayden. The person who needs to be sat down and talked to is the inquisitor. Until you’re willing to fix your organization, don’t bother contacting mine. I won’t ally with someone who actively tries to use and kill my agents. You know how to contact me again should things change.”

Alicia could feel a pressure being lifted off of her mind. Veronica had disconnected.

Well, that was that. Slumping down, Alicia’s gaze fell upon the ceiling as she reflected on what had been, and what might be. ”Things must be so much easier when you’re self employed,” she sighed. For now, she would just need to come up with a new plan.

---

The next couple of days after the Rave were very busy. With so many fallen, Beacon had to work harder than ever to police the town and keep the individuals inspired by Eden’s call to war from causing further trouble. It was not an easy task, but it was one that needed to be done.

As head of the Penrose branch, Alicia had been heavily involved in those efforts. Sometimes she had gone out personally, and other times she had delegated to create a better picture. The nights weren’t as long now as they had been, but she still wasn’t satisfied. If they couldn’t restore order in the city, that just made it all the more likely that the Ascendancy would just bring it all done because they believe the cause was hopeless here.

That said, she still found some spare time. Right now, she was looking for someone. There had been a new member to join Beacon just before the Rave, and they had not gotten the opportunity to chat. But she had heard things, and wanted to ensure that she had a passing familiarity with the members of the Penrose Branch.

So she walked along, greeting those she walked past while poking her head into this room and that. How hard could it be to find Anaya?

It was there Alicia would run into one of the spirit girl's smaller dolls, wandering around the halls. Once it noticed the seraph, it waved to her as to say "Excuse me!"

Coming across the doll, at first glance Alicia thought nothing of it. It took her a moment to remember what the files said Anayas magic was, and how the doll connected to that.

Once she had she would come to a stop, turning to face the figurine. "Hey there," she said to it. "Is your owner around here somewhere? I was hoping we could talk."

The doll tilted it's head, then nodded. It tugged gently at Alicia's sleeve as it lead her to Anaya. Anaya herself was busy trying to make some life sized dolls, more smaller ones floating around her and trying to assist.

Following the doll, they soon arrived at their destination. Alicia came to a stop, simply watching for a moment as Anaya went about her work. It was intriguing to watch how she went about the creation process, with dolls helping her to make more of their kind. The room was sizable enough that she had the space to work, so it seemed she was availing herself of Beacons facilities well enough.

After her initial curiosity had been satisfied, the Seraph-Paladin soon approached. "Looks like you're hard at work," she noted with a nod. "I take it that means you're settling in well?"

"Oh!" Anaya jumped some when Alicia spoke up, turning to face her superior. "Uhm, yeah! I mean, I have my own tools back in my interdimensional apartment, but there's a lot more to work with here." she said, brushing away some dust. "Still have to start on their armor though, eheh..."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Not that she would have been offended otherwise, but Anaya seemed like she was satisfied, so that was good enough for her. With that said, she turned to her true purpose here. "Do you have a moment to talk? I know you joined up fairly recently, so I was hoping we could get to know each other a bit better."

"Oh, okay." the spirit girl set her tools aside. She let the other spirits continue working. "What do you wanna know?"

Stepping over, Alicia leaned against of the tables as Anaya gave her approval. "I guess well start easy. How long have you been a magical girl for?"

"A few years or so, maybe more." Anaya said.

Alicia nodded. So, kind of like herself then. not that unusual. "travel much, or did you just stick to a couple cities before coming to Penrose?

"I mostly traveled often. Crawley didn't want to stay in one place for too long, always kept me active." She shrugged.

That in itself seemed like a decent segue, and Alicia took it. This was one of the main reasons she had wanted to chat after all, besides getting to know Anaya as a person."About that, so...What was it like, working for a Horror? I mean I've talked to Serenity, but that's still a weird situation so I don't want to act like its indicative of anything."

"Eh, Crawley was a more reasonable...guy. Guy? He didn't want to enslave the earth or something like that, just to take advantage of it's resources." Anaya explained. "Hell, he was the one that gave me the tools to make more dolls. The armor was just from collection, but I did try and make my own eventually. But all in all it was...strange, for a lack of better terms. But I know there are other, far worse horrors out there, so I consider myself lucky." she sighed.

"Huh." Alicia wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Fawning praise was one option, but this didn't really get that far. She'd have considered apologism if Anaya didn't already have the Spark. That probably gave her a better perspective.

So for now she pushed on. "What sort of stuff would they usually have you do then?" She didn't intend on judging, but it would help her get a better idea of things.

Anaya stretched. "Normal stuff for anyone working for a lovecraftian entity, mostly intercepting other horrors' operations. Most of my work was for the Mint, so...yeah."

There was a reflexive tightening of fists at mention of the Mint, inspired by all that had occurred recently. Alicia took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and to remind herself that Anaya was no longer with the Mint.

"It sounds like you it pretty easy then, relatively speaking," she noted. "Why join Beacon then?"

"...Because," the spirit girl started. "I wasn't really happy where I was back then. Between the voices of the dead crying out for help; for vengeance, "Big Brother" Mint always watching, and trying not to get killed at all times? I felt like nothing more than a ghost myself, a phantom. My mother made the right choice leaving them." she explained.

"Besides, you guys were willing to spare me after my screw-up with the Endsinger. I guess it made me think that...maybe you're not as bad as others make you out to be." Anaya smiled. "So don't worry. After they turned Penrose into a warzone, I don't plan on going back to the Mint. she added, having noticed Alicia's reaction.

Alicia couldn't imagine what that was like, that sort of pressure and suffering that Anaya had to deal with. She couldn't blame Anaya for wanting to get out of this when she had the opportunity to do so. "Reflex, don't worry. I didn't think you'd go back so easily."

She smiled after a moment, tapping the desk. "I just hope that we've been living up to your expectation so far. It hasn't exactly been the best of circumstances."

Anaya nodded. "I understand, and even if times are tough, being here's great!"

"I'm glad to hear that." Considering some of the things Serenity had been through, Alicia was glad to hear that it was not the same for Anaya. She liked to think it was a good sign. "Well, if you need anything just let me know. With all the trouble getting along and being prepared so we can trust each other is more important than ever."

"Right, okay!"

Pleased that things had gone so well, Alicia felt comfortable returning things to a less serious topic. To do so, she leaned forward to examine one of the dolls that Anaya was working on. "So, do you give them names?" she asked, glancing between it and its creator.

"Not really. Most of the spirits have their own names." Anaya started putting the finishing touches on the more recent doll. "But some don't remember, so we give them monikers to go by, at least till they do."

"Ah, makes sense." Alicia didnt know that much when it came to Spirit girls beyond the basics, so this was a new experience for her. "I can use some of my more mundane magic to talk with spirits, but this seems really impressive compared to that. Is there a particular kind of spirit you use for this sort of thing?"

Anaya shrugged. "Hm, not really. I do look for spirits of old warriors, or of magical girls long passed. Just those that are capable and willing to fight."

"Huh. Is it alright if I hang around to watch a bit? I'm a bit curious as to how it works," Alicia admitted.

The spirit girl nodded. "Of course, the others do love the company." she chuckled.

Having gotten approval, Alicia settled in to watch Anaya as she worked. She might pick up a thing or two, but even if she didnt, the idle chatter would have to let the day go by. There were worse things that she could be doing right now.

Ko sighed in relief. This girl seemed really nice, she'd have to think of some way to repay her. "That would be fantastic, thank you so much!" She wrapped Shion's waist in her long ears and picked her up just enough to rest somewhat off-balance on her head before going through the door and placing Shion on the couch. "Thank you again, Miss!" Ko said before slumping against the couch on the floor, ready to take a nap of her own after the stress of almost seeing her charge die.

---

@BrokenPromise

One day, Reaver got a message from Al, calling him in to report. Much like the last time, he arrived at the monochrome jazz club through a portal situated in one of the dark corners of Penrose.
However, upon arrival, he would immediately realize it wasn’t just the two of them there, as a third person had also taken a seat there; it was Justine von Visceral, her leg crossed over the other in a most striking fashion as she swished a round glass of liquid on her palm. She had a curious look in her eyes as she examined the Mint agent.

“Ah, Reaver, just in time,” Al greeted him, showing off his sharp teeth as he smiled. “You’ve made splash in the sea. The magical underground is full of news of Cindy’s morte.”
“He was the assassin? Oh my~” Justine responded, sounding genuinely surprised.
Al extended a shadowy hand to grab a bottle of wine, and poured it into a glass. “Oh, this is Justine von Visceral, one of our newest clients. Don’t mind her. Now, tell me all about it, peguci.”

Reaver would compose himself, despite being jaded and tired, and then offered his best curtsy to the new acquaintance, followed by a kiss on her hand. Vampire. He had heard these lot used to be big in old fashion and manners. "Pleased to meet you, milady. Your presence upon this place shines like a ruby upon ash."

He then cleared his throat and straightened himself. "It was a sloppy, difficult affair. I had to do my utmost best to satisfy the other… issue a colleague tasked me with while at the same time dealing with my own hit. However, it seems that one can't breathe in this city without being interfered with. No less than three groups stood in the way. Cradle, Beacon and a lot of sycophants… each one trying to be the big damn hero of their own tale. Someone even summoned an Horror avatar. Lady Chloe was nowhere to be seen, and Lady Viper sustained wounds. I barely managed to get the killing blow by playing the tide of battle and people against each other. " He said, sounding really tired. "I apologize for this sloppy endeavour. Both Cindy and the Cardinal were hit, and Cindy left no corpse, as you have asked."

Justine’s eyes glimmered as Reaver greeted her in a dashing manner, her smile showing two fangs poking out. “Oh ho hoo, and a gentleman to boot. Aren’t you a darling little man~”
Al pushed the filled glass, sliding it over the table; it continued sliding steadily in the air until it stopped to hover before Reaver, allowing him to take it. Al then leaned back on his chair, holding his cigar as he listened to the dark magical boy’s story. “Hmm...Your story checks out. I heard from little birds that a Horror did pop out at the park and plenty of punks got involved, not to mention Viper’s injury. Very messy.” Al had a frown on his face...Until it turned into a big smile.

“But despite all the challenges, you pulled through, peguci. A lesser man would have given up, but you finished the job. And here at Mint, we recognize a man who brings results. The Mint always collects...But the Mint always pays.”
He extended his arm out with the palm down, and Magical Coins popped out one by one, each one stacking down on the previous one until they formed a pillar of money. Reaver counted the stack to include standard mission reward of two Silver coins and 3 Bronze coins. However, there were also extra Gold Coins and Silver Coins in the stack, 2 and 2 each in total.
“Here. Indennità, for job well done.”

"Thank you, capo… I shall accept this gracefully." Reaver said. He was far too jaded to think whether this was enough or not. It was blood money anyway, and he did not have a good rapport enough for haggling. The coins vanished in thin air as he addressed Al. "Is Lady Viper doing well? And courtesies aside, our honored guest does have something to do with my next assignment I presume?" He said after taking a sip of the wine.

“She has recovered,” Al stated with a more subdued tone. “We provided her with a new arm. She is back to working.” He then gestured to Justine. “Miss Visceral here is planning on striking back against an enemy of hers. I believe that is why you wanted him?”
He asked. Justine responded with a devious smile.

“I am currently planning to strike back at a certain witch. Her name is Mariette Pedersen.” She changed her crossed leg.
“She is a servant of a Horror, and destroyed the city of Penrose with monsters. I want to see her squirm-” She suddenly lifted up her leg, nearly kicking Reaver in the face with a bright red high-heel shoe.
“-under my heel. But I would like to have a bodyguard for the visit. I know better than to underestimate my foes, and she is a devious one, with plenty of magical girls at her beck and call.”

Al puffed a smoke as Justine lowered her leg down..
“But you’re jobbing with Beacon on this driveby, correct?” He stated.
“Reaver here is in bad blood with the popo. They wouldn’t work with him just because you vouch for him.”

Justine snapped her eyelashes at him with an annoyed look.
“So what? A daring man such as him wouldn’t be afraid of some lanternheads, aren’t you?” She gave a sweet look at Reaver. Al on the other hand shook his head.

“I am only afraid of not dying a glorious death. Whether it’s under a pretty lady’s heel or caked in blood of my enemies, it matters little to me.” Reaver smiled, his eyes beaming back at Justine.

“Can you give us a moment? I’d like to make facts straight with him.”

“Suit yourself~” Justine answered, and stood up from her seat, walking over to marvel at a collection of various vinyls and other paraphernalia in a corner of the bar.

Al turned his attention to Reaver.

“Peguci, you a good man. You get the job done, I like you. So you’ll get to make a choice. See, Visceral’s gonna pull some heat off from Penrose for this sting, see? So you got an opportunity to hit the Sanctuary.” He spread a map over his desk, and sprinkled ash on a red circle painted around a spot.
“Get in, smash the place up with some girls, paint the town red, just like promised. And you’ll get another bonus. But you gotta make the call, peguci. Do you want the money-” He said as he rubbed his thumb and index finger together, “-or the boot?”

Reaver rested his chin upon his own fist, pondering. “There’s no easy solution. Justine is lovely. But the thrill of battle…” He shook his head. “...I have come to realize I’m just a weak warrior on these last days. I was a middle fish in a small pond… This opportunity you bring might as well get me killed due to overconfidence.” Reaver admitted, before clenching his fist.

“Then again… who wants to live forever? Is it not what the Allfather teaches, than even gods must meet the end in a battle? As much as an important person miss Von Visceral is… I am not going to hide under skirts.” Reaver said, psyching himself up. “I will paint the town red.”

Al took Reaver’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Very good. Don’t overdo it, but good luck with your battles.”

Justine then returned.
“So? What have you fine gentlemen decided?” She asked coyly, to which Al shook his head.

“Very sorry, ma’m; Reaver here has got another job. But don’t worry, I’ll get someone else for you as bodyguard.”

Justine lifted the back of her hand to her brow in a dramatic fashion.
“Ah, so disappointing. Oh well, I suppose you’ll find someone who’d better appreciate a little pain~”

She then began to leave. But as she passed by Reaver, she placed a hand on her shoulder; her nails extended, subtly puncturing his skin.

“But if you change your mind...Call me.”
He felt her writing something on him in his blood, before she nonchalantly lifted her claws off him and stepped outside the door, turning one last time to wink at the two before leaving.

Al leaned back on his chair, and puffed out a big ring of smoke.
“You gotta watch your back with these broads. You give e’m an inch, they’ll suck your blood dry and leave you a husk.”

