Oros walked through the forest near penrose. She was delirious and couldn’t remember where she was. She wasn’t in pain, but she had lost too much blood and wasn’t thinking straight. Just because blood wasn't necessary for her to live didn't mean it was something she could easily do without. Anyone looking on would see a pink haired zombie shambling through the tall grass. Her outfit had been cut to tatters, and her jaw was dislocated if not broken. Her groaning even sounded like something a shambling dead would do. The zombie walked under the shade of a tree, and collapsed.

Her ambushers likely had a second ambush party waiting for her at the hotel. She needed to go somewhere else, some place they wouldn’t expect her to go.

She had her connections in Penrose, but her pride wouldn’t let her use them. There was no way she’d appear before Em looking like this, nor would she reach out to Cradle. She just needed a place to lie down where she wouldn’t be attacked again.

Connie and Mia were both spending a relaxing morning in their room. Mia was playing a video game, while Connie was attempting to paint a pretty landscape on a small piece of masonite. It was a beautiful day, the woods outside their window especially picturesque, all covered with freshly fallen snow, and with the increased control she’d recently gained over her magic, the timid girl hoped that this time, her painting would remain just as wholesome as her source material. Looking out at the winter woodland, Connie couldn’t help but smile. Nothing creepy to see here, nothing dark or depressing. Just the trees, some birds flittering between the branches, some squirrels frolicking in the snow, the body, laying under the nearest tree… Wait. The body…? Taking a closer look, Connie gasped as she saw that, yes, there was a body laying in the snow under the tree just beyond their window, an exceptionally bruised and bloody body, to be specific.

“Mia!” Connie cried out, startling her friend. “T-Th-There’s a b-b-body out there!”

“What?!” Mia exclaimed, rushing over to join her friend by the window. “Holy shit…” she whispered as she, too, caught sight of the mangled young woman.

“W-We h-have to h-help her!” Connie insisted, while trying to open the window.

“Wait a minute, Connie!” Mia instructed. “We don’t know what did that to her,” she explained. “We need to be careful, and we should definitely transform first.”

“O-Okay!” Connie agreed, before giving voice to her incantation. “C-Come on, Mia!” she added the moment her transformation had concluded. “L-Let’s go!”

Upon reaching the injured girl, Gaia knelt down to get a better look at her wounds, while a trembling Connie stood beside her. The masked girl gasped when she’d gotten a better look at the unconscious young woman. “I-Is t-that Oros?!” she asked, the eyes of her mask going wide.

“It certainly appears to be, little sister,” Gaia agreed as she continued to assess the girl’s injuries and apply botanical bandages where she could. “I can only imagine what did this to her, and I do not wish to meet them any time soon.”

Gaia really didn’t like the idea of bringing someone as rude and chaotic as Oros into their home, but at the same time, she knew they couldn’t just leave her out here either… And so, carefully picking up the pink-haired young woman, the verdant magical girl placed her on one of the leafs of the beanstalk the pair had used to descend from their room. Folding around her like a pea in a pod, the leaf rose upward to slip through the open window, with Connie and Gaia following close behind.

---

“W-What do we d-do now, Mia?” Connie asked as the leafy pod detached from the stalk and settled down on the bed. “W-We d-don’t really have h-healing p-powers…” she added, while nervously fiddling around with her hair. “S-So s-should w-we c-call a h-hospital? O-Or m-maybe Ronin and M-Miko?”

"That won’t be necessary." With some effort, Oros sat upright. She took hold of her chin and pushed her jaw back in place. "I should heal on my own. I don’t have health insurance and I doubt a hospital will accept a company credit card." She made no attempt to wipe the blood off the corner of her mouth. Oros’s eyes scanned the room. "I don’t think you need to worry about what attacked me. The things that want to kill me often don’t bother with others. Probably because I’m too hot to handle. A walking fire hazard. Taking me into your home is probably the worst thing you could have done for your own safety."

“O-Oh, good! Y-You’re awake!” Connie exclaimed happily, her mask forming a big smile as she held her clasped heads over her heart. “I-I was s-so worried!”

"Why, you’re my, whats her tits? Yea! You’re Faith’s friends, right? Did any of you get a chance to spin the bottle? My memory is a little hazy." That was when her eyes fell squarely on Connie, then Mia.

“O-Oh! U-Umm…” she mumbled, slightly flustered by Oros’ s sudden change of subject. “Y-Yes, w-we’re f-friends with Faith! A-And, uh, n-neither of us g-got to s-spin the b-bottle at M-Miss Sakura’s m-movie n-night… B-But we still had a l-lot of f-fun!” she added, hoping Oros didn’t think she was sad about missing out.

“Do you have any idea who attacked you?” Gaia asked, getting straight to the point. Her serene voice held a slight edge that wasn’t normally present, Oros’s comment that their course of action had probably been the worst possible bringing no small amount of anxiety to even this most tranquil of magical girls.

"You bet I do! And that’s exactly why the less said about the subject, the safer we’ll all be." Oros looked back to Connie as a bottle appeared in her hand. She placed it between the young girl and herself. "Regardless, with just a few of us playing, there should be more opportunities for you to go. In fact, why don’t you start?" Oros was grinning ear to ear.

“U-Umm, b-b-but i-if it’s j-just t-the t-t-three of u-us….” Connie stammered as Oros proceeded to start up an impromptu game of spin the bottle on their bed.

“Do you really think it’s wise to be doing that right now?” Gaia asked pointedly, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Oros. “If we are in danger merely by being in your presence, would it not be best if you left? Especially seeing as how you seem to be fully recovered.”

Oros looked down at her ruined body. Her broken arm, the cuts all along her torso, her tattered uniform that was grounds for indecent exposure. That was without addressing how she was fairing on the inside. The only reason why she hadn’t bleed all over the bed was because there wasn’t enough blood in her body to bleed from the start. She hadn’t even been breathing, save to get enough air to speak.

"I mean-" She looked at Gaia. "I’m not uninjured. I’ve still gotta regrow my heart and a few other organs. Pain just doesn’t bother me that much. In my current condition I’m pretty sure even you could do me in pretty easily." She tipped her head back. "Why aren’t we fighting? I mean, I know why I’m not, but you seem to hate my guts. Is there a reason you wanna keep me alive?"

For a few moments, Gaia simply stared at Oros, even as Connie gave a shocked gasp at the revelation that the pink-haired girl would need to regrow her heart. Finally, she gave voice to a tired sigh. “Look, Oros, I may find you more than a little annoying, but that doesn’t mean I want to see you dead. Besides,” she added, “My dearest Connie has an exceptionally kind heart, and she couldn’t bear to see anyone die, especially not if she had a chance to save them. And so, here we are.”

Oros nodded with a grin smug enough to imply that Mia’s answer was expected. "And I have a soft spot for girls like Oni, so you’ll just have to accept that I’m truly withholding information for your safety." She groaned and cast her head back. "Not in the mood for spin the bottle? Guess the outcome is a little predictable when it’s only three people. Not to mention I don’t see it spinning very well on the bed." As if to demonstrate this, she gave the bottle a spin. It didn’t even make half a turn before rolling back towards Oros. "Are you going to the Christmas party, Oni?"

Upon hearing Oros’s reply Gaia simply gave their guest a look that said “don’t you dare hurt Connie”, before allowing the pink-haired girl to move the topic of discussion to the upcoming party in Dan’s dimension.

For her part, Connie simply stared at Oros in confusion as the girl started talking about someone named “Oni”. It took a moment for the poor girl to realize who that might be, although she was still rather uncertain about the whole thing.

“M-Me…?” the masked girl asked, pointing a trembling finger at herself. “U-Uhh, y-yeah! I-I t-think i-it’ll be a l-lot of f-fun! A l-lot of my f-friends are g-going, a-and… H-Have you g-gotten an i-invitation yet?” she asked Oros, unsure if the somewhat strange girl had any friends to give her one.

"Yup!" She held up her ticket. "Seems we’ll be seeing a bit more of each other. I wonder if they’re cool with spinning bottles?" She opened her hand, and a phone appeared in it. "I can have someone pick me up if my staying here is a problem. I just don’t trust myself to get very far. Kinda feel like shit, you know?" She looked at Mia. "What do you think?"

Gaia sighed in resignation. “I think you can stay here,” the verdant girl told Oros. “At least until you’re fully healed up,” she added. “And as long as you promise to behave yourself.”

"I have been making an effort to keep the swearing down." She reclined in the bed a little. "But I’m trying to remind myself I’ve got a date for the party, but this green lady’s standing in front of me, and she’s not wearing a lot. It makes things hard."

Gaia rolled her eyes at Oros’s “compliment”.

“In that case,” she told their guest, placing her hands on her hips. “Allow me to make things easier.”

The next instant, there was a flash of emerald light and the nymph-like demigoddess was replaced with a short-haired tomboy, wearing considerably more clothing.

“I’m gonna go back to my game,” Mia said as she sat down on the other side of the bed. “If ya wanna sleep, try not to snore too loud. If not… I dunno, maybe you can paint some pictures with Connie?”

“I-If y-you’d like to, I-I’d be m-more than h-happy to s-share!” Connie added, transforming back herself and gesturing to her various supplies.

The weakened magical girl was so stunned by Mia’s transformation that she hadn’t responded to Connie's query right away. Her wide eyes tracked her all the way to the corner of the bed. "Not bad." By that point, Oros had gained enough self control to look back at Connie. "Paint, in bed? Eh, maybe if you have a few pencils I can just kinda sketch something." Her eyes rest on Connie’s innocent expression.

“W-Well, uh,” Connie mumbled, embarrassed about having forgotten that Oros probably couldn’t stand in her injured state. “I-I g-guess you c-could s-sit on the e-edge of the b-bed a-and use t-this s-spare easel… B-But, um, i-if you w-want to use c-colored p-pencils, I have s-some of those, too!” she added, before reaching into her art supply bag and producing a package of colored pencils and a small sketchbook. “H-Here y-you go!” she told Oros happily. “I r-really h-hope you e-enjoy it, a-and I c-can’t wait to see w-what you m-make!”

The beastly girl slid her knees forward, causing the blankets and what was left of the giant pod to bunch up around her waist. She pulled everything up to her neck with her good arm before swinging her legs off the edge of the bed. Oros was almost swaddled in blankets, with only her head and arm sticking out. She had been careful to not disturb the patch of blanket that Mia was sitting on, but they were sitting pretty close to each other.

"Been a hot second since I tried to draw something." her fingers glided over the colored pencils. Her fingers came to rest on the black one, which she pulled from the case. "Think I'm gonna draw a fight scene. What about you, Oni?" Oros was already tracing in stick figures.

“I-I’m g-gonna t-try and f-finish my l-landscape,” Connie replied. “I-It’s j-just such a b-beautiful day, I w-wanted to see if I c-could capture it w-without my m-magic influencing t-things…”

"Whatever makes you happy, kid. Whatever makes you happy." Oros took her pencil and started to go to town on the white sheet she had been given. Unlike Connie, Oros was drawing inspiration from her mind’s eye. A difficult feat to pull off, one that often has disastrous consequences when attempted by a novice. She certainly seemed like she knew what she was doing. Oros was holding the side of the lead against the page rather than the point. This produced a light, yet broad stroke with every pass of her pencil. She was just establishing the scene right now, drawing in stick figures and buildings. "By the way, why do you stutter all the time? "

“O-Oh, u-umm, i-it’s b-b-because I-I’m a-always s-so n-n-nervous around o-other p-p-people,” Connie explained, her embarrassment ironically causing her to stutter even more. “I-I’m s-s-sorry if it b-bothers y-you…” she added, sounding a bit depressed.

“She’s just really shy,” Mia added, not bothering to look away from her game. “And she scares rather easily, as I’m sure you’ve probably noticed. Incidentally, she doesn’t stutter nearly as much when she’s in a low-stress environment with people she’s comfortable with.”

"Is that so?" Oros looked at Connie. "You know if you’re scared of her, you can always come to my place."

“O-Oh, n-no!” Connie hastily clarified for Oros, holding her hands up as if to stop that train of thought from going any further. “M-Mia d-doesn’t m-make me n-nervous at all! S-She’s m-my best f-friend in the w-whole world! B-But, uh, t-thanks for the offer…” she added after a moment, the poor girl being just a bit too innocent to fully grasp the implications of what Oros was suggesting.

The same couldn’t be said of Mia, although the tomboy decided to keep quiet about it for now. After all, she didn’t want to upset Connie if she could help it, and there would be plenty of opportunities for her to “discuss” the matter with Oros when Connie wasn’t around.

"Oh, in that case, she can come too!" Oros grinned. What she had illustrated on her canvas was a single stick figure holding a sword-like weapon opposed by several other stick figures. This might not have impressed anyone, but Oros was drawing three-dimensional shapes over the stick figures to give them form. Clearly she wasn't done. "I’ll take you both at once! I mean, only if you get a luxury room. Otherwise I’d have to split you guys between the economy rooms. They’re all filled up." She traced two rather large circles on one of the stick figures, only to notice her error and erase it. Then she drew them even bigger. "I don’t know if you heard, but I run the Golden Trove now. So if things ever get bad here, I can set you up with a room." She chuckled.

“O-Oh, w-wow!” Connie exclaimed when Oros revealed that she now owned a hotel. “T-That’s r-really cool! B-But, uh, w-we’re pretty h-happy here, f-for the m-moment,” she added. “B-But, um, m-maybe w-when Mia t-turns eighteen…?”

“Maybe,” the tomboy noted dryly.

Oros’s grin only grew wider as they conversed. "and what happens when she turns eighteen? She’ll still look like a kid, as magical girls don’t physically age. Not like any of us would age even if we could, given how long it takes for a week to pass in this here Realm of Patrons."

“I’d like to think I can pass for eighteen, at the very least,” Mia replied. “Besides, this place has all my records,” she continued. “I think they’ll know when I become too old to stay here. I mean, I could probably hack the system, but that’d only really buy me a couple more years, before people finally caught on. And honestly? I’m not a fan of staying here any longer than I have to.”

"Typical child, so eager for the freedoms of adulthood without understanding the responsibility that comes with it." Oros closed her eyes and nodded at Mia. "…Is what my mother would have said. But she’s dead as dirt, so you don’t have to worry about that. To be fair though, I think most magical girls are deserving of their childish appearance. OH! and I was just on the radio. You guys listen to that, right?" She looked at the floor. "P-people still listen to radios, right?"

“T-The radio?” Connie asked after it was brought up. “U-Uh, y-yeah, w-we l-listen to that s-sometimes,” she confirmed with a nod. “B-But, uh, I d-don’t r-really like l-listening to t-talk shows…” she added in a more sullen tone. “T-The p-people they h-have on c-can be k-kinda m-mean…”

“I’ll sometimes listen to Pac-a-Fist,” Mia added. “But only if her guests aren’t too obnoxious.”

She pointed at Mia. "You really should have tuned in to her last show, because I was on it! And I’m so far removed from obnoxious it’s freaky. Like you put me next to an obnoxious person and they start behaving better. My mom said I was great with kids for that reason." She turned back to her drawing. "Anyway, it’s a shame I didn’t get to finish, but she said I could come on again later, so you’d better better tune in then!"

Oros was at the final stage of her drawing, where she was starting to draw clothing and accessories over the three-dimensional forms she had created. Many novice artists try to draw this step first and skip all the groundwork, but this always results in an amateur drawing unless done by a true master of the craft. That wasn’t to say Oros’s pencil work was flawless. She had made small errors in the construction of her characters which were starting to show themselves in the final piece. The lone swordwoman’s arms looked a little long. And her six opponents were crammed together so tightly it was hard to tell where some of them began and ended. But Oros hadn’t put down her pencil yet.

“O-Okay!” Connie replied with an excited smile. “W-We’ll d-definitely t-try to! R-Right, Mia?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” the tomboy muttered.

"I can understand your reservations though. This place has some huge comph energy to it. There’s no nearby monsters, no magical girls jumping on rooftops, it’s kinda nice. It’s simple." She had finally taken up the colored pencils and was using them to color in her piece. "I dunno, there’s not a lot in Penrose anymore. I guess you can participate in the Mint or Beacon’s war on each other, or hide, or respawn some time, maybe following Faith north is what’s best for you kids. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind the company." She chuckled. "I don’t know why I’m staying here any more. It’s not super relevant to my patron’s needs. I guess I know I won’t have the same sense of purpose elsewhere."

“Y-Yeah, it is kinda n-nice not h-having to w-worry about all that,” Connie agreed after Oros complimented their room. “B-But, t-there are also an a-awful lot of b-bullies here…” she added, her soft voice taking on a more somber tone. “A-And that’s n-not so nice… M-Mia’s a-always protected me f-from them, b-but she’s g-gotten in a l-lot of t-trouble because of it, t-too…”

“Ah, it’s no big deal,” Mia brushed the concern off with a shrug. “I mean, what sorta big sis would I be if I didn’t protect you from those creeps? I just wanna make sure we end up someplace where Connie’s safe,” she told Oros. “That’s all I really care about. At first, that meant gettin’ the fuck outta this shithole of a city, but now that we’ve made so many new friends here, I’m not so sure anymore…”

"It’s good to have options, never know when one of them is going to die on you." Oros set down a pink pencil and admired her work. It was no show piece, but for something that was done to pass the time, it was an impressive scene. A pink haired girl with a katana was rushing down a group of other girls. Most of them appeared to be wearing hoods, though they also could have been wearing religious habits. "Finished!" She signed her work with a “M.F.” before looking at Connie. "How did yours turn out?"

“P-Pretty good!” Connie replied happily. “I-It’s a little r-rough, s-since it was only a q-quick study, b-but, look!” she instructed, pointing at the canvas with an overjoyed smile. “I-It d-doesn’t have any c-creepy things in it! I-It’s just a painting of a beautiful winter’s day, j-just like I hoped it would be!”

“That’s great, Connie!” Mia told her, pausing her game and giving her friend a big hug. “I knew you could learn to control your magic if you worked at it! I’m really proud of you, little sis,” she added as Connie nuzzled her shoulder affectionately. “And I’m really happy for you, too.”

As the two embraced Oros tipped her head and smiled. "Yea, I’m gunna have thoughts about this later. The picture I mean! It's wonderful!" She looked at her wrist. "The Doctrine Of Combat Supremacy doesn’t say anything about the rate in which magical girls recover mana, but I’m gunna say a few hours of rest and a relaxing picture is enough for a transformation." She clasped her hand over her chest, and then something started to grow inside it. This wasn’t something that Connie or Mia could see, but they could hear it. Her heart beat seemed to echo off the walls of their room as she visibly healed before their eyes. The blanket she was swaddled in fell off of her shoulders. Her outfit was mending, as were the cuts all over her torso. With a snap, her broken arm mended together, and she was finally strong enough to stand up again. "Ahhhh ~ !" she cast the blanket aside before turning to the two untransformed girls. Without looking away from them, a red vile appeared in Oros’s hand, which she quickly downed. In a puff of red smoke, Oros’s black garbs had been replaced by her cat hoodie, and her eyes had turned from red to green. "That’ll keep the pesky lust from telling me what to do!" She nonchalantly pointed at her picture. "You guys wanna hang that somewhere? Something like that really needs to be on display, you know? I could hang it in the hotel, but if you think it could inspire kids to do better, it belongs here."

Connie was a bit surprised by how rapidly Oros was able to heal herself, but she was very happy for the pink-haired girl, nonetheless.

“I’m r-really glad you’re f-feeling better!” Connie told her. “A-And t-thank you for the picture!” she added, surprised that Oros was offering to let them keep it. “I-It’s really n-nice, a-and I think it’ll m-make a great m-memento of your visit!”

“Yeah, I guess it ain’t half bad,” Mia conceded. Truthfully, she preferred actions scenes to the peaceful landscapes Connie liked to paint, but there was no way she was gonna tell Oros that. “And I think there’s a perfect place for it in the closet,” she added with a smirk.

Oros raised an eyebrow. "The closet? Pretty sure I came outa there a long time ago."

“Mia….” Connie chided her friend.

“Hey, I was just messin’ around,” Mia replied. “Honestly, I think the best place for it is over the bed.”

“Oh! T-That sounds great!” Connie agreed. “T-That way, w-we’ll think of you w-whenever we see it!” she told Oros, giving the girl a bright smile.

"Over the bed? That’s a pretty prime spot. I’m not even going to play an inuendo there, and you all know I could." She pulled her hood over her head. "Guess I’ll see you at the Christmas party. You kids take care! " She waved to everyone with a wink before stepping backwards out the door.

“B-Bye, Oros!” Connie said with a wave. “P-Please stay s-safe out there!”

“See ya,” Mia added. “Oh, and Oros?” she asked after noticing the pink-haired girl’s choice of exit. “Would you mind leaving through the window? I really don’t wanna explain to anyone what a strange girl was doing in our room.”

Oros had only backed part way out before stopping. ”What? Don’t get many adorable pink haired girls with stylish clothes this way?" She stepped back into the room. "Fiiiiine, I’ll make use of my cat like agility." She folded her arms as she walked past Mia. "You’d better not be doing this just to check out my moves though."

The window slid open easily enough. There was a large tree outside with a branch that extended out towards Mia’s room. Typical setup to allow boyfriends easy access to a teen daughter’s house or to allow a teen protagonist to slip past their adult guardians. It always annoyed Oros at how contrived the whole thing was. Windows were designed to let light into a home, so people would seldom grow trees right in front of them. Even looking at things from the tree’s perspective this didn’t make much sense. Trees naturally seek out light, so they are more likely to grow over a house instead of towards its shaded windows. But Mia could make corn-cob-rockets, so her having a tree that seemed to defy logic and reason made sense in this case.

The beast girl hopped onto the branch, which bounced under her weight. Mia had made the tree plenty strong, so Oros had nothing to worry about. She hugged the tree as best as she could, stepped off the branch, and started to slide down.

Fast.

Very very fast.

It seemed that Oros was not as well as she initially seemed. Yes, her body was fully mended, but her mana reserves must have been too low to even manage claws for holding onto the tree with. One of her legs caught a tree branch, and she was sent cartwheeling through the air, only to have another branch strike her in the stomach. She bounced from branch to branch, swearing with each impact. At least every branch she hit helped to soften her fall.

After descending about four floors, Oros’s final drop put her face first into a mound of snow. Her body trembled as she sat upright. She didn’t have to say “ow,” anyone looking at her could feel what she was going through. "That is cold!"

”Good heavens!” One of the caretakers must have heard all of Oros’s shouting, because a portly woman came to Oros’s aid, ”What happened? Are you alright?”

Oros coughed before standing up. "Yea, Mia let me sleep in her bed. Did wonders for my ruined body."

”…Excuse me?”

"Wha? Oh!" Oros placed her hands on her hips. "I’m fine, yes!"

The portly woman folded her arms. Oros was caught squarely in her shadow. ”Did you try to sneak into Mia’s room?”

"Did I? I don’t think I know anyone by that name."

”You just mentioned her name!”

”Wait! Yea! I have a dog named Mia! Here kitty kitty kitty!" Oros used her superhuman strength to hunt for her dog as fast as she could. Certainly faster than some portly orphanage worker could follow. With Oros gone, the woman turned her ire to the window up above, and anyone who might be looking out of it.

---

“Would you care for some tea, Amanda?” Violet asked her friend as she took a porcelain teacup and saucer from the serving tray mounted atop their robotic flight attendant. “Or perhaps you’d like a different beverage, or possibly some light snacks?”

They were currently traveling aboard the heiress’s private jet, on their way to a meeting with Amanda’s twin brother, whose location Violet had recently discovered. A fully automated craft, the jet was a one-of-a-kind creation, constructed by Covington Industries for the express purpose of serving as it’s CEO’s primary conveyance. As a symbol of CI’s technological prowess, it contained every state of the art system and convenience one could imagine, all to allure potential clients and intimidate potential rivals. To Violet, traveling aboard such a pinnacle of engineering was nothing unusual, but the same probably could not be said of her companion…

"Hm? Oh, I'm not much of a tea person, used to run on coffee during late work hours. But snacks sound good!" Amanda chuckled, turning back to look out the window. There seemed to be a glimpse of curiosity in her eye. "You know, I haven't traveled by plane since I became a magical girl. Once I got the hang of my magic I just used stuff like my pocket dimention to get around." she confided to Violet, crossing her legs in thought. "There were barely any cases that required me to go overseas and such, and what with Penrose's condition, well, I had to stay there for the long run, for everyone's sake." Amanda flinched, realizing that she might have soured the mood, then looked back to Violet in embarassment.

"Uh, sorry for rambling! I hadn't had the time to clear my thoughts so..."

“No need to apologize,” Violet said with a giggle. “We are best friends, and confiding in each other is what best friends do. Or so I am told,” she added with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Meanwhile, the small serving robot rolled away to fetch some snacks, after Amanda requested them.