“We all have to die sometime, capo. It’s better to die in a way you like.” Reaver sighed as he looked at what Justine had written. “Hm. I think you could’ve haggled a better price for me… get some more resources. More’s the pity.” He admitted.

“Desires is what controls people. Get a hold of someone’s deepest desire, and they will be led by the nose.” He coughed as he typed the number and added it to his contact list. “Hm, I assume I will be the leader of this operation? Could I get some briefing on my colleagues? Plus the usual briefing on the hit and possible opponents.”

“Ajna’s going to be leading this run,” Al stated. “She prefers to use her sword over her Spirit magic, but she's pretty good at using it. She personally requested she lead this operation, and she’s serious about it. Probably a grudge. As for others-”

Al took out a notebook.

“We got a few regular agents with Stone and Sound magic, and a rookie with Beast magic.” He put the book down.
“No particular hits here. Just get in there and wreck the place up. If you want, you can collect fingers if you’re paranoid about the kill count, but we’ll know if you did your job or not. Opponents are going to be dark and monster girls, with maybe a couple magicals mixed in. There’s a lot of them, but the place is in chaos, so you can hit them hard. Oh, there is one gal you should watch for.”

He threw a photo on the desk like a playing card.

“Penny’s the new boss, and she’s a goddamn Terminator. Sound, Metal and Lightning, and she also has some acid or glue weaponry. Lots of heat packed into one box. If you see her coming, you either hit her with all that you got, or you run.”

“Mmm, so I am just one blade more. Feels a bit understaffed. I’d not underestimate what people can do…” He paused for a second. ”That’s not right. Penny used to be a whiny bitch of Chloe. Has she taken this abandonment issue harder than me?” He asked, puzzled.

Al nodded, and grit his teeth. “I’ve got reports that she’s done experiments with her soul. She’s a messed up gal, in more ways than one. A lot of girls get pazza if they lose what they love, capische? Better make sure what you love is something you don’t lose.”

“Hmm. Spirit might be her weak point then. No amount of ordinance can shoot soul attacks, and if she’s that messed up… her ego could crumble easily.” Reaver added. “A pity we’re enemies. Those legs were lovely.” He sighed. “Alright, I guess that’s it.” He paused. “Stay sharp, Capo. I think I should take my leave now.”

He waved back as Reaver returned to the world of color.
“Good luck, peguci. May the enemies of the Mint fear our name.”

Ruminating on recent events, Samantha Howard had taken to leaning against a tree in Penrose Park, one of few that had survived all that transpired in the place. She stared at the dirt beneath her with no real emotion on her face. It was as if the rest of the world was separate from her and this small place.

So much had transpired in the last few months that she could not help but entertain the idea that this was all just some show she wound up in. From fighting monsters in a facade that would later become sentient, to abandoning the Mint despite the risks to join her employer as a member of her new faction, to being forced into a beach dimension with a dolphin. Really, what was all of this but some absurd show?

And the worst of it was Trixy. But there was a reason for that.

Samantha could not once say she felt any romantic feelings towards another individual before. Her old life was utterly devoid of meaningful relationships. It had to be, given that she murdered for a living. And when she became a magical girl? At first, her goal was merely to avoid dying. Given her unfamiliarity with the world, she opted to not make an enemy of the Mint. If they wanted recompense for a missing agent, then sure, she figured she might as well go along with it.

She felt something new for Veronica.

But she didn't know if it was love. How could she? What use had she had for it up until that point? What she did know was that she found herself not wanting to disappoint Veronica. That Veronica was a being in her life that she honestly wanted to stay that way. She thought she could follow the former Mint broker anywhere.

As for Trixy...

Samantha still wasn't certain why she went ahead and chose to date her. The girl had been mostly an annoyance up to that point and Sam was practically a baby-sitter for the girl. And yet... well, they were dating now, weren't they? She realized this and gave a derisive laugh at herself.

It was Trixy! Trixy of all people! She had more in common with Blair! And all the stuff Trixy did and liked was either of no interest to Sam or outright irritated her. Flirting with every girl in her sight? Worrying about looks? Posting on social media with a frequency that suggested she also had the Time Spec? What about her was appealing to Sam? But then, she was usually honest. She worked hard when she had the motivation. And she was even helping Samantha with aspects of socializing she would agree she was lacking in.

Did Samantha care about her?

Did she think Trixy was annoying?

Were both true?

Why couldn't she be sure about any of this?

Samantha was supposed to be a perfectionist. She wanted some modicum of control. Part of this meant she wanted to be sure of things. But how can she be when all of this is alien to her? Not being sure about everything was terrifying to her. She felt like she was lost on a boat in the middle of a storm, never knowing when the waves might kick up and throw her off.

She let out a sigh and didn't envy Veronica if the woman had chosen now to spy on her thoughts. If they were a jumbled mess to Sam then she imagined they'd be completely incomprehensible to the former broker.

"--llo? Are you okay?"

Samantha practically jumped when she finally registered someone had gotten so close to her. Her eyes jumped to what was an innocent-looking girl and was prepared to transform in case she was a threat.

"What do you want?" Sam asked with a stronger tone than she'd intended.

The other girl almost shrunk in response but replied anyway. "O-oh, umm! See, you looked like you were troubled, so I was wondering if you needed help!" she explained.

Help?

Samantha took a better look at her. The girl was wearing a cute and simple dress, and nothing about her particularly stood out. If remaining incognito was her intention, then this girl was a genius.

And she doesn't look very reliable to begin with.

"Do I need help?" she repeated. "Well, I can't say you're wrong."

The girl spoke up. "In that case, could you tell me about it? I know it's a bit rude, but maybe I can do something for you. Of course, if it's something too personal, I understand."

Samantha sighed. So she was the selfless type? As far as Sam was aware, most girls got forced into service. Some signed contracts, but a lot were simply baited or guilted into joining the ranks of the magical girls. How there were so many that seemingly wanted nothing but to do right by others Sam couldn't quite comprehend. The normal response to that sort of situation should be to be bitter, right?

"I sincerely doubt there's anything you could do," she stated bluntly. "Besides, it's all stupid and boring stuff anyway. You seem nice and all but there's no reason to worry yourself over it. Just a waste of time."

The girl shook her head. "But if it's troubling you, then it isn't stupid and it's not a waste of time!" she declared.

"Most people would take the hint and leave."

The girl looked determined to continue prodding. "Do you really want me to? I told you I'd leave if you said it was too personal, and I wasn't lying," she told Samantha. "Since you didn't take that out, I just figured you were being tsun about it."

Samantha's cheeks flushed until they were as red as a beet. That wasn't true! She was not that sort of person! But then Samantha slowly realized that her typical response to this situation, to begin with, would be to tell this girl that it was personal. Did that mean that since she didn't do it, that she did want her help?

More stuff she wasn't sure about.

After a long pause to let the color in her cheeks return to normal, Sam finally answered her. "...I told you it was stupid and boring. I won't watch over you if you fall asleep in this place."

"I won't!" she promised.

What am I even doing? Speaking about this and to a stranger? I'm sure it's only because she's so persistent.

....

....

....

Samantha had told the girl about what bothered her. It took some time. She was vague about a lot of things and didn't give away every little detail, but at the very least the girl should have had a basic understanding. Sam felt as though a weight had been lifted off her chest when she concluded.

At some point, they'd gone from standing near a tree to sitting on a bench. Sam hadn't even realized it.

The girl had remained silent, causing Sam to worry that she might've lost interest. Embarrassed to have expected anything else, she broke the silence that had formed.

"...see? Just boring and dumb stuff. Nothing serious." Samantha was honestly surprised that the girl was even still awake, but then again she might've just been able to sleep with her eyes open.

The girl fervently shook her head, throwing that idea out the window. "Not at all! I even enjoyed it! Um, not, like, in a bad way! I just meant to say all that stuff is far from boring or unimportant! I understand how you feel, anyway. I was just thinking that we were similar, in a way"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You do?" she asked.

"Oh, well, not exactly! Um, my situation isn't as complicated or noteworthy as yours. And honestly, it's been mostly good changes, too. But even still, I do relate," the girl assured Sam. "Before I moved back to Penrose--"

"Back?" Sam found herself cutting in.

"I was born here some time ago. But something happened and I moved elsewhere until recently," she explained. "But back to what I was saying... well, when I was gone, things weren't exactly good for me. Um, excuse me if this bores you..."

It was Sam who shook her head this time. "After bugging me until I told you, you're really going to worry about that?"

"Oh, okay. Sorry, it's just a habit. I try not to bother people by talking about myself too often."

"Just go for it. Apologizing for every little thing is just annoying."

"Is that so?" she placed a finger to her lip and went silent. The girl seemed to take the words Sam said too seriously, perhaps making a mental note of it. But eventually, she continued.

"So, as I was saying... when I got back to Penrose..."

More time passed as the girl explained how she found herself ostracized by all the magical girls where she was operating because of her very own patron! But once she moved back here, it didn't seem like any of that mattered. Penrose had become active enough that most people didn't care much for rumors. There were so many of them after all. She also explained how she had made many friends since returning a short while ago, and how thankful she was.

But she confessed that even if things were going well, it all felt so weird to her. It wasn't like she had taken a month's vacation. No, it was years of being ignored or feared, when all she wanted was to be helpful. So when people suddenly start being nice... when she suddenly got friends by moving out here, she wanted to keep them. She cherished them. But... she had bad thoughts, too. She would wonder if they were all faking it. Were they laughing behind her back? Were they going to abandon her? She wanted nothing more than this to not be true, and she wanted to trust those close to her, but the doubt was there and it ate at her. Wasn't it disrespectful to them? Like Sam, this girl had also come out here to clear her mind. What a coincidence, right?

Samantha felt there were differences between their situations, but also a few similarities. A shared unease and (probably) pointless doubts because of their unfamiliarity with their lives at this point. At least that's what she thought it was.

Speaking to this girl had helped ease her mind if only a little. She was still uncertain, but now she was beginning to feel like that was okay. She gave a small smile to the girl. "I think speaking about it was what I needed," she said, then looking away and coughing into her hand. "...and thank you."

Though she felt relieved in a way, Samantha's subtle curve of lips paled in comparison to the huge smile the girl gave in return. It seemed genuine, too. "Oh, I'm happy to hear that!" she cried. "Even if all I really did was listen to you. I wish I could do something more."

"No," Sam shook her head. "You've done more than enough as a stranger. In fact, I believe people pay for this sort of thing, don't they?"

The girl seemed confused but then understood. "Oh, I guess that's true. But I'm not a therapist, so I couldn't even if I wanted to," suddenly, as though she had a brilliant idea, she perked up. "I know I just said I wouldn't charge you, but would you at least tell me your name? I would love if we could be friends, too!"

If you're so scared of people betraying you, then why are you trying to make friends with everyone?

Samantha kept the thought to herself and answered with a nod. "I don't see why not. My name's Samantha. You can call me Sam, if it pleases you. I'm not sure about the friends part yet, though."

The girl smiled. "That's okay! It's a bit silly of me to ask to be that close right away, after all. Oh, no, it's rude to ask someone's name before giving your own! I completely forgot! Sor--" she caught herself before finishing the word. "Um, well, I'll just fix that then." after what almost looked like hesitation she took a big breath and spoke.

"I'm... Emily, I'm so very pleased to have met you!" she even stood up to give a polite bow.

Isn't she trying just a little too hard? She's definitely a bit strange.

Another thing they shared, she supposed.

Samantha stood up as well. She'd spent enough time at the park, mulling over this stuff. "Well, I should go," she told Emily. "I'll see you around, maybe."

"Oh, I'm here somewhat often, so I'll be looking forward to it. Bye!" as Samantha turned to leave, she saw Emily wave and she continued to do so up until Sam could no longer see her. She probably had enough energy to rival Trixy, Sam thought.

Well, she'd had enough time to herself. She didn't really have anything to do as of the exact moment, but something was bound to happen eventually. Penrose was a lively place, for better or for worse.

Janet and Jenna had planned to meet up with Penny to catch up on things. Especially given that the robot girl was supposed to be whole again. It was something the twins really wanted to see. One because they knew that she’d been struggling for a while, but also because the results piqued their scientific curiosity. Uncharacteristically Janet had to back out so it would just be Jenna today. Beacon HQ had several private lounging areas where its members could sit and talk, a luxury that had been afforded them to raise morale with the ensuing war. Given the circumstances though Alicia was also invited. Somewhat at a loss of what to do Jenna needed help from her friends. Raven was also tagging along, because things weren’t already confusing enough as is.

Having been escorted in by Jenna, Raven looked around rather impressed at how much stuff was here. No wonder some people liked Beacon. ”Damn, Beacon must be loaded. And this is after…” She managed to stop herself from finishing that thought aloud. Entering the room, Raven plopped herself down in a seat and leaned back. It didn’t take long for her to see that Jenna was stressing. ”Hey, don’t worry girl. We’re here to figure things out, not stress out.”

Turning for a moment to look at her newest friend she managed a light smile. ”Yeah. Thanks for the encouragement Raven.”

”Don’t mention it.” Her eyes focused on the door as the first of their guests arrived.

First to walk through the door was Penny, a small smirk on her face as she did so. Her timing had always been pretty decent, but as of late it had gotten incredibly precise and she found it enjoyable to make it too meetings right on the dot, not that others really noticed that she arrived with split second accuracy, but she found it fun regardless.

Her gait slowed ever so slightly when she caught sight of both Jenna and Raven, as a brief calculating look ghosted across her features, but it was there and gone and not long after Penny would give a wave to the two of them as she moved to take a seat as well “Hey Jenna, stranger” she would greet casually as she sank into the chair.

Her choice of chair was a bit odd, but seemed inline with a growing trend with Penny and the rest of Beacon. She was sitting a rather surprising distance away, not far enough to be considered sitting apart, but somewhat on that edge, and it was something that could be noticed in how Penny seemed to treat all of Beacon, save for Alicia, almost keeping them at arm's length.

“How’s things been for you two?” She would go on to ask “The weeks been rather crazy after all”

Shaking her head a bit Jenna couldn’t help but smile. ”You know you don’t have to sit so far away right? Like the new look by the way.” Ah, small talk. She would need a bit of this before getting to everything else. ”I’ll get to how I’m doing later. I take it things went well with the coin?”

Raven waved back and interrupted just a bit. ”I’m alive when I shouldn’t be, so that’s a big plus.”

“Yeah?” Penny would give Raven an amused look “Well we are living in a world of magic and gods, so I suppose that ‘s just par for the course at times” She would say with a chuckle “And yeah the Red worked as I expected, still had some unexpected turns, but not that unexpected really.” she would shrug, the diagnostic she had run afterward told her everything she needed to know about her changes due to the Coin.

Jenna clearly was scanning over Penny. In this case with her Third Eye, a new addition she’d made herself that she hadn’t really had the chance to disclose. ”Huh, I see.” Having taken the time to observe it made sense why Penny was a bit distant. She would let her brushing the invitation to move pass. Blinking she realized she was staring and slipping a bit too much into work mode. ”Sorry. I got Third Eye a while back to make things easier in the lab.”

“I noticed” Penny would say with a smile, a red sheen flickering over her own eyes for a moment. “No worries though”

Shrugging slightly she playfully rolled her eyes. ”Touche.”

Glancing back and forth between the two, Raven was trying to sort out what was going on. Inside joke? Playful banter? Telepathy? Nah, not worth trying to figure out.

At that point Alicia entered the room. By all appearances she looked normal, a concerted effort made to hide the long nights and the clawing guilt that had tormented her since the night of the rave. But she didn’t expect this to be anything too dramatic, so it was easier to take a casual approach to it.

”Penny, Jenna,” she said to the duo with a nod as she closed the door behind her. ”Glad to see you found some time to get out of the lab. Is this a friend of yours?” she asked, gesturing towards Raven.

Alicia had good timing. Turning to her friend the day got a little bit brighter. ”Glad to be out. Kinda.” She couldn’t really lie around Alicia. Jenna didn’t necessarily want to be at the lab, it was just that that’s where Janet was at the moment. But that would come later. ”Yes. This is Raven. She’s our newest ally that Janet and I, uh, made?” She looked at Raven who shrugged.

”Kind of, sort of, not really, but yeah. Maybe with a little help from a couple messengers of the gods.” That last part was understated for sure. No way the twins could have managed to output enough magic to bring a soul back to life. ”Glad to finally meet the twins two best friends. Though I guess it only has been, like, a few days.”

“Well that makes a lot of sense” Penny would deadpan “Care to give us the cliff notes? And an idea of which Gods we have to thank?” She would ask with a single raised eyebrow, she had nothing against Raven, but the Gods were likely always going to be something of a sore point for Penny due to her own interactions with the Divine.

Alicia was just as surprised to hear the origin of Raven as Penny was. It seemed that the magical world had a habit of pulling out new surprises, just when you thought you had seen everything. ”Alright,” she conceded with a nod. ”So you ‘made’ a new magical girl. Is this going to become a habit, or was it just to see if you could?’

Raven laughed for a bit. ”Wow, that’s quite a response.” She looked at Jenna. ”You’ve got quite a reputation for breaking the rules huh?” Shaking her head a bit she continued. ”My patrons are a Lesser Force. Huginn and Muninn. They don’t really care what happens, they just watch. Penrose is poppin’ so I’m like their boots on the ground.”

Dammit. Things weren’t quite that simple. ”I would rather not. Raven was with Amber’s soul that Janet stole when she was under Justine’s control. All we did was put it in a Soul Jar and the watchers did the rest.” Her friend’s initial response wasn’t quite one she’d hoped. Though she couldn’t really blame them. Man getting to Janet later now was going to suck. It wasn’t that hard to tell that the subject bothered her.

Oh, maybe she went a bit too far. Raven tried to lighten a mood just a bit. ”It’s going to be the most awkward family reunion in ninteenish years.

Well, that was a bit different than expected. ”Remind me to introduce you to Serenity soon. She has a friend you might want to meet,” Alicia said to Raven. ”It’s more awkward than you’d think.” She wasn’t sure if this made Amber lucky or not, all told.

Having addressed that particular elephant in the room, Alicia turned back to Jenna. ”Anyway, you said you needed help with something? I assume this wasn’t all.”

“Hey, no harm to foul” Penny would say waving away any perceived hostility from her end “Stranger things have happened after all. Also remind me not to make it to that reunion if I get invited. Don’t want to have to fight off everyone so I can keep my ship” she would add giving Raven a side look before shrugging.

“But putting aside the odd family tree, I’m with Alicia, you wanted help?”

Mmm, right to it then. If Jenna hadn’t looked distressed before she did now, checking to make sure the door was closed. ”It’s Janet.” She’d thought this out in her head earlier but now that it came to it she was nervous. ”You know she passed out from the fight at the park and I wasn’t sure if she’d make it. Obviously she did and we went back to work. I found out she had been in Cindy’s mind when she died. Janet had copied the girl’s mind in case we needed something she knew, but the backlash because of how Cindy went out really messed her up. Well, no. Janet is fine. But I’m not sure what to do because Cindy’s memories have formed their own personality and Janet has been switching back and forth.”

Alicia frowned, an expression that deepened as Jenna went explaining what the situation was. Yes, she had heard about that, but no one had indicated that the problem ran so deep before. She visibly shuddered, finding it hard to imagine what this must be like for her.

Still, she had been there when Janet had been forcibly controlled by Justine, she would be here now. ”I see what you mean. I just wish I could help more. I mean, I can arrange for a meeting with a Psychic spec girl to suppress the Cindy personality, but I don’t have much experience in dealing with memories.”

Penny wasn’t far off from Alicia’s expression, for much the same reason, even if she was of a different mind of how to go about dealing with it. “Suppression Is not going to be a permanent solution. As it more or less turns the situation into a time bomb with Janet’s head at ground zero.” Penny had a few ideas of how to possibly take care of this long term, but first “How is Janet handling this? Is she even aware of it?”

Having gotten past the initial revelation of what was happening, and her friends jumping right in with their support, Jenna was feeling like some weight had been taken off her. ”Janet is probably doing better than I am at the moment, but she had no idea Cindy was in her head until I told her. They’re two distinct people and I can’t detect any interaction between the two. Neither one of them seems to have dominance which is good I guess. They just switch seemingly at random when they don’t actively try.”

Wanting to get that out of the way she addressed Alicia’s suggestion. ”Maybe someone more experienced could get the job done, but I did try that. She shares our psychic defenses and the ShineSpark doesn’t really like me meddling. The only consolation is the purification magic that you used on Janet still seems to be active so it erased Cindy’s mental mutations. Not sure what that’ll do long term but in the meantime she still hates Beacon.” She was clearly thinking at this point, but was much calmer not being the only one on the task.

“Hmm, I’m not too sure that the lack of obvious primacy between the two is a good thing, going off my own experience with split psyches. The mind is either split evenly between the two, or there is a portion of each that is already merged. Both could have issues.” Penny would offer up her two copper on the topic at hand.

“If it is just a mental imprint of Cindy we could always move it out, and put it into something else.” She would go on to say, turning over the idea a bit more in her mind “But I would recommend against making it a force transfer, not sure what kind of damage it could cause otherwise.”

Jenna didn’t seem too sure. ”I don’t know. When Janet first passed out at the park it was like she was brain dead. I may not know Cindy’s mind but I’m pretty familiar with my sisters and everything looks in order. I couldn’t find anything indicating any merger happening. As for transferring, we may have to convince Cindy on that one. She’s already made changes to Janet’s magic be more at home. But maybe, she was the first one to suggest contacting you.” She looked at Penny. ”She was less enthused with my other pick but she’s not here so…”

Alicia was outside of her comfort zone on this one, so it was probably a good thing that Penny was here. She could provide advice and suggestions that the Seraph couldn’t. Still, there was something tickling at the back of her mind, one question that seemed much more pertinent to all of this and what they chose to do next.

So with a hand placed on her hip as she shifted slightly, Alicia gave voice to her thoughts. ”That could work. But I think the bigger question is, what do you want Jenna? Are we trying to remove Cindy and return Janet to normal, or are we trying to help the two sides reach a compromise?”

Jenna had to give the question some thought. Was it her choice? "I want my sister to be safe. When I couldn’t find her mind I thought I had lost her. I can’t go through that again. I would like to spend as much time with her as possible, but her well being is most important to me. Even if that means I have to deal with Cindy then I’ll do it." A Twinned Soul’s bond was nearly unbreakable so long as the other didn’t go out of their way to abuse them. If Cindy were somehow to take over, Jenna would probably find a way to rationalize that it wasn’t her sister’s fault and stick with her. It was actually rather dangerous territory to be in.

Penny was definitely seeing red flags with how Jenna was describing the situation with Cindy and Janet, but she knew that it could just be because her own perspective on things was skewed. Still causing a Specialization change within both of the girls and the one on the outside not seeing any type of merging of the minds, that simply seemed like trouble. “I would say that the safest option would be to get Cindy’s mind elsewhere, but we are only going to be able to do that with Cindy’s and Janet’s co-operation. If Cindy asked to talk to me, I’d be willing to meet with her and offer up the idea of moving her to a different body.” She would offer again with a shrug. Her motives towards moving Cindy weren’t purely altruistic, but the primary reasons were “If we want to try that I would suggest trying sooner rather than later, for the more time she has to get settled the harder it is going to be to get her moved.”

“Otherwise the only thing that can be done safely, is that you get ready to have a new friend that’s not going to be leaving you anytime soon”

Jenna looked a bit confused for a moment before waving her hands and shaking her head. ”Of course. I’m not saying we don’t try. Just if I had to I could live with it. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but that’s just how I feel.” God this was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do thus far. The twins didn’t often look tired but Jenna sure did then and there.

Alicia would admit that she was uncertain about all of this. But if Jenna was willing to go along with it then she would trust her. All the same she would keep an eye out, just in case. It seemed it was better to be on the safe side and not trust too much these days.

”Alright,” she replied with a nod. ”We’ll try to do that then. It’s probably for the best anyways. The last thing we need is some version of Cindy using Janet’s body to slip information to Faith and her allies.” It was hard to say what they could learn, but even if they weren’t going to be in an immediate confrontation who knew the harm that might also come from it. Especially since she still retained her anger at Beacon.

“Yeah, that would be bad” Penny gave an exaggerated shudder at the situation that Alicia proposed. She knew exactly how bad it could be if there was an insider feeding out information, she had been one once after all.

“When were you thinking of trying this?” She would go on to ask afterwards. Mind already whirring with potential time tables.

Jenna bit her lip a bit. Cindy may already know more than they’d like. Thankfully she had no idea where any of it was. ”Well, we could go now. Janet has kind of had me lock her away in one of the lab rooms for right now. Like you said we couldn’t really risk Cindy getting out and leaking information.”

And that was all Penny needed to know “Lead the way” She would say as she moved to stand “I might be able to convince her, and should be able to help with the move as well.”

Glancing around it appeared that they were all in agreement, except Raven who looked way out of her depth. The lot of them getting up they would have to go through a couple relay teleports before they would end up in the lab. Penny and Raven really only being the two not actually authorized to be there, Jenna and Alicia had to act as their escort to even be able to teleport in.

---

Most of the lab had been closed up, properly secured just in case something happened given the circumstances. Leading them down a couple corridors they would come to a magically sealed door toward the end. Opening it up, Janet could be seen behind one of the neigh unbreakable magic barriers that they used during testing. She was untransformed and appeared to be resting. When she heard them come in though she sat up and smiled. ”Boy am I glad to see you.” Sliding off the bed she approached the barrier. ”That was a lot faster than I expected. Did you come up with something already?” She couldn’t help but show a bit of surprise.

“Yeah, I’ve an Idea or two that we might be able to work” Penny would say with more confidence than she really had as she eyed the containment field. It made sense that they had them, even made sense for how they were using them, but still seeing it was discomforting.

Made her wonder how easily her own trips back here could have blown up in her face had she been less cautious. Pushing that thought out of mind she would tie her hair back “First thing I wanted to do was have a chance to talk to Cindy, and possibly pitch the ideas to her in person since Jenna said that she wanted to talk to me.” She would add as she walked up to the barriers edge.

“Think a mental network would be able to get us all involved in the conversation? That way we won’t have to keep Janet cut out” Penny would ask looking back at Jenna.

Jenna shook her head. "I haven't been able to communicate with Janet whenever she's not in control. Also…" She rapped a knuckle against the barrier.

"Yeah that's not really an option. So if you wouldn't mind telling me first that would be appreciated." She managed a slight smirk.

“Ah” Penny would regard the barrier once again, as she did her drone would pop out and begin hovering about her shoulders simply looking at things. “Ladies, meet Snoopy” Penny would say as Snoopy beeped cheerfully. “He’s an Overcity Guide, and his mechanical nature is due to me. The first idea was seeing if Cindy would be willing to be moved from Janet into Snoopy” As Penny explained the basic idea Snoopy would begin displaying a miniature holographic projection of Cindy above itself.

“All we would need, I would think, is to set up a connection between me and Cindy and then I should be able to transfer her over. Assuming she is willing that is.” The mix of Shine spark, Psychic magics, and Penny’s own highly mutable nature meant that it should be a relatively easy transfer, at least that was Penny’s hope.

Looking around at the trio, Alicia remained silent for a while. She watched and listened now that they were in the lab, allowing those more knowledgeable to discuss the situation and what they intended to do. If there was an area where her expertise could be of use, she would contribute then.

”Fingers crossed,” she added as Penny laid out her plan. ”Otherwise we may have to get a bit more specialized in the resources we use. And it seems we’ve got enough headaches as it is.” It was unfortunate they couldn’t all talk at once, so they would make do as best they could.

The drone itself didn’t look like much at first glance. What a Overcity Guide was Janet could only surmise from the name. It wasn’t anything she’d ever heard of. Not knowing Cindy much at all it was hard to say if she would accept such an offer. ”Alright. So if that’s the first idea then what’s the second?” She could have been reading too much into what Penny had said. Worth asking though.

“Second is in the same vein as the first, just riskier, as we could move her to me.” Penny would say scratching her cheek sheepishly. “Physically I’d be able to set it up so that we wouldn’t have the split personality thing going on, due to my nature, plus my magic is always a bit unstable now so long term I shouldn’t have to worry about any magical discrepancies. I will admit that the second idea is something that only occurred to me about seven seconds ago so take that as you will” she would explain with an awkward chuckle.

“There is also always a chance that Cindy might have an idea as well, so really the best place to start before deciding any of this is to talk to her I would think.”

Considering the options for a moment Janet shrugged. She paced for a minute before returning to her friends. ”Risky is what got me in this mess. I don’t want you doing something stupid on my account. Jenna.” The two sisters would lock focus on one another. ”That goes doubly for you.”

Wringing her hands Jenna nodded. This was hard for her, probably harder than it was for Janet since she wasn’t always unaware of everything going on. ”That’s not fair.”

”I know, I’m sorry.” She would look across to each of the others. Not that she was in a rush or anything, but everyone had come over rather quickly. Being in uncharted territory they likely wanted to try and resolve the issue sooner rather than give chance that the situation could get worse. ”Anything else before I try and bring out Cindy?”