“A-And on the subject of confiding,” the heiress added in a more concerned tone. “I trust you recall that text I sent you the other day? About there being something I needed to tell you, but only face to face? W-Well,” she continued, while gazing down into her now trembling teacup. “Remember how I said that the name ‘Ebon Mint’ seemed familiar back at the Sanctuary? The reason for that is because… W-Well… I once made a deal with them, back before I became a magical girl,” the heiress revealed, her words pouring forth at a rapid pace, as if simply saying them caused her great pain. “My father was being magically attacked,” she explained, “and I needed to discover the culprit. But as you can probably surmise, even my resources were woefully unsuited to the task. That’s when the Mint approached me and offered their assistance. Having no other option, and not knowing how truly vile they were, I accepted their offer. It seemed just like any other business deal at the time, but now, after witnessing first hand what they did to Penny’s Sanctuary, I find myself horrified that I ever associated with them. A-And I’ve been so afraid that I would lose all of my new friends because of that one stupid mistake! A-Amanda,” Violet said tentatively as she looked up at her friend for the first time since she’d begun talking. “Please forgive me for being so foolish,” she pleaded, taking Amanda’s hands into her own as tears began to well up. “Your friendship means the world to me. I-I wouldn’t want anything to come between us, which is why I wanted to tell you this myself. You were my first friend, Amanda, my best friend, and you deserve to know the truth, no matter how agonizing it is for me to say it.”

As much as Amanda wanted to scold her for conspiring with the Mint, she understood where Violet was coming from. There wasn't a point in getting angry, especially since she genuinely seemed regretful. "Hey, it's okay." she softly reassured Violet, wiping away any tears on the other girl's face. "You didn't know, and you had good intentions. Honestly, I should've given you the run down on patrons sooner. Just, be careful if you have to work with them again, alright? And if they give you a black coin, don't use it. It's bad juju." the punkish girl smiled.

“Thank you, Amanda,” Violet whispered, while giving her friend a warm smile. “Hearing you say that makes me happier than I could ever put into words. And I do not believe they shall be offering me magical coins anytime soon,” she added. “As far as they know, I am simply a mundane young woman. Albeit a mundane young woman who just so happens to be the heiress of the world’s largest megacorporation… And that is where I may have some problems…” she confessed with a sigh. “As payment for their assistance, I agreed to let them make limited use of CI facilities and equipment. I have no idea what they intend to use them for, and I dread to think of the possibilities, but I promise that you shall be the first to know as soon I learn anything. If nothing else, perhaps I can provide you with insight on what they are planning. An inside agent, of sorts.”

Amanda leaned back in her chair. "I dunno, what if they catch wind and tried to hurt you?" she crossed her arms, appearing concerned. "Then again, as long as you're not a bigger threat than their main targets; whoever they are, it could work."

“I imagine things would be worse if I decided not to uphold my end of the agreement,” Violet pointed out. “But I understand your concern. In fact, I feel the same way, which is why I had my R&D team create a solution,” she explained, producing a pair of incredibly thin rectangles from a compartment in the arm of her chair. “These are state of the art pocket computers, the only two of their kind. Think of them as smartphones on steroids. They’re linked together via an encrypted signal, so any transmissions should be impossible to intercept. If I find out any information on Mint related activities, I’ll send it to you via this. How does that sound?”

"Woah." Between the reveal and explanation, Amanda's eyes widened with curiosity. She then grinned. "Sounds perfect!"

With such heavy matters out of the way, the two friends’ discussion returned to lighter topics. So things continued, until an artificial voice announced, “We have arrived at our destination, Miss Covington. Please fasten your safety belts and prepare for landing.”

The advanced VTOL aircraft would set down in a small clearing next to a quaint bed and breakfast, located on the rural outskirts of the town of Locke’s Hollow. It was here that Violet’s sources said that Amanda’s twin brother was currently residing. Despite the fact that it more closely resembled something out of a science fiction movie than a conventional aircraft, Violet’s jet seemed to garner no more attention from the locals than if a bird had landed on a fence post. Indeed, as they made their way inside, Violet and Amanda would notice that none of the other people present seemed to pay them any mind whatsoever. Somewhat odd, to be sure, especially for such an incongruous pair as an elegantly attired heiress and a punk girl. Walking up to the front desk, Violet broke the eerie silence by ringing a small bell on the counter.

“Excuse me,” she stated in a slightly colder tone than the one she used with Amanda. “We were told that Aiden Valentine was lodging here. Would you be so kind as to tell us what room he’s staying in?”

Finally deciding to acknowledge their existence, the dead-eyed woman behind the counter slowly turned her head to face the two young ladies. “Turtle Room,” she said with a weary sigh, after consulting a dusty binder. “Second floor, second door on the right.”

“How dreadfully inhospitable…” Violet muttered as they ascended the stairs. “Although I suppose I shouldn’t expect much from such peasants.” Realizing what she had just said, the heiress gave a small gasp, before turning to Amanda. “I am so sorry, Amanda!” she told her friend contritely. “I said that without thinking.”

Amanda shrugged, hands in her pockets. "Hey, I get what you meant. Some people are jerks. Then again the lady probably has poor work hours if she's tired at this hour. If that helps her case, hell if I know, but people tend to be grumpy when they're tired." she slightly grimaced.

“Still, it was wrong of me to be so needlessly arrogant,” Violet replied. “It is something I am trying to very hard work on, albeit with limited results thus far…”

Stopping at the second door on the right, they would notice that a hand carved wooden turtle had been nailed to it. It was intricately detailed, to a truly impressive degree, and with its realistic paint job, one might be forgiven for mistaking it for a live specimen. Were it not for the fact that it was nailed to a door, of course…

“Well, then,” Violet announced, while giving her friend a reassuring smile. “It appears this is the moment of truth. Are you ready?”

Amanda took a deep breath. "Right, let's do this."

Knocking on the door, Violet would call, “Aiden? It’s Violet Covington. We spoke on the phone yesterday. As promised, I have Amanda here with me. May we come in?”

"Eh? Oh, just a second!" A voice could be heard from inside the room, footsteps approaching the door before it was unlocked and opened.

"Right this way, Miss Violet. And...Ames..." Aiden stepped aside, letting the two step inside. Amanda could only shrug back, feeling just as awkward as him.

“Thank you, Aiden,” Violet told him with a polite smile. “I understand if this is somewhat awkward, but please allow me to explain. I regret to say that I am the one responsible for Amanda’s current condition,” Violet continued. “You see, Amanda was covering the initial testing of a prototype cellular rejuvenation technology being developed by Covington Industries. Unfortunately, there was a small accident, and Amanda was exposed to a concentrated dose of rejuvenation energy, leaving her in her current, youthful state. Since then, my research team and I have been trying to find a way to reverse the process. However, we have yet to meet with any success. Understandably, we wanted to keep the entire situation under wraps, but after I learned that Amanda had a twin brother, with whom she shared a particularly close bond, I decided it would be best to reveal the truth to you, at the very least. I can only imagine how worried you must have been,” Violet told him in a sullen tone. “Please forgive me for perpetuating this deception for as long as I have. It was wrong of me to put my company’s reputation ahead of your emotional wellbeing.”

"Uh, wow." Dumbfounded, Aiden scratch the back of his neck. "That's...alot to take in. I guess that explains why Ames hasn't been calling me, but I'd never know the day I hear about some sort of rejuvination experiment." He glanced to Amanda. "I mean, there was that one case with illegal cloning methods, so I can't exactly rule it out." He stepped over to give his sister a side hug.

"Sorry for dissapearing, Aiden." Amanda frowned. Not only cause she ditched him, she didn't like lying to him like that. "I wanted to get in contact with you when I'm back to normal, but nothing worked."

Aiden ruffled her hair with a smile. "Well you're still alive, aren't you? No harm done! Beside, I get to be the big sibling now." His smile turned smug with a chuckle, earning an elbow to the side from the smaller twin.

Thankful that Aiden seemed to accept her story, Violet allowed the two siblings to catch up, while she took a closer look at the room Aiden was staying in. True to its name, the Turtle Room was filled with instances of its namesake animal, with depictions of turtles on the curtains and bed sheets, a turtle clock, turtle lamp shades, and even turtle-shaped pillows. And that wasn’t counting the various carved and sculpted turtles scattered about the room on tables and nightstands. Like the specimen on the door, these were all intricately detailed, and Violet couldn’t help but be impressed by the skill their creators must have possessed. “Such exquisite craftsmanship,” the heiress murmured as she carefully examined each piece. “I cannot even begin to imagine the time and effort that went in to making all of these.”

“Yeah, this town was pretty big into arts and crafts,” Aiden replied. “In fact, it was something of a hot spot for any kind of artistic expression. Amateur musicians, painters, theater troupes, you name it, this place had it.”

“Had?” Violet asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah…” Aiden replied, his countenance taking on a troubled expression. “Like Ames, I’m a journalist,” he explained. “And the reason I’m here is because, about a month ago, this place was hit with a strange epidemic of overwhelming apathy and hopelessness. It’s as if some sort of unnatural malaise has enveloped the whole town, sapping everyone’s motivation, ambition, and aspirations. Heck, there have even been reports of people falling into comas and dying, simply because they lacked the will to live. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m sure both of you have noticed it, even in your short time here.”

“We have,” Violet confirmed, remembering the nearly lifeless woman at the check-in counter. “What do you suppose is causing it?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Aiden conceded. “But I do have a hunch. The last play to be performed before this whole thing started supposedly featured a very unusual prop. It was described to me as almost resembling an egg, but it glowed with a sickly light, which made it painful to look at. It’s not a lot to go on, but it’s all I have. That’s why I was planning on heading over to the theater this afternoon to see if the prop’s still there, and maybe figure out what the heck it is. You two wanna come with?”

“I would love to,” Violet said without any hesitation. “As you might expect, I do not get out of the office much, and I have always been fascinated by a good mystery.”

"Well shit, can't have you going out without me, right?" Amanda would hurry over to the two with a grin.

Piling into Aiden’s car, the trio set out to investigate the journalist’s bizarre hunch. As it was located in the heart of Locke’s Hollow, the drive to the Davenwood Theater provided ample evidence of just how much the veil of apathy had affected the town. Nearly every business was closed, no one walked or drove the streets, and the grey, winter’s day only added to the dismal atmosphere. The theater itself was an old, monolithic structure, one which instilled a sense of foreboding as they approached. That unsettling feeling only grew stronger as they made their way through the building’s darkened interior, the beams of their flashlights illuminating far more cobwebs than one might expect to find in a place abandoned only a month prior. No spiders could be seen, however, nor could the chattering of insects or rats be heard as they fled the flashlights’ golden beams. It was as if they, too, had succumbed to the malaise gripping the town. But the webs continued to be in evidence, no matter where the three investigators explored. Indeed, they only grew more prevalent as the trio neared the door leading backstage. Upon closer inspection, the webs appeared to shimmer and, if one watched for long enough, almost seemed to fade in and out of reality.

“Come into my parlor,” Aiden said with a small chuckle. “I hope you’re not afraid of spiders, Violet,” he added with a grin.

“Of course not,” the heiress snapped in a far harsher manner than she’d intended. “I am not some easily frighted child,” she added, although it almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself as well. “How are you holding up, Amanda?” she asked her friend. “And what do you make of these webs?” she whispered, so Aiden wouldn’t hear.

"Jeez, no one even attempted to clean this place?" Amanda grimaced at the sight of the webs, on guard in case something tried to attack them. Though it seemed she was just tense. "Definitely magic in nature. May need to do a little pest extermination if this place isn't really abandoned." she whispered back to Violet.

“I thought the same,” Violet agreed, fully prepared to eliminate whatever threat they happened to find, no matter how horrific or powerful it might be.

“Okay, moment of truth,” Aiden announced as he reached the backstage door. “I don’t know what we’re gonna find on the other side, but be prepared to run if things turn nasty.”

Once Violet and Amanda had provided their acknowledgement, he carefully opened the old, web-covered door. What lay beyond was enough to cause all three investigators to give voice to a startled gasp. Illuminated by a faint, purplish glow, an enormous eldritch arachnid creature, sat in an equally massive web at the center of the room, surrounded by dozens of smaller semi-translucent spiders. Instantly becoming aware of the three intruders, the horrific monstrosity turned its elongated head to face them, its vertical maw glowing with dark power.

“Foolish mortal CHILDREN!” its unnatural voice bellowed, each syllable seeming to claw at the inside of their minds. “How is it you INTRUDE upon this SANCTUM?! How is it you STILL possess the motivation to journey here?! Your thoughts so SHARP, your spirits so BRIGHT! How were they MISSED?! No matter…” the monstrosity added after a moment. “Like ALL the others, you TOO, shall become DULL and DARK, for none can resist...

THE EATER OF DREAMS!!!”

✩✩✩Good heavens! Faced with a creature that consumes the very dreams that fuel their magic, what will our two heroines do now?! Do they risk transforming, and in so doing, revealing their true natures to Aiden?! And even if they do so, will it even matter in the slightest against such a foe?! Will Amanda finally give in to her hidden sadistic nature?! The answers to these questions and more await in the next thrilling chapter of The Dream Team!

"Please look forward to it!"✩✩✩

There were many things that the twins had hoped to accomplish. Most of those things seemingly impossible with the various people and factions as they were. A number of things had changed though, not the least of which was the leadership in the Cradle. Maura seemed to be much more... open to dialog with those that weren't necessarily friends. If nothing else Kayli had left a good enough impression to act as a mediator for leaders in both Beacon and the Cradle. Though just as likely they could, and likely would, use the encounter to size each other up.

Whatever the case a place of meeting was struck in the Overcity. Given the circumstances a private room at a bar was booked where they could be uninterrupted but wouldn't be in some shady corner of nowhere. Arriving early Kayli would protect the room with what she could. Can never be too careful. Her guests would arrive and find drinks provided.

At the designated time, Alicia strode into the bar with a confident and formal demeanor. This was strictly business, and she held little illusion that things would go smoothly. Veronica might not be in charge of this particular group anymore, but no doubt her influence still loomed. That was why she had agreed to this meeting. She wanted to see what the new head was like.

Directed to the private room, she nodded to Kayli as she entered. "Hello Kayli, nice to see you again. I guess you've been pretty busy since we last saw each other."

Penny's warnings still rang true to Maura's head. Should she be doing this so early? Could she make a good impression at this point? She didn't know, but she trusted Kayli could help things run smoothly. Besides, Maura had her own questions in mind.

Not opting to shadow-hop this time, she'd enter the room a bit after Alicia, Betty in tow. "Good evening, everyone." she waved, then turned to the Beacon leader. "You didn't have to meet with me if you didn't want to, so thank you for coming." she smiled.

Betty was standing at Maura’s side. The girl was armed to the teeth, and she had her palm resting on the hilt of a sheathed sword. Unless someone had seen her fight, they might have found it curious how she had so many swords, and only two hands to hold them in. Her brow was crossed, and she eyed the two other girls carefully. Her fingers twitched, and her breathing was deep.

The keeper gave a nod to Alicia and stood from her seat. "Penrose has a lot going on. I said I would work on things like this and I seek to keep to my word. Suppose it's a surprise to both of us it was so soon." She would step up as her other two attendees arrived. "Hello again Maura." She noted tense girl next to the patron. Clearing her throat a bit she gestured to the mearby table where they could sit. "Yes, thank you all for coming. I don't have specific topics for us to discuss other than perhaps one, but we could get to that later. I though it best if we use this time to sit and talk over some tea or coffee. Or if you would prefer we could order something more specific." She would offer as she guided them.

Alicia took a seat just before Maura arrived, and the meeting could begin. She nodded to Betty out of respect but otherwise didnt pay her too much attention. She seemed to just be here a a bodyguard, so that was what Alicia would treat her as.

She then turned back to Kayli. "Coffee would be good." she decided. It would let her keep her nerves calm. Having made her order, her attention finally settled on Maura as she sized up the Cradle leader. "Well, the cradle is one of the major players in Penrose. With Veronica heading off for greener pastures, I figured I should learn who I would be dealing with from now on."

Maura hummed, sitting down across from Alicia. "Well, I'm sure you have your questions. I'll answer them the best I can." she looked over to Kayli. "I'll take some tea then."

Kayli would check with Betty, but she did not appear to be in a very talkative mood, and just shook her head. With that, Kayli stepped off to one side briefly to pour the drinks. Coming back over she would set the respective drinks before each. Any fixings they might want would be there on the table for them to use. Sitting down herself across from Betty the girl would sip her tea. For the moment she would let the other two speak.

Alicia nodded gratefully to Kayli as she took her drink, gently blowing over the surface to cool it off before she made any effort to actually drink it. Just because she had the superhuman ability to regenerate from burning her mouth didnt mean that it was an experience she enjoyed inflicting upon herself.

While holding on to that, she began the question and answer session. "I suppose my immediate question is what your intentions are for the Cradle. Veronica told me what she had in mind, but she's not here anymore. So what do you intend to do with all this power?"

"I don't exactly have a huge goal in mind. Mostly just getting Penrose back to normal at the moment, and preventing the apocalypse." Maura took a sip of her tea. "Things may be calm now, but who knows what may happen next."

Betty took a deep breath and smiled at her new employer. “Whew! For a second there, I thought you were going to bring a big sweeping change over the organization. Boss always had faith in your style.” Betty took her hand off of her sword and sat down beside Maura, totally enamored with her new employer. Then she turned to the others, at which point her eyes darted between the two other girls she had yet to introduce herself to. “Right." Betty twiddle her thumbs and looked off into space.

It was nice to hear that Maura had no plans beyond preserving peace and preventing general doom, Alicia was not content to just accept that answer on simple faith. Too many things had happened for her to trust a complete stranger. Particularly someone Veronica trusted enough to take over for her.

While Betty spoke with her boss, Alicia took the opportunity to sip her coffee. The bitter liquid kept her mind focused for the conversation, and she prepared to resume.

“That’s good to hear,” she agreed with a small nod. “At least the Cradle is being consistent.” That had been Veronica’s self professed goal after all, or something like it. But having confirmed it, that led to a natural follow up. “And how do you feel about the Ascendancy? Veronica wasn’t exactly fond of them after the Rave. They weren’t fond of her either.”

Maura sighed. "I'll be honest with you, they're not exactly my cup of tea either, er, no pun intended." she let her head rest on her hand. "Though from what Penny told me, you guys didn't ask for their intervention did you? Y'know, with the whole 'vacation' thing?" she appeared concerned.

"Thats right," Alicia agreed, not surprised by Mauras opinion in the slightest. It was hardly unique. "With so many of us gone the city was being overrun by monsters. They stepped in to keep things under control. I had hoped that I could convince them to leave once we had returned, but the attack at the Rave made that unviable."

Truth be told, she wasn't sure what it would take to get them to leave now, short of a directive from the central organization. But that didn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

Betty threw her hands onto the table and stood up. “Well maybe the rave wouldn't have been a problem if they didn't insist on playing directly into the PI's hands!" She spit out her words like they were venom. “Also, maybe don't ally with someone who nearly destroyed the world? There had to have been better choices than Justine, right?" Her body was trembling. “Go ahead, say something about Mariette! The only reason we allied with her was to get at Justine. And you know what? It worked!"

Maura recoiled slightly at Betty's sudden outburst, but tried to calm her down regardless. "Easy there, tiger..." she patted the girl's back., causing her to sit back down. Her gaze lost all intensity as she let out an exhausted sigh."I'm sure they were as unaware of the PI's involvement as we were, at the time." She turned back to Alicia. "Look, they may have good intentions, but the Ascendancy's methods contradict that. You know how the saying about the road to Hell goes. That's my only gripe about them." Maura took another sip of her tea.

"You're still angry about Mariette, aren't you?" She frowned.

Alicia did her best to keep her calm, sipping her coffee through the bodyguards outburst. "As Maura said, we had no idea that they were anything more than a tabloid. Unless you're saying that Veronica knew and decided that a magical bomb would be a useful part of her plans." It wouldnt have surprised her for a former Coin broker after all.

Betty rubbed her head. “I'm saying they involved themselves in something that they were ill equipped to face." She looked off into the distance.

"Technically, we all weren't. But I get it."

Alicia chose to ignore Betty for now, with that line of conversation seeming like a waste of time. What had happened, happened. They just had to live with the outcome.

Personally, she had not had any intention of bringing up Mariette, since that was another legacy of Veronicas leadership rather than Maura. But since it had she felt obligated to address it. "As a matter of fact, there weren't," she replied simply. "No one else was willing to acknowledge the threat she posed. I did what I felt I had to."

Having said what she needed to there, her focus returned to Maura. "What is there to be angry about? Everything was resolved, assuming the eldritch Horror doesn't notice she's been reverted from her brainwashing of course." Alicia was skeptical of how viable that solution was, but everyone else seemed to be confident that things would work out.

"Guess that depends on if she decides to break off of Asengav completely." Maura shrugged. "They could try and get more magical girls free from the mind-control shtick, but he's bound to piece things together if they're not careful."

The subject changing to something she felt more involved in, Kayli would sit forward. "I need to try and get in contact with Mariette if I can. I can see how someone like her could be conflicted about things when they were taken in at such an early age. She needs guidence, idealy from someone that she doesn't feel is trying to use her. Though talking about it makes the whole thing sound fishy." She would admit. Several steps had been made, but it was hard to tell if the efforts would turn out for anyone at this point.

"Regardless, its not my business anymore. You've dealt with the major threats. I intend to focus on making sure nothing steps into that void," she replied. She did her best to be calm and reasonable about it, but she was not entirely content. Still, if Maura was anything like Veronica then being up front about that would only be a weakness.

"Alright. But if you don't have any further questions, may I ask you something?" Maura asked Alicia. "Are you okay? I mean, with everything that's happened, it's bound to strain people, but I can't help worrying." She appeared genuinely concerned.

An eyebrow rose as Alicia looked on Maura in surprise, but her response was about as automatic as breathing. They might not be enemies anymore, but that did not mean they were friends. Especially with Betty being so hostile and being right here. "I appreciate your concern for my well being, but Im fine," she replied, leaving things like that without a desire to elaborate further.

Maura would blink, unimpressed, before it turned into a mischievous grin. "Come on, you don't got anything? Don't want to beat something up for your frustrations?"

Betty’s hand came to rest on the hilt of her massive odachi. Or to those unfamiliar with swords, a two-handed katana. “Maura, if someone layed a finger on you, I’d cut that finger off, along with the hand it was attached to." Betty fret her brow. “But if you insist on having Alicia punch someone, I can take it! She can hit me!"

Maura pouted at Betty. "You know I can take a simple punch! And I don't want you accidentally cutting her hand off either." she turned to Alicia. "It's up to you though, dear. If you have anything else in mind, we can try that." she smiled.

“I won’t cut her, because I’ll be letting her hit me!" Betty leaned in front of Maura while pointing at herself. With both hands. her sheathes lightly bumped into Maura as she did so. “Do it!"

Listening to the exchange, after several moments Alicia interjected. "I don't intend on punching anyone," she protested firmly. Or venting, or doing anything that could make its way back to Veronica's ears. "I'm fine."

"Alright, I won't prod you any further. _{Bettymoveoutoftheway.}" Maura shrugged, moving Betty back to her seat. "Well then, what do you want to do now?"

With questions of her emotional stability resolved, Alicia returned to the matter of business. There was not much left to do, at least as far as she was concerned. She was getting a read, though whether it was a read that was correct was an entirely different case.

For now she returned to her coffee, which was mostly finished by this point in the conversation. “I suppose the only thing I’d want to know at this point is your relationship as head of this portion of the Cradle to Veronica herself. Does she have access to your memories too?”

Maura hesitated to speak. This tick did not go unnoticed by Betty, who jumped onto the table and pointed at Alicia.

“Classified information!" Her finger was hovering a few inches over her head. “As an intelligence gathering organization, you can’t expect us to give away all of our secrets all willy nilly- Hey, I didn’t notice, but you have nice hair." She kneeled in front of Alicia. “It’s so shiny! I could have shiny hair, but it’s white so that would be kind of annoying. But yea!" She fret her brow. “Revealing information like that would be like me asking you what kind of shampoo you use, it’s never gunna happen!"

To be fair Maura didn't know what her relationship with Veronica was exactly. So when Betty intervened before she could work out an answer, she mouthed a "sorry" to Alicia before moving the bodyguard back to her seat.

Alicia resisted the urge to roll her eyes once more as Betty spoke up about classified information and whatnot. Perhaps it had been too much to ask, but she had nonetheless held out hope that it would work. As expected of an organization made by a Coin Broker, they had their fair share of secrets it seemed.

For now, shed just have to be more direct. "Fine. Then how likely is it that Veronica will swoop back into town one day and make all this talking pointless?" If she couldn't know how far her reach extended, she could at least know that.

"Highly unlikely." Maura took a moment to finish her tea. "Veronica had to disrupt something important when she first returned, I don't think she'll will again any time soon."

Betty sensed Maura’s uncertainty again, and probably felt like she had to redeem herself. So she added on to what Maura had said. “More importantly, Veronica surrendered the Cradle to Maura with the bindings of a magical contract. It’s impossible for her to get it back unless Maura signs it back to her."

There was some silence for a bit. Kayli would look at Betty for a little while before turning her gaze to Maura. "I do have something that I'm sure several of us have questions about. Justine. I was able to confirm her purification and her profession of repentance. Have you worked out the details of your agreement?" Given Betty's direct encounter, the Keeper did her best to calm the room with her magic. Being under Justine's control was something she understood on a personal level.

Maura seemed to flinch when Justine was brought up. "Erm, yeah. I was hoping to explain to the other agents next meeting, but to keep Father from corrupting her again, I took Justine in." She crossed her arms with a sigh. "I'm more than aware my choice will not be...well-received. The purification potion kept her torn between life and death, thus I was able to negotiate with her. Look at this as her rehabilitation." She looked to Alicia. "And I'm aware she may try to deceive me. I'm keeping a close eye on her for a bit to see that won't happen. If she dares to lay a finger on my agents, the contract will be nulled, and I'll drag her to the depths of Hell myself. I have a few friends down there that'd love to say hello." Maura looked into her tea cup and furrowed her brows. "If anything, I can have Eliza babysit her instead. she joked.

“She was already given a second chance, and she squandered it." Betty propped up her head with her elbow. “She should have been executed." Betty’s reaction wasn’t very strong, but Kayli was being stressed to her limit. This was more taxing than the twin’s attempt to break into Abigail’s mind while it was protected by the spark.

"Why do you think I'm watching her closely?" Maura raised a brow. "Not to mention that was when she was still corrupted. Call me curious, but I want to see how this new Justine ticks. If it doesn't work out, well, it's like I said. Not to mention Sonia's still out there somewhere. We may need the extra help against her."

An eyebrow rose as Alicia regarded Betty. "I believe that squandering is a matter of perspective," she noted, as the one who had been working with Justine up until now. Sure, she had done bad things in the course of that time, and there probably would have been some betrayals, but the actual cooperation itself was not, in itself, proof of her evil nature.

After a moment she shrugged and placed her now empty cup down on the coffee table. "Well, I dont have anything more to discuss," she noted, before falling silent to let Kayli and the others converse if they wished.

Another silence fell, and as it seemed that everyone was done talking, Kayli would break the silence and wrap up. "Well then, if there isn't anything else I suppose we can call this a close. I want to thank you again for agreeing to meet. Not everyone may agree with methods or decisions, but I think it's worth at least trying to work things out. If for nothing else for the sake of what remains of the city and its inhabitants. Given the last few months I don't imagine the area can take many more events like it's seen." She would try and bring them all to some common ground. If nothing else having the world burn around them was hopefully not the goal.

Featuring:
‘This isn’t my first sewer trip’ Ronin,
‘I don’t miss slime that much‘ Miko, &
‘Can no longer put it in crazy’ Sann

Hunting goblins. It was an ever popular side job for magicals of all shapes and ages, and by ‘popular’ I mean hated. And by all ‘shapes and sizes’ I mean only those who didn’t have better prospects. Add in the fact it was going to be in a sewer and there was a recent cold snap. It was going to be a cold, filthy, trudge through the underbelly of Penrose. One that would likely be icier than last time.

But hey at least they were getting paid.

Because of the ubiquity of the need to hunt goblins one could take this job from half a dozen people at half a dozen times and hunt in half a dozen locations. Yet they always seemed to start the same way, standing above a hole that led into darkness and the sound of water in the distance. This time the hole was a manhole located in some back alley and the water was the rush of sewer water.

The air was rank due to the open entryway into the sewers but at least there was no wind in the alley. There was fresh snowfall and the cold temperature practically ensured that there would be ice both up above, under the snow, and down below in the tunnels below.

This one girl, however, had a clear, well-defined reason to be back in the sewers. This wasn't about the money, which was just a bonus. This was for a bit of cathartic revenge.

‘Fufufu…’ Ronin chuckled where she stood in front of the manhole entrance of the sewers, her arms crossed with flowing determination. She grinned. ‘When I was new in town, I figured I was going to aim for the lowest of the lowest! And nobody is lower than the sewer-goblins! However, I ran into the issue I couldn’t frickin’ find them, and had to leave unsatisfied! I bet you think you’re so clever, hiding in the disgusting darkness below the city, where nobody could find you? Well, maybe you were right… but tonight, you are WRONG!’ Ronin told, as she spun out of the way to gesture behind her.

‘Behold! The grand weakness of your plan and that which guides the bringer of your doom! My SISTER, and her MAP!’ she called dramatically, and Miko dramatically pulled out the Super-Map with intention, immediately giving her a basic overview of the sewers below! It even showed the locations of living beings inside the sewer! Ronin grinned confidently. ‘It’s time we gave these sewers a proper cleansing~!’

‘Alright! Let’s go!’ Ronin grinned so happily as she prepared to jump down the manhole… when she looked over to the other person present. ‘Hey, are you a new magical girl? Haven’t seen you around before. Oh, are you here because, as a new girl, it makes sense to start with hunting the lowest of the low!?’ Ronin asked, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

‘Well, you’re in luck!’ she said, lifting a fist and pointing back at herself with a thumb. ‘I’m Ronin, a veteran goblin-killer and hunt-goer! I can show you the ropes and show you how it’s done! It’s just goblins down there, so this’ll be easy! If you’re ever afraid, just hide behind me! I’ll keep you safe!’ That the new girl looked anything but prone to fear passed her mind but she chose to ignore it.

Miko squinted at Ronin a bit, before putting away the map and bowing to her. ‘Thank you, big sis, for saving my life. It’s so sad that our parting must come this soon…’ she said, sounding so distraught.

‘… Wut. What are you talking about?’ Ronin asked, frowning and looking in confusion at her sister.

‘You’re talking like one of those over-confident will-definitely-die people from the first episode. Assuming our new girl is the main character, that means we will definitely run into trouble, one of us will probably die, and from how you spoke, it will surely be you…’ Miko sighed as she stood up straight, her eyes sad as she grabbed around her body. ‘I will treasure these last moments with you. I can only pray our inevitable savior will come to save the main character before I suffer the worst imaginable fate…’

‘…OY! I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION! DON’T WRITE US OFF LIKE THAT! I’VE HAD AN ARC, AND EVERYTHING! I WON’T DIE IN SOME SIDE-QUEST!’ Ronin went over to knock on her sister’s head, but Miko spun away.

‘Aaah… Denial is the first step of grief… I can still hear her voice…’

The two girls commenced giggling with Miko dodging Ronin’s playful punches and grabs.

Meanwhile, another figure had joined this hunt, albeit for entirely different reasons. Sann clenched her fist and checked the balance and feel of the limb, almost in a daze and completely ignoring the duo’s antics for now.

A sewer hunt with her massive wings in such a cramped space had added difficulty. It made good training, she thought. And besides, it was low-key enough to keep herself conspicuous even if her tendences flared up. She had achieved this shape to stay unknown to a degree, and the showboating she had done in her earlier stint was completely out of question.

Her wings then stretched, enclosing each one of the girls with one of the fluffy appendices, before raising her finger to her mouth, indicating the other two girls with a faint, eerie whisper. “Shhh…”

“You will scare the prey.” She said.

Ronin and Miko both turned wide-eyed as suddenly the wings closed around them, and the new girl gave them a simple message. They were quiet for a bit, before…

‘Ronin, I think you dramatically misjudged the new girl,’ Miko said.

‘Miko, I think you’re right,’ Ronin replied. ‘Okay, will be more quiet. I’m Ronin,’ Ronin said, and then gestured over.

‘And I’m Miko. We’re twins, and we’re Reinforcement and Air specialists, plus we have the map to help find our targets,’ Miko continued.

‘A pleasure to be working with you?’ Ronin asked, a little unsure how to talk to this girl. Especially with the wings holding them.

“Sanngridr. Chooser of the Slain.” Sann replied, still in a faint whisper, as she tightened both girls around her somewhat. They seemed full and brimming of energy. If she gave to her desires, would they ever find their corpses? “I deal in magic, spirits and reinforcement.” She added, beaming a rather empty and tired smile. Pleasantries weren’t easy in a sewer.

In fact it did look like an eerie smile. “A pleasure…” She added, before focusing for a second. A will-o-the wisp materialized in front of her, before giving a single command. “Scout ahead.”

‘Oh, darn, that’s a title,’ Ronin exclaimed basically immediately as it was given.

‘I’m, uh, not entirely sure a scout is needed, this map does all the… yeah, okay, let’s go with that,’ Miko said, a bit hesitant with the wing squeezing like this.

‘Er, can you let us go? We’ll be nice! Nice and quiet!’ Ronin asked with a big smile.

Sann, nodded. “Scouts are always necessary. Prey is slippery.” Sann said, as she released both girls, her stare going into an unknown spot into the distance.

‘Yupp, sounds good! A combination of the two sounds like the way to go!’ Ronin nodded, and also relieved at being let go. ‘Okay, Miko, keep your eyes on the map, and I’ll keep my eyes forward!’ she said, retrieving her flashlight from her belt… but not lighting it yet, maybe Sanngridr would disapprove, it could scare prey.

‘Alright,’ Miko nodded, bringing out the map again to glance over the structure of the sewers… ‘Shall we go, then?’

Sann just gave a small nod.

The sewers were just as dismal as the last time Ronin was down here. Wet, cold, and foul. the only real difference being that it was notably colder than it was last time. Regardless it took barely anytime for the three of them to reach the base of the ladder and once they had made it safely down the only source of light was the still open manhole above them.

The dull roar of the sewer water flowing past drowned out any sounds that they might have been able to hear, and were it not for Miko’s map the question of which way to go would have been a coin toss at best.

On it they could easily discern a notable gathering of what could only be goblins off in the distance, and the route to get to them started with going to the left. They would be able to get in some practice before that as well, as there were one or two smaller groups between here and there that they would have to pass by as well.

The will-o-wisp would return shortly before they encountered the first of those groups. It would draw close to Sann as it whispered that which it had found down here. The goblins outside of the main grouping were ill equipped to be of any danger, the ones just around the corner had spears made out of rebar, but that was about it.

But it also spoke of something that it couldn’t quite identify within the main gathering. Someone within that place was wrong. But the wisp was too weak of a summon to tell what.

A quick peek around the corner confirmed the intel on the goblins as a band of five could be seen slowly walking along the path. Two of them seemed to be trying to spear something out of the filthy water, with another two arguing with each other. The last one seemed skittish and scared as its eyes were darting about the place seeking any hint of danger.

The three hunters were unseen, for now.

Ronin and Miko would pull back a bit to whisper strategy.

‘Okay, so we don’t really have stealth-options, do we simply charge in and hunt them down should they flee?’ Miko asked, a little pained that she no longer had her Darkness-specialization, would have been useful now. ‘It’d be cool if we could surround them,’ Ronin said, then looked over at Sann for input.

Sann just offered a smile, before she wagged her finger twice, creating a couple of wisps more. "Rout them.Through the walls…" The Valkyrie said, as her wings once more covered the two other warriors close to her.

The smell of blood could be noticed by the duo as Sann herself bit one of her fingers and drew a bloody Rune of Darkness upon herself, to further obscure the three shapes which would be huddled together.

‘Um, okay,’ Miko said, looking a bit curiously as the wings held onto them once again. ‘Er, what are you doing now?’ Ronin asked, a little unsure.

"Rune magic." Sann said, licking her own finger. "Darkness…" She whispered.

‘Oh, yeah, I heard about that,’ Ronin noted. ‘Are you hiding us?’ she asked, simply by the association with the Darkness specialization. Miko, meanwhile, tried to gently and curiously run her fingers across the feathers. So fluffy…

Sann would instruct her wisps to emerge through the tunnels in the opposite side where they were. "...We are the hunters. Hunters...hide" She said before noticing a small tingle on her wings, and drew a finger down Miko's spine. "Stay sharp and still now…"

Miko drew in a sharp breath at the touch to her spine, fighting to stay quiet. Not unwarranted, but very startling! She did her best to focus next to Ronin…

The one trait that goblins have that could be remarked to be a good one was their sense of smell, because despite living in such squalid conditions the scent of blood was never something that they were able to miss.

But at the same time Goblins were cowardly and skittish creatures, so the five of them would pull up their crude weapons and slowly advance towards the scent of blood. All of them expecting a wounded animal of some kind that had gotten lost.

Then the three wisps would drift out from behind the goblins, unseen at first, but it didn’t stay that way for long. The trio of wisps would rush towards the goblins whispering as loud as such small spirits could. The goblins, the prey, reacted near instantly upon noticing the ghostly apparitions. They screamed and began fleeing away from their otherworldly surprise.

Or most of them did. One goblin drew upon some unfounded sense of confidence and stayed his ground trying to swat the three wisps out of the air with his spear. The other four didn’t even bother to look over their shoulders as they tried to scramble over themselves to get away. Never knowing that they were rushing headlong into the danger, rather than away from it.

Sann would then snap open her wings all of a sudden, creating a draft of wind in front of her as she allowed her fellow teammates to push forward from her cover. She did not want to sully her sword in killing these vermin so she just punted the nearest goblin into a wall.

The wisps, being ghosts, simply phased out temporarily, but doing nothing more.

Ronin and Miko suddenly found themselves with a heavy boost at their foes, and as newly coined Air-girls they used the breeze and flew out at the goblins, each twin using some magic to adjust their flight. Miko flew high, spreading her arms to grab their attention first and then throw a quick surge of wind into the faces of the goblins for maximum disorientation.

Meanwhile, Ronin flew in crouched and low, gripping her sword and reinforcing herself to slice with as much speed and deadlines as possible, to take them out fast and thoroughly. If any survived, Miko would drop from above with her sword to help clear them out, Martial Training should put them above regular goblins in skill.

The goblins halted in shock at there being suddenly more threats, and that shock would cement their demise. The blast of wind was really just adding insult to injury at this point.

The first goblin hit the wall with a wet crack and a dull splat, kudos to Sann’s kick.

The next two goblins would drop from Ronin’s opening gambit, her blade swung out twice with each arc cutting cleanly through them before anything could be done. The final of the goblins that charged was able to raise his weapon in time to try and block, but it was an unenchanted piece of metal. Ronin’s blade cut thought it just as easy as it did the creature holding it.

It was at this point that the sole goblin left would spin around, the scent of blood too thick for it to dismiss. Yet before it could flee, which was obviously it’s plan, Miko would drop from on high and sever the creature's head from its neck.

All in all it took less than a handful of moments. Not surprising considering the foes, but still something seemed off about how easy it was and a closer look at the felled foes would reveal that they were somewhat more emaciated than one would expect. That and they all had large patchy scars on either their torsos and limbs. Most curious.

Sanngrid let a small chuckle upon seeing her work of art, as she stepped forward towards where the assorted bodies were. "My...how lean. Not even...soup worthy." She said as she stared at her two colleagues. "Also too damaged for...wisps to use." She scoffed, before stabbing one of the dead goblin bodies in the heart with her own bare hand, attempting to see if she could get some information of their low class rabble souls.

‘… Phew,’ Miko made a relieved noise as she did her wave with the sword to remove the blood and then sheathed the blade. It was her first violent experience in a long while. She didn’t do much fighting in Mariette’s charge, she was normally just a servant at Mariette’s now-no-more manor. Her last battle was those liches…

‘Hah, take that…!’ Ronin said, pleased with the result. ‘… Still, even for startled goblins, that was weak. Wait a second…’ she made the noise as she crouched by her last goblin. ‘They’re… huh.’ That’s a conundrum. ‘I guess goblin-life isn’t easy?’ She also flinched a bit at Sann stabbing the corpse of a goblin. What for?

‘… We may find out more if we keep going,’ Miko said, taking out the map and a flashlight to check it again. ‘Shall we?’

Sann's face twisted in annoyance as she was interrupted. She just let a small sigh, and decided to cancel the attempt. Withdrawing her bloody hand, she then licked her bloodied fingers and let out a smile in agreement and anticipation.

"Bigger prey." She whispered.

Miko’s map would reveal an unusual turn of events. As from what she could see it looked like the goblins were mobilizing. The other ‘patrol’ group was returning to the larger gathering and there was a lot of movement happening within the gathering site itself.

A few moments later several smaller groups would leave the gathering site spread out to cover all of the tunnels nearby. The goblins seemingly knew that the hunters were here, and were looking for them. It was very out of character for goblins. The only thing that made sense was if there was something a bit bigger than a goblin ordering them around. But what that could be was unknown.

Regardless if they left now, they might be able to slip past these new patrols. If they waited their window for stealth would close.

‘What…?’ Miko muttered as she saw their movements on the map. ‘… They’re moving in organized patrols, searching for us. They know we’re here. Something’s commanding them. There is an opening to go directly to it while avoiding all patrols, but only if we hurry,’ Miko said.

‘The alternative is fighting a horde of organized goblins, I take it?’ Ronin asked, chuckling. ‘If we fight the horde, that’d probably let the “something” get away. That’d be a pain, wouldn’t it? The opening could be a trap, but frankly, running straight into danger sounds right up my alley,’ she said, then looked over to their third member. ‘What do you think, Chooser of Slain?’ Ronin asked, adopting the title because that’s what she remembered.

Sann just gleefully smiled, as she drew her sword at last. "We can't expect these poor souls to be chosen by themselves." She added. "Slip. Strike. Then we feast." Sanngridr said eloquently as she ordered her wisps to possess the less savaged goblin corpses. "Distraction." She added as she then decided to fold her wings around her, to appear as stealthy as she honestly could be, and follow suit of the duo.

One last glance at the map to ensure that the route would be clear and the three of them were off.

Speed was of the essence, but it wasn’t as easy as one would have hoped. Patches of ice twice nearly caused someone to fall into the flow of raw sewage, but both times quick reactions saved someone from falling into the muck.

They would slip into the final tunnel just in time to avoid being seen and from here the chattering of the goblins ahead could be heard. Creeping forward once more they would be able to take the time to examine the area they were now in. The rushing of water was fading away slowly, the tunnel they were heading down not having any water flowing through it. A maintenance area perhaps?

A head, beyond the end of the tunnel, there was light. A fire if the flickering nature of it was any indication. It stole away the shadows in unpredictable intervals limiting how close they could advance before they risked being caught. But they could still get close enough to obtain a simple overview of the room ahead, advantages of smaller stature and a still fresh Rune.

It was a larger square shaped room, Twenty feet wide and twenty five feet long, that had many branching tunnels splitting off from it. There were still half a dozen goblins at least, more most likely from the sounds of it. Most of the smaller ones seemed just as beaten down as the ones already dispatched, but there were others that the three could catch glimpses of. Larger by a notable bit bossing the smaller goblins around, they were in obviously better health as well as better equipped. They had crude breast plates, and crude weapons, but it was purposeful not simple trash repurposed.

What was leading them none could see, but every now and again they would hear a deeper goblinesque voice shouting out commands, or at least assumed commands by the way all the creatures would jump to start moving. The voice sounded like it was half drowned and there was always a wet hacking cough that followed after it.

A glance at the map didn’t narrow down where the creature was in the room, no one dot was staying still, but it did reveal that they wouldn’t be able to stay here for long. One of the hunting groups was seemingly on their way back already. The hunters wouldn’t have much time before they were found.

‘... We won’t be able to stay here for long, hunting parties will be coming back soon. We’re in between whatever’s over there and those coming from behind us,’ Miko mentioned, holding the Super-Map that she earlier placed a Reinforcement spell on just in case. Lots of running and slipping earlier.

‘Win here quickly or be overwhelmed by an army of goblins, got it. Wonder if that’s what the guys who put a B-rank on this bounty had in mind?’ Ronin asked, chuckling. ‘Okay, shall we go ahead, or do you have an idea?’ she then asked Sann.

Sann was beaming, as she tilted her head on both the twins. “Divi-de and conquer~” She almost sang, as she sheathed her sword in a quick move… and grabbed each one of the twins by the scruff of the neck, launching them towards the middle of the room. She’d then do the same, doing a jump, before concentrating and gathering her mind for a reinforcement barrier that would trap all three and hopefully their targets, and keep the returning parties off for a while.

“Hi.” She said to her opponents. “Now die and become food!”

That was the second time in as many attacks that the twins were sent flying by their companion at their foes. It worked for them, Air-girls, but still. Now, they didn’t have wings anymore… but they sure remembered how it felt to have wings. The two former harpies briefly used their Reinforcement powers to manifest wings made of barriers, gliding with the power of the throw before tilting and flying briefly upwards for long enough for Sann to arrive and deliver her one-liner, and immediately afterwards Ronin and Miko dive-bombed from above, intending on slicing down with their swords, Ronin a bit ahead of Miko because Miko had to quickly put the map away in mid-air.

The sudden entrance once again proved effective as it distracted the small horde of goblins within the larger room. As all of the creatures within came to a standstill at the dramatic reveal. And for a moment with their elevated view the hunters would at last get a clear image of everything. A solid dozen and a half of starved lesser goblins, an additional half dozen of the equipped goblins and near the back of the room a large grotesque looking creature.

It was humanoid with a patchwork of skins in various shades of green and gray, and it was a literal patchwork in some places as the greener the patches were visibly sewn onto it. It towered over the goblins, but that only brought it to roughly above human height. It had a squashed fanged face that resembled a goblin’s save for the orange misshapen eyes that glared out at the three intruders into its lair. It had longer greasy looking hair that draped across its back.

It’s arms and legs were misshapen as well, seemingly assembled together from a number of other either arms or legs depending on the limb in question though mostly it seemed like the donor limbs were mostly goblin.

The abomination of a goblin was the first to react, roaring out battle cry and pulling a length of sharpened and jagged metal from it’s hip. It would then charge the hunters shouting as it went, hacking up blood and water as well but that didn’t seem to deter it.

The rest of the goblins were split in their actions. The lesser breed instantly broke rank and started to flee, just in time to run afoul of the barrier that Sann called forth to keep outsiders from interfering with her meal. The higher ranked goblins began trying to beat and intimidate their lesser brethren back into a useful element for the defense.

Not that the lesser breed would prove much help, as Ronin and Miko would descend from on high to start with the clean up. The goblins had greater numbers, but frantic and scared they posed little threat and the two souls would easily make their way through four of the lesser goblins each before anything could hope to counter them.

Rather than let themselves simply be butchered with no recourse, four of the elite goblins left their lesser brethren to bang and scrape against the barrier to try and rush down the sisters. The goblins attack was straightforward, a simple charge with their crude swords and axes raised.

‘The heck are you? Frankenstein’s Goblin!?’ Ronin exclaimed with a fair amount of shock at the appearance of the leading goblin.

‘Try to be wary in case it has special abilities…!’ Miko warned, because that kinda looked like some mad scientist had been involved, and who knows what such an individual could add to their creations.

Still, for now, they’d carved through a couple normal goblins, but a couple tougher-looking ones were approaching. In tandem, the twins split up, Miko going left and Ronin right, intending to split their attention. Miko once again tried to blow wind in their faces while Ronin tried to create small barriers at their feet to make them trip over, and if successful they could try to charge in to stab at vulnerable spots in the armour, albeit they’d be wary of possible additional attackers.

“Disgusting.” Sann mentioned seeing the ugly thing. Her eyes then darted to the four goblins who were attacking the twins. And then the twins. And the creature. “Eyesore.” She reinstated as she calmly walked towards the center of the battlefield, seemingly numb to the rising struggle.

Her hand stretched towards the monster, and some of the surrounding creatures… as a second barrier about the leader was formed, hopefully trapping it and some of the other rabble, which wobbled ominously, mimicking Sann’s fingertip movement.

Sann chuckled.

And her fist closed, the barrier imploding.

The simple tactic of divide and conquer wasn’t one that seemed to be known to the elite goblins so when Ronin and Miko split ways the charging goblins did the same, two for each of the twins. The wind in the face disoriented the two after Miko, causing those two to simply start swinging blindly and missing the mahou entirely, though they would land a couple of wounds against each other before they realized it.

The goblins after Ronin barely noticed the wind as it came at their backs, but missed the trip bar that the crafty samurai had conjured. Unfortunately it only successfully toppled one of the goblins, as the further back one simply used his fallen comrade as an unwitting ramp over the barriers to keep racing at Ronin with an obvious two handed overhead chop. One that was sure to hurt if it landed.

In the center of the room Sann’s cage would capture the abomination, the last two of the elites and a half dozen of the lesser goblins, the latter of which had been rallied behind the charge of their malformed leader. The mob of goblinoids would slam into the walls of their cage and near instantly start trying to batter them down. Of which only the abomination seemed to be making any headway on that front as it’s strike actually served to deform the barriers outside of what Sann was performing.

Then the din of battle was awash with the sound of crunching bone and splattering flesh as Sann revealed her ploy for the attack it was.

Those goblins on the edge who had possibly decided that it was better to try and kill the intruders then flee, once again went back to trying to claw their way past the barriers. While the ones who had never stopped redouble their efforts with desperation now fueling their strength. It didn’t change anything.

The goblins involved with fighting Ronin and Miko seemed oblivious to the sudden and gruesome end of their leader. Too filled with bloodlust to take note of anything other than their targets.

Letting her attack fade Sann would be surprised to see that, in fact, the abomination wasn’t dead. But by no means was it in good condition. The grey splotches on its body had turned black and for the most part had suddenly rotted away, revealing the nightmarish conditions of it’s bones. The green patches had turned gray, and were really the only bits of skin the creature had left at this point.

It would let out another roar, it’s visible lungs rupturing with the amount of air it was forcing though the too small organs. In that same instance the bodies of the goblins pooled at its feet would emanate a purplish glow as threads of magic would weave though its body stitching it back together in macabre fashion. Yet even after the magic had run its course it was easy to see that the monster wasn’t fully healed. The once green skin was still gray, and the gray skin was only half returned, leaving large open sores that revealed its twisted insides.

With anymore delay it once again charged, eyes fixed on Sann with an ugly sneer on its face as it closed the gap to try and hack away at the fallen Valkyrie.

Ronin crouched to stab at the fallen goblin, but definitely noticed the attack of the other one. The attack was so telegraphed, yet it was promising to come with significant speed and power. So Ronin focused and formed a barrier. A small, gently formed barrier that shaped under the goblin’s upper arm, meaning that when he swung down his arm, the slowest-moving part of his arm, would suddenly find itself stopped by a force close to the base of his shoulder and lose all attack-power.