Alicia though for a moment before shaking her head. ”Nothing that springs to mind.” She glanced over at Penny, before waiting for Janet to make her attempt.

“Nothing at the moment” Penny would shrug “I’ll let you know after if that changed”

Jenna not having anything else to add either, Janet closed her eyes. So far she had not really tried to force a switch to happen. But she assumed that if she could “go to sleep” as it were, that the other personality would awaken. The girl would start to lean to one side in a daze before suddenly waking up. Stumbling she looked around before seeing the group on the other side of the barrier. Taking a moment to observe the effective cell she was in she stood up straight, noting that she was currently in her untransformed state. Practically ignoring the others she addressed Penny. ”Penny, I am pleased you responded so promptly to my call.” The new look had given her brief pause, but Penny was a rather distinct magical girl. The girl sounded like Janet, but very clearly did not speak like her. Briefly acknowledging the others she waved a hand to dismiss them. ”I know why you are here. The rest of you may go, there are matters I must discuss with Penny first.”

Watching the transition happen was a bit odd, but not the strangest thing that Alicia had seen. It was like Janet was falling asleep, then suddenly she was awake and someone else. But while that was good, what the ‘Cindy’ personality said was less comforting. ”I thought you said they didn’t know what the other personality did,” she said, glancing over to Jenna for an explanation.

Not giving Jenna the opportunity to speak, Cindy responded. ”I am not so blind as to assume Jenna would not bring others to plead for her sister’s life. I asked for Penny, and you are here. There are things I must know, now go.” Being very much used to bossing people around the slight protest did not bother her. Looking at Jenna, the twin looked hurt for a moment but did turn to leave, Raven following after her.

Penny would move to front and center at Cindy’s request, but she made sure to give Alicia a look as she recentered. She would be making sure that Alicia learned what was said during this talk even if it was mostly harmless. “Well I got here as soon as I could” The robotic girl would say as she kept her eyes on Cindy “Got friends on all sides of this after all”

Alicia took a moment to glare at Cindy before stepping back. ”Fine. Just don’t forget that you’re in her body, and not the other way around. If we have to find a way to forcibly get rid of you, I’ll do it.” With that she took her leave, allowing them to talk in private.

Cindy would only regard Alicia’s threat with a glance. She quickly turned to Penny again and would refrain from directing further to the exiting parties. ”Admittedly I would not say that these are ideal circumstances.” Drawing a chair over she would take a seat and cross her arms. There were a number of things that she wanted answered, but I fair few could be wrapped up together. Oddly she would not start with herself or Beacon. ”To my knowledge you had been at the rave in my absence. I would like you to recount the events of that night for me.”

“You mean after you left, but before you died” Penny would clarify as she folded her arms behind her back, but remained standing. ”To put it simply things went to hell. Elvira triggered a mass riot, influencing the corrupted girls there with Sound magic designed to inflame their instincts.” She would go on to say as Snoopy returned to her shoulder, back from the corner it had wandered off to. “Shortly after that the Ascendency staged their raid on the Rave. Locking off the majority of exits with magic and began a systematic slaughter.” As Penny gave her brief but painfully blunt descriptions of what happened Snoopy began displaying the recordings of the events that both it and Penny had captured “It was in the midst of that, that Eden, leader of the Penrose independent unleashed a psychic attack that resulted in the deaths of nearly all members of Beacon that were at the rave, I am lucky to be alive in fact. That wasn’t the end as someone, notably not a beacon member retaliated with a divinely empowered Barrage.”

She didn’t shy away from showing the grisly details of any of the attacks with Snoopy, the entire time her gaze was locked onto Cindy.

“After that? I don’t know, I had left escorting as many people as I could to safety before moving back out to help quell the Riots.” There was more to it then that, after all it was around then that Penny had to detour to get the Red Coin from Binky. Not to mention her attempt at rallying those that had not gone to the rave to try and help stamp out the chaos in the streets, but Cindy didn’t need to know about those events. Not yet at any rate.

Listening silently and watching the events unfold as Penny had recorded them, the Queen of Penrose did show her hand at what was going through her mind. This was mostly done due through experience in burying her emotions. She seemed unusually casual given the subject matter and atrocities that had taken place. Though prior to a day or so ago her mental mutation had most definitely been getting the better of her. Being rid of it was freeing, but left her in some long forgotten territory. Closing her eyes for a few minutes once Penny had concluded she eventually spoke up. ”These twins…” She would open her eyes slowly and study Penny closely. ”Janet and Jenna. What is your honest opinion of them?” Cindy had adjusted a bit and rolled a few strands of hair between her fingers. She was clearly assessing Beacon, or at least these particular members.

“Janet was the first member of Beacon I met in Penrose” Penny would reply after a moment of contemplation.For most of the members of Beacon, Penny was vastly unsure of how to feel about them, she had been unsure ever since the revelation of what Sylvia had done, and were the situations not being what they were, Penny would likely have not been able to remember why it was she saw Janet and Jenna as friends. But with the question placed in front of her “She was getting chewed out by her Beckoner for attempting to show compassion and understanding towards a corrupted girl at a rally a few months before you made your debut”

“Shortly after that even she got kidnapped, and brainwashed against Beacon. When we got her back, she threw herself into trying to make amends to the people she harmed during a point where she had no control. Even went so far as to make a new Coin type to help me and people that had been forced into situations like her.” Penny shook her head in fond exasperation at that, saddened only by the fact that technically their first coin had failed, but for reasons that no one would ever really know, though Penny had her suspicions. “So what do I think of them?” Penny would reiterate “I think they are good people and honest, dependable, friends. There are worse people to be stuck with for the rest of life after all.”

Penny’s account of the girls was something of a surprise. Yes, Janet herself had told something of their exploits, but Cindy had no reason to believe them in the slightest. Quite a curious girl it would seem. It may also explain why Jenna, despite all her reservations, showed little hostility toward her even when provoked. She would defend herself but never lash out. Initially she thought it merely had to do with the fact that she was in Janet’s body. Undoubtedly that did play a large part, but the source potentially ran much deeper. No mention to explain the odd magic Janet possessed. Learning that the twins had something to do with new coins popping up wasn’t a surprise. Jenna had been careful not to let slip that they had been architects of them though.

Wanting a bit more elaboration if she could coax it, ”They sound… most unusual for a Beacon. Do they not fear retribution from the council?” Cindy would muse. For the first time she genuinely seemed to be debating what to think of the two.

"Not too strange from where I'm standing" Would be Penny glib reply while she stretched out two of her normally hidden limbs to help prove her point.

"As for fear of the Council? Asking the wrong person, for similar reasons"

Cindy would concede the second point as least. Moving on she would ask. ”And what of the other girl Jenna brought, Alicia? What do you think of her?” Alicia had been rather rude, but understandably so. Were the roles swapped she very well may have the same response. Still she was Beacon and made a threat which is more than she could say of the twins.

“I owe Alicia my life, at least twice over by this point. She’s stood by me while I was a terrible friend to her, and has forgiven me for some quite serious betrayals.” Penny would say simply, but there was an edge to her words “She was the first to welcome me into Beacon, despite the fact that I was Monster girl, and has never once betrayed my trust in her.”

“I could easily say that I love her, even as I know that it will likely never be romantic between us.” She would go on to say, showing no shame at such an admission even if it was tinged with a hint of regret “And for a bit of context. She was at the rave as well, in the middle of it, and watched her friends and comrades die, only to come back and learn that her mentor died at the same park you did. On top of that she is only a few weeks promoted to being the leader of this branch of Beacon, and now you are residing in one of her oldest friends. So her threat was understandable I would say.” Penny bit her tongue before she could add to her last response. Knowing that it wouldn’t help, but she would be honest enough to admit to herself that she was still angry at Cindy. Not for the rave, that wasn't her fault, but the incident with the Cardinal? That Penny could lay at her feet, and the tension and danger it put all of Cindy’s subjects under was the source of her anger, but acting on that anger against a dead person wouldn’t be of much use.

The further the confession went the more confused Cindy would become. To even consider a monster and Beacon member in a romantic sense had never crossed her mind in the slightest. It was less that she was against such a possibility and more to do with how such a thing could ever even occur. Cindy actually looked stunned for a moment. Though she wasn’t sure if it was more telling of Penny than it was of Alicia, regrettably. Had she by some miracle been paired with the one girl who’s Beacon friends would not outright kill her to be rid of an invading monster girl?

Something at a loss for words, she gestured to allow the others back in. At first she had intended to speak with Alicia alone as well, but that no longer seemed prudent. ”Everyone may come back in if they wish.” Rubbing her head a bit she tried to make sense of it.

Penny saw the confusion and shock on Cindy’s face and in all honesty it wasn’t that hard to understand where the other girl was coming from but she wanted to hammer in the point that Alicia wasn’t like most Beacon, just as none of the people who Cindy was currently surrounded with weren’t like most Beacon.

“You know, Alicia currently has a girlfriend” She would say as she turned towards the door her eyes still watching Cindy “Her name is Kimble, she used to be a catgirl. Alica chose to save her life, while a Beckoner was over her shoulder. Kimble wanted a White Coin so that she wouldn't have to worry about being separated from her.” There would be an audible click from the door as Penny manipulated it from where she stood “Alicia has done more to promote peace in Penrose then anyone I know. Keep that in mind” And with that she would pull the door open for the rest of them to come back in, moving off to the side so she wasn’t blocking line of sight.

“Cindy’s wanting to talk to us all it seems”

Stepping back in Alicia glanced between Penny and Cindy-in-Janet. It seemed the conversation had gone well, though it was difficult to tell. At the very least it was shorter than she had thought it might be.

”Alright then. So what’s the decision?” she asked, looking to the girl in question for what she had to say.

”We did not discuss anything in that regard. I had questions of my host and her friends.” Deliberating she paused for a few seconds. ”You are a perplexing lot.” Anyone expecting her to elaborate on her own wasn’t about to get it. Cindy was trying to find their angle. For the moment she still held the advantage in her mind. Whether it actually meant anything was another matter.

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Penny would say with a smug smile “But Alicia does have a point.” She would go on her smile fading slightly “We have an idea on how to separate you and Janet, and a few possible options to move you into if you’d be willing” It was the main reason most of them were here after all, other then perhaps Raven, but Penny had her doubts about that.

“At the moment all options we have lead you being stuck with me, but if you have any ideas or suggestions yourself we will be happy to hear them.”

Seemingly sceptical, Cindy would reply. ”You will have to forgive me if I am wary of your ‘options.’” It would take a bit for Cindy to look at Alicia. She did not shy away from meeting her eyes though. ”Penny speaks very highly of you. Perhaps if we had the opportunity to meet sooner things would have played out differently.”.It was hard to tell if Cindy regretted what she’d done. She wasn’t twisting her words at least.

Alicia remained somewhat cautious, Cindy’s attitude not leaving her all that confident of them not winding in a situation where she tried to suppress Janet under her own control. But she was still willing to proceed for now, since things seemed to be working out.

Their gazes met, neither faltering or flinching in that moment. ”Maybe,” she agreed with a small nod. ”Though your Horror aligned partner would have made things difficult even if things had gone well. There was some regrets to be had, but if she started thinking about those she would be here for a while. Better to focus on the current dilemma, and whether this could be resolved.

”Whom is that?” A great many things happened following her death, and even her absence at the rave prior. It was hard to say who exactly she meant. ”Do you speak of Faith, or another?”

”Her,’ Alicia confirmed with a curt nod. ”I try to judge people based on their actions, but at the end of a day a Horror is a Horror. Trying to understand something that defies understanding or common human mentality is just an exercise in futility.” And now she was the one running the show against Beacon. Wonderful.

Ah, there was that Beacon spirit. Her eyes lighting up briefly Alicia now had her attention. ”It is the way of things. Beacon and corrupted girls exchanging lives age after age. This is my experience over the centuries.” All present were children by comparison to the ancient mind that now inhabited their friend. Still Alicia’s Light spec would tell that everything said was true. ”Faith is ordinarily a gentle soul. For her to act otherwise is testament to the pain caused by conflict to which there is no end. Despite all appearances I’ve no particular vendetta against Beacon. Should ever we were to meet, the outcome was always the same. Save for one foolish girl who would plead at risk of her own life.” Of course speaking of Janet. ”Succumb to my Mental Mutations as I was I cannot say if I were to stop, but she did give me pause. The Mint saw to it that we may never know.”

While Alicia could tell that Cindy was not necessarily lying, she was left to wonder how much the truthfulness of Cindy’s words actually mattered. ”Indeed. Plus your rave was used as a trump, and war declared in your name. The Ascendancy restored order in this city from monsters when the rest of us were busy, and in the end it was not them who struck the first blow. For being so old you certainly fell into that one easily enough,” she noted in turn.

Nodding Cindy would agree. ”I am aware. Jenna has been surprisingly transparent with what transpired at both fronts.” Humility was not a facet of Cindy’s makeup. Far from it. When something went wrong it was someone else’s fault and they would be punished for it. Her will was law and all others were beneath her. As a Sentinel she had put her sights on this city. The Queen of Penrose did not lose and in such thinking had failed to even consider that anyone could challenge her, underhanded or otherwise.

Dying as a magical girl doesn’t really mean much beyond delay in the grand scheme of things. What’s a couple decades when you return and everyone has forgotten you for the next threat? Janet’s actions though forced a unique perspective on Cindy as she witnessed the aftermath. Arguably she was not even the real Cindy, just a mental replica forced to occupy the same form as a bleeding heart. With each encounter the mental image of fortitude and power getting chipped away. Her fixation on Penrose faded from existence. Simply clinging to what she had known . And now she was sitting being observed as if through glass by Beacon members that did not fit the mold she’d crafted in her head. Contemplating she would be silent for a while. More frustrated with herself than anything.

Penny scoffed at the underlying arrogance in Cindy’s words. Mainly because she could easily see why it was there, time gave a lot of advantages to those who had gone through more of it but it also tended to lead them into the same thought patterns. The robotic girl could help but wonder at how many times Cindy had tried something different each time she encountered Beacon in the past, or if she simply used the same default reaction.

“Then it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that had you lived that I was going to challenge you for your title, and the right to lead penrose right?” Penny would ask a touch of scorn laced within her words “After all your last actions placed your subjects under more danger, not less, to say nothing of the fact that you attacked my allies”

Were circumstances different, Cindy would have lashed out at Penny. Not that she could do anything at this time. Twice she’d been stabbed in the back at this point, so to learn of one more was not much of a surprise. Not exactly a good negotiating tactic when you were trying to convince someone to give back their friend though. She had not gotten some of the information she had wanted during her questioning earlier. She had not expected to be handed to her so overtly. ”It is not.” Leaning forward slightly she would eventually stand up. ”I believe I must decline your offer of ‘being stuck’ with you.” She would straighten her dress casually and move across the room.