Miko, noting how the two in front of her were completely distracted, jumped into the air with some Air-magic applied, blew two blasts into their faces again for good measure, and then jumped on a tilted barrier she formed under her feet to carry her straight over her pursuers to stab her sword into the halted goblin attacking Ronin from behind. Hopefully less armour from behind. Ronin skipped to finish off the fallen goblin in the meantime, and hopefully that meant having taken out two of the elites and they were ready to face the other two as a pair.

They did notice what happened with the leader, but they were a little occupied to comment on it.

Sann did look with disappointment at the failed carnage, her quarry stitching herself before her own eyes with some sort of magic. “Feh.” She said as she drew her sword.

All in a flash, Sann’s second attack was executed. An ominous evil-looking eye was manifested on one of the Valkyrie’s sides, as she matched the goblin’s attack with a lunge of her own. However, the manner of swordsmanship was clearly different. Sann aimed to cut every and each one of the magical threads the creature had manifested, as well as try to cut the magical points of the creature.

“Reverie of Roses ~” She sang, imitating a well-known Penrose swordswoman.

Even if Sann had followed the same manner of attack as her abominable opponent it would have looked different. For the foul creature didn’t have any style it was just using its excessive strength to swing around its chosen weapon. Thus slipping past its wild strikes was a simple task, one made easier by her now enhanced sight.

And it was quite the repugnante thing to said enhanced sight. It’s soul was a twisted amalgam of fractured goblin souls which was the secret to its durability. The core, or perhaps original soul, held a tenacity for life that was uncommon and had bound itself to a body using the fraying edges of its own soul. A nifty necromantic application of magic, that was impressive for a goblin.

It was using those frayed edges to stave off death, but since it was a goblin it was slowly falling apart anyway. So it resorted to adding more and more goblin to itself sealing bits of body and soul from those it deemed lesser. But the increased mass just meant it was dying faster with each additional piece.

With that knowledge in mind picking it apart piece by piece was a simple task. Dodge a strike, step in, sever meat from bone and shave stolen soul from core. Rinse repeat. It’s strength was slightly greater than Sann’s but that would only be a worry in a direct clashing of blades, and even then only until Sann chose to augment her own physical capabilities with magic.

The abomination’s death was assured and it now only lived by Sann’s whim. For any attempt it would make, to try and leech off of any of the goblins in the room was be easily countered by the greater skill and power of the Valkyrie.

The last of the remaining goblins with the ability to fight, were utterly unaware of just how poorly the circumstances were for them. Once again the wind stalled them out of any important actions or observations and served to only heightened their anger which narrowed their vision to only Ronin and Miko.

The two girls in question had displayed the correct way to work with a partner, a lesson that the two dead elite goblins would never be able to put to use. Assuming that they even understood the teaching in the first place.

The downed goblin was helpless to defend itself from Ronin’ putting it out of everyone's misery, and the one who sought to attack her was utterly baffled as to why it couldn’t lower it’s arms correctly, which made it all too easy for Miko to slide a blade into it’s back. The armor was providing some resistance, but nothing that could stop their magical weapons.

With those two taken out of the way they were free to return their attention to the remaining goblins that had charged them as the wind blasted creatures finally cleared the dust from their eyes and upon seeing Ronin and Miko just standing there, the goblins once again rushed towards them. No thoughts of plans or tactics just blinding anger that they would scream to their fullest as they charged.

Honestly, at this point it was getting to be a sad display even for goblins.

Sann’s face of disappointment was turning into a frown, when she decided to dispel the dome, allowing the rest of the goblins to seep in. It was a sweet spot in momentum, as they were enraged by the slaughter but had not yet broken rank and fled.

Now it was time for the cleanup. Sann flicked the blood of her blade, and extended a hand towards the abomination, an otherworldly aura appearing around her as she was manifesting spirit magic. The wisps she had once summoned were gone now. The necromancy was unexpected but it was so shoddily done that it should not be too troublesome to unravel it. So she exerted the brunt of her spirit magic on the twisted aberrant soul core of the creature, trying to scatter it and force it to pass on.

“My my. If you were human, I would have taken you with my lord, but you’re not worthy of Valhalla.” She spoke, in a soft soothing voice, at clash with the violence and her frown. “But rest assured… you get to see every single of your minions die in front of you.”

Ronin chuckled as she and Miko managed to take out two elite goblins next to one another.

‘Just like old times?’ Ronin asked.

‘Not exactly,’ Miko replied giggled. The two then shaped barriers shaped like discs in their hands, enhanced them to have weight and then both of them spun at the same time to send the barrier discs spinning into the faces of their goblin attackers, their discs crossing so Miko’s hit at the one focused on Ronin and Ronin’s hit at the one focused on Miko. They then launched to pass by their respective goblin, intending to slash them through as they landed.

The two foes blinded by anger as they were were easily put down. One of them had kept enough awareness to block the bladed spell heading its way, but in doing so lost track of their target which led to them being felled by the follow up strike. The other goblin wasn’t so lucky, it failed to notice the disc until it was too late to fully dodge it, and while it wasn’t fatal the follow up was.

The twins would flick their blades clean just in time to hear an unearthly wail coming from the abomination. A sound that halted every one of the goblins. None of the creatures knew what was happening, none had a strong enough magical aptitude to see the aura of helheim that cloaked around Sann, but they could feel the biting cold it gave off nonetheless.

With the forceful application of her magic the abomination in front of her would burst into pale flames, the stolen body parts burning to ash as their connection to life was severed. In no time at all the creature was reduced to just a single bluish grey goblin that for all the world seemed like it had drowned.

It would give out one last choking cry before it became transparent, its truth as little more than a deranged ghost revealed at long last. A moment later, with the sound of cracking ice, it was gone.

A moment of silence was left after that showing, an instance of calm, Then the remaining goblins, less than twenty in number, would cry out and begin fleeing. The mottley remains would scatter as best they could with each one running for its own life.

Sann sighed, before eyeing the sorry vermin. Those were part of the quest, were they not? She decided to give the other two girls a reinforcement boost, before she snapped into action as she rushed to kill as many of the creatures as she could reach.

‘Woah,’ Ronin made a noise at what Sann did over there. ‘I guess… she handled that, I’m not even sure what she did…’ she said, severely chilled by the idea she could just hold a hand forward and someone would just burst, or whatever that was.

‘Er, that wasn’t…’ Miko had looked over in time to see roughly what happened with Third Eye, but that’s when the remaining goblins cried out and fled. Sann reinforced them, making them stronger, and the two exchanged looks. ‘The mission was to wipe them out,’ she commented.

‘Aw, but now I kinda feel sorry for the buggers,’ Ronin commented. Then, she shrugged and smiled. ‘Whelp, guess we gotta pull our weight!’

The two drew their blades and dashed in whatever direction Sann did not, using Air-magic to catch up and dispatch the goblins as they could.

It was chaos, disorganized and frantic on the side of the goblins, but controlled and directed on the side of the hunters. Alas, despite the greater speeds and magical capability one or two of the goblins would be able to escape the massacre. If only because there were just three hunters and twice that many number of tunnels for them to flee down.

Tracking down the lone survivors was within the hunters capability but at this point was likely worth more effort then it would be worth. The nest of Goblins was destroyed and the majority of pests were eradicated. A job well done by near any metric.

‘Phew, a job well done, I’d say!’ Ronin said, chuckling as they came to a close.

‘There’s… a couple of them left in the sewers, but we’ve definitely wiped out the majority of them. Not to mention, whatever that was, so we can probably claim ourselves done?’ Miko asked, looking to the third of their number.

“Is that...it?” Sann said, as she eyed the other two, cleaning her blade from blood with a flick and sheathing it. “It’d be fun… to exterminate them whole.” She said as she skipped some steps moving forward towards the twins. Close. Extremely so.

“I’m hungry.”

She said, still disregarding personal space.

‘Well, um, you could do that?’ Miko suggested, a little concerned. Ronin, meanwhile, smirked.

‘Wanna go buy something to eat?’ Ronin asked, totally unbothered.

Sanngridr did not reply for a moment, instead focusing on the two. “Yes...something delicious.” She added, not choosing to press on. They did look delicious, indeed, but she had to exercise restraint.

‘Great! I'll show you my favourite places! Let's go!’ Ronin said, smiling so widely as she started wandering to return to the surface. Miko, of course, had to follow because she's the one with the map. If Sann followed, she'd want to ask, though.

‘Um, miss Sanngridr? Are you new in Penrose? Do you, uh, have allies?’ Miko asked, not entirely sure what answers she was looking for.

“I’m new. And allies... not really.” She curtly added, hushing the two out of the sewer.



Sanngridr was a high performance girl, in more ways than one. Keeping those majestic wings usually took a lot of her energy, and even in her human form, she was like those monster cars that drank gas like water. In fact, she had even less mercy for edible stuff than she had for the goblins.

The twins looked on in awe. Slightly concerned, Miko turned and looked at Ronin.

‘Um, Ronin? Do we have the money to pay for this?’

‘Miko, are you under the impression I have money?’ Ronin asked back, grinning as Miko paled just the bit as she had the dawning realization of what Ronin’s plan was.

It was then, when Sann stopped, and glaring at Ronin...she drew awfully close to her face, and without disregard of personal space… licked all over Ronin’s cheek. “Sauce~ So tasty.” She added, before withdrawing, sparing not even a droplet of sauce that had splashed over.

“I have money. Sort of.” Sann reassured. Her power kit did allow her to get some pocket money by helping lesser injuries and performing some spiritism after all.

Ronin looked curiously at Sann leaning very close to her, not entirely sure what to expect… then winced somewhat as she got her cheek licked.

‘Wh-wha-’ Miko made a startled noise, not entirely comfortable with her sister being licked like that, while Ronin mostly just looked surprised as Sann went back. Then Sann said that, and Ronin just grinned while bringing up a hand to brush her own cheek a bit.

‘Oh, you’ll use that? I thought we’d just run, but that works too! Nice! Thank you!’ Ronin said, while Miko still looked highly bothered by that earlier gesture, the implication they might be hanging out with a Devourer. Miko winced a little, remembering that she and Ronin, too, were once Devourers. Mariette was really good at keeping them in line, though.

‘… Um, are you, er, a Devourer…?’ Miko asked, quietly. It was a somewhat awkward question, that someone may take offense to, but if so…

Sann just grinned and decided not to reply. Food was more important.

‘… We… used to be Devourers, before being purified. Not having allies when being such can be dangerous. I’m, uh, sure you have your ways of dealing with it,’ for one thing she was looking at it, ‘but if you ever need help, we would be understanding. Ronin?’ Miko asked, turning her head.

‘Right, I’m the one with the phone,’ Ronin chuckled, then pulled up a “business card” of sorts, with a name and a number. ‘If you have a phone and want to get into contact with us, this is how. And yes, if that’s the case, we should be pretty understanding. Okay?’

Sann all of a sudden, stopped eating… and eyed the card. “I’ll treasure~ it.” She would interject, before getting back to food.

‘Nice!’ Ronin nodded, and looked to Miko. ‘We have another contact~’ she whispered excitedly. One-way contact for now, but.

‘Ah, yeah…’ Miko nodded, swallowing a little as she looked with concern at Sann. She hadn’t done anything harmful to them yet, but… Miko couldn’t shake the feeling that they hadn’t seen everything this girl was capable of, and it worried her. Worried what she might do in the future.

Only the future would tell.

The beginning of this particular bounty was what one would consider to be mysterious. At the agreed upon location, when the magical girls arrived they would each be met separately by a mechanical ball with four legs sticking out of it in the cardinal directions. It would lead them to a nearby building, inside of which was a modestly furbished antechamber.

There they would find their mad scientist….over the intercom. The task was laid out before them. Samples were needed for the purposes of research. Bones, claws, skin samples, blood, these and various other items that could potentially be used to develop an understanding of how these dragons functioned and other things that they had been assured was ‘too complicated for them to understand’. They wouldn’t see much of the lab itself, though bubbling cauldrons and humming tesla coils did serve to cast a certain image of their employer.

However, the two girls would not be ill equipped for this task. The robot familiar they had met before proceeded to provide them with Hammerspace Handbags, for transportation of their assorted goods. Inside they would find surgical knives, flasks and tubes, syringes, that sort of thing.

With items in their possession they would be unceremoniously removed from the antechamber and sent to the edge of the city. There they would await the arrival of the dragons that would be the focus of their efforts today.

“What a silly guy!” Oros looked over the things in her hammerspace handbag. “I’ve already got an assortment of cages and my patented tru-space hammerspace! But if there’s something playing MMO’s taught me, it’s to never say no to free stuff!” She turned over a syringe in her hand. “Besides, some of these quests can only be completed with quest related materials because the developers didn’t think of doing something cool like letting players-” Oros turned to the other girl who was standing in roughly the same place. “Hold on a second.” She stepped closer to the stranger. “You look like a schoolgirl, but that can’t be right.”



How did Shion get into this mess? Oh, right. Greed. That and Ko’s helpful advice that someone was willing to pay for dragon samples. She had just arrived at the edge of the city when someone approached her.

”I… I do, yes? Don’t like… half of us look like schoolgirls? Isn’t that the whole shtick?” She could tell this other girl was there for the same reason, seeing as she had the same gear that Shion had received.

“No no, I get that, but check this out.” Oros pointed at her head. Or more specifically, the cat eared hoodie she was wearing. “I’ve got like, this totally snazzy hoodie, and this sport bra, and this katana that’s also super cool. I look like a thirsty/jailbait cosplayer. But you?” She squinted her eyes. “You like, legitimately look like a school girl. Are you going to transform?”

Shion took a closer look at the girl. She did look pretty cool. Hell, if she were a boy, she might even be into that. But as it was, she was more envious of the outfit than anything else. ”I, uh… am?” she replied, looking down at herself and her definitely school uniform that she was wearing. Though to be fair, she didn’t look any different normally, barring the outfit.

Oros fret her brow. “So this is what you look like when you fight monsters and other magical girls?” She pointed at Shion with both hands. “Just, exactly like this?”

”Yeah? What about it?”

“It’s…” Oros’s face flushed red, followed shortly by her mouth curling into a mischievous smile. “…Totally adorbz!” Oros made grabbing motions with her fingers as she closed in on Shion. It seemed like she wanted to hug.“I’m Oros, what’s your name?”

”Thanks?” Shion had a bad feeling all of the sudden. ”I’m Shion. Nice to meet you?”

The hooded girl’s approach was slow, but when Shion didn’t back away, Oros closed the distance and curled her arms around Shion’s waist. “that’s a very pretty name. Short things are always cute, regardless of what they are.” She released Shion after just a few seconds, and positioned her hands on her hip and chin. “It’s just a shame you’re probably in bed with Beacon or the Mint.”

Shion tensed up when Oros grabbed her, and didn’t relax just yet. ”You’re the second… third? Third person to think that. I’m not Beacon and the Mint was, until recently, after me. Might still be, for all I know. But I’m working towards taking down both of them as a favor to someone. Plus, at least the Mint is going to try to get in my way with something, so I’m definitely trying to get them out of the picture for a while if I can.”

There was little warning before Oros Pulled Shion into a second, much tighter hug. This one pulled her legs off the ground as oros rubbed her cheek against Shion’s head. “OhmygodyouaresopreciousIhavenoideawhywedidn’tmeetsoonerbecauseIthinkit’sreallyhotwhengirlscanstanduptobigfactionsandevengoagainstthemthere’stoofewpeopleinthisworldthatarejustcontenttobesatisfiedwiththestatusquoandwilljustkeepdoingwhatsocietydemandsoftheminsteadofwhattheyknowisrightintheirheartsifanythinghappenstoyouIwillpersonallysetoitthateveryonewhoharmedyouisslainandthenIwillkillmyself! ” With herself (and likely Shion) out of breath, she set the girl down and gasped for air. “I really miss not needing air, *WEEZ*`` After she had regained her composure, she folded her arms. “Well I don’t fully trust you yet. We just met. It’s rare for someone not to be an ally of at least one of those two. But if what you say is true, maybe we can help each other after we’re done here.``

Shion’s eyes practically popped out of her head while she tried to parse what Oros had just said. She held out her arm to keep her away as she collected herself and caught her breath. “Th-thanks. And yeah, I get that. Not trusting me is probably smart; like you said we just met. But if you think we can help each other later, then I’ll look forward to that.”
“ Suppose we’ll focus on the job at hand, then.” Oros drew her sword. “I’ve assessed your fighting abilities through a proven method known as the embrace of jolly cooperation. My estimates place your strength and speed far below mine, but you seem to have a moderate amount of durability.” She glanced at her black sword for a moment before locking eyes with Shion. “The assumption is that you have powerful magic. Is that the case?”

”Fairly powerful, I guess. I’ve seen stronger, but… I haven’t met anyone with as versatile of a magic type as mine, other than M-... a certain person. And she’s practically cheating, so I don’t count her. I do have some martial skill, though.”

“Feel like sharing what type of magic that is?”

”Magnetism.”

Oros’s eyebrows raised, if only momentarily. “We that should be pretty useful for this!” Oros examined her “sample collection apparatuses” again. “Most of this stuff is made out of metal. So if I keep the dragons busy, you should be able to collect a fair bit of samples for both of us! Sounds good right?”

”I mean, yeah, I guess that could work. Seems like it would be easier to do it manually, or try to get on their good sides and ask nicely, but that’s a good method too.”

“Hol- up!” Oros raised her hands. “You, wanna try talking to them?”

”I, for one, have always had the fantasy of talking to a dragon. So yes, if that’s at all a possibility, I’d like to.”

The hooded girl thumped her foot. _{“But they’re so fun to murder…”} With a sigh, she sheathed her blade. “Alright, I guess everyone deserves to talk to a dragon at least once. If a dragon offers up itself to have its body harvested, that might be a conversation I want to hear.” Oros pointed at Shion. “I won’t like it, but I’ll stay my bloodlust until they get violent. But then we’re gunna do something I want to do later, alright?”

”That’s a dangerous compromise, but for a dragon I’m willing to agree.” Shion replied warily.

“It won’t be anything too bad. I would like us to remain allies after this.” Oros grinned.

A few minutes later, the reason that they were here would make itself known. Distant roaring, and the ever softer flapping of wings. High in the sky, those with sharp vision could make out several dragons moving along in a staggered formation. They soon began circling and descending towards a spot nearby, where they could rest and replenish their energy. It was time to put the plan into action.

Shion watched as the majestic lizards… Lizards? Wyrms. As the majestic wyrms approached with awe visible on her face. It was literally a dream come true for her, and she didn’t want to mess this up. She began approaching them once they landed, ready to try and parley with them for what was admittedly a weird request of pieces of their bodies.

Her companion was content to just follow her lead. Or at least, she wasn’t outright protesting. Her far superior physique made keeping up with Shion easy. When they arrived at their location, Oros said nothing. She just folded her arms and stood beside her companion.

Shion took a deep breath. ”Excuse me! Could we have a moment of your time?” she shouted perhaps a little too loudly at the dragons.

The wyrms landed with loud ‘thuds’ at their chosen landing site. They had opted for a decently sized park area, with a modest flowing creek to drink from and some buildings that they could push up against for whatever reason they might have. Luckily the place was empty, since there wasn’t much reason to be out at a spot like this in the middle of winter unless you were a very particular type of person.

The wyrms had spread out. But as Shion made her presence known their gaze turned towards her. The one closest rose up slightly, regarding her with a narrowed gaze and a healthy dose of caution. Their kind survived on such caution after all. “Speak, little one,” it said after a moment. She had not attacked after all, so there was no reason to go straight to fighting.

”So first of all, this is really cool, you’re really cool, and it’s nice to meet you. I’m Shion, and this is… Oros, I believe her name was.” Shion sighed, prematurely defeated. ”We actually have a huge and kind of awkward favor to ask of you. But before that, is there anything we can help with to get off on the right foot?”

“Yea, you guys wouldn’t happen to like cheese by any chance, would you?” A confident grin crossed Oros’s face.

One of the wyrms gave Shion a bit of a side eye as she gushed, but the one who had initiated contact with the two magical girls was more reserved. “We are not our brethren, with hordes of gold and egos to match;. And your kind have not sought to speak with us in some time. There is not much we desire.”

He then looked to Oros. “I cannot say whether we would enjoy your human food. If one had sufficient amounts for us in the first place.” It was likely that they simply had not had the opportunity to try before, if it was something oros truly wished to pursue.

”Well, that’s probably good for us, all things considered. I guess I should get to the point, then? We were hired to get some samples of your species. I wanted to get you something in return beforehand to make sure that you didn’t take the request in a bad way; personally I think we can get by with things that you won’t even miss, but I still would like to make a trade for them if possible so that you get something in return.” Shion stopped for a moment as an idea struck. ”Actually, if there was something you wanted, the person who hired us might even want to meet you if they could provide it. I’d imagine that talking with one of you would be as valuable or more so than just quote-unquote ‘collecting samples.’ Then again, I don’t know if it would be safe to direct you towards a so-called ‘mad scientist,’ so maybe we should forget about that idea. Sorry, I’m rambling, I know. But basically, if you guys happen to have anything we can get for you to trade for some discomfort, that would hopefully work best for everyone.” she concluded, forcing a smile through her dislike of her own talking.

Oros was visibly reeling from Shion’s all-too-honest confession about what they needed, who they worked for, and her rambling ideas. “Y-yea, maybe we shouldn’t take them to the mad scientist. It wasn’t in the job description and like, well, he’s mad! Who knows what he’d do!” Despite her apparent wariness of the idea, the only thing Oros might enjoy more than slaying a bunch of dragons would be to watch a mad scientist fire all manner of experimental weapons at them. Probably. It was hard to tell what Oros was thinking moment to moment.

The dragons continued to look at Shion skeptically, especially as she revealed why she was here. It distracted from Oros at least, though she earned the occasional glance. But Shion was very good at drawing attention as she rambled and admitted to rambling too.

“What sort of ‘samples’?” The lead dragon asked with a rumble deep in his chest. He was not keen on meeting with any human who would perform experiments on him, regardless of how sane they were. What she wanted them to do would dictate what they asked for in response. If they were willing to give anything at all.

Shion shivered slightly. ”Man, your voice is cool. Anyway, lemme check.” She pulled out a list of the items needed. Bone, scale, claw, skin, blood, saliva, and wing tissue. This would probably be a hard sale. ”Well… The easiest ones would be saliva and scales. If you happen to have any scales on the verge of falling off, that’d be easy. Saliva is an obvious easy one, too, and I would think taking a bit of blood would be easy since it’s easy for humans to do... She paused a moment, thinking. ”The rest is a bit more intrusive. If you’ve got a tooth coming out, that would work well. I can’t think of an easy way to get skin or claw samples, and I imagine that wing tissue would be really bad, so maybe we could skip that?”
“Hmmm...” Oros scratched her chin. “Are skin and claw samples that hard? Some animals regenerate that stuff pretty easily, or just naturally shed them away over time. Even a bat’s wings can heal themselves. Though I suppose if they’re too damaged, they can’t feed. But what’s a square inch of wing to a big majestic dragon?” Then under her breath she whispered. “Ya think they’d take a damsel in trade? I’m pretty damsel like, right?”

The leader dragon listened attentively as Shion listed off what was required, letting out a deep huff as she went into more invasive forms of ‘specimens’. Oros then earned another growl as she spoke up, earning a sharp glare. Not that she was likely to care, of course.

“Perhaps I should pull off those poor excuses for claws,” he snapped, leaning towards Oros in the process. “Will those grow back rapidly?”

After a moment he shifted back to Shion, ruffling his wings. “Some of these can be agreed to without much issue. The rest will come with a cost. Do you humans possess healing magics? To fix what you have removed would be reasonable, for a first step.”

Shion looked to Oros. ”I don’t have a Healing Artifact or anything, but I’ve got some raw mana we could use to fuel it if needed.” Shion pulled out a small glowing acorn. ”I got this from a friend.”

"Afraid I don’t have any healing artifacts. My restorative magic works only on myself, as it’s based on my ability to create the tissue of mundane animals and monsters." She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "If these guys had a healing touch, I might be able to use it. Like…" Her hand turned into a dragon claw. "I could turn my hand into one of their claws and be like, pew pew, healing." She rest the dragon claw on Shion’s shoulder. "But alas, I’ve never seen a monster or dragon use a spell like that. Most monsters I encounter only have regenerative properties."

”Could… Could we just get the samples from you?” Shion asked Oros.

Oros blinked. "I mean…" She looked at her dragon claw and wiggled her digits. "It would probably hurt. Did the request specify the size of the samples? They should be identical aside from the size. I’ve never really cut myself apart for science."

”Hmm… It’s possible that the guy who hired us will be able to tell the difference. I don’t know how, since if he needs specimens, he probably doesn’t already have any. But assuming he can... “ Shion sighed and put a hand on her head. ”There’s a way to do it, but I don’t want to if we can avoid it.”

Oros’s face scrunched up. "This is taking too long! Let me see that acorn! We’re going to go for a 1:1 scale replica!" She leaned forward and bit the acorn straight out of Shion’s hand. With the acorn clinched between her teeth, Oros hopped some distance away from Shion. With a growl, her shape started to change. She fell onto her hands and knees, and a pair of wings tore out of her back. Her outfit seemed to shrink away into nothing, but by that point the form underneath looked more reptilian than human. The transformation was slow, but Oros was trying to make the most of the mana supply she was given. She didn’t want to waste anything accelerating the speed of her transformation. Horns pushed their way out of the back of her skull, her jaw elongated, and before long there was a young green dragon in Oros’s place. "Now." Oros began. "You may not wish to court a damsel, but what about one of your own kind?"