Jenna shuddered and shot a glare at Penny. ”What are you…” She wouldn’t finish and instead would put her hands against the barrier. ”Cindy.” Cindy would stop facing away from them.

“Really?” Penny would say with genuine surprise, at the actions of the ‘Queen of Penrose’ “I tell you I have an issue with how you were doin things and you decide to simply phase everyone here out? I tell you to your face, that I was going to respect your chain of command, follow your rules of engagement, and you get insulted by it?” Penny was honestly baffled by that. After all it was Cindy who first announced that any who had an issue with her claim could challenge her for it, she told the entire city that, and had there not been the more pressing issue of a Horror about to break though at the graveyard, Penny was sure that someone would have tried.

“It seems you just like to wear the title, but lack the nobility to uphold it.” Penny would say her anger starting to bleed through into her voice “For you sound like no Queen at the moment Cindy, you sound like a Tyrant.” She would say dangerously, eyes narrowed, as she stood unnaturally still “Or did you forget that I let you into my home! So do not think I would not watch what you did carefully. Especially when you place those that want no part of war at risk.”

Standing still for a moment, Cindy would eventually turn where they could see her expression over her shoulder. She looked confused and her eyes would occasionally dart around, searching. Most of what Penny said she remembered, but some parts were disjointed or felt like they were missing. Only when she had been prompted did her recollection put them back into place. A twinge of visible concern passed over her when she finally looked back.

There would be an odd sound that would come from Penny as she kept her gaze locked on to Cindy, the sound of a metal latch being thrown and undone, as it went on her glare would soften into a simple searching. “You did forget, didn’t you” She would state more than ask before letting out a sigh.

“Right.” Her anger was once again tucked away, unsurprisingly since she was reminded that she wasn’t truly dealing with Cindy, more dealing with a clone, or a backup copy. “The transfer wasn’t easy on either of you most likely” she would say, watching Cindy with a less critical eye “Is that why you are asking all these questions?”

”Would you be very trusting of anyone after being murdered and waking up in someone else’s body? Someone from Beacon no less.” She put a hand to her head. Knowing who she was was one thing, but the details potentially being fuzzy put her in a vulnerable position.

Alicia kept her gaze on Cindy as they talked, listening to the conversation as it went on to discuss several different topics. But eventually she would speak up to provide her input. ”Perhaps. But regardless of whether it was an accident, you’re here now.”

Confident steps carried her closer to the barrier, though she did not touch it for now. ”And at the end of the day you are a guest in her mind. Janet is not yours to do with as you please, and that is worth remembering as we discuss what to do here.”

”You assume I have a choice in the matter.” Growing tired of it all she looked at Penny regretfully. ”Apologies Penny. Present your ideas so we may move on.” Cindy would make her way back over.

"If you weren't going to be given a choice, do you really think that we'd be talking?" Penny would ask calmly before shrugging off the current topic.

"Among those here, we have enough mix of magical talents that we should be able to safely separate you and Janet, so long as we are all working together." Penny would answer shifting into a more relaxed stance as she did so. "The two options that are most likely to work would be to move you to either myself or Snoopy" she'd continue, pointing at the drone in question as she did so "The latter would mean that Snoopy might need a new name, but no harm in that."

"As I mentioned before, if you've got any ideas feel free to voice them."

”I was speaking more of Janet and I switching at random.” Cindy would say just to clarify. Looking at the drone she would recall it had become damaged after being kicked at the rave. It was preposterous to assume that she would move into something so frail. There was a fine line she refused to cross. ”I would rather not die again in a defenseless flying object.” Head shaking slowly as she considered the options, looking at the group as she did so. ”I do not think it would be wise to attempt to move anyone at this time. If my memory is not yet complete there is a chance that Janet’s may not as well. Meddling with that may have adverse effects to one or both of us.”

“To be fair, I did upgrade it recently, but still have a point about it not having any weapon platforms.” Penny would say mulling over things “And while you have a point about not moving you, but the thing is I’m pretty sure we only have a limited window of opportunity until you are entrenched too deeply to be able to be moved. Downside of not having code, but seeing as you don’t want to move, forcing the issue would make things worse for all involved. So next idea would be setting up a way for you and Janet to be able to interact in some fashion and that's more Jenna’s wheel house” she would say looking at the resident psychic who was still ‘awake’.

”Communicating with my host would make things easier. And likely alleviate some animosity. Despite me, Janet has yet to lift a finger to harm me and from what I can tell from Jenna she is gracious enough to tolerate the current circumstances. And I would be remiss not to acknowledge that if not for her then I would not be here now, her original intentions notwithstanding.” She would huff a bit. It took effort not to act her usual self. Cindy was pretty sure though that if she did not ease up that the others would find a way to simply erase her. Even so she was grateful to Janet at least on some level, she simply did not know her.

One could only assume that Penny had been thinking of linking their minds in some way to facilitate communication. Knowing that Jenna had tried on several occasions Cindy was not confident that they would figure it out in a timely manner. While they attempted to hash out a more permanent solution, Cindy would scan around the room. There was once a simpler time when you wanted to send a message to someone you could not be with. Walking over to a counter she would snatch a pen and clipboard off the wall. Turning the forms over to the blank side she would begin writing. Perhaps more old school than it needed to be, but what do you expect from someone that predated the telegraph.

After some furious writing she would close her eyes and lean before Janet would wake. Seeing the curious letter in her hand she glanced at her friends briefly before actually stopping to read. It was a little hard to make out with it’s eloquent strokes and old world speak. However, she eventually sussed out what she was trying to get across. ”Oh what, she can do that?” After a moment of genuine surprise she would look at everyone else. ”Cindy wants to write a magical contract.”

Having less of a stake in coming up with a solution, Alicia stopped mentally drawing up lists of people with Psychic spec that she knew as the person behind the barrier spoke up now with a note in their hand. It seemed they had switched once more. ”Did she say what she wants to include in it?” Alicia asked. She didn’t see any harm in giving it a shot, at least at this point.

Flipping to the next page just to make sure she wasn’t missing anything, Janet would shake her head. ”No. She wants us to write up things that we want in it so she can draft something up. Uh. ‘All involved parties shall sign to make the contract binding.’” She would read.aloud the second time. ”Which Jenna also will need to sign for some reason.”

”Do I? That’s kind of weird.”

”Yeah… I guess you guys can ask her next time... She apparently needs a few things as well. Ink, a quill, and hide.” Where would they get hide? Craft shop? Probably could find ink there as well or cannibalize it from a printer or something. A quill…

”Oooh, hey I got this!” Raven would transmute into her animal form. Preening one of her wings she coaxes one free and transforms back holding the loose feather. ”Hah. One down.” She would hand it to Jenna.

Taking the feather Jenna was surprised how quickly Raven picked up on what a quill was, because she had still been trying to figure that out. ”Wow, well done Raven. You were on the ball with that one.”

Raven beamed. It was a small triumph, but had been the first time she’d been able to contribute in this whole mess. ”I know right. You can thank my patrons for that one. Well that and stuffing my head with a bunch of history. They’re kind of old school.”

Well, at least Cindy was willing to be considerate to their particular desires in this case. Alicia could think of a few things she might want out of this, to say the least. ”I can ask around. Someone may have some hide, or we’ve got it down in storage,” she mused, rubbing her chin in thought.

Janet stopped to think for a moment. Were they in that much of a rush to get everything? ”We could get the other things later I think. I would rather have you here to help with this.” She would flip to another page to write. While Cindy had left some instructions, she hadn’t really explained exactly what could be put in the contract. Probably just put down things and let the one that could supposedly make the thing flesh it out.

---

While Cindy was being cooperative in proposing a contract, the group of girls did not really trust that this couldn’t be used to usurp or take over Janet somehow. In writing down their demands they wanted to be sure that not only Janet would be safe, but Jenna and Beacon as well. They weren’t entirely sure how or if the phrasing mattered so they tried to make it as tight as possible. Some of it may be a tall order given who they were dealing with. They did try and leave in accommodations for Cindy since this was presumably a negotiation. At the moment Janet was a hostage almost as much as Cindy was. Satisfied that all was good they retrieved the last couple items and placed them in the improvised cell. ”Alright, here goes nothing. May the oppressed and broken find shelter beneath our banner." Janet would transform and concede control to Cindy as her armor formed around her.

Finding herself in a transformed state this time, Cindy took a look around to see what might have changed. Being indoors it was hard to tell if a few minutes had passed or a month. Pleased to find all of the items she had requested on a nearby table she would calmly take up the clipboard to review what the Beaconites had jotted down. It had been an exceptionally long time since she had entered into a contract with anyone. To think it would be brought to this, effectively having to fight her body for a place to exist. That the local Beacon leader would entertain the notion probably surprised her more. Not that they hadn’t proven themselves far more agreeable than ninety nine percent of the Beacon she had misfortune to encounter, but after what had happened only days before…

Digressing she would pick up the table with the items and place it with one edge against the barrier. Ordinarily there would not be this separation between herself and the other party, but she doubted they would take it down for this. Janet had placed herself in lockdown after all, the little… No, she would likely have to stop thinking that of her host once all this was said and done. ”I suspect you may have some questions for me.” She would say distractedly as she continued reading and drew up a chair.

The contract was drawn up, and Cindy had resumed control so she could read it. ”Sure,” Alicia confirmed. ”Firstly, what do you intend to do if you and Janet do make it twenty years, when the real you comes back?” That seemed like the easier question to start with.

That was not the first question Cindy had expected to be asked. It was a very relevant one though as the true Cindy would eventually return. ”Given I have changed more in the last week of encountering Janet than I have in the last century I very much doubt I will be the same person. She will return with her Sentinel mutation intact and lay claim to Penrose to protect the city because that is her vice. The climate of the time will dictate whether that is for good or for ill. Regardless she will attempt to defend her subjects from any she sees as a threat. She did not consider anyone else a threat in advance this last time, she may not be so tolerant of others being in her city now.”

”As to what I would do, I cannot say for certain. That has more to do with what she decides." She would look up to face Alicia. "If I am Queen of Penrose and she challenges me then I will defeat her and retain the title. If I am not and I am still here defending Penrose and she attacks then I will defeat her anyway. If she is reasonable then who is to say?” Cindy’s demeanor had changed rather drastically. She was not so hostile as before. Though this could just be how she was during a negotiation.

It was a bit far to be asking about, so Alicia supposed that the answer Cindy provided made sense. She’d wondered about the possibility of a re-merger, but it seemed that that was not in the cards. At least for now.

Moving on, she went to the more important question. ”Alright, that sounds reasonable. Secondly, how much do you know about the Mint and their activities here in Penrose? Considering what they’ve done so far, anything to help us stamp them out will be useful.”

Cindy would think about it distastefully. Recounting the night of her death she seethed and her eyes would glow their signature blue from her magic. ”I do not deal often with the Mint as they would threaten those that would come to me for protection. Their agents lurk in the shadows and lack in honor. I do not know what I may provide that you may not already know, but there was no love lost in their betrayal that night. Chloe provided Elvira as entertainment for the rave, only to use my people and incite a riot. Another of their agents attacked your Cardinal and I. I only assume that snake Reaver that dealt my final blow is among their ranks.” She was not sure how much Penny divulged of her fraternizing with Mint agents. She did however recall that Penny was the one that had introduced her to Chloe. Out of respect and to make up for the error she had made in mischaracterizing the mechanical girl earlier she would not out her. That would have to wait for another conversation.

There would be a moment after Cindy spoke where every single piece of metal not nailed down would suddenly shift towards Penny. Who had a look of raw hate on her face as her eyes burned a baleful, bloody red. ”I am going to rip her-!” she would start to snarl before she turned herself away.

It would take a few seconds before Penny was able to force herself to become calm and even then her magical aura was still chaotic showing that the mechanical monster wasn’t truly calmed.

“Sorry” She would say her voice clipped as she spoke turning back to the group “I have more reason to hate her then I suspected” Penny would explain through grit teeth “I do think that means that my assumption that Eden is also a part of Mint makes more sense. Since she knew what was going to happen it seems, to say nothing of that WMD”

Jenna would watch Penny closely with some concern. The girl changed often and always seemed to become more corrupted despite their attempts to stop it. Made her wonder what was actually going on with her. She would pass a message telepathically to Penny just to keep things discrete. ”Penny, I should have said something sooner but, are you alright? You don’t have to answer now. We can talk later. For now though she would cast a spell to try and settle the magical aura.

Keeping things more under wraps than Penny, Cindy would watch unaware of the aura but able to see and hear the visible frustrations. ”I suspect you shall be one of many who share that sentiment. Be wary that your hatred not manipulate you into a similar situation to mine.” Ironic that she would be the one to advise for a cooler head.

“I have a-” Penny would cut herself off angrily, before going through the motions taking a deep breath and holding it, her aura actually calming done as she repeated the process. “I had a close personal connection to Chloe.” She would say at last “One she used to manipulate and control me before abandoning me. To hear she was connected to the nightmare of a rave was a nasty surprise, and just adds more to her betrayal”

‘I’m fine’ Penny would reply mentally ‘Just Chloe is a sore topic still’ with a shake of her head she would move on “So no information on Mint, fine, what about Mariette? You talked with her back at the Beach. Anything you can tell us about her, or that?” Penny would ask, hoping to push the conversation past her, at least for the moment.

You’re always fine, and then something else happens. We’ll talk later. Jenna didn’t leave the notion up for debate.

This was quickly turning into more of an interrogation than coming to terms on a contract. Things were silent for a while. As Cindy tried to recall the aforementioned conversation she outwardly became more agitated. ”I do not recall speaking with her at the beach. If I did perhaps it has yet to return to me.” She would stop and think over it some more. Before she would let her temper get the better of her she stopped and took a deep breath. The slight shaking from frustration melted away and as her mental magic helped her focus. Having access to this kind of ability prior could have been quite useful. Though knowing herself it likely would have been horribly abused.

”Perhaps I should clarify my earlier statement.” Holding up the clipboard with their musings. ”I suspect you have questions regarding the contract for me. What you have here is good but perhaps too rigid. I shall make my rebuttal and propose my own amendments. We will discuss the matter to come to a consensus and draft the final copy. Is that clear?” Her eyes would sweep across all present. She did not intend to sidestep the earlier question so much as she could not answer it at this time.

”Sure,” Allicia agreed without argument. She was out of things she had wanted to ask in general anyway.

Cindy would smile at the swift answer. ”Splendid. Most of what you have is to be expected. It is crafted such to avoid me harming Janet and betraying Beacon by attacking its members or divulging information. However, my mission to protect Penrose has not changed. When it is found out that Janet and I share the same form I will need the autonomy to defend myself should the Ascendancy or others in Beacon threaten me or those I swore to defend. I can attempt to avoid harm but circumstances may still cause something I do to damage Beacon in some fashion. Intent should be the defining factor to this byline. A contract of this nature would surpass the ability of a Light user to discern the truth motivating one's actions and act accordingly. What’s more, if I cannot reveal information about Beacon then I must reserve the right for the same of my people. It would not be fair for me to betray their trust in such a manner.” She would pause and look at the other attendees for their thoughts.

All of that sounded well and good, but so far there wasn’t much in the way of concessions. Perhaps they simply hadn’t gotten to it yet. Thinking it through for a while Jenna would eventually speak up. Seemed she’d finally gotten past the fact that despite how the person in front of her looked, it was not her sister. ”I don’t think you understand the position you are in, Cindy. You are in Janet’s body. A memory of who Cindy Ford was. Whatever influence or title you held died with the rest of you. You’re just another magical girl now. You may know a lot, but that doesn’t make you who you were before.” As Jenna stared down Cindy, the captive girl’s eyes were glowing. It was clear she was not used to being spoken down to like this. Taking a breath to say something Jenna would cut her off. ”I would choose your words carefully. You don’t have very many friends left. And in case you didn’t notice the ShineSpark lives inside you. The fact that you haven’t been purged means you’ve been cleansed and accepted into Beacon by it.” With the barrier between them, the others would not have seen or sensed the presence of the ShineSpark in Cindy. She had briefly mentioned the ShineSpark earlier, though given it was Janet it would be easy to assume she was only talking about her sister and not both minds being shielded.

Any semblance of protest in Cindy’s expression died with Jenna’s last remarks. She, a member of Beacon? Preposterous. Despite having nearly been killed by the very same magic shortly after she woke up, Cindy had all but dismissed the event. Feeling out her magic she would find Beacon’s new guardian waiting vigilantly to come to her aid. She backed up from the barrier a bit. Her eyes darted to the other two to see their reaction to this revelation. Had they known about this? Her pride and power had always acted as something of a defense for her. Both were rather quickly being eroded as she reflected on where she currently stood. She was being held, not even in a proper cell, and being questioned. There wasn’t a way out of this. Everyone she knew thought her dead and gone. Even if they knew she had survived in some approximate fashion would they even recognize her as the same person?

Frustration evident as she faced her present reality. Who she was had never been a question in her mind. The Thunderbird had crafted her to rule and the role had been as much her as the electricity that had made up her body. Her patron must have been disappointed in her performance because in her hour of need it allowed her to perish. Even now this fragment of Cindy was left to fend for herself. Fear would not be an accurate description for how the girl felt right now. Eyes drifting to her reflection against a metal surface she would see a stranger looking back at her. Her mind abuzz with thoughts she would clutch her head as her psychic magic flared. In this box though the only other mind to find was Janet’s, and she was sitting peacefully in a stasis that she couldn’t breach.

Penny’s face would be a moment of confusion as she worked her way through Jenna’s logic. But it would end with her not being terribly surprised, after all at the end of the day, it was still Janet’s body.

That moment of contemplation was quickly placed aside as she witnessed the full impact of the truth begin to descend onto Cindy. Of everyone present Penny felt she had the best idea of what it was like to go through identity death, it had nearly happened to her twice after all. Thus when she saw what was happening she quickly moved into action.

All the while they had been talking, a part of Penny had been set watching the system controlling the barrier. The information she had from that allowed her to seamlessly move towards Cindy, the barrier opening and closing within a moment, allowing Penny to slip into the enclosed space yet hardly leaving any time in which anyone could stop her before it closed behind her.

Once inside she would simply move towards the distraught girl and pull her into a hug. “It’s okay” She would sooth “No matter what you still have your name, no one can take that from you”

The instant Penny stepped in, Cindy knew and her psychic focus switch over to the mechanical girl. She sensed no ill intent and was caught off guard when being embraced in a hug. No one ever did that with Cindy. In the past it was nearly impossible for one, potentially painful, and something she would never allow. On instinct she attempted to shock the girl off, which of course amounted to nothing. Almost as reflexive though was the psychic blast that followed it up before physically pushing Penny back. ”I did not give you charge to embrace me.” Identity crisis or no, Cindy Ford would not allow herself to be coddled, at least at this point. Trembling she took several more shaky steps back. She was losing control and that was no more evident than when Janet suddenly woke up.

Steadying herself, the girl’s demeanor improved nearly instantly. Looking at Penny confusedly, Janet would take a few breaths. Her heart was racing so Cindy must have been through some physical strain or distress. Seeing the contract items untouched she assumed things were not going well. ”What happened?”

Alicia held back a sigh as she rubbed her forehead, now that it was clear that Janet had returned. ”Well that could have gone a lot better,” she observed. ”As is I was willing to agree to most of that anyway, at least when it comes to self defense and an equitable blanket on not revealing information. But I get the feeling we may be back at square one now.”

”If we’re going to try and work out something between Cindy and my sister we can’t just allow her to believe nothing has changed. That could be worse once the deal is done and we can’t change it.” Pointing back toward where they teleported in. ”You think the rest of her friends would just go along with that? Her world was going to get shattered sooner or later.”

Janet stared at the ceiling for a couple seconds. This was not going to be as simple as she’d hoped. ”Jenna.” She had to let out an exasperated sigh. She wasn’t mad, she couldn’t be. Her sister was doing a good job looking out for her and she appreciated it more than words could describe it. She would look at Jenna and give her a calm smile. ”I agree. I just wish I could be a part of the conversation instead of having to drag you all into this. Update me if you could.” Jenna dropped the barrier for a moment and relayed everything that had happened to that point. Thinking through the matter for a bit she had to shake her head. "Okay. That was harsher than I thought. Hm…" She would eventually look around a bit. By this point they'd all but scared the girl to pieces. "Maybe we should try talking in a less uninviting environment. And I want a better idea of what we intend to try before just throwing ideas at her. Does that make sense?"

”I know that,” Alicia replied with a scowl. ”But it’s not like we can just get rid of her. You already said bringing in a Psychic won’t work, and we can’t do much besides talk while she’s still in Janet.”

At least Janet was there to turn down the temperature before things grew even more heated than they were right now. ”At the end of the day I want you to be safe, and I want to make sure her previous attitudes don’t lead her to work against us while she’s in control of your body. Beyond that I’m willing to be flexible.”

”We did try a number of ways to communicate without success. Even I find it hard to detect she’s there at times. If I were to hazard a guess all my combined magic kind of works against us in that regard.” She would say as she tried to formulate a plan. There had to be a better method for this. What she really needed was a proper representative of herself. Something like an AI could maybe work, but she didn’t really like the idea of making a digital representation of herself. Too bad Cindy had used her Ruby Coin because she probably could use it right about now. She could think of a couple potentially useful magical abilities that would be… Janet’s eyes would suddenly pop open and her head would whip around to look in Jenna’s direction. ”I know how I can talk face to face with Cindy.”

Penny would take a moment to herself as she stood outside the door that led to Binky’s lab. A moment to reflect on just how fast it was that her life had changed in the last forty eight hours. It wasn’t as much of a surprise anymore when it happened, she understood now, better then she had ever done so before, that she was likely forever touched by that ever changing chaos, and if she was honest she had taken solace in that fact.

But that had nothing to do with why she was here.

Pushing open the door Penny would take a look around for the wayward scientist, one she held a debt of gratitude towards. “Hey Binky, it’s Penny” She would call out as she moved further into the lab in her search.

Binky jumped at Penny’s sudden appearance, but regained their composure quickly. After so many surprise visits, she must have been getting used to Penny.

”Oh hiya bud.” Binky greeted Penny with a wave. ”You keep getting better with every incarnation huh?” She rubbed her chin. ”So it was a success then? No pains or abnormalities?” The green haired girl gestured at Penny with a smile. ”Except for the appearance, of course.”

“As far as I can tell yeah.” Penny would answer with a nod “Ran a full diagnostic shortly after the reforging and everything came back green. There was one bit that was odd.” It was hard to put into words, even though Penny’s aura plainly told the story, but it was easily apparent to the robotic girl that she was locked in, for lack of a better way to describe it, as a Monstergirl now. “But it’s more a result of how I went about fixing things I think. Other than that I feel great, so I’d call it a complete success. Thank you again for the help” She would reiterate placing a hand on BInky shoulder as she spoke. She didn’t want to contemplate where she would be right now if not for BInky’s assistance.

“On that, I was wondering if now would be a good time to fulfill my end of the bargain” Taking a step back she’d give Binky an easy going smile “It’s the least I could do at this point”

”Oh, I don’t think that that will be necessary anymore.” Binky placed a hand on Penny’s. ”I mean I think if she really wanted to find me, she’d have done it already. That was why I didn’t press going with you last time you were here. It doesn’t matter that much to me.” Binky grinned. ”But if you feel you owe me, it might be interesting to take a closer look at you.”

”Totally!” A second Binky who looked just like the first stepped into the room. ”Like, I sooooooo wanna peak under the hood!” Binky prodded at her metal frame.

A third Binky, like a silent assassin, dropped down from the ceiling and attempted to hug Penny from behind. She would both run afoul of one of Penny’s new passive systems as a gravimetric barrier would repulse the surprise hug, at least until Penny fully realized what it was and let her through. ”It could probably help with research! Yes, there’s a lot here to research. Everything needs to be thoroughly examined.”

A forth binky was darting around with a camera, taking pictures from every single angle. ”I am genuinely curious what’s under those metal plates myself. Especially the face, it’s so smooth compared to everything else!”

One of the closets made a muffled noise. Penny’s heat sensors could pick up something roughly Binky’s height on the other side of the door. Oddly it was floating off the ground, like it had been pinned to the ceiling somehow.

All things said Penny was giving all of the gathered Binky’s with a suspicious look, one that only got worse when she noted the hidden Binky sized reading.

“Uh huh” Penny would give the gathered Binky’s another once over “Going to take more than that to get me to bare it all for you” She would say as she walked towards the closet, not bothering to allow any of the current Binkys to stop her, before opening it.

To say that she was surprised to see yet another BInky tied up and hanging within the closet, would be something of a lie, the fact that the other four Binkys instantly fled once she opened the door was something of a surprise however. “Do they do stuff like this often?” Penny would ask the Binky in the closet as she set about getting them down.

”Quite often, yes.” Binky stood upright, but her arms were still bound to her sides because of all the rope wound around her. She almost looked like a spool. ”They hate me, so they’ll do things like this. The twins usually catch on quickly enough, but they’re getting better at impersonating me.” Binky looked up at Penny. ”And hello.” Binky didn’t smile. There were giant bags under her eyelids and her hair shot out in every direction. ”The coin does appear to have worked. I take it the second you is alright as well?”

“They got the peace they’ve been wanting” Would be Penny’s reply to the real Binky’s question, as she set about freeing Binky from her cocoon of ropes.

Once Penny untied Binky, she rubbed her arms. ”The longer we linger here, the more desperate my clones will be to, um, examine you. That is what I feel at least.” She rubbed her eyes. ”That is to say I would appreciate you escorting me to Penrose Middle School. It’s just a crater now, but I’m sure she’ll drop by if we go there.”

“Sounds like a plan. Don’t really want to get into a position where I am forced to banish a clone of yours” Penny would say as she turned to lead the way to the middle school “You want to stop by the cafeteria or a gas station and pick up some coffee? You look like you could use some. I’d recommend some sleep but I get the feeling that would be ignored.”

”Meeting with Betty would fix a lot of this.” She pointed all over her face with her finger. ”I’m also strapped for cash. I don’t think I could afford a cup of coffee.” She tapped her fingers together. ”Unless...”

---

Binky and Penny had arrived at the old site for Penrose middle school. The green haired researcher had gotten a small coffee to go and was now leaning against a charred fence post.

”I don’t like relying on coffee, but thank you. This is a lot better than what I can make myself.” She slurped from the cup and wiped her sleeve on her arm. It was cold out, and Binky’s uniform wasn’t the warmest. There were goosebumps all over her skin. ”We shouldn’t have to wait long. Thank you again for bringing me out here. The outer alliance makes going outside troublesome.”

“Yeah I can see how that would have made going out and about solo rough” Penny would agree as she scanned the surroundings. She had to admit she wasn’t sure if this place had been blasted before or after the Ascendency showed up but the desolation that it evoked was the same regardless.

“Hard to say if it will be better or worse considering what happened at the Park a couple of nights ago.” It was too early to gauge what the loss of leadership within the Outer alliance would lead to, to say nothing about Penny picking up Cindy’s title.

“Why are you so certain that they will find out that we are here?” She would go on to ask bringing her gaze back around to Binky “Because without a coat it’s just going to get worse, would have stopped for you to grab one if I had known you didn’t have sealing”

”It’s alright.” Binky slurped their coffee again. ”You could say we have something of a connection.” She forced a smile.

Not long afterwards, something bubbled in the center of the crater. Dark forms took the shape of humans as they ventured into the light. The first shape shrugged the darkness off of itself, revealing the person underneath.

Veronica.

“Binky, I was wondering when you’d come out here.”

”It’s been hectic.” Binky looked around. ”I’m surprised you didn’t come for me sooner.”

“The ascendancy has made doing anything with Beacon difficult. But your stay wasn’t that bad was it?” She turned to Penny. “Who are you?”

”That’s Penny..”

“No. No she is not.”

“I’m starting to see what you meant Binky” Penny would say with a sigh. A few questions she had now have been answered, just not in the way she had been expecting.

“Hey Veronica” she would greet with a half hearted wave “I am Penny. got a systems update a few days ago hence the new look” She would explain before pinging Veronica with the comms unit she had gotten from the vampire to further prove she was who she said she was. Because Penny had a feeling Veronica could tell that which most others wouldn’t or couldn’t.

Veronica squinted her eyes. “It has been a confusing few weeks. Perhaps the full story can wait.”

Binky looked to the second shape coming out of the inky darkness. While a magical girl emerged from it, it was not one that Penny recognized. A white haired girl carrying an assault rifle.

”H-hello Remedy!” Binky lifted a hand to her chin and looked around. ”Excuse me Veronica,I’m glad to see you, but I was really looking forward to seeing Betty.”