The dragons listened quietly as the two magical girls debated what to do, sharing awkward glances as Oros proceeded to transform herself and then Proposition them. That was fairly unusual by anyones standards, though it was likely that way for the dragons themselves due to how long it had been since they had experienced this sort of thing.

“Calm yourself,” the lead dragon said to Oros with a hint of amusement in his tone. “You humans are very impulsive.”

Luckily for the both of them, what they did not possess did not prove to be a major deterrent. Perhaps it had been a test of some sort to judge their character. Who knew why dragons did anything that they did? After a moment, he lowered himself. “Take your samples and accept what we are willing to give. I shall provide saliva and blood, Leonitarus shall provide a scale I believe.” One of the other dragons off to the right nodded and then crouched, allowing them access. It was not all they had hoped for, but it was something.

”Thank you very much!” Shion said as she readied a few vials and a syringe for the two liquids.

Dragon-Oros reached for the offering dragon’s scale, and plucked it. "These dragons are more courageous than other dragons I’ve encountered." She turned the scale over in her green claw before addressing Shion. "How did you want to acquire the other samples?"

Shion drew the blood from the dragon and injected it into a vial before holding another vial out for saliva. ”Well, without that acorn, I don’t think I can just… well. I’m not sure. If we had some way to tell if getting them from you would be the same thing, we could do that and you could heal, right? As it is… I don’t actually know.”

The impostor dragon huffed. "Suppose it’s worth a shot."

”Well, we need bone, skin, claw, and wing tissue. I suppose the easiest way would be to take part of the wing and a small bone from it at the same time, then get one of your claws and the skin near it? Does that sound possible, Oros?” Shion asked the girl-turned-dragon.

"I can regrow my limbs if you hack them off, if that’s what you’re asking." Oros’s body trembled. "You’d better not rebuff our deal later."

”Didn’t want to go that far, but that means it should work. And don’t worry, I keep my promises.” Shion pulled out a small but sharp knife. ”Do you need a moment to brace yourself or…?”

Before they could get to the limb hacking and what have you, their draconic liaison spoke up. He’d had his attention drawn away by something else momentarily, and now was about when it had returned. “Not to interrupt,” he interjected. “It seems some of your kind are approaching. We have our own ways of dealing with such problems to remain unseen, but perhaps you would prefer your own solution.”

”Oh, uh… I mean, I think it’s okay for you to leave if that’s what you mean. If you mean something else, well… I dunno. We can draw them away if you want.”

"Just get it over with before the magic wears off." she growled. "Then I can draw them away. We’ll run round and round and round before I revert back into a beautiful pink haired princess. Then they will fight each other for a kiss, castle crasher style!"

”Got it.” Shion went to cut off the bottom section of Oros’ wing, then the area around one of her claws for the skin and to be able to pull the claw off. After she finished, she safely put the samples away in small bags and double-checked the list. ”Looks like we’re good to go.”

“We would like some time to rest from our flight,” the leader told Shion and oros, amidst their operation and exercise in deception. It was a bit odd, but again, perhaps not that unusual as far as strange things they had seen. For now he would indicate the direction the humans were approaching from, and let the magical girls get to work.

”On it.” Shion began jogging towards the other humans, her knife hidden from view with how she was holding it.

"It burns, it BURRRRRNS!" Oros curled what was left of her claw, but that did little to stem the bleeding. "Pain, my only weakness!" Oros took to the sky, breathing whatever type of breath weapon these particular dragons were armed with before flying over the incoming people. "Shit on a shingle! That feels like a ripped cuticle times ten!"

You said to do it quickly! Shion thought to herself, lamenting that Oros was now giving away their position.

Oros would see them first, owing to her enhanced vision as both groups neared each other. However, Shion might find that the knife was a bit much, as the humans were approaching in a minivan, all bundled up for a day out in nature or something like that. As normal people they didn’t know there were dragons there after all. But at least it would make getting rid of them easier.

Then again, Oros could probably do that on her own with how she was yelling and breathing some green mist that was probably poison. They just needed to notice what was going on above them.

”Hmm…” Shion paused when the minivan came into her sight. She carefully put her knife away and continued forward, thinking on how to best handle the group. By the time the vehicle got close enough to possibly see that Oros was something other than a large bird, the people inside would find that their wheels had locked up from Shion’s magic magnetizing and manipulating various parts of the minivan’s workings. Meanwhile, Oros continued to scream over head, but the damaged parts of her body were starting to regenerate. As her wounds became less severe, so too did her screaming.

‘Hm? What’s going on?” The car slowed to a halt as a result of Shion’s magic. Not noticing Oros yet, the driver got out and walked around the vehicle, observing and kicking the tires to see if something was wrong. With no visible sign, he’d proceed to the engine, popping open the hood and taking a look inside. Perhaps he was just very oblivious, but that would not last forever if Shion had a next step from this point.

Shion simply kept things as they were. She planned to delay them as long as the dragons needed, or until they called a tow-truck to take them back where they came from, unless something unexpected happened.

Meanwhile, Oros touched down in the distance, her wounds having fully healed. With all the necessary samples gathered, Oros reverted back to her original form. "Hah! Another one for the bestiary!" She thrust her finger into the air. Shortly after her outburst, she sank to the ground and hugged her knees. "Now I’ve got phantom pains running up and down my back, good gawd!"

Grumbling, the driver soon gave up in frustration at not being able to figure out what was going on. One phone call later, and a tow truck was on the way. None of them were happy about it, but when your car suddenly died what could you do?

It would be about twenty minutes or so before the danger passed. The tow truck picked up the car, the civilians headed squarely in the opposite direction, and the duo were free to return to the dragons.

Shion sighed and went back. ”Now hopefully they won’t come back for a while.”

Twenty minutes was about what it took for Oros to stop rolling around and complaining about her pains. "Aren’t we suppose to drop off these samples? One of us should probably do that."

Glancing in the direction that the car had departed, the wyrm seemed pleased that things had been resolved without too much difficulty, and definitely without drawing further attention to this area. “Thank you for your assistance, magical humans. Your solution was much simpler than what we would need to have done. Now we can prepare for the next step of our journey without difficulty.”

He then stepped back, noting that things seemed to be drawing to a close. “If you must depart, then we shall not keep you here.”

”Will do! Thank you again!” Shion checked to make sure the samples were still in their containers, then started towards their drop-off point.

Oros walked away from the dragons without even doing as much as looking over her shoulder. "I’m going to be really disappointed if this doesn’t work." With a huff, Oros pulled up one of the Christmas tickets that Emily had given her. "Anyway, I guess people are doing Christmas stuff at a party. This doesn’t have anything to do with the favor, but you probably wanna come anyway." She poked Shion with the spare ticket. "Just make sure to wear something interesting, okay? Nobody wants to see you in an ugly sweater ‘cept your grandma."

Shion took the ticket. ”Maybe.”

Making their way back into town, the girls would head back to the lab that they had begun the bounty at. It was a simple enough trip, with no danger and no threats along the way from girls potentially seeking to steal from them. Just a nice walk.

Soon they were back at the lab, where they were left in the lobby. The same familiar would emerge, arms extended as it moved to take Shion and Oros’ samples from them. “My assistant will take your work. I will confirm that they are what I sent you to collect, and then you will receive your payment,” the voice said over the intercom, just like the first time they had met.

The hooded girl looked smug and confident on the outside, but she was squeezing Shion`s hand pretty hard. "I hope we did good. I'd like to get paid. Though having to fight my way out of a mad scientist's containment bay might actually be more fun than slaughtering dragons." she chuckled. "Might get to see some of those sweet moves of yours, less he busts out some kind of mecha dragon to seduce you with."
”A mechanical dragon would be much easier for me to fight than a real one, for various reasons.” Shion replied.

After several moments the familiar returned, passing Shion and Oros two silver coins each. “You may leave,” the voice over the intercom told them, with barely a ‘thank you’ to accompany it. Stil, it seemed their deception had worked. All’s well that ended well.

Oros accepted her payment with a nod. "Thank you Mr scientist sir! Anytime you need something, just ask me!" On her way out the door, Oros patted Shion on the shoulder. "I’ll fill you in on the details of our deal later." She departed the room with a chuckle.

Shion stood for a moment, watching Oros leave before leaving as well.

The golden trove had lost it’s long time managers and while many were upset, the hotel had never been better!

The frightened dragon had been replaced with a pink haired beauty, and the managers weren’t so stiff and prone to anger issues. Aria’s glowing charisma let her guide workers with ease, and Binky’s ability to duplicate herself and be in multiple places at once meant that she could monitor several parts of the hotel at once. It wasn’t even possible for Binky to get pranked by her duplicates because of all the people around. All in all, this was a huge win for everyone at the Golden Trove.

Aria was at the reception desk, arranging some plants at the counter. Her butterflies might have been mere mana constructs, but they enjoyed drinking nectar as much as any butterfly. Binky was typing information into a computer. Mostly just managing incoming and outgoing guests. Everyone needed to be accounted for.

"Thirsty?" Aria offered a cup to her apprentice.

Binky shook her head. ”I’m fine.” She responded without looking away from the screen.

Aria just shrugged her shoulders before taking a sip of her glass.

A strange girl walked through the front door, and all anyone who saw her could think was that she was beautiful. She walked up to the front counter, ignoring anyone else, and held out a hand for one of the butterflies to land on, smiling as she did. ”These are wonderful. You created them?”

"But of course!" the fluorescent winged creatures flew circles around Aria's head. "They love building things, but there isn't much use for them here. Well, not yet. But I'm glad you find them amusing. " With a nod, she nudged Binky. The apprentice prepared to start looking up available rooms. "But surely you came here to do more than just look at my friends? All of our economy forms are full, but we do have some luxury apartments that would be fitting for someone as stunning as yourself. And don't let the name fool you, they are quite affordable!"

”That does sound nice. I think I might be able to handle that. Do you have any rooms for two?” the girl asked with a tilt of her head.

Aria nodded. "All of our rooms can accommodate at least two people. The beds all sleep two, and each room comes with two dressers and a foot locker under the bed. But each room only has one bath, so you’d need to share."

”Unless you’d like two separate rooms.” Binky looked up from the computer. ”Some of our rooms have doors between them to accommodate families. So that’s an option if you need an extra bathroom.”

”Just the one is fine, thank you. I’ll be meeting someone here soon, but we plan to stay a few nights. How much is it for a room, exactly?”

Aria’s closed her hands together. "The cost of a luxury room is one silver, two if you want one on the top floor. Of course, we also accept cash payments as well as Visa and Mastercard."

The girl handed over a silver coin with the hand not resting a butterfly. ”That is affordable. Thank you very much.”

Just as she finished talking, there was a loud crash as the front door was slammed against the wall it opened towards and a certain squirrel girl walked in. ”Guess who!?” she shouted towards the angelic girl, causing the butterfly to flee.

But that would be all she would say before she seemed to vanish out of existence. After Makoto made her appearance, Aria seemed to turn into a neon colored blue that shot towards the squirrel girl. Then when Binky blinked, the blur and Makoto were gone.

”Um.” Binky stood up. ”Aria?” There seemed to be a trail pushed through the snow outside. It went in a straight line to the center of the street, where Aria was caressing Makoto’s tail.

"I thought I would never see you again." She hugged the tail as a tear rolled down her cheek.

The angel stifled a laugh. ”You’d be surprised how often something like that happens.”

”Oh, hey! It’s you! Nice to see you again, miss artificer!” Makoto told the girl grabbing her tail as she pat Aria on the head gently. ”You have no idea how helpful you were when last met!” Aria only foamed at the mouth in response.

Binky was a bit more concerned with the state of the building, however. ”The door’s broken. Oh dear, it’s suppose to get cold tonight.”

The redhead turned to Binky. ”I apologize for the door.” she finally said after seeing Binky’s expression. ”If you don’t mind, I could try to fix it? Or would it be better to pay for the damage?” Hopefully in mundane currencies… she thought to herself, turning away slightly.

”You think you can fix it?” Binky pressed the tips of her fingers together. ”Well, if you could, that would be wonderful!”

The girl nodded then walked over to the door. Using her magic in place of tools, she bent the hinges back into place and fused them to the wall in place of screws. Then with a flourish she waved her arm over the door, and it seemed as if the damage was reversed, leaving a perfectly intact door that she placed back on the hinges. Finally she fused the door to them as well, before testing the fixed door gently.

”It’s not a permanent fix, but it should last a while. I’d feel bad if I didn’t try to undo what my friend did, though, so I hope this is acceptable.” She bowed slightly to Binky.

Binky looked over what the girl had done. ”Temporary or not, that’s very good under such short notice! Aria and I can probably create something more permanent later.”

"Hold up." Aria wiped the foam off of the corner of her mouth and inspected the door. "Well, this is quite the gathering of the minds we have here!" She spun on her heel. "It looks like we have a magic smith of some sort among us." She placed a hand on her chest. "I’m Aria, best known for my artificing shop in the overcity. Who might you be?"

”Funny running into you here, then! I heard that Makoto and I are indebted to you for some of your past work. My name is Shiki, and that tail you were molesting and the girl attached to it are supposed to be my rival.” Makoto waved with a stupid grin on her face. ”We’re here to visit and plan out a few things, which we could actually use your input on, if you have the spare time in the coming days.”

”That’s right! We’re so close to the end, so we’re taking a break from the hard work to come relax for a bit.” Makoto added.

^{"Did someone say the end? Yea, I’d love to chat, but there’s like, four of you there now. I think I’ll stay up here for now."}

Aria pointed her finger at the heavens and closed her eyes. "Well first of all, It’s not molesting if it’s done to the willing." She said with a grave level of seriousness. "But I was paid for my work, and don’t consider anyone indebted to me."

"Still, it's only thanks to you that we've managed to get this far. So thank you."

"Hey, how do you feel about your Patron? And we should probably go somewhere where we won't be listened in on. Though miss time-skip-and-a-jump up there is welcome to come listen too, if she wants." Makoto flashed Oros a toothy grin.

^{"Thanks, I will!"}

Shiki nodded. We're also waiting on a friend to deliver a few items that she's hopefully been able to sneak out by now, but we’ve got some time.

"Then why don’t we finish checking you in?" Aria started to walk back inside. "The luxory rooms are designed to be as quiet as possible. No sound gets in, and no sound gets out. It’s what allows our guests to sleep peacefully."

---

While the wallpaper in the room gave it an oriental feel, most of the furnishings were what you’d find in a standard western hotel. Though unlike a standard hotel room, it was much larger, and sported a small living area and a full kitchen. The living room had a glass top table and a u-shaped couch facing a TV. But for their purposes, the four magical girls could sit around the table and discuss things.

Aria broat some beverages for everyone to drink, and Binky conjured up some fast food. ”Everyone likes burgers, right? It’s the best I can do, really.”

"It’s fine. I’m just glad you could duplicate yourself a few times to watch the front counter. Your clones are fairly competent, even if they don’t like you much." Aria looked to Makoto and Shiki. "To continue our discussion from outside, I’m quite fond of my patron. We’ve been through a lot together." Binky conjured a plate of potato chips, and Aria picked one up. "He gives me the freedom to do a great many things that I doubt I’d get to enjoy less I was solo. We go very far back, and I have no intention of betraying his trust. Even if puchuu tend to be a bit, well, you know."

Shiki nodded. "You're one of the lucky ones. And not just among Puchuu, either." She leaned in, resting her elbows on her knees while Makoto took a burger and a few chips. "We're not so lucky. Makoto and I-"

"We're stuck with patrons who don't really like us." Makoto cut in between chews of the chips. "But we're obviously not the only ones. And there are far worse Patrons out there than ours, even if ours would like nothing more than for us to be killing each other right now."

"We, or I, rather, represent an organization dedicated to freeing magical beings from... well, everything. We believe that anything capable of thought and magic deserves freedom, and that means from both Patrons and the walls those Patrons have built between magi. No more monster girls being persecuted for what they are, no more fights for resources that could easily be shared, no more needless killing or forced reincarnation just to get back into the fighting again."

Makoto took out a small bag and popped an acorn into her mouth, talking around it like it was a jawbreaker. "Plush," She bit into it and swallowed before continuing, "there's some people we want to talk to. Imagine how much we could learn from Scáthach, for example, if she were able to reincarnate. It isn't right for some Lesser Force, even a primordial one like Fate, to determine who can and can't come back. For us magical peeps, it's just a part of life. Cutting us off from reincarnation is no different than killing a mortal in its sleep." She began to eat the burger she was given.

Shiki leaned back again. "But that's all just a natural grievance. There are some things you just can't change, and a strong desire isn't enough. So what can you do, right, except try your hardest?"

"Reincarnation is a fascinating topic. we could learn a lot from many great minds. But don’t think for a second someone wouldn’t hesitate to resurrect Hitler, Stalin, Nobunaga, or Genghis Khan." She scratched her chin. "Well, Genghis Khan loved to spread rumors about himself. It’s believed most of the darker things about him were just scary rumors to avoid fighting."

Shiki smiled softly. "I always find that an interesting argument. Though I'll admit I'd not heard one about Genghis Khan before... And while I agree that it's a moving argument, the opposite is true as well."

" And I get that bringing back bad people would be bad, yeah, duh. I just want my friend back, he only got cut out because he was friends with me, and that's not fair. Getting the other magicals who were forced to stop reincarnating back is just a bonus." Makoto said.

Shiki nodded. "I understand there are problems with resurrection, we don't want a rapture to occur or anything of that sort, simply for those who were as Makoto put it 'killed in their sleep' to have that undone."

"While resurrection is something I strongly disapprove of, I am not against reincarnation." Aria placed her hands together, and a broad grin crossed her face. "Do you know who Su Daji was?"

Shiki opened her eyes. "I believe I've heard the name before, but I don't know the specifics, personally. I'm curious what they have to do with reincarnation, though, now that you've mentioned them."

"About three-thousand years ago, she was the consort of Zhou Xin, the emperor of China at the time. She never became a mother, and died quite young. If history is to be believed, they were not kind rulers, and were overthrown by their own people. Zhou Xin burned himself alive with all his treasure, and Su Daji was publicly executed." Aria reclined in her seat. "Su Daji in particular has a notorious reputation for her cruelty. There are many tales of her satisfying her curiosity in morbid ways. She saw a man walking over ice, and had his feet cut off so that she could study them in one story. Another had her commanding doctors to open up a pregnant woman so that she could ‘see what happened inside.’ She also invented a torture device: a bronze cylinder covered in oil. Exactly how it worked changes from story to story, but it was heated over coals, and victims were either tied to it or forced to ‘dance’ on top of the heated cylinder until they fell into the hot coals below. The most absurd stories have her depicted as a nine-tailed-fox, which might be the most truthful thing about her."

Binky was keeping the table filled with snacks to satisfy Makoto’s voracious appetite. ”She sounds horrible.”

"We’re talking about a woman who lived and died in years BC." Aria set down her cup and picked up a donut. It was pink and covered in rainbow sprinkles. "Most of her atrocities have no records of having ever happened. She could have been the first noble woman ever to be targeted by propaganda."

Binky sighed before taking a donut for herself. ”And what does she have to do with resurrection and reincarnation of all things?”

"Because she was reincarnated, I spoke with her in fact. She went by the name Su Fang, maybe you’ve heard of the former hotel manager?" Aria had a full-on grin now. The extremely smug kind when you know more than everyone else in the room. "When you’re resurrected, you’re pretty much exactly who you were when you died. But with reincarnation, you’re made anew. You may or may not remember your old memories, but you have the ability to look at your past self objectively, as if they were a different person. It gives you a safeguard against certain types of behavior. As an example, Hitler would have the ability to experience a different upbringing, and as a result, has a greater chance of realizing that Nazi Germany was not a good thing and should not be attempted again. The caveat is that truly brilliant minds might have been a product of their time, and aren’t guaranteed to be nearly as brilliant after reincarnation. The existence of familiars also shouldn’t be discounted. They are a conglomeration of memories and have all sorts of experiences to share. If you’re just interested in creating a living account of something specific, working on a way to manufacture a familiar with said memories would probably be the safest thing. But what you’re after is bringing your friend back, not collecting long forgotten knowledge. So… Whatever." She waved her hand at Makoto. ”Sometimes people can’t be brought back because the soul has moved to a place where even magic can’t reach them. But I digress.”

Makoto's face fell, and she looked at Aria with a despondent look. "Doesn't that just prove our point? Cutting off someone great from reincarnation is wrong. And it's not a good thing that that sort of power is held by things that can't understand mortals or value their lives as more than tools..." Honestly, the story had shaken her. She didn't believe her friend didn't deserve resurrection, but the power to resurrect others was within the realm of what they wanted.

As if reading Makoto's thoughts, Shiki responded to Aria. "Ultimately, the possibility of resurrecting someone, or something, is an unavoidable side effect. Whether to revive a genius like Scáthach would be a great debate, but to put her back into the reincarnation cycle is something I feel doesn't need debate, because it shouldn't be something that has to be done in the first place, yet it is."

"Sounds like we agree on that point. But I don’t think you’re here to talk about resurrection VS reincarnation. You have quite the scandalous little plot going on." Aria set down her cup. "It sounds like you want to overthrow the patrons, break the rules of magic, and allow magical girls the ability to do things that most believe they really shouldn’t. Is that fair?"

"People have put it that way before, yes. Though I'd contest that last bit." Shiki said.

Makoto spoke up. "I dunno if overthrowing is accurate though. If everyone is on equal ground with their patrons, is that overthrowing or something else?" She looked to Shiki. "We've had that argument a lot."

"I take it this is what you wanted to talk to me about?" The butterfly princess placed her hands in her lap. "I think it’s important to realize that Patrons, regardless of how cruel some of them may seem, do ultimately have a symbiotic relationship with magical girls. The rules of magic state that a patron must give up some of their magic to make a magical girl. Regardless if a magical girl is alive, dead, fighting, powerful, or weak, they occupy a part of a patron’s magic that they will never get back. It does not benefit a patron to treat its magical girls in a way that inhibits their ability to do their job, or to treat them like they are expendable. The exception to this rule is the puchu of course, as they use the fountain of youth’s mana. But they interfere with a magical girl’s life less than almost all other types of patrons. Even the more powerful patrons like horrors risk becoming weak enough to be preyed upon by other horrors, and so they operate in a way that minimizes their mana expenditure. This means maintaining their magical girls. But there’s a difference between living and being alive, isn’t there?" She tapped the side of her head. "We all think we want more freedom, but do we really? As children, we all wanted to grow up as fast as we could so that we could do whatever we wanted. yet the old farts all wanted to return to being children. If the rules of magic were fully removed, some patrons may not even go as far as getting a contract before acquiring a new magical girl. They might freely attack other magical girls directly, especially the more sinister forces. The rules of magic are not perfect, but I believe they are essential to keeping the peace." She folded one leg over the other.

"All children must one day grow up. Even us magical girls with eternal youth, ironically cannot stay young forever." Her eyes closed and she leaned back again. "It doesn't benefit a Patron to use their magical girls as disposable, perhaps that's true for the kinds of Patrons most deal with. But there are plenty of times where a mortal magi becomes a Patron, and plenty of times where a Patron cuts off a magi and leaves them to die permanently when their mana runs out. There are too many Patrons that exist purely for the sake of destroying another Patron, or destroying a species, or who simply don't view mortals as having any value whatsoever..."

Makoto nodded. "Just look at the primordial forces. They're manifestations of the basic rules of a universe, yet they're still only 'Lesser Forces,' in Patron terms, right? That says something, right?"

"There are countless discrepancies like that across the universes and timelines. Makoto's example of the primordials may not make immediate sense, but it shows that the 'logic' of what we call the rules of magic isn't perfect. Similarly, consider the Great Old Ones, those beyond horrors, or for an example that hits perhaps more close to home, think of the Ebon Mint. Access to a technique, making coins, has thrown off the ecology of magical entities before, and it's created countless battles over what is effectively nothing. Selfish desires to control others. Except that was already the case, the Mint simply made it more visible on a small scale."

"And the two of us are an example of the bigger ones. I'm the only girl my Patron's got, and I'm only around to kill Shiki and the other girls her Patron has. And vice versa; it's shit, ya know?"

The artificer listened intently. "I’m afraid my areas of expertise are the rules of magic, and mortal medieval and feudal history. I don’t know that much about primordial forces like fate and chaos," A few butterflies picked up Aria’s cup and flew it to her hand. "You would have a much easier time convincing me that the rules of magic needed to be altered. How exactly could be an interesting debate if you had the time."

”For myself, I think the problem is that you’re forcing these changes on everyone.” Binky gestured at herself. ”I enjoy the protection my patron provides me, and I’m not sure I’d be okay with it if she had a bunch of rules imposed on her to make it harder to do her job. But I do feel for you guys. That’s gotta suck…”

"Regardless of the changes made, even removing the rules is simply a change in rules. Though I apologize if I made it seem like our goal was to totally remove the rules themselves. The goal is a level playing ground; we don't want to make every magi a Patron or vice versa, we want those who are enslaved by Patrons to be freed and those who work together with them to be able to do so without harm. Ending the constant fighting by those who have no real reason to fight and the suffering that comes with it." Shiki said.

Makoto spoke up, turning towards Binky. "If you're friends with your Patron, then what would even change? You'd just not be stuck doing what they want without the power to compromise. Good Patrons wouldn't really even be affected, at least not intentionally."

Aria clicked her tongue. ”You’ve spoken a lot about working to make changes. What have you done, and how is it going to impact things?”