Veronica looked at Binky for a moment. The same way an office drone might look at a stack of paperwork on a Monday. She slid a ring off of her finger and held it out to Binky. It looked like an ordinary ring, save the large ruby it was decorated with.

Binky shuffled closer and held out her hand, to which Veronica lowered the ring into. ”I don’t understand.”

“It’s her soul stone.” Veronica folded her arms behind her back. “Justine was going to attack an innocent magical girl, and she rushed to her defense. Her body was corrupted, but her soul remains safe inside that ring.”

Binky’s hands trembled. She curled her fingers around the ring and sunk to the ground. ”Justine has her body then?”

“I’m not sure. She left with it, I know that much.” Binky hung her head, but Veronica continued to speak. “Justine bit her, so she was likely corrupted like the other girls who worked under her were.” The green haired girl sniffled, Veronica started to pace. “Best case scenario, the body doesn’t function without the soul, and Justine sees fit to destroy it. If she does that, then Betty will return with her body in a month’s time. Though I think it’s far more likely that Justine would have other uses for her body. To display it as a trophy, among other things.” Veronica stood behind Binky. “Perhaps Justine’s curse doesn’t need Betty’s soul to work, in which case she would still have control over her body. If that happened then we may never get Betty back. She’s turned girls into monsters before, she might decide to do something like that again.” By this point Binky was balling. Veronica gave her a moment to grieve before kneeling down and wrapping her arms around Binky’s neck. “But I don’t plan on letting her keep Betty. I have a score to settle with her. She will pay for every atrocity she has ever committed. When I’m done with her, she will regret every action that led up to this point. Her entire life will feel like a string of bad choices.” She hugged Binky against her chest. “You and Betty will be reunited, like you would have been tonight.” Binky sniffled, but she seemed to be calming down. Veronica let go of her. “Would you like to help me save Betty?”

The timid magical girl didn’t need time to think about it. She wiped away her tears, wiped the snot off on her arm, and stood up. She turned to Veronica and clasped her hands together. ”I will do whatever it takes to bring her back!”

The former coin broker rose to her feet and looked to Penny. “I’m not sure what’s off with you, but it’s clear you don’t want to talk about it. Quite honestly, it doesn’t interest me.” She folded her arms behind her back. “What interests me is putting an end to the Mint, Justine, and any other forces that would harm this wonderful city. For that I will need magical girls. Strong ones.” She spread her arms. “Would you be interested in joining the Cradle’s cause?”

It was interesting to watch Veronica convince Binky to come back into the fold, a mix of cold fact, emotional plea, and the answer to a desperate situation. It stung to see because Penny had fallen for it herself once, yet Veronica had left the Mint, so Penny didn’t feel the need to speak up against Binky’s choice, besides from the sounds of things Binky had been cut off, rather than tried to flee so she doubted that she could do much to keep them apart other then turning Binky into an actual prisoner.

Penny would simply raise an eye after she was addressed again, silently expressing her doubt at Veronica’s claim of not wanting to know, before shrugging “I doubt that many people get to hear more then one sales pitches from you” would be her reply as she loosely crossed her arms in front of her “And while I can see the benefits, not to mention my own personal interest in keeping Penrose safe, last time I dealt with you I jumped in without reading the fine print so I would prefer to know what the catch is up front this time. If you don’t mind?”

“Veronica the Mint coin broker is a different animal than Veronica the Cradle mother.” She placed a hand on Binky’s shoulder. “The Mint keeps secrets from everyone, including their own people. The Cradle is much more open about its work. We have a Glimmr account and everyone knows who my agents are. This makes conventional espionage tricky, but not impossible. We don’t disclose active operations to the public, but we declassify missions much faster than the Mint does. We’re a tightly knit group that’s proud of what we do.” Binky had stopped sniffling by this point. “Also unlike the Mint, things are set up so that agents don’t become debtors. I don’t gain anything by penalizing my agents for requiring special help. You’ve worked with Beacon, correct? Then you probably understand some of the Cradle’s capabilities.” She shrugged. “You can imagine the drawbacks. Being so exposed does put a target on you from other organizations, We’re not nearly as large as Beacon or Mint, and our numbers even pale to most puchuu. On a more ‘personal’ level, I’m connected to everyone’s thoughts. Technically I can dig up anything that is housed in your mind. This is in place to ensure traitors do not emerge in our ranks rather than some pointless display of mental voyeurism.” Veronica lifted her hand, and a contract appeared with a puff of smoke. “If you wish to see the ‘fine print’, you may inspect the contract.”

It would be easy to see the exact moment that Penny found the deal untenable, and it was the moment that Veronica mentioned that she would have free access to Penny’s mind. Penny flinched away at that, as it was perhaps her greatest fear at this point. Someone having more power or influence over her mind then she did. It didn’t matter how well she understood on an intellectual level that wasn’t the case, the simple existence of that back door being a requirement shut down any chance of Penny joining the cradle. Not that the odds were very high in the first place.

That said she would still take the contract and read it over before speaking. “I know that you are a different person from when you used to work with the Mint. Otherwise I wouldn’t still be a part of this conversation. I agree that Mint and Justine need to be shut down and to that end I am willing to work with you, When it comes to working towards keeping Penrose safe and reversing the disastrous state the city has fallen into I am willing to work with you.” She would raise her eyes off the contract before rolling it back up unsigned and offering it back to Veronica.

“But I can't agree to giving you, or anyone, free access to my mind. For any reason.” She would meet Veronica’s eyes “Until that changes I will never join your cradle, but I will still work alongside you towards the betterment of this city, if you would allow that.”

“More or less what I was expecting.” The contract was swallowed up by a shadow. “Though you must understand why that is necessary in my line of work. The Mint is everywhere, and the privacy of my agent’s thoughts is not worth more than their safety. My terms will never change.” She pointed at Penny. “Especially for you. You were working for the Mint, Laat, and Beacon all at the same time. You were double and triple crossing people right out of the gate.” She gave Penny a sideways glance. “Or were you? I’m not convinced that Jason is the one rattling around in there. Your mind looked familiar, but-.”

“That’s because Jason is gone” Penny would interrupt. “Chloe’s latest betrayal finally broke him and when we used the Red Coin, he gave over everything before cutting himself out. He won't be coming back.” She didn’t want to be telling them all this, but Veronica already could tell the important part, and she could figure the rest out easily enough by looking into BInky’s memories if she was as intelligent as Penny assumed. So if people were going to learn, it was because Penny was going to tell them, she wouldn’t bury the truth that deeply.

“I am Penny, I have only ever been Penny. And while we have never directly met before now” She would say gesturing between herself and Veronica “I was there when you and Jason first did. I can’t claim that my actions would have been drastically different from his, but I can say that I am trying to learn from his mistakes and that I am trying to be a better person then he was.” For as much as she wasn’t Jason, she also was to a degree.

“I don’t begrudge you not trusting me, but at least understand that the only thing I have that is truly mine are a scant handful of memories and thoughts. I want those to stay mine, as I have nothing else.”

“Sentiment.” She rolled her shoulders before gesturing towards Binky. “I came here for Binky, and I won’t stay here any longer than I have to. You helped bring us together, intentional or not. We may work together in the future. Under special circumstances of course.” Veronica folded her arms. “Regardless, I hope you don’t repeat your predecessor’s mistakes. I may have betrayed the mint, but I have never betrayed my agents.” She stepped into the crater, and disappeared inside a shadow.

Binky’s eyes were still red from crying, but there was a strange look of determination in her eyes. She turned to Penny and bowed ”Thanks for the coffee!” She lifted her head. ”If you ever want to get in contact with us, just come here.” Binky followed Veronica into the crater, and the medic trailed behind her. Before long, Penny was alone.

“Gods be damned, you are still confusing” Penny would mutter to herself once she was alone, before shrugging and turning to leave. She would stop at the edge of the property simply looking back at the spot that Veronica and Binky had left. Wondering. She would eventually turn away and continue on her way. There were people that needed her help, and the only thing she could do at the moment was take things one step at a time.

Two days after the rave…

Rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window of Connie and Mia’s room at Penrose Orphanage. Normally, it would fall upon two slumbering figures, but today, a third individual was lying under the oversized bed’s warm covers. For over twenty-four hours, Faith had been sleeping in the middle of the bed, surrounded by Connie’s collection of stuffed animals, and flanked by the room’s usual occupants. After the exhausting events of the rave and subsequent battle in the park, Connie and Mia had decided to remain in bed themselves for most of the previous day, while making sure to keep a careful watch over Faith, while she regained her strength. Now, for the first time since that horrible night, Faith’s eyes began to open and perceive the world around her with clarity once again.

”Mmmmm!”

Faith pushed the sheets off of herself and stretched. Her hand came up to her mouth as she yawned. Then her hazel eyes scanned the room. She looked to Gaia, then to Connie, and then at her coveralls that she had worn to bed. ”Wait, what?” She turned to Connie, and her eyes ballooned. ”I’m-” She clamped her arms around her chest. ”My skin!” She shrieked. ”My divine mantle has been plundered! Ahhhhhhh!”

Mia winced and Connie sat bolt upright at the sound of Faith’s shriek. Before either of them knew it, their friend had rushed into the bathroom and closed the door. It locked with a click.

“F-Faith…?” Connie asked in a tone of dazed confusion, unsure if she was dreaming things.

“Not so loud…” Mia muttered. “Tryin’ to sleep here…”

Though they could hear her audibly clear her throat. Then, with a voice better associated with the fairy girl, she spoke.

”I would ride with you upon the wind, run on the top of the disheveled tide, and dance upon the mountains like a flame!”

Gold and neon light poured through the door’s seems. When the door swung open, a wall of fog and glitter tumbled into the room, only to vanish in the next few seconds. And standing in the doorway was Faith, self-proclaimed demigoddess.

”Hello beauties~!” Faith strummed her harp. ”I see a shapeshifter tried to take my place at your side. But her beauty and grace pail when compared to the real thing!” She spun on her heel and giggled. ”Who’s in the mood for blueberry pancakes~?”

“Mmm… That sounds nice…” Mia mumbled, her eyes still closed and only barely awake.

“Faith!” Connie exclaimed, while jumping out of bed and rushing over to the fairy girl. “Y-You’re finally awake! I’m so glad you’re okay! A-And I’m s-so s-sorry about Lotus,” she added with tear–filled eyes, while wrapping her in a big hug. “I w-wish we c-could have b-been there for you…” she sobbed while holding Faith tightly. “I-I mean, I s-saw the m-message you s-sent me a-after w-we brought you here, b-but I d-didn’t have time to l-look at it at the r-rave, b-because everything k-kinda w-went c-crazy, b-but i-if I had, and w-we’d been there s-sooner, then m-maybe…”

While Connie was tearfully giving her rambling apology, Mia had finally woken up, and for the first time noticed the situation playing out before her.

“Holy crap… Faith’s awake…”

Faith sighed. ”So that wasn’t all a dream then?” The Fairy traipsed to the end of the bed and sat down, taking Connie along with her. ”We didn’t know each other long, but she was still one of my oldest friends.” She placed a hand on the side of her face. ”I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can make breakfast. Not only is this news truly terrible, but I seem to have a pain in the back of my neck.” She rubbed the back of her head. ”When I turn my neck a certain way, my entire spine shivers.” She looked at Connie. ”Maybe I slept on a teddy bear?”

“A-Actually, I-I t-think it m-might be b-because y-you were, umm… i-injured in the fight…” Connie said hesitantly as she sat down next to Faith.

“Yeah, some crazy edgelord bitch in black armor attacked you,” Mia added with a yawn as she stretched herself out, “but with the help of some friends, we managed to drive her off and heal most of your injuries. You were out cold through all of that, though, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember any of it.”

“O-One of the p-people who h-helped us said they k-knew someone who had a h-healing artifact, and they’d t-try and b-bring it over w-when they c-could. I h-hope you don’t m-mind that we brought you h-here… S-Since we d-don’t know w-where you l-live, we thought...”

”I have a home in the forest, but it’s not as nice as this.” While holding onto Connie, she fell backwards onto the bed. ”And that sounds horrible. I’m glad I don’t remember it. ” Faith traced circles in Connie’s hair with her finger. ”That healing artifact sounds like a good idea, I’m glad you’re so resourceful.” She continued to groom Connie before turning to look at Mia, but not without wincing. ”I’m sorry, um, did my mother hurt anyone?”

“Your mother?” Mia asked, more than a little puzzled. Then, her eyes widened as realization dawned. “Holy shit… A-Are you telling me that horror is your mother?!”

”Hmm?” Faith Still had a hand on the back of her neck. ”That was Gaia! I wouldn’t call her a horror, but she can be a little frightening.”

Mia’s head spun after hearing Faith’s explanation. “Uh, yeah… You could say that… But, uh, no, ‘she’ didn’t really cause all too much trouble,” Mia said, choosing to leave out the parts about the Pillar Druids, mystic energy lances, corn cob missiles, and cute girls turned tentacle monsters.

Connie’s phone buzzed not long after as a message came in. ‘Got the artifact. Let me know where to meet up.’ Back on Raven’s end she would delete the message and wait for a response.

”Looks like someone got a call.” Faith kicked her legs. ”I didn’t realise other people knew you. That must be nice~!”

“Y-Yeah, I made a lot of n-new f-friends at the rave, j-just like you s-said I would,” Connie told her as she picked up the phone, having missed the revelation of “Gaia’s” true nature due to how blissfully relaxing Faith’s caressing had been. “B-But t-this is t-the p-person who s-said they c-could get the h-healing artifact. T-They’ve g-got the artifact and w-want to m-meet up s-somewhere…”

”I’m fine right here.” She picked up one of Connie’s dolls and started to wiggle its arms. ”Or we can go to the forest! But that might be dangerous now that Lotus is gone.” She hugged the doll against her chest. ”I should send Nuncio a text.” She pulled out her phone, which had some charms featuring fairies, hearts, and stars. ”It usually takes him a while to get back to me, but he never picks up if I call him~!” she giggled. ”Regardless, I think that’s something I could use.” She reached for a tin on her hip and pulled out a band aid. ”Then again, these have always worked for me in the past~!”

“U-Umm… I d-don’t know h-how much g-good a b-band-aid will do…” Connie said as she watched Faith apply the bandage. “A-As for the m-meeting, I, umm, g-guess she could c-come here… W-Would that be okay, Mia?”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Mia said firmly. “I know she meant well, but that girl seemed kinda clueless. I’m not too fond of the idea of her knowing where we live. Or seeing us untransformed…” she added.