Shiki reached into her pocket and brought out a Purification Artifact, a small amulet. "What have we done so far... That's your question. What we've done is create a way to blind a Patron, though this requires cutting off the mana between them and the girl who goes missing for as long as it lasts. That was the first thing, and it's the only reason Makoto and I can work on the same side, rather than having to fight. This is why I'm grateful to you, because the devices she commissioned from you are what allow me to use my magic and not run out of mana while preventing Fate from watching me, or Causality from watching her. That's not to say we're exactly hiding what we're doing from them, of course. Their 'minds,' if they can be called that, are alien to us; we have no idea what or even how they're thinking, but we assume they know we're working together. They just, hopefully, don't know what it is we're actually doing."

Makoto was visibly uncomfortable, and Shiki's face turned slightly annoyed as she turned the artifact over and over in her hands. "The second thing we've done is design an artifact that can corrupt, and more importantly un-corrupt a magical girl, without forcing them into a contract with a Patron or totally rewriting their magic." She gestured towards Binky. "It's thanks to this timeline of this universe that it's possible, and not simply theory, that it can be done. But I digress... The third thing we've done is design an upgrade to that artifact which can allow it to be used to remove... drawbacks, let's say, things like our-" she gestured to herself and Makoto, "need to consume, be it metaphysical concepts or actual food, or my inefficient reincarnation method."

"There's a lot of other so called 'mutations' that afflict people, and shouldn't. Sure, it supposedly balances them, but if it makes them do terrible things, is that balance a good thing?" She shivered. "They're making it hard to focus with that thing, for example. Proof that there's some sort of higher force setting a moral system that isn't very moral onto the magical world." She said as she pointed at the artifact her friend was playing with.

Shiki nodded and continued, still toying with the Purification Artifact in her hands. "The third thing we've done is recruit someone who can actually make the things, and set up a method to combine the two into a singular device. Fourth, we've built something to power this device, which when activated should provide theoretically limitless mana. The goal of this is to not only power the artifact that will end the hatred of, from, and towards so-called 'monster girls,' but to also end the fighting over mana that countless Patrons throw their magi into. After all, if there's enough food for everyone, why continue fighting over fertile fields? We're not just looking out for humans, but all magical species. Granted, there will still be fighting, but it'll be between those who wish to control others and those who wish to stop them, though that's not to say it'll be only two sides. Those fighting for control will fight others for control; there will never be a true end to all fighting, but we can alleviate much of it by breaking the stigma of dark and monster magical girls and providing mana for everyone."

"And if everyone has mana, then you don't need a Patron anymore. You have the power to leverage your value against them. We're after a political change."

"Fifth, we have plans to alter the Akashic Record, making it so that influence from the most powerful entities, such as Elder Gods, is limited. We want to have a way for mortals and magi to fight back if one decides to destroy them. Bring magical girls up to the next level so that there is a playing field at all with which to even out. And lastly..." Shiki looked Aria dead in the eyes. "We have a trustworthy group to ensure that the weak have somewhere to go. We want to grow this group, create a safe space for every magi. You asked how this will affect things? I'll put it in mundane terms. What we're doing will make it so that Patrons and magi must be in a symbiotic relationship, a balanced value for value relationship, not a parasitic one, or one where it's an ant and a dragon." She finally put away the Purification Artifact. "Ultimately, we want to help those who need help and hinder those who need hindering. That's what it comes down to, we're just using rather extreme methods since past attempts with lesser methods have all failed."

Aria listened intently as the two rattled off everything. Binky had stopped making food and just listened to the two go on, here eyes widening with each new revelation. The apprentice pulled up a tome filled to the brim with notes, and started to jot down even more as the two continued to talk.

"Hmmm, it’s certainly ambitious, what you’re trying to do." Aria was not smiling now. She was focused, thinking. "So if I understand you correctly, you have these artifacts that can interfere with a Patron’s connection with their magical girl, effectively making them ignorant to what the girl is doing. That same artifact can also regulate a magical girl’s level of corruption, and remove mental mutations. You also have a way of powering this device in such a way that it should run indefinitely. In addition to this, you have plans for limiting the influence elder gods have over this game they play with our lives. Do I understand you correctly?"

"The artifact we have now, which can obscure a girl from her Patron, is not the same as the ones that we're working on. The others are in development, but yes, assuming there are no problems with finalizing them then your summary is correct." Shiki pulled out a small notebook of her own, filled with sketches of various designs of complex artifacts and held it out to Aria. "This is the culmination of countless magi spending countless hours theorizing and testing and hypothesizing and testing. This little booklet has sketches of some of the artifacts used to create the ones we're making now. But it's really due to this timeline right now that it all can come together."

"Thank you for clarifying. I think it’s best if we simply bypass that detail for now and assume you are successful." Aria placed her hand on an arm rest. "I think what you’re trying to do is dangerously nearsighted. The types of magic we don’t understand far outstrip the kinds we do."

”The Akashic Record is no child’s toy, either.” Binky’s hands trembled as she wrote it’s name. ”Very powerful forces are going to try and stop you from doing anything to it. Even if you get the backing of one or two powerful patrons, almost all the others have made it the way they wish for it to be. You’ll be painting a huge target on your back, not that you haven’t done that already.”

"I just see this ending very poorly for you." Aria shook her head. "There are magical girls who are just as corrupt as the most vile patrons. Giving more power to magical girls might cause patrons to find other means to continue their disputes. Your plan also assumes that it all ends with elder gods. What if there’s something above them?"

It was Makoto's turn to smile. "When your whole existence is built around fighting, like magical girls now, what's one more fight? Yeah, we don't understand a lot of other kinds of magic, at least we don't understand what we think exists, but what if we leave things the way they are and then some 'bigger than an Elder God' thing comes down to mess with us? We wouldn't even have a shot, but if we're gonna assume we succeed, then we'd have at least some way to fight back a little. Make things annoying for them."

Oros popped up from behind the couch. "Boy do I have something to tell you!" Her surprise appearance probably didn’t surprise anyone, as she had come into the room earlier just to listen in. Though it seemed now she had something to say. "The real problem with this plan isn’t the ramifications and technobabble you four keep throwing at each other. The problem is that people are too set in their god damn ways." Oros climbed over the back of the couch and practically fell between Aria and Binky, who slid to either side as she flipped around into a sitting position. "Everybody loves monster girls! The only reason why they’re so oppressed is because the ass-a-dentistry doesn’t have that monster girl kink, so they just butcher anything with a bit of corruption in it. Unless it’s Justine for some reason. Hell, they’re okay with Penny, who's like a purified monster girl? Still not sure how that works, but she told my patron that all monster girls with corruption are basically just a bunch of dumb cowards apparently, and being a monster girl and being corrupt aren’t the same? I don’t really understand it either."

“I am a statistical anomaly just, once again, not for carrying a spark with my nature. I also never said anything about being free of corruption while being a Monster is easy. Far from it. The reason it doesn’t happen more is, in my belief, a mix of ignorance and fear. As like you most have conflated the issues. Because corruption can cause one to become a Monster Girl and purification can revert one from it, but again they are not one and the same.”

"Yup! That really came out of her stupid face. But it does give some credibility to the idea that corruption and monster girls are two separate things. So I guess that means your project should work? I mean it’s the one monster girl everyone knows of who is corruption free, so her opinion has to be worth something to you losers." Oros shrugged. "Anyway, the assy dentists are basically a small scale version of the patrons in that they can’t be made happy. Patrons don’t want enough mana, they want more mana. They want to devour the losers of this magical war, and much like google or facebook, won’t be satisfied until they’ve dominated everything." She sniffed. "I mean come on, we have three, sometimes eight month long fight scenes book ended by two week long periods of SOL stuff and even more fighting. I doubt we’re going to see the fighting end on account of everyone being given enough to survive."

Makoto’s smile faded as she listened to Oros.

Shiki sighed. "Yes, Beacon is another wonderful example of why we feel we must do this. Because like you said, they are a smaller scale version of the way Patrons are. Their Patrons, or perhaps we should call it a singular one of 'Beacon,' are some of those who have built the walls between magical girls that we wish to tear down. Specifically one of the anti-monster girl ones. There are some who argued that simply taking out the Ascendancy would solve things, but personally I believe they will continue on as long as the current systems are in place. There will always be another to take the place of the leader, and there will always be those who believe that the mutations we are afflicted with are cause for killing us. So we wish to remove those mutations, and make it so that the girls of Beacon who are more kind hearted won't be forced to work alongside those who aren't. That is the small scale example of what we're trying to do."

Makoto began to say something but thought better of it and stopped, looking at Shiki and nodding. "Ultimately, we believe it comes down to this: which is better? The current state of Patrons fighting proxy wars using innocent mortals that they often enslave, often trick, often take advantage of, and rarely help? An endless cycle of magical girls killing, suffering, and dying? Or the possibility of Patrons fighting their own battles, magical girls helping or hindering based on their own values? Killing, suffering, and dying that is spread among more than just those who are taken advantage of. Will a Horror or a God be more or less likely to continue an eons old fight if it's their own existence that's in danger?"

As Shiki tried to smother Oros with questions, she began to chuckle, before she broke out into laughter that belonged in an insane asylum. "You’re focusing on all the wrong details. That’s not how things work here." She took a moment to catch her breath. "On the scale you’re working with, things below the patron’s level aren’t even worth considering. Even most patrons! Everything that happens in our world is ultimately the choice of one of ten or so players, with the grand magistrate holding the most power over everything. A table of three members are responsible for the Doctrine Of Combat Supremacy as well as the Patron Doctrine of Fighting."

Binky stopped writing. ”Are you referring to the Akashic Record?”

"Stop being canonical! Anyway, The point is that nothing you do is going to get past those guys and girls regardless of your intentions. They’re all doing this for their own amusement. Our suffering is just them blowing off steam after a hard day at work, or maybe even school." She pulled a PDA out from her cleavage and checked her scheduel. still best hammerspace "Which is why assuming you are going to be successful is a big mistake. If you do anything that ends the fighting, it’s just not going to work. You’ll get stopped, or your plan will have problems that you didn’t foresee." Oros fret her brow. "Am I the only one who remembers how the value of coins spontaneously changed, or when magical girls couldn’t be made with red perks?"

"Wait, you actually believe in the Verses Theory? I mean, sure, if that's true we're sort of wasting our time, but... Even if there are things like that out there, that doesn't change the fact that we'd be helping all of us. If there's only ten, then they can only focus on so many of us at a time, right? So what about all of us they aren't focusing on? Don't they deserve a chance?"

"Then let's see if we're able to obscure them, too." Shiki said with a grin. "There has to be something we can do, and even if we can't, if we can affect positive change of any kind, it'll have been worth it."

Aria looked between Makoto's group, and Oros. "You understand her? That's rather curious."

"I dunno. 'Understand' is a bit of a stretch, it just sounds similar to the Verses Theory, the idea that we're some sort of T.V. show for beings beyond Elder Gods. It's a highly debated idea among the Void Touched magi. But she said there are around ten, so if it's the Verses Theory, then it would make sense."

"You are seriously underestimating the Patron(s) Layered At Your Every Realm if you think being just outside their area of focus grants anyone safety. They don't just decide the lay of the land and the rules, our very thoughts come from them. Do you think your will is truly your own? It isn't." As disturbing as the revelation was, it didn't seem to bother Oros in the least. "You could argue that you have a shot since you are essentially being controlled by one of those things, but that is where the Grand Magistrate comes in. There is a hierarchy for these things, and nothing happens without their explicit consent." She folded her arms. "They would need to accept this reality that you are trying to build."

”There, erm, 'Grand Magistrates.'” Binky hugged herself. ”Are they always the same, erm, people?”

Oros took a moment to think. "No, they change sometimes."

”But if enough of them changed, we could expect large changes, right?”

The beast girl scoffed. "Well..."

Shiki thought for a moment. "There has to be something. But do we even need to worry about these things? If we don't bother them, then what we're doing should still work, right? Or if we can convince them to focus on something else... If you're right about these things, then I don't really know how to proceed, other than to do what we were planning and see if we can force them to interfere. If they do, then we'll learn something and might be able to think up a good reaction to them."

"I think that’s probably for the best." Aria grinned ear to ear. "If we’re just a T.V. show used to entertain people, there’s also the possibility that those people’s tastes could change over time, even if the ‘big three’ never get taken off the production so to speak."

"You’ll see, this will all turn to ash in your mouth." Oros hissed. "This science shit bores me to tears. Do you people need anything? You’re not just tipping your hand on your big secret plan to show how grateful you are to Aria, are you?"

"We're taking vacation while we wait for a friend, actually! But yeah, it was nice to get the opinion of one of the people who made it possible for me and Shiki to even be friends." Makoto said, smiling.

"That's right. We still need her to finish what she's doing. I don't know how easy it'll be for her, but it shouldn't be too long now. And if we have to brute force it, we can always do that as well." Shiki grinned.

"Holy shit, this is a dangerous level of foreshadowing going on here. Who could she be!?" Oros stood up. "Well someone’s gotta sit behind the big desk and pretend to be working. I’ll be off. Send one of your clones to my office to empty the waste paper basket."

”S-sure thing, boss.” Binky called out just before the door shut behind Oros.

"She’s a nice girl deep down, just um, a bit confused." Aria pretended to look at a wrist watch before sitting upright. "I do think your research will be fruitful, even if it doesn’t do exactly what you set out to do. I can’t speak for Binky, but I would personally like to see you succeed. I even think she would." Aria looked to the door where Oros left. "Well that does it. I need to open up my artificing shop again. There’s no reason I can’t move my store location to the Golden Trove."

”Now there’s an idea.” Binky tapped her chin. ”The Golden Trove was formerly the domain of a hiding dragon. It’s very resilient to scrying magic and things of that nature. We’d have to talk it over with Oros, but maybe this could be a sort of hub where we can do independent research and things like that, far away from prying eyes.” Binky sighed. ”Maybe that’s too ambitious an idea to spring on people who are just trying to have a vacation. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

"Heh, if you'll give a discount, I'd be down for it. I've got a bunch of friends who would be good for that."

"Well, we can talk about it another time, I think. Thank you for your time, girls." Shiki stood and bowed to Aria and Binky.

It was a late evening. A boy was crouching overlooking the city of Penrose from a rooftop, rolling his shoulders and flexing his arms. He had spiky blonde hair and dark clothes, long pants and a dark jacket hanging from his shoulders, his steely gaze speaking of experience.

This was Bowen Collins. He'd come to see what all the fuss about Penrose was about, on suggestion from his Puchuu, Aarton.



This city was ridiculous. A half-abandoned city with monsters and Ascendancy running about, multiple horror-themed crises, and who knows what else. It had a reputation for people moving out of it and some magic vortex bringing trouble. Bowen stood up straight, leaning to stretch his back.

‘Well, let's see what happens if I take a walk,’ Bowen said, before leaping and falling down into an alley, crouching perfectly upon impact from the long fall. He stood up again, put his hands in his pockets, and started walking, his eyes suspiciously estimating the chance of each shadow leaping out and attacking him…

With a flash of lightning, he suddenly darted aside, as a beam of multicoloured light and a reinforced spider web struck at his location. The young man spun around, his arms and an eyebrow raised, a smile on his lips. Facing him wordlessly was a blonde girl in a purple dress and a drider monster-girl, prepared for battle. Bowen chuckled.

‘Man, Aarton wasn’t kidding about Penrose! What happened, did I wander onto your turf?’ he asked, his smile going away as he inspected his opponents, who weren’t answering. They were strong. The blonde one was positively bursting with power, and the spider had both magical and physical threats to him. But, he wasn’t about to make this easy for them. He brought his left hand to his raised right arm, and started slowly pulling a giant, magical sword of lightning out through it, his opponents taking a step back as the bolts surged over the sides of the alley.

‘Right, but I don’t plan on losing on my first night here. I’m Bowen Collins, veteran magical boy. I trust the two of you won’t disappoi-’

A sudden sharp pain struck the back of his neck, and his right hand flew to slap at the spot. He stumbled and turned his head, blinking in surprise as he saw a single green butterfly drifting away.

‘Tha-that’s ridiculous, butterflies don’t, uh, bite…’ Bowen said, as the poison from the butterfly surged through his body, his vision blurred, his lightning sword dispersed onto the alley walls and he collapsed. The butterfly drifted to a corner, where a hand raised itself to let the butterfly land on it, and the green-haired girl which it belonged to stepped forth to look down at him with an unimpressed expression.

‘See? That’s how you do an ambush,’ Lea stated, very simply.

---

Bowen blinked awake. Stared at a featureless ceiling. He was lying on a bed. He stretched out his arms and yawned as he slowly sat up, scratching the top of his spiky-haired head as he considered… why was he here again…?

‘Oh, yeah!’ he said, hitting one fist into the other’s palm. ‘I was joining the Ebon Mint!’ he said. Right, he’d heard they had a significant presence in Penrose! Aarton recommended he went to Penrose to fight the monsters and evil there, and he did so, but secretly planned to go to them! That would spice up the boring life he lived now! ‘Well, better get to it!’ he said, opening the window to jump away, not noticing the numerous tiny spiders watching him leave.

---

It took a couple days of searching, but he finally managed to get into contact with a Mint operative and got himself escorted to a room with a Coin Broker. He sat there confidently, one leg over the other, knowing fully well he came with a sought-after skillset. Then came the question…

“Why come to us?”

Honestly, Bowen had considered that for a while. Why was he so insistent on meeting the Ebon Mint and becoming part of their organization? He could so clearly remember swearing off them for so long… still, every time he considered it, he arrived at the same definite answer. He leaned forward, his hands together.

‘… Whenever I defeat monsters or save the world, I feel like I’m on top of the world. It’s the Job Satisfaction part of the Puchuu agreement. It’s meant to make us do what we do forever. However, between jobs, do you know what I realized that I am? A junkie. A junkie addicted to the high of beating monsters, to the drug known as Job Satisfaction, which the Puchuu can provide for me in spades. I realized it, and I hated it. Hated it with every fabric of my being. And since then, I can’t hunt monsters the same again. We’re just expendable tools for the Puchuu to fight monsters with, using Job Satisfaction to keep us in line. They don’t care about us,’ he said, shaking his head.

‘Yet, what is a boy to do with his immortal life, if not serve his purpose? What’s the alternative? … That’s when I realized, I have eternity to play around. Morals and virtues matter a lot less when such things come to light. And as such, I decided. Today I will be an Ebon Mint operative, in your debt and willing to work, because that’s what I want to do. Not what they want me to do, what I want to do. I trust you’ll make it fun for me, won’t you? I always rather liked the crime-family-aesthetic, hah,’ he finished and chuckled.

The mobster in front of him nodded, and reached for some papers to place in front of Bowen.

“Sign here.”

Bowen wasted no time leaning forward and checked the paper he’d be signing.

---

Now he was back, wandering the streets of Penrose again, hands in his pockets. It was weird how little seemed to have changed, yet some things had changed. He’d received the means to contact the Ebon Mint, and he’d received a Black Coin…

He held out the Black Coin to inspect it. It invited extra powers, a chance to become corrupted, a monster. Yet, honestly, Bowen didn’t feel like using it. As a criminal, wasn’t it smarter for him to blend into a crowd? Not to mention, he didn’t really feel like possibly needing to go through the hassle of getting himself purified at the end of it, and handling Beacon’s an issue. Yeah, honestly, this coin felt like more trouble than it was worth.

So he casually flicked it down a manhole grate as he passed, smirking at his rebellious little action. He’d gotten himself into debt for that coin, and now he was just casually throwing it into the sewers for some random goblin to enjoy. It was hilarious. Now, guess he’d better work his way back for that coin, huh? Well, this should be fun…

…

…

…

Mariette winced as along with the coin came sewer-water splashing onto the floor of the apartment she was currently occupying, grimacing somewhat from the smell. She quickly closed the portal to prevent more coming through. Completely unperturbed, Lea leaned down and picked up the coin, presenting it to Mariette.

‘… And that’s how you steal a Black Coin,’ Lea told her, holding the coin before her to Mariette, Ronja and Suzette flanking her.

Mariette hesitantly reached forward and picked up the wet coin. She couldn’t deny that Lea’s plan to brainwash someone into debt for them to get the coin worked, but the plan had doomed an innocent into thinking they wanted to be part of the Ebon Mint. It was exactly what Mariette had been avoiding doing, yet here’s Lea, with no qualms about these sort of things. What… what was Mariette supposed to do here? It wasn’t as if she could tell Lea just why she wasn’t kidnapping people anymore…

‘Is there any complaints?’ Lea asked, her feelings of superiority over Mariette audible in her voice.

‘… None. I’ll have Olivia study this coin at once,’ Mariette said, turning around to a portal. Regardless of the means, they now had a White Coin and a Black Coin.

What would be possible to do with both…?

---

Some time later, Mariette wandered down to where Olivia was working with both the White and the Black coin, as well as developing some prototypes for her own kinds of coins. They weren’t very useful as of yet, but maybe with this they could find something interesting. Dissecting the White Coin hadn’t been very productive, just shown that its power came from some Beacon piece incorporated into the coin, but maybe the Black Coin…?

‘I’m afraid this won’t do us much good…’ Olivia sighed, and Mariette prepared herself for disappointment. ‘The Black Coin doesn’t really contain power. More like, it’s a controlled conduit leading to a power-source, and that power source is what corrupts the girls. I can build the conduit, but the Ebon Mint probably has some failsafes to prevent someone leeching their power-source and I don’t want to mess with that…’

‘… We have… a conduit directly to the Mint’s main power source?’ Mariette asked, an eyebrow raised.

‘Er, yes, but, uh, I don’t think they’d let us play with it?’ Olivia replied.

‘… Huh.’ Mariette tried to consider what might be possible with that. ‘You could recreate and modify the conduits? Maybe link them to a new power source?’

Olivia paused for a bit, but then slowly nodded.

Mariette swallowed. It was far too easy to imagine what they could do with that. And yet… Mariette’s eyes widened a little.

‘Oh.’

It had only been a couple of days after Emily had made a new friend in the form of Ruby that she looked at the sorry state of her apartment. It suffered from the after-effects of Hilaria and Emily deciding last night to binge-watch a compromise between 'violent' and 'cute anime'. The result was a show based around magical girls who were trapped in a very unpleasant game that required them to kill one another. Hilaria enjoyed it far more than Emily did, but it was true that it captivated her enough to munch on snacks as much as Hi-- well, a lot of snacks.

...at any case, the couch and the floor were riddled with crumbs, emptied bags, and a few empty bottles of soda. Emily went to work cleaning things off the couch before moving to the floor, and in no time at all did the place begin to look presentable. She felt proud of how the room looked now and admired her work for a few seconds before realizing that something was missing. "Ah, the remote!" Emily spent a couple of minutes moving the cushions on the couch, looking under the couch, and around the table. Still, the remote escaped her. "Where could it be?" Wracking her brain for some sort of answer, she found it hard to believe Hilaria could've accidentally taken it when she left. But where did that leave her to search? If only she could just fi--

"Oh, wait." Emily finally remembered she literally wished for something to help her find things. Grasping the locket around her neck and opening it, she found a compass-like arrow resting straight forward. Emily concentrated on finding the remote, and the direction it was facing changed. "Behind me?" It seemed to be pointing towards her TV, oddly enough. Searching the area around it, she finally saw it lodged behind the wall and the TV. "Oh, isn't that so helpful!"

This really was a convenient item. And to think that some people were lucky enough to just have this when they became a magical girl! Well, I should probably count my own blessings instead of someone else's... and maybe see exactly how this thing works, too!

...

...

...

In order to see just how good this device would be at tracking, she repeatedly tried to find things. She started from stuff she already knew the location of, to things she had been looking for, to things she had to remember she had lost. She found most of the items, but occasionally the pointer would tell her to go out of her home and she figured that this must've meant it had been thrown away by accident or something, so it was probably at a dump.

Eventually, she understood how it worked with items well enough. Well, it wasn't hard to, but she at least confirmed that as long as she understood what she was looking for, she would probably find it.

So then she decided to branch out from objects. How would it handle, say, concepts? She jokingly tried to concentrate on 'World Peace' only to find the pointer begin to cosplay as a helicopter's rotor blades. She found some success with thoughts like "something to peel this apple" but then she couldn't really find "an easier way to pay the bills".

After she had gotten more or less bored with that, she moved onto the subject of people. Similar to how she started with objects, she began with Sakura, whom she already knew the location of. It worked, as expected. Then, she tried Hilaria. She followed the locket until she eventually wound up in front of a restaurant. That was all she needed to confirm that it worked, and she quietly moved on before she could catch Hilaria's attention. She only experimented more and more until eventually there was only one thing she could think to try. It also happened to be the most important search she could make.

Emily, after moving around so much, looking for people and objects in her drive to see how well this worked, had decided to take a rest at Penrose Park, mostly because she happened to be nearby. She sat on a bench, clutching the locket tightly, and her breathing was heavier than it should've been. "Then, with this I..." Emily concentrated on what she wanted to find, but she didn't dare look at the direction it pointed in. There was a chance it could fail, but she should have enough information that it wouldn't. The question was if she should.

She had lied to Ruby and to Sakura. Maybe not technically, but she had acted in a way that may lead them to believe her wish that resulted in this locket was essentially an obligation. It was a poor thing to do and it felt just as bad as lying to her. But, in fact, Emily had desired something like this locket even more than the ability to befriend people. At least, at that time. Now, she wasn't sure. She had the power to find what she wanted, but now that she could, she finally wondered what she would do with this information.

What would she do when she confronted the person who murdered her sister?

She... couldn't know. Emily wanted to think that she would get an answer out of the individual, but then what? Wish them well and wave goodbye? No, that wasn't going to happen. Each time Emily thought about the kind of person who would take the life of a kind, caring person like her sister... she felt such intense hate and rage. One she couldn't decidedly say she would be able to control when she confronted the individual.

And there was of course Jonald, who was certain to try to take some violent action. Maybe not himself due to his status as a patron, but Emily could see him attacking indirectly, somehow.

Emily finally glanced down at the locket.

It pointed in a single direction instead of spinning aimlessly.

She felt her heart skip a beat and her palms began to sweat. There was no doubt about it: this would definitely find the person she was looking for. With this, she could finally learn the truth behind her sister's death! And yet...

...she closed it, exhaling sharply as she did. "...no, not yet..." Emily decided it was too much for her right now. She knew that if she looked at it now and found the person, that things would never be the same. That much she was sure of. It was absurdly selfish of her, but she wanted to at least enjoy the party with her friends before then. Even at Jonald and Selene's expense.

She hoped she could forgive herself.

It was a calm night in Penrose when Kimble had decided to take Alicia on a date. The former catgirl had kept herself busy with work, trying to distract herself from the incident with Lamashtu, but she finally had decided to take a break. And so the two were now strolling over on the central market street, looking through the windows of the few shops that had remained.

Despite all the responsibilities that one had to deal with, Alicia still did what she could to spend time with friends. She’d met with Penny, done what she could to keep from being overwhelmed by the weight of work. Sometimes it had succeeded, sometimes it had not. And through it all she could not escape the lingering frustration and anger at having been denied that final fight with Mariette.

”Oh, that hat is pretty!” Kimble had squished her cheek against the icy glass to take a closer look.
To take her mind off that, she was hanging out with Kimble. There was less to do in the devastated city, but hopefully they would turn that around soon enough. Until then, Kimble had decreed that they do some window shopping...Until she ended up getting stuck.
”Uh oh...I think I need help, Alicia!”

Standing next to Kimble, Alicia couldn’t help but snicker as the former catgirl became fixed to the glass pane. “How did you even do that?” Alicia asked as she watched for a moment. She’d heard of people getting their tongues stuck to lamp posts, but not windows.

Having delighted in her misery for a few moments, Alicia would help her out. Glancing around, she used her Light magic to heat up the glass window so Kimble could pull her cheek free. “Are you alright?” she asked. Hopefully it wasn’t too harrowing of an experience, even if it had happened at the expense of her dignity.

Kimble shook her head after she was released, and giggled a bit.
”I’m fine. As long as you’re around, I have nothing to be afraid of...Even mommy,” she responded, turning more quietly with the last few words. They moved to the next window, which showcased various books.
”Alicia...Have you ever had a fight with someone? Not like a regular fight, but...One with a person you cared about?”

Relieved to hear that Kimble was alright, Alicia was more than ready to resume window shopping. She hadn’t seen very much to grab her interest at present. But there was still time for that to change. And she would admit that the faith Kimble placed in her was warming. Especially in spite of all the stuff the city had been through recently.

As such, the question took her off guard. Alicia frowned, not sure what inspired it but still determined to treat it as seriously as it deserved. It mattered to Kimble, and that was what mattered.

“The only time I can think of was with Penny. That girl Chloe came back into town for a bit, and really tried to set her against us. Things got pretty tense, though admittedly Penny did try to compromise by splitting her two personalities into different bodies to square the circle.” She shivered just thinking about it, though the fact that Chloe had skipped town again before it got worse was some relief. Even if it was another thing she had not been able to settle.

She flashed a chagrined look to Kimble while scratching the back of her head. “Sorry I can’t be of much help. I guess I’ve gotten pretty lucky there.”

Kimble frowned, and took Alicia’s hand.
”No, it’s fine, Alicia.”
She sighed, and looked down at the ground.
”You’ve had your hardships too. But you’ve grown so strong over them. While I...I guess I haven’t changed that much.”

“You just need to be around more,” Alicia observed with some amusement. But she quickly left the meta humor behind to return to more serious matters. This was a conversation that Kimble seemed to care about, so she shouldn’t make too light of her.

So she continued to maintain a firm grip on Kimble’s hand as she shook her head. ”Anyway, I think ‘strength’ is a bit subjective. I’m not physically the strongest, and I haven’t really gotten the opportunity to personally mete out justice on people. I just have some….strong beliefs, and I was lucky enough to interact with people who respected that sort of thing.”

A sigh followed, as she glanced upwards in reminiscing of her own. ”I think everyone is like that. It’s just a matter of finding what that is.”

Kimble smiled, enjoying Alicia’s touch on her head.
“Well, maybe not strong with lifting or punching, but I meant a strong heart. Even when you first went against Justine, you still placed my safety above that. And when other villains have been in sight, you’ve never failed to stay and save those who need saving. I think that’s the sign of a strong person,” Kimble mused.

The two ended up at the city square, where Kimble sat on one of the benches. She looked around, as if to ensure they were alone, before she asked in a soft voice:
”So...Do you think what Rachel is doing is right, with the Ascendancy and all?”

”It’s….complicated,” Alicia conceded, holding back a grimace as she joined Kimble sitting on the bench. ”I think the role they have is necessary, being able to handle things a normal branch can’t. But I don’t agree with their attitude. It’s just a lot harder to argue that after the Rave.”

She paused for a moment, letting her feelings work through before she could begin to speak again. ”The hardest part right now is figuring out where to go from here. I can’t exactly just tell her what to do. But no, I don’t agree with her most of the time.”

Kimble nodded, and placed a hand on Alicia's knee. ”Yeah, I know how that feels. When I first joined Beacon, I wasn't sure what to do either. Everyone kept staring at me like I was a stray animal who wandered into the office."
She clutched at her woolly cap, as if reaching for her former feline ears.
”But whenever I felt bad about it, I remembered my promise to make a real change, and I kept working hard. Things aren't going to change by just being a bystander. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you could do really big things, Alicia. A lot of people here respect you, and trust in you. You just have to realize that."
She turned quiet after that.
”I didn't mean to sound rude, sorry. I just want you to know you can be more confident in yourself."

“It’s fine,” Alicia replied, shaking her head as she leaned back in her seat. “Though I’m not sure how we got here. Wasn’t I supposed to be the one bringing up your mood? You did get roughed up pretty bad during that fight.”

Kimble giggled.
”The medics over at Beacon did a good job healing my injuries, so I’ll be fine."
She then kissed Alicia’s cheek, a blush on her cheeks.
”Besides, getting to spend some time with you is all the healing I’d need."

“Nope, I refuse,” Alicia declared, shaking her head firmly even as she blushed from the kiss a bit. ”I am going to pamper you at least a little and you are going to like it. Understand?” It was the least she could do given how few and far between these sorts of opportunities were.

Kimble was surprised by Alicia’s assertiveness, and she became visibly flustered.
”O-Okay, Alicia." She then giggled a bit.
”Now you’re starting to get it~".

Kimble’s encouragement earned an eye roll from Alicia as she grinned. “Don’t push it,” she replied, nudging Kimble’s shoulder with her own. These were hardly similar situations, despite the efforts to create some sort of equivalence between them. But for now she’d prefer to focus on something else rather than her difficulties as head of Penrose Beacon.

The next question that arose to her mind was what they should do next. Were this a normal winter, she’d have suggested going to see the shopping mall trees, but that was not in the cards with the state of the city.

That was when an idea occurred to her. It might not be a romantic movie, but it could work nonetheless. “How about we go ice skating?” she offered. It might not be pampering by itself, but it could lead into that in her opinion.

Kimble’s eyes lit up.
”Oh, I would love that. Let’s go!"

Soon enough they found themselves at the ice skating rink; it was the very same place where Alicia first had her meeting with the forces of the Ascendancy. Any cracks in the ice that were made on that day have since frozen over, replaced by the sight of some people ice skating around in a circle. After the two rented some skates, Kimble had put hers on, and slowly slid over to the ice. She was visibly struggling to keep her balance, her arms held out from her sides.

”Y-Yikes, this is diffi-Aaah! She slipped on the ice, about to fall down when Alicia caught her.

Returning to the ice rink, Alicia was not surprised to find that there was no sign of anything that had happened here before. Just happy normal people, skating or trying to skate. Leading the way, Alicia rented them some skates and made her way over to the ice. It had been a while, but she was getting back into it.

Kimble seemed to be having more trouble, abruptly losing her footing and causing her to fall. Luckily Alicia was there to grab her, first by the arm and then wrapping a supportive arm around her waist for now. “I thought cats were supposed to have a great sense of balance,” she teased, eventually letting go once she was sure Kimble would not immediately fall.

"Well, I'm sure even cats have trouble on ice," Kimble responded, holding onto Alicia as she steadied herself.
"Besides, I'm no longer like that, Alicia. I quit the life of a monster." She eventually managed to keep herself up, and made a simple slide forward.
"Now it's working...Oh, it's just like riding the wind." She smiled, and took Alicia's hand.
"This is really fun."

Alicia made sure to keep Kimble close, not doing anything sudden that would cause her to fall again. It made things a bit more difficult, but she didn’t mind. Not with this company. They moved in a wide circle around the outside of the ice rink, staying clear of people for now

“Sorry,” she apologized with a small wince. “Do you want me to stop making jokes like those? I didn’t mean to be insensitive about things you’d rather move past.”

Still, Kimble’s realization earned a happy nod from her companion. ”Exactly. Once you get past that initial part things becomes easier.”

”It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it,” Kimble responded.
”If you want to, you can continue to make jokes like those. I know I’ve made plenty of terrible puns, haha~”
She giggled, and enjoyed the time the two spent together; gradually, Kimble learned to skate without Alicia’s assistance, and made a graceful spinning jump.
”By the way, I heard from Sally that you two were going to the Christmas party. Could I come too?” She asked.

“Alright. Well, if you’re okay with it,” Alicia mused. She’d at least try to cut back on the amount of cat jokes. Though having thought about it that was low hanging fruit anyway. She could use this as an excuse to improve her game.

Alicia was not as much into the jumps, but she nonetheless spun and made quick turns as she followed Kimble on the ice. They stayed close though, even if they were no longer holding on to each other.

Alicia regarded Kimble with a warm smile in response to her question. “Of course. It’s for Christmas, why would I stop you?” That wouldn’t exactly be in the spirit of things.

Kimble’s smile beamed like the sun. ”Yay! I’ve never been to a Christmas celebration before, so this is great! Thank you, Alicia!” She went up to Alicia and hugged her, causing the both of them to spin in place. She snuggled up to Alicia and looked up to her.

”Do you think anybody from the Ascendancy would want to join too?”

Alicia’s smile warmed all the more with Kimble’s open affection. She might not have succeeded in keeping the city safe from looming evils, but she could at least take pleasure in moments such as these. What else would she have, if not that?

“I thought about going to get a Christmas tree for Beacon, but we can always do that later,” she mentioned with a laugh. “They’re gonna want to celebrate after everything that’s happened over the past couple of months.”

The mention of the Ascendancy earned a hum of thought. “FanFan definitely, maybe Leena if she’s back on her feet. Past that I’m not sure. Maybe Elora? Or the twins? I know I’m obligated to ask Rachel out of respect, but who knows if she’s willing to attend.” Honestly, it was up in the air whether the Ascendancy girls could tear themselves away from working to go to a party held by Dan.

"That sounds good,” Kimble responded. She kissed Alicia's cheek.
”Thank you for being there for me and bringing me to places, Alicia. I promise I'll always be there for you too.”

After a moment Alicia returned the kiss, only blushing a little bit from the public display of affection. “Don’t worry about it. I’d be a poor girlfriend if it was just work all the time.”

There were things to do, things to worry about. But all that was in the future. For now, the duo skated on.

The world of business was cutthroat. One had to always be looking for the next advantage, the newest edge. This was especially true for the world of magical business, which combined all the dangers of finance with wild magical powers. Needless to say, things could get pretty dramatic.

Such was the case now. The bounty poster, who preferred to remain anonymous, had directed the girls she had hired to go and smash the workshop of a rival. In doing so she would take a decisive advantage in terms of mercantile production within the city. Or something like that anyway. Whatever the logic was, it did not change what they had been directed to do. Hopefully they would be up for the task.

As part of this effort the duo had been provided information directing them to the general location of the workshop. It was located near the rail yard, serenading them with the sounds of trains as they stepped closer. From what the poster had said, there was a secret entrance in one of the old sheds that would take them underground to the workshop. Which was probably better than trying to get in from the sewers.

There were some challenges of course. Entering the shed, they would find a damaged train, a leftover from some major accident or the fight that had ravaged the rail yard like a million years ago. Mechanicals parts laid scattered about, to say nothing of the dirt and snow that had accumulated. There just weren't the people to maintain this when they had more to do to keep the reduced city running.

For now they had at least a couple hours to work this out before the owner returned, according to the bounty poster. Hopefully they could make good use of this time.

Wearing a snug winter coat, the larger of the two girls idly kicked some of the debris on the ground as she looked around the place. “Mmm~” she punted a small piece of metal, sending it bouncing off a far wall of the shed with a clang. “Hilaria will be out of a job if the lab looks anything like this place~” She continued to find small things to kick, looking like she was bored initially, but she also seemed to be checking to see if there was anything hidden beneath the stuff.

While Hilaria inspected things to kick, the thinner girl was scanning their provided literature for more clues. "I'm sure it's just hidden, like a diamond in the, hmmm, snow?" She folded up her documents when she approached the train. "Maybe it`s in the train? Maybe, under the train?" Aria continued to think out loud as she stepped inside. "Now`s the time you earn your nectar boys and girls!" Her butterflies flew out from underneath her kimono and inspected the interior of the train. They rocked levers, explored the furnace, trying to find anything that might have indicated a hidden lair. On the train at least.

Working in tandem, the duo would soon find their success.Hilaria kicked free a latch disguised beneath some rocks, which combined with a lever pulled by one of the butterflies to cause a hatch to swing open next to the train.
"Down we go~” Hilaria would say as she entered first. Aria followed shortly afterwards.

The passage was a bit larger than one person wide, with stone stairs leading downwards into a tunnel. It was all illuminated by lamps interspersed at regular intervals, and so far everything looked normal for the sake of the public that might stumble across it on accident.

Eventually the tunnel dead ended in what looked like a utility closet. One section had various mundane tools, the other side had cleaning supplies like mops and buckets and grease lift and stuff. Given what they had done to get here, this section would likely require more of a magical touch to get results.

Hilaria carelessly tossed aside the various items in the closet to get to the back. When she, presumably, didn't find any glaringly obvious markings or the sort, her eyes seemed to glow gold as she scanned the area with her magic-sensing vision. "Doesn't it seem like such a pain~?" she asked her kimono-wearing ally. "Hilaria doesn't think you can get delivery down here~"

"No, I don’t suppose we could." Aria chuckled at the unusual observation. Hilaria seemed to know what she was doing, so she kept her butterflies back for the moment. "Perhaps they have a way to make their own food further in." She looked at her notes, then back at Hilaria. "While we are here to destroy everything, I wouldn’t mind having a peak at any literature we find before it goes up in flames."

As Hilaria continued to look for anything suspicious, she smiled. "Sure~" she agreed readily. "Hilaria would think our client would want to gain as much intel on her opposition and at least gather things~" she shrugged.

"Yes, for our client." Aria’s eyes squinted slightly as a smile crossed her lips. Her butterflies, oblivious to what was going on, continued to fly around without a care in the world.

As expected, there was no obvious marking to tell them what they should do next. While they conversed among themselves, Hilaria put her Third Eye to work, scanning the room for any signs that might clue her in to a secret entrance. You know, the sort of thing they were here for.

After a bit of looking, she found what she needed. It seemed there were magical conduits in the wall, which triggered a locking mechanism. Or something like that. Presumably one had to use a particular specialization of magic to activate it, or an item, but with Hilaria’s experience and Aria’s help, she could probably brute force it.

"Hilaria sees, she sees~" she placed her hand on the wall where the mechanism was, turning to face Aria. "The unseen lock is the trickiest~! Mmm, but Hilaria wonders what the key is~?" she attempted to see if the lock would react to her gravity magic in any way, but didn't expect any results. And assuming that didn't work, she would ask of Aria, "Hey, hey..." she paused, realizing that they hadn't exchanged names yet. "Hilaria forgot to ask you your name, but Hilaria's name is Hilaria, for future reference~!"

"Oh? I had no idea." She extended her hand towards the giant woman. "My name is Aria. I’m an artificer. I typically don’t talk to people much when I’m on outings like this. Well, not during an operation at least." She stepped past Hilaria to look at the wall. She couldn’t see the lock, of course. "Hmm, we might be able to brute force it, but might that just summon surveillance?" She tapped her foot. "I suppose if we’re quick, it won’t matter too much. But just in case..."

One of Aria’s smaller butterflies inspected the wall, trying to fly inside the “lock,” if it even had a physical shape. Meanwhile, Aria placed her wand on Hilaria’s shoulder, and she could feel her strength increase dramatically.

Having located what they were looking for, work began to deal with the lock. The butterflies would not see much success, the lock seemingly protected against physical intrusions like that. Though presumably no one expected that to work on its own.

The use of gravity magic would provoke a greater reaction. The conduits shifted and pulsed, reacting both to the physical force used as well as the magic itself. From what Hilaria could discern of the reaction, her magic would function to activate the circuit. She just needed to provide a consistent force to the entirety of the circuit to get it to activate and unlock the path forwards. Or she could just smash it down, that was an option too.

Naturally, Hilaria chose the option more suited for both the mission and subtlety, using excessive force, presumably breaking through the entrance. She had probably just gotten bored. "Is everything going to be like this, Hilaria wonders~?" She led the way in, but looked wary, as if searching for any surprises on the way in. But Aria would hear a weird crunching noise coming from Hilaria as she did so.

"Oh I’m sure it’ll get more exciting once we get inside. " Aria was not far behind Hilaria. "Anyone willing to hide their lair this well is bound to have interesting things. You can’t invest all this time in something without having something of value, right?" She stepped over a pile of rubble that Hilaria made. "But if I’m being honest, just meeting you has made this trip quite fascinating. Your approach to entering a secure lair is simple but also very entertaining!"

“Oh, thank you~” Hilaria didn’t stop walking. “Most of the time people just call Hilaria lazy, foolish, or a brute if they bother to comment~ But she just doesn’t like a circuitous approach, is all~” Every few words of hers had a short, two second pause between them, with the crunching continuing still. But eventually, Aria would see Hilaria toss an empty bag of chips off to the side. “Mmm, Hilaria thinks that if there’s an easier way to do something, that the more difficult or complex way is about as useful as the ‘G’ in lasagna~”

"Exactly! Meanwhile the ‘y’ in Lasagna found a way to do its job without even being there, which I find far more impressive!" Aria looked at the casually discarded potato chip bag. She was starting to notice a theme. "When we’re done here, we should get something to eat. I don’t know about Penrose, but there’s a few places I like in the overcity. There’s this really unassuming stall that sells some of the best muskrat you could ever put in your mouth. "

“Yes~! Hilaria thinks that sounds like a wonderful plan~!” enthusiasm for the date was all over her words. Aria would notice a bit more of a spring to Hilaria’s step than before, which continued until they reached the end of the tunnel.

The tunnel did not do much to interest, being a fairly normal tunnel. The main difference was that the lighting here was magical rather than mundane. There was no need to hide the masquerade here after all. At least they knew it wouldn’t end in a utility closet.

Past the end of the tunnel, through another set of mundane doors with no magic lock this time, they would find they had reached their destination. It was a fairly large room, probably too big for the space it was supposed to be if not for magic, with an arching ceiling and some cents for air. The place was a bit of a mess, with fabric strewn about, some looms and various crafting materials, metal presses, a furnace for blowing glass, all the tools of the trade. In one corner was an office space, presumably for stuff like storing designs and cash and the like.

For now there did not seem to be any sign of anyone around. It was time to go to work.

For a moment, it seemed like Hilaria was in a bit of awe at all the stuff they had shoved down there. This, however, changed when she promptly pointed her shotgun at a loom and blew it to smithereens without any hesitation and a giggle. Now pieces of that were scattered about the floor as well. But she didn’t stop there, and continued onto the next item to be destroyed. “Ahh~” Hilaria was enjoying herself. She might’ve been enjoying herself too much, even.

Aria was also swept up in Hilaria’s gleeful destruction of personal property. She swept up a few fragments of the devices into her her hammer space gourd before marching into the office. Once there, she started to sort through the things written there. Anything that was relevant to Aria’s interests was quickly shoved into her gourd. Everything else was tossed off the desk, at which point her butterflies would do a sloppy job of devouring it. "I have a hard time *BANG* believing this is everything." She was not phased by the sounds of Hilaria’s shotgun. Though it was kind of annoying to get cut off every few shots. "Hillaria, do- *BANG* do your eyes *BANG* see *CHOMP* anything else?"

It appeared to take a great deal of effort for the girl to pull herself away from blowing things into pieces. To say she was reluctant was putting it lightly, and it also might have had some implications. But she did eventually succeed, facing Aria for a moment. “Lets see~” she hadn’t bothered to really concentrate on looking beyond what was obviously present, so now would be the time she did, searching for anything that might’ve been hidden.

The duo worked well, setting about the destructive efforts with a naked glee. Wood splintered and shattered, paper and parchment devoured, as they painted on this canvas they had been given. They were making a big mess and making their client very happy, that was for sure.
However, they were not as alone as they thought they were. The bounty had mentioned guards, and now was the time when they made their appearance. But rather than lumbering giants, they fit the owner who utilized this workshop.

First would be Hilaria, standing amidst a growing amount of rubble and detritus even though she had stopped shooting. Shimmering fabric sprang to life and leapt forward, several robes animated by magical power now rising to the defense of their creator like malicious magic carpets. One moved for the shotgun, seeking to wrench it from her grip as it wrapped around the firearm. Another skimmed low to the ground and began tangling itself through her legs, so as to bind her in place and pull her down to the ground.

Meanwhile Aria would suddenly find herself confronted as well. Her foes were a trio of wooden mannequins, like the sort you’d use to model clothes in a department store, or a larger version of those dolls you’d have in art class. One of the mannequins went for a jump kick, springing with an inhuman flexibility and speed as the others moved to block her from reaching Hilaria.

This mission had just gotten a bit trickier.

Aria’s magic was ill suited for direct combat with an adversary, but being cut off from Hilaria didn’t mean she was necessarily alone.

"Rupy!"

One of Aria’s larger insects changed its shape in a blinding flash of light. While still a butterfly, it wore a glowing neon crown, and its wings had cannons woven into each one. On a down stroke of its wings, Rupy fired two projectiles that looked like shooting stars at the incoming dummy. The rest of Aria’s butterflies surged in front of her to act as a shield should one of the guards break through.

"If you want it so badly, then Hilaria can let you have it~" Hilaria nonchalantly threw the gun-axe to the side with enough force to destroy whatever mundane objects came between it and the wall, where it should've lodged itself into. Hopefully pinning the fabric that was latched onto it.

She was clearly more worried about the one going for her legs and placed priority on that, attempting to make a high jump towards the nearest wall where she would create a grip by force if there was nothing immediate to grab a hold of, perhaps hoping the higher view would give her a better assessment of the situation.

Hilaria’s move worked as intended, snagging the robe and yanking it back to the far wall. It was able to tear itself free eventually, but that took several moments and it left a significant hole in the fabric that Hilaria could potentially exploit. Her leap to the ceiling gave her a greater vantage point of the trouble that inflicted Aria as well as the space she had to work with. The destruction was not too widespread just yet, but there was definitely open space to use. Which was good and bad, considering the nature of her opponents.

Speaking of which, they rose to attack once more. This was simpler, a matter of pinning her to the new perch she had chosen. They would not hurt her directly, but they would constrict tightly and hold her there. Presumably until the owner returned or until she starved, whichever came first.

The wooden mannequins proved a tough foe as well. The projectiles embedded themselves in the mannequin, where they remained and mostly inhibited its movement. More butterflies rose to act as a shield, which was a wise decision as the mannequins advanced from two separate angles. The second mannequin took the full brunt of the butterflies, clearing a path for the third to burst through and launch a sharp kick at Aria herself.

"Hmph!"

With her defensive barrier breaking, Aria chose to duck and roll under the desk, just as her opponents broke through the butterflies. She was running out of room, but not options.

None of the mannequins had bothered with Rupy himself, allowing the familiar to attack with impunity. With every flap of his wings, he fired another pair of shooting stars. After a few of the enchanted butterflies merged with him, this happened much more frequently. His body glowed with a radiance that could only be described as divine. This was passed on to his projectiles, which detonated like fireworks.

Hilaria had to admit this sort of foe was one of the ones she was ill-suited to fight. She had every bit of confidence when it came to wrestling another magical girl, but sentient fabrics did not exactly have limbs to restrain or a neck to choke. Since she had to abandon her axe, recalling it would take more time she was afforded. However, that was not the same case with her scutum.

“Hilaria suggests you duck, Aria~!” giving this ‘suggestion’ to her ally, Hilaria had summoned her scutum in her free hand and gave the shield a heavy hurl in the girl’s direction, aimed at the mannequins attacking her. This one would have much more strength behind it than even her tossing vulcun aside, cutting through things like a sawblade.

Aside from that, although she wasn’t confident she would be able to do so since she spent precious time assisting Aria, she at least attempted to kick off the wall before the fabric could pin her to it. At the very least, being restrained on the floor would be preferable to the wall.