“W-Well, she d-did see F-Faith untransformed,” Connie pointed out, “b-but I g-guess I k-know w-what you m-mean…” Turning to Faith, she whispered, “Mia gets r-really e-embarrassed about her m-magical girl f-form, s-since it’s s-so d-different from how she u-usually is.”

Faith’s brow was fret the entire time Connie was talking. ”I told you! That was a shapeshifter!” She placed her hands on her shoulders with a smile. ”This demigoddess has one shape, and you’re looking at it!” She hopped to her feet and stretched. ”Regardless, I would love some fresh air-Gah!” Faith swat the back of her neck. ”B-being this happy is tiresome. But I know it’s what Lotus would have wanted.” She walked forward. ”The pancakes can wait, let’s grab a banana and run~!”

“O-Okay,” Connie said, a little taken aback by the whole “shapeshifter” thing. “I-If you t-think it’s safe…” she added, while texting raven with the location of the clearing in which she and Mia had first met Faith. “C-Come on, Mia! L-Let’s go!”

---

Faith was peeling her third banana. ”A bit less dreary than the city, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah,” Connie agreed. “I-It’s actually r-really p-pretty out here…”

While Penrose was in shambles, the surrounding forests had held strong. Which made sense when you considered there were fewer people littering, camping, and hunting out here. Though the path had become overgrown. Branches extended into their way, and the grass was up to their knees. There hadn’t been a snow in a while, so there was nothing holding the plants back.

Faith inhaled. ”Mmmm, even the smell is nice.”

“Indeed it is,” Gaia agreed with a blissful sigh. “The desolation sinking its malign tendrils into the city has yet to take root here, for which I am most thankful.” Both she and Connie had changed into their magical girl forms and were now following Faith as she led them down the forest path. “If memory serves, we should be nearing our destination.”

In the time it took them to travel to the forest Raven had flown most of the way already. They had let her know where to go in the forest. She supposed they didn’t want her knowing where they lived or whatever, which was entirely understandable. It didn’t take her long to locate them from her vantage point. Flying down a Raven with a golden object in its talons. Slowing down it changed into Raven proper with the healing artifact in hand. ”Hi girls.” She smiled. ”Good to see you up and about Faith. I brought the artifact.” Holding up the object she began to step closer to the group.

“H-Hello again,” Connie said, giving the girl a smile. “T-Thank’s for d-doing this.”

”Wait a second.” Faith raised her hand. ”You’re friends with her?”

“W-Well… I g-guess so?” Connie replied hesitantly. “W-We m-met her at the p-park, w-when she h-helped get you to s-safety. W-We don’t r-really know her all t-that well… I-In f-fact, we d-didn’t even k-know her n-name until today.”

The Fairy flexed her fingers. ”Raven Bianchi? Like Amber Bianchi, right?”

Ah, someone else that knew Amber she supposed. This was very quickly becoming a nuisance. "Ngh, kind of? I chose the name because I'm part of her soul that got stolen or something. Though as I was rudely informed by someone a couple days ago I'm apparently nothing like Amber. I'm beginning to think choosing her name was a mistake. Has a lot of baggage I know nothing about." She dropped her hands. "Can't really do much about how I look though. I'm sure that'll haunt me eventually."

”She helped me?” Faith hugged her harp against her chest. ”Amber was Lotus’s sworn enemy, and you helped the cardinal escape. But you helped me escape too?” She sunk to her knees. ”Why won’t Nuncio pick up?” The grass waved about her shoulders. She took her hand and brushed her hair back. ”I’m sorry if I upset you Raven, it’s been a rough 24 hours. If you want to try healing me, the back of my neck is bothering me.” Before Raven could get to work, Faith’s head shot up. ”Oh! But if Raven is nothing like Amber Bianchi, maybe we should give her a new name!” She turned to Connie with a smile. ”It doesn’t have to be her real name, we can give her a nickname!”

Raven was slightly confused, though it looked as though Faith may have been as well. She wasn’t entirely against the suggestion to change the name. ”I mean, if you want to help me with that that would be great. I’m not the most creative with names, obviously. I kind of chose it on the spot when I was brought to life like… almost three days ago?” Clearly she hadn’t learned much about keeping things to herself. Way too much of an open book.

Part of someone’s soul? Brought to life only three days ago? Connie’s head spun as Raven spoke, each new piece of information seemingly stranger than the last. But there was no time to be confused now. Faith was talking about giving Raven a nickname, and Connie had always liked nicknames, especially cute ones, so she immediately started brainstorming. “Hmmm… L-Let’s see…” she began, inadvertently thinking out loud as she often did. “A R-Raven’s a bird, so m-maybe birdie? N-No… W-What’s another n-name for a bird? A-Avian? Avia? Avi? Ava?”

Gaia simply smiled and slowly shook her head. Connie may have loved nicknames, the verdant magical girl reflected, but she was absolutely terrible at coming up with them…

”She may be named after a bird, but I scarcely think we should stay with that.” Faith stroked her chin. ”I don’t know why, but I get this ‘Norse’ vibe from her. Valkyrie also fly, but that’s a little too on the nose.” Faith hummed to herself as she continued to think. ”Off the top of my head, Hildr and Eir are the only valkyrie I can think of. Hildr resurrected the dead, and Eir is often associated with medical skills. I like how short Eir is, but it almost sounds like I’m saying ‘ear.’ Hildr isn’t too cute, but Hilde is~!”

Hilde huh? It was certainly an older sounding name. Not that she was against such a thing. The past was something that stuck to her rather naturally. It had an odd appeal. ”Okay. So that’s one option. Also good call on the Norse bit. My patron would probably like that.”

“W-Wow, Faith, y-you’re really good at this!” Connie gushed. “Hilde’s a great name! Don’t you think so, Mia?”

“Yes,” Gaia said with a nod. “It certainly sounds cute, but it is also filled with meaning. I like it. Although, I am curious… Did you have any ideas yourself, Raven?”

“D-Don’t you mean Hilde?” Connie asked, while giving her friend a grin.

“Of course, little sister,” Gaia replied with a smile of her own. “My most sincere apologies.”

"I... Not really. Hilde. Hilde." She would say the name aloud a few times to herself to get a better feel for it. "Maybe if we work out the last name too. That one is the problematic one as I'm learning. Maybe it’ll all come together."

”Hilde Eir has a nice ring to it.” Faith nodded. ”Though you probably want a real surname. I’ll need to cheat for that one.” she pulled up her phone and flicked through some web pages. ”Hilde Frydenlund? Hilde Borgerson? Hilde Hjelmstad? I don’t even know if I’m pronouncing those right, and they aren’t cute enough. They’re on the long side too. We want a last name that’s just a touch smaller than your first name.” After a bit more searching, her face lit up. ”Ah! Hilde Bell!” She looked at Raven. ”It is a Scandinavian name, though it has German and English origins. Since your soul also has distant origins, maybe it’s not a bad pick?“ Faith rubbed the back of her neck. ”How long does it take for the healing to start?“

Raven had become sidetracked from her duties with the artifact with the name thing. "Oh, sorry." She raised the artifact again and began feeding it magic. Thankfully that was something she had a decent amount of so even despite how inefficient the thing was she could fuel it for a while. "I'm actually more sold on Bell than I am Hilde to be honest. As a last name anyway. Now you know why I just picked Raven, it was easy."

“Hilde Bell…” Connie said aloud. “Hilde Bell,” she repeated, this time saying it a little faster. “Hildebell! W-Wow! W-When you s-say it really fast, it sounds even cuter!” Connie exclaimed with a giggle, causing Gaia to laugh as well at the sight of how adorably excited her friend was getting.

”Well, most people receive their names as a gift. Like how mine was bestowed upon me by my divine mother~!” Faith closed her eyes and sighed. ”That’s starting to feel a lot better. But as for your name, perhaps your name would have more meaning if it came from someone important to you hmmm? I may be a demigoddess, but I am not your guardian.” She smiled. ”Regardless, I think Connie is correct. Regardless of what they call you, you will always be Hildebell to us~!”

The raven girl's face turned slightly red as the others toyed with the name. Shortly she had to smile at the silliness of it all. "Oh well now I have to keep it." She laughed. "And I'm not really sure they care what I call myself. Otherwise they would have given me a name. They knew I didn't have one to begin with." She would go silent for a moment and say the name again to herself. "Hilde Bell. I'll think on it, but it's growing on me."

“I-I’m so glad!” Connie cheered, clapping her hands together. “I already s-said how c-cute I think it is, a-and I’m s-sure your other friends will t-think it’s r-really adorable t-too!”

Once the healing was done, Faith stood up and rubbed her shoulders. ”Yes, now I feel like a goddess regardless of which direction my head is turned.” She spun on her heel and patted Hildebell on the head. ”Well, thank you. I’m glad I gave you a chance. I’ve never met Amber, but if there’s any of her in you, she can’t be all bad.” Faith sighed. ”A-anyway, did everyone want to do anything else? It was nice to do this.”

"I would love to! This has been a lot of fun. The group would be looking at her since she was the last one to speak. "I have no idea what we can so though. I get the feeling Faith knows Penrose the best." She would hope someone did.

Faith looked away.”Well, more the forests and the suburbs than Penrose proper.” The fairy giggled.

“Y-Yeah, I’d r-really like t-that t-too!” Connie added. “I-I’ve n-never had the chance to s-spend a day h-hanging out w-with friends before! A-At least, aside f-from Mia… B-but, e-ever since all the d-disasters s-started, m-most of the n-nice p-places are closed…”

Gaia’s heart ached to see Connie’s disappointment. Although she had a possible solution to their problem, she also had considerable misgivings about voicing it. Still, if it provided a chance to bring even a little joy to her friend’s all-too-often joyless life, she would have to take it, regardless of the risks. Giving voice to a weary sigh, the verdant magical girl spoke up, “If all else fails, we can all go back to the home Connie and I share. It is a rather meager dwelling, but it has been my experience that the company filling it makes all the difference.”

“B-But, M-Mia…” Connie gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. “Y-You s-said…”

“Yes, well… I was being foolish, little sister,” Gaia replied, while placing a hand on Connie’s shoulder and flashing her a reassuring smile. “I now realize we have nothing to fear from our new friend. She is welcome to visit us any time.”

“Oh, Mia! Thank you!” Connie cried joyfully as she gave her best friend a big hug. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

”I hope you have board games then!” Faith strummed her harp. ”Then let us go back to their dwelling! You can set up a board game while I make Blueberry pancakes! A proper breakfast!” She lifted a finger to her lip. ”Chocolate pancakes are also good. Everything is good if you slice up a banana over it however!” With a laugh, the fey girl played a song and led everyone back to Mia’s home.

How many times was she going to break continuity? How many times was she going to start a scene while taking a shower?

Mac turned off the water and put on her clothes. Waiting for her in the other room was a distrustful Lotus. The octopus woman could have run away, she could have checked up on Faith, but Lotus wasn’t the type to run when she wanted answers. She was not afraid of Mac. If anything, the monster girl expected her to be afraid of the queen of the deep.

”Mmmmmm.” Lotus mused, but said nothing. ”What happened to my adversary?”

Mac hadn’t dried off yet and she was already getting dressed. The apartment was never really designed to accommodate a guest, especially if you were going to shower. If Mac didn’t need it so badly, she probably would have waited. ”Your ‘adversary’ went to blow herself up along with you. A bit extreme given the circumstances, but it seems like everyone around here turns to murder or murder/suicide at the first sign of confrontation. Who thought a bunch of immortal beings could be more childish than their appearances?”

”Mmmmmm. How humiliating.” Lotus fret her brow. ”I almost wish you hadn't interfered. A bomb would do little to my gelatinous body.”

”My boss says otherwise.” Mac sat down at the breakfast table. She wasn't too hungry, so she was just eating some leftover salad from last night's dinner. ”If your opponent wasn't hell bent on sacrificing herself, I would have tried to save you both. Then you could have had your rematch and 'assert your dominance.'” That wasn't exactly truthful. Beacon girls as fanatical as that probably earned a decade or two of death before they rejoined society. ”But being alive just means that you get to fight harder fights, right?”

”Mmmmmm. it would be unfortunate if I never got to defeat Connie's specters.” Lotus nodded in agreement. ”Very well, I forgive you for interfering with our duel.”

”You're welcome for saving your life.”

”Mmmmmm.” Lotus brow became even more crossed. ”I will depart then. I must see Faith soon.”

”Can't let you do that, Lotus.” Mac cleaned her mouth. ”It would be a problem if you started wandering around Penrose. Besides, in a few weeks Faith is going to move north. But it's fine.” She stood up and turned towards the octopus. ”You want to make this about strength, so how about we have a duel in one of Penrose's many parks? I win, you leave, I lose, well, I guess you're free.”

”Mmmmmm, you underestimate me if you think I won't fight to the death.”

”Sure.” Mac knew Lotus's love for her friends trumped her ego, but she probably needed to get her ass kicked in order to see it for herself.

---

Oros turned sideways and pulled an entire classroom out from between her breasts. A projection screen, a few seats, a projector (of course), the works. “I’ve got the best hammer space in the cast. Anyway, let’s talk about Schrödinger's Cat, without getting too deep into quantum physics.” She picked up a remote in her hand. “A cat is in a box. Also in the box is a machine that has a 50% chance of releasing a poisonous gas before the box is opened. The gas is 100% lethal to the cat, so it’s pretty edgy and shit. It was originally thought that when the box is closed, the cat is in a superposition between these two possibilities. The cat is alive and dead at the same time, and in opening the box we force reality to collapse on a single possibility. Schrödinger created this thought experiment to show how absurd quantum mechanics were. Then he got dunked on. ” Oros clicked the remote, and the first slide was displayed on the screen.



“When we open the box, we aren’t causing anything to collapse. The two possibilities split off from one another, which create two whole dimensions. One where the cat is alive, and another where it's shit outa luck. That also means that while you may only see one of these realities, there’s another you in a different dimension seeing the other one. And that goes for every choice you can possibly make.” Another click, and the screen changed again.



“These are called parallel dimensions. They’re like our world, but different things happened in them. There are also ‘alternate’ dimensions where all the really weird shit happens. Those don’t look anything like parallel worlds though.”

Aria's head bobbed side to side. "That's nice, but why did you tell me all of this?"

“I was originally going to tell Su from a parallel dimension about it, but then I realized that would cause problems and bring up a lot of questions I didn't feel like answering.” She gestured around herself. “So now we're here.”

"Oh okay." Aria nodded, looking a bit concerned. "Did you want to buy anything?"

“Yes.”

"What would you li-"

“But I have no money.” Oros loaded up everything into her hammer space and walked out of the shop.

---