The shield soared through the air with impressive speed, cutting right through one of the mannequins before burying itself in the wall. That one was cleaved in half and clattered to the floor. The upper half continued to pull itself towards Aria, but it was not particularly fast in doing so. With the shield embedded in the wall though, it would take some doing to use it again.

Meanwhile the other mannequin struck by Rupy all but exploded from the force of accumulated projectiles, blasted into little pieces and wooden limbs. That just left the remaining mannequin, who chose to focus on Aria herself rather than the minion. Flipping over the desk, it swung around and sought to both haul her out of her hiding spot and then hold her from behind as a human shield from Rupy.

As for Hilaria. She would successfully push off the ceiling. But her luck ended there as her legs were entangled by the first robe. She would fall heavily to the ground, landing amidst broken tables and other debris. The other robe was quickie closing in, looking to ensnare her arms and prevent any more saving throws. Once bundled tight, there would be little she could do. Hopefully.

With the desk being thrown aside, Aria had a brief moment where she was able to understand exactly what was going on before the mannequin reached for her. It wasn’t a lot of time, and Aria wasn’t especially strong by magical girl standards. Even a minion like this would be difficult to overpower by herself. It took hold of her baggy kimono and tried to hold her in front of the incoming projectiles. But much like how a butterfly emerges from a cocoon, Aria would emerge from her Kimono.

With a single tug on her belt, the entire thing came undone, and it wasn’t hard for the slender girl to slip out of her kimono. Fortunately her uniform came with a pair of hot pants and a silken ribbon that was wrapped around her chest. Both were yellow and decorated with red butterflies. It preserved some of her dignity, anyway.

Rupy, like most butterflies, had an erratic and fast movement pattern. With the additional agility he was packing, it was easy for him to circle around the dummy and resume blowing it to bits. The dummy was reduced to splinters, with Aria’s new year kimono fluttering to the ground.

But Aria herself was not concerned with what was happening behind herself. One of her butterflies flew into her back, granting her a burst of strength. She pounced on top of Hilaria and tried to rip the robes off her body with the fervor of a child opening Christmas presents.

Hilaria had already begun struggling to break her arms free from the robe she knew was damaged. "Oh, my~" Aria landed on her with a thud, but it didn't seem to bother the knight very much. "Hilaria appreciates it~" She knew that if they could break free her arms that the ones holding her legs would soon follow.

The mannequin was destroyed in an incredible explosion even as it sought to reclaim its hostage, all but shredding the kimono in the blast as well. At least that wasn’t the sort of thing Aria needed to worry about.

Leaping on top of Hilaria, Aria began to tug and tear at the robes. It was a task she would find difficult, as they flowed and twisted and kep[t her from getting a solid grip. Without that purchase, it was difficult to tear anything. It also masked the moves by the enchanted robes to bind Aria too, leaving her trapped alongside Hilaria in their grasp.

"Ara ara~!" Aria had fortified her strength to it’s limit, but it seemed that it wasn’t quite enough to do anything about the robes. Fortunately, she didn’t mind getting bound alongside Hilaria. She didn’t really mind anything that had happened this entire mission.
"Well, it appears that was a bust. However, we’re not out of options yet!"

As the robe squeezed the two of them tighter, Aria would become increasingly aware of the fact that her attempt was not the only bust around. “Mmm, it’s a bit tight here, isn’t it~? Not the the worst, she supposes~”

Instead of enhancing her own strength, Aria channeled all of her mana into Hilaria. At this range, it wasn’t too difficult to place an enchantment on her. "It would be fun to nap here, but I’m still hungry, aren’t you?"

Speaking of hunger, Rupy hadn’t had anything to eat since he was summoned. He wasn’t a moth, but that didn’t stop him from swooping in and trying to devour the robes. In his war form, Rupy’s mandibles were more than enough to sheer mundane cloth.

Aria didn’t even need to ask. “Hilaria prefers her naps after a delicious meal~” Using the power of her newfound friendship, eagerness to eat, the prior damage to the robe, and this buff she found, Hilaria would push her arms outward. It, presumably, would snap the torn piece of fabric otherwise what the fuck is the CR on this encounter Flame and she would recall her shotgun-axe in order to begin cutting the two of them free from their fabric foes.

With a tremendous flexing of muscles, an exertion of effort, and the inclusion of a combination shotgun axe and an enchanted butterfly, Hilaria would tear her torso free and bring Aria along with her to freedom in the process. This destroyed one of the robes, with the other slipping free now that it was all alone in this fight.

Instead it engaged in a game of ‘keep away’, flying back and throwing stuff at them with the projectiles Hilaria’s destruction had provided. Not that it would save it from a shotgun blast, but it had tried. With its destruction, silence descended upon the workshop once more.

”Whew!" Aria hung on Hilaria’s neck with both hands, with the crook of her legs over Hilaria’s extended arm. She surveyed the destruction as smoke waifed out of the end of Hilaria’s shotgun. ”That was really something else!" She pulled her legs up and dropped onto the ground, where she approached the remains of her uniform. With the help of her butterflies, she was able to retrieve all the pieces and use her magic to make her kimono whole again. After which, she threw it over her shoulders. ”I think this place is destroyed enough. Let us depart so that we may collect our bounty and get something to eat." She stretched her arms over her head with a yawn.

Hilaria took one final look at the workshop that was now in tatters. If it weren't for the fact that it was underground someone might assume that it was hit by a tornado. In any case, whomever's shop this was would not be making use of it for a while. They had done their job.

"Hilaria would love that~" her voice laced with eagerness, the ancient lost any and all interest in the destruction that laid behind them as they left. "Now," Hilaria caught Aria's attention. "About that muskrat stall~"

”Of course, just let me get this thing back on."

---

Several hours after the destructive rampage that had been committed by Hilaria and Aria, their act had been discovered. In a particular store the phone rang, seeking to establish contact with its owner.

“Brittany’s Boutique, how may I help you?” The familiar voice spoke back with practiced politeness.

The measured response was met with a verbal snap. The speaker made no effort to hide how angry she was as she surveyed her destroyed workshop. “Really Brittany? Sending thugs to smash up my work? That’s low, even for you.” There was no doubt as to what had happened or who was responsible. She was not going to take this lying down.

Brittany made a confused sound.
"Excuse me? Who is this?"

The confusion, whether feigned or real, did not earn Brittany any favors. “It’s Tijana. You know, the other weaver in town. Don’t play dumb with me.”

Brittany turned silent. “Oh, Tijuana? I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. I gotta go now, bye.”

She hung up the call, and went over to her Patron who was sitting on the counter, meaning on it on her elbows, pouting.

“Man, I can’t believe Tijuana would call up and blame me for it...Heh, serves her right, though.”

She smiled deviously.

“It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Sometimes you gotta grease some wheels to get results in this town. But how did she find out? I gotta make sure there’s no screwups from now on...”

---

✩✩✩Last time on The Dream Team- Thanks to Violet’s help, Amanda was finally able to reunite with her twin brother, Aiden. As it turned out, their reunion didn’t happen a moment too soon, as Aiden was investigating a strange phenomenon that was undoubtedly magical in nature. Arriving at what he believed was the phenomenon’s source, Aiden and the girls soon discovered the terrifying culprit- an eldritch monstrosity calling itself The Eater of Dreams! Even with all their vast mystic power, can Violet and Amanda hope to triumph against a foe such as this?!

Read on, and find out!✩✩✩

As the malign creature spoke, all three could feel their desire to either escape or fight being rapidly drained away. Indeed, their very limbs seemed to be sapped of all strength, such that they could barely stand.

“A-Amanda,” Violet gasped, her voice weak. “W-We… h-have to… t-transform…”

Amanda had begun to panic as their strength sapped away, but as she looked at Violet and Aiden, that panic turned to rage. How could she have missed a discovery like this?! And to put her own brother in danger! What if she wasn't there in time? What if...?

"G-God damnit!" Amanda yelled out, using every ounce of willpower to stumble forward and grab Violet's hand. She snarled at the monster they faced. I-I am not...going to die t-to some PATHETIC INSECT!!" She casted her hand out, and bellowed, "May my sweetest dreams...be your endless nightmares!!!"

Squeezing her friend’s hand with all the meager strength she had left, Violet began her own incantation. “H-Hearts… C-Candy,” the heiress intoned, more and more of her strength seeming to return with each word she spoke. “Sparkles, and Balloons~! Sunshine, Glitter, Unicorns, and Rainbows~! Taaa daaa~! Magical Girl Super Cute Pretty Pretty Magical Dream Princess is here~! (giggle!)” the whimsical magical girl declared, striking a cute pose, before pointing her wand at the arachnid monstrosity looming over them. “Like, you did a super duper meanie weanie thingie wingie, taking this whole towny wowny’s hopes and dreams away! So, like, Pastel-chan and Magical Dream Princess are totally wotally gonna make you go bye bye nowie~! (giggle!)” Her wand glowing with power, MDP used the mystic implement to draw a glowing pink heart in the air in front of her. “With all her hope, wuv, and dreams, Magical Dream Heart Rainbow Beam~!” With that, a mighty heart-shaped blast of prismatic power shot forth from MDP’s glowing wand and slammed into the arachnid horror with all the force of ten thousand freight trains. Predictably, while the attack definitely seemed to have injured the creature, it was still very much in the fight. “Okie dokie, Pastel-chan~!” the whimsical girl called to her friend. “It’s your turny wurny, nowie~! (giggle!)”

Amanda's anger didn't seem to fade once transformed. "You'll pay for your crimes, you insolent vermin!!" Her spellbook rapidly flipped through pages on it's own, summoning a giant bird to attack the Eater of Dreams; akin to a phoenix with it's purple flames. With the big fella stalled, Amanda would turn her attention to the smaller spiders, rapidly firing crystals at them.

“Like, that was sooo super duper cool, Pastel-chan~! (giggle!)” MDP told her friend with a gleeful smile. “Like, Magical Dream Princess will helpy welpy get rid of all those icky wicky little wittle spider widers~!” With a wave of her wand, she conjured an array of glowing stars, which went to work zapping the smaller spiders with dazzling beams of light, causing them to explode in showers of colorful glitter. “Sooo pretty~! (giggle!)” The childish magical girl cheered as she watched her creations eliminate the lesser minions.

Unsurprisingly, the Eater of Dreams didn’t share her appreciation, and the arachnid monstrosity unleashed a nightmarish shriek of fury at the insolence of the two magical girls. “Feeble CHILDREN! You DARE to DEFY the Eater of Dreams?! I shall FEAST upon your pathetic creations! Then you shall KNOW your folly and SUBMIT to my power!” Opening its dreadful maw even wider, the eldritch abomination began to suck the dream magic into that baleful orifice with terrifying force. Amanda and MDP would soon see that their rainbow beams and mythic birds were swiftly unraveling into strands of spectral, purplish energy, which the Eater of Dreams now set about consuming with great vigor. Meanwhile, translucent tendrils of mystic energy spilled out of its spindly fingers to wrap around the stars and crystals, cocooning them in thick webs, before shrinking them down to nothing. “Submit, foolish children! Your PITIFUL powers are no more than a BANQUET for the Eater of Dreams!”

“Golly wolly!” MDP exclaimed. “That meanie weanie really can eat dreamy weamies! Like, we need to thinky winky up a special weical plany wany to stopy wopy him! Heresie~!” she added, dipping her wand into a colorful bottle she’d just conjured. “Magical Dream Princess’s super duper strong bubble wubbles of wuv will give us some timey wimey to do that~! (giggle!)”

Holding the wand up to her lips, she blew a series of large, heart-shaped bubbles, which floated towards the Eater of Dreams. Merging together, and fully enveloping the eldritch creature, they would halt its consumption of the other dream constructs. Unlike those previous manifestations of dream magic, the bubble didn’t seem quite as susceptible to the horror’s ravenous appetite. Although it was still slowly being syphoned away into the creature’s insatiable maw, the bubble seemed capable of confining its captive for at least a short time.

“Okie dokie~!” MDP declared, striking a dramatic pose. “So, like, since this meanie weanie can eat dreamy weamies, Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies we should make the most super duper sweetest weetest dreamy weamy ever wever, and, like, when that meanie weanie tries to eat it, it’ll be sooo super duper sweety weety, he won’t be able to handle wandle it, and it’ll totally wotally make him explody wodey~! (giggle!) Like, come on Pastel-chan~! (giggle!)” she cheered, taking Amanda’s hand. “Like, you can helpy welpy too, Aiden Waiden~!” she added, grabbing the stunned journalist’s hand as well. “Like, it’s super duper easy peasy~! All you have to do is think of your sweetest weetest dreamy weamy, and Pastel-chan and Magical Dream Princess will totally wotally make it come true~! (giggle!)”

Aiden chuckled out of fear. "How the hell is that supposed to work?!"

"Just shut up and focus already!" Amanda snapped back at her brother. With the elder twin silenced, they both focused on thinking of the most important dreams they had.

While the two siblings concentrated, MDP focused their happy thoughts into her Wand of Sweetest Dreams, supercharging it with magical power. As the mystic implement floated in midair before them, it seemed to shatter reality with rays of prismatic brilliance.

“Okie dokie~! (giggle!)” MDP announced. “Here~! We~! Gooo~! With all our hope, wuv, and dreams, this is Aiden Waiden, Pastel-chan, and Magical Dream Princess’s Super Duper Sweety Weety Magical Wagcial Dreamy Weamy Barrier Warrier~! We really, really hope you enjoy it~! (giggle!)” she added with a playful wink.

With a spectacular burst of Dream Magic, a whimsical pocket dimension swirled into being around them, with the Eater of Dreams at its center. Unlike pervious iterations, this one was informed not only by the dreams of MDP, but those of Amanda and Aiden as well. Thus, it was far stronger than what MDP could ever manage to create on her own. Seeing the feast spread out before it, the Eater of Dreams wasted no time in attempting to consume it, but, as MDP had hoped, the eldritch monstrosity soon encountered a problem…

“Such LOVE! Such HOPE! Such JOY! So bRiGhT! So ViVId! I-It is tOo sTrOng!” the creature screamed, its horrific form seeming to bulge and warp in response to the staggering power flooding into it. “It iS mUch tOo sTrOnG!”

“Oh~! Would you like moresie~?! (giggle!)” MDP asked with a cheerful and incredibly innocent smile. “Like, heresie~! Magical Dream Princess totally wotally has a super duper special wecial treat just for you~! Super Duper Deluge of Cuteness~! (giggle!)” With that, the bubbly girl unleashed a massive Barrage of Dream Magic, the swirling, sparkling torrent forming a dizzying array of whimsical creatures and objects, which thoroughly overwhelmed what little resistance the Eater of Dreams still possessed. Giving voice to an anguished screech, the eldritch monstrosity shuddered under the unrelenting assault, before violently bursting apart in a spray of candy and glitter.

“Yaaay~!” MDP cheered as she wrapped Aiden and Amanda up in a big hug. “We did it~! (giggle!) We, like, totally wotally did it~!”

Amanda nearly collapsed once hugged. "This is why I avoid battles..." She tiredly stated. Aiden lightly sneezing from the glitter reminded her that she had alot to explain to the dumbfounded journalist.

"Oh, right. Let's just...clean up and get out of here. I'll explain everything."

“Okie dokie~! (giggle!)” MDP replied with a playful salute. An instant later, however, her body started to tremble as the exhaustion generated from going all-out with her magic finally hit her like a speeding truck. “B-But, like, Magical Dream Princess thinky winkies she’s gonna need a nappy wappy time first~” she added in a sleepy voice, before changing back into Violet and slumping against Amanda.

"Oi!" Amanda wrapped her arms around Violet to catch her, transforming back to her normal self as well. "...Sorry for dragging you into that, Aiden." She apologized to her brother. "If that thing somehow killed you,"

"Didn't even get the chance, whatever that was! If you two somehow managed to overwhelm something like that, just, what are you?!" Aiden's curiously ecstatic expression betrayed any hostility she assumed he had. "And more importantly, is Violet okay? Do you need help with her?"

"Nah, she's just tired." Amanda carefully picked the other girl up. "Let's get outta here."



Shortly after returning to the bed and breakfast, a groggy Violet finally awakened from her nap. “Mmm… That was certainly refreshing,” the heiress noted with a satisfied smile as she stretched herself out. “I apologize for making you carry me back here,” she told Amanda. “Using so much of my magic can be rather exhausting,” the heiress explained. “I know it couldn’t be helped, but I still feel bad about inconveniencing you like this.” Upon noticing that Aiden was with them, Violet gave a small gasp. “Um, how much of what happened does he remember?” she whispered.

"I uh...may have told him the truth." Amanda nervously grinned.

"I owe an old colleague of mine five dollars now." Somehow, Aiden seemed okay with it.

“I… see…” Violet replied, a slight blush beginning to color her cheeks. Giving voice to a weary sigh, she added, “Aiden? I trust that you will not tell anyone what you saw today. I know that it is asking a great deal, especially of someone in your profession, but please try to forget what happened at the theater. Things would not bode well for any of us if it were to become public knowledge.”

"You kiddin?! I'm not gonna be able to forget the fact that we killed Pennywise back there, but I ain't one to blabber easy! Rest assured, your secret's safe with me." Aiden reassured Violet. "But you and this Maura lady better keep Ames safe. Heard things went downhill back in Penrose, and I don't want her getting screwed over."

“You have my word,” Violet told him. “I would be a truly terrible best friend if I allowed anything to happen to her. And thank you,” she added, giving him a sincere smile. “If you are anything like your sister, then I know I have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

"Yeah yeah, I'll behave when we get back to town. Hey, call me if anything else happens, okay?" Amanda shrugged at Aiden.

"Got it. Say, if that news outlet you mentioned got abandoned, think I could take over?"

"Don't push it. Maybe if you end up a magical boy, you could try, but still."

Violet couldn’t help but grin at the siblings’ playful sniping. “If anything, I think you would be an excellent choice for such a position, Amanda,” the heiress told her friend. “And I’d be only too happy to support you, if you wished to take on such a responsibility,” she added. “After all, my illustrious great-grandfather once owned a very successful newspaper, and I believe I would very much enjoy trying my hand at doing the same.”

"....Oh wait, you're serious?" Amanda looked at Violet in surprise. "I mean- I'm not sure if they'd trust someone like me more than the last girl. Then again, she did commit mass genocide. Don't ask."

“Well, I trust you,” Violet replied, letting the topic of mass genocide go unaddressed for the moment. “And I believe that’s what matters most. Besides,” she added. “It’s not like I would have you run the Independent itself. I was thinking of a new agency, one which would put that mediocre gossip rag to shame.”

Amanda thought for a second. "Well, if you think we can do it..." She then nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, let's do it!"

“Excellent,” Violet smiled. “Well, then, if that’s everything, I believe we should probably be going now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Aiden,” she added, shaking the young journalist’s hand. “And I am so very glad that I was able to help you and Amanda finally reunite.”

After the siblings had finished saying their farewells, Violet and Amanda boarded the heiress’s jet for the flight back to Penrose.

“All right, Amanda,” Violet said as they took their seats. “Now that it’s just the two of us, what’s all this about mass genocide?”

✩✩✩Thus concludes another exciting adventure of The Dream Team! What does the future have in store for our two intrepid heroines? Well, you’ll just have to read their continuing adventures in Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl RP to find out!✩✩✩

Normally, downtown Penrose would be bustling with people, a hotspot of partying and late night activity. College students, tourists, day workers, plenty of people looking for a good time. You know, what you would expect from a place like this.

The evacuation of the city had reduced the amount of people considerably. Yet there had still been those willing to brave the elements and the danger. But now a new threat had emerged. Rumors and stories mostly, but they spoke of a shadowy figure, one moving without qualm or opposition. Some claimed he was a hero, fighting evil like Batman. Others claimed he was a very gimmick themed thief. Whatever the explanation was, there was no doubt that he had to be dealt with.

And so late at night, two magical girls assembled downtown, to put an end to this armored menace once and for all.

Hearing about this strange description of animated armor, and being something of a similar nature, a small metallic doll arrived to investigate. While she was still very new to this magical monster girl thing, her first friends had let her know that they were there in part to fight monsters and protect people. So this would be her first proper foray into doing just that.

Having some advanced knowledge that she could be fighting something she decided to collect and bring along some scrap metal and piping she'd located in some of the more adandoned parts of town. For the beginning she would be cautious as she and a walking mass of metal followed her.

It was there that another doll would float up next to Melissa, matching in size, yet appearing more carefully crafted down to the smallest details. Then another, and a third. They all appeared intrigued at their temporary partner.

"Looks like they taken a liking to you!" Anaya walked over to the metal doll after them, squatting down to talk to her. "And I can see why! It's not every day you meet a doll monster-girl. I'm Anaya, and these are my kindred spirits. Literally." she smiled, motioning to the puppets.

Seeing more dolls show up around her, the monster girl began to get excited. They were like her! Well... to some extent. She could see that spirits inhabited these figures. Looking up as a magical girl came, her suspects for these creatures were affirmed. Smiling brightly, Melisa offered a tiny hand to each girl and doll there. "Wonderful to meet you. I'm Melisa. Wow, I never thought I'd meet another animated doll." She was clearly ecstatic to meet them.

"A pleasure to make your aquaintance! These vessels are for my spirits to inhabit, so they can fight alongside me. Besides that, I handcrafted them myself." Anaya smiled. The puppets chatted amongst themselves in excited whispers, one of them circling Melissa curiously. "So, I guess you're my partner for this bounty? Armored phantom, was it?" The spirit girl had heard about the bounty from the others at HQ, and she was curious enough to take it.

The girl nodded. "Yes. I heard about it and got excited. I'm not really sure what to expect, but maybe it can teach me something about my own, er, body I guess." She would shrug a bit. "Kind of new to all of this stuff."

Anaya straightened herself up. "Ooooh, you're new to this?" she tilted her head. "Well, I'm not sure you'll figure out what makes you tick or not, phantoms are tricky like that. But bounty hunts are like side jobs. Containing monsters, escort missions, fighting other magical girls even, you never know. You do get paid for the job though, but how much you get depends on how dangerous it was." She explained.

Interrupting their conversation, the sound of shattering glass filled the air. It seemed that the foe they had come to deal with was afoot. But could they keep up?

"Oh shoot!" Brought back into the task at hand, Melisa hopped up to look at where the thing was running. Managing to catch a glimpse she pointed in the direction of their target. "Sickum." With that command the metalic creature that had been following her shifted and lept into action. Bounding after the armor it sought to grab or cut off its escape.

Melisa herself would wave for Anaya and the others to follow as she started running after.

The trio of puppets would swiftly fly ahead, weapons at the ready. If they managed to catch up to the target, they would attempt stall them for the two to follow up after them. Anaya would run up to Melissa, picking up the doll if she was lagging behind.

Moving above street lights and along rooftops, the armored figure became a bit clearer. It was samurai armor with a ceremonial mask, just as they had been told it would be. It was painted a dark red with yellow trim, the mask twisted into an almost demonic visage. Presumably that was how it looked normally, but in the shadows of the night it was made particularly spooky.

While the girls followed it in its flight, their Familiars took the lead. The armor moved upwards, not necessarily to the rooftops but along balconies, lower structures, and the like. It was giving them a run for their money.

Carrying out their mission would be a bit more difficult though. The trio of puppets would feel its wrath first as they moved to stall. The armor drew a shining blade, an antiquate katana enhanced by the magic that had enchanted the armor in the first place. It slashed at the puppets, forcing them to either dodge or be damaged by the sharp weapon.

As the metallic being closed in to grab it, it would find the armor much more agile than one might expect. It leapt and sprinted, proving quite difficult to snag. Not that anyone had expected it to be easy. Were they prepared for the force it could bring to bear?

"Son of a-! Hey, stop!!" Anaya was forced to retract her puppets away from the phantom vigilante before it could destroy the vessels. "I just want to talk!!" she called out, amplifying her voice with sound magic so it could reach it.

Despite the pleas made of the armor, it did not stop. Whether it was because it did not want to or because it was unable to do so for lack of intelligence was unclear at present. Whether she sought to continue pursuing that dialogue was her own decision, but at least her dolls were safe.

After several attempts to grasp the armor came up with nothing, the metallic creature rattled and dove forward. Blasting apart the shrapnel spread out to try and move around the armor. It would all begin to collapse around it to try to ensnare and begin pulling it toward the mages.

The next threat then made itself known as the metallic creature shifted tactics. It sought to surround and envelop the armor, then drag it back to the magical girls. Despite how strong the armor might be, it was not resistant to this as it was engulfed in spite of its speed and flailing. That was when it decided to turn the tables, flipping to instead rocket towards the duo with a bit of an extra boost before the mechanical being could realize what was going on.

Despite the bindings in place, the armor strove with inhuman strength as it readied its blade and slashed at Anaya. Hopefully she could react quick enough to avoid the wicked steel blade as the armor moved on to the offensive.

"Tch-?!" Anaya barely managed to move out of the way, the armor managing to slash through her leg. But she can shrug it off for now, her regeneration can deal with it. She swapped one of the puppets out for her own phantom knight. "Play with them for awhile!" she called out, letting her knight fight the other. She needed time to figure out what kind of spirit they were facing. If the demonic warrior managed to break through, she'd have her guns at the ready with a sound enchantment.

Taken back with the sudden turn, Melisa summoned her cannons. Being closer she was better able to feel out what was going on with this creature. Particularly her Metal and Spirit magic told her that the katana was likely the source of the magic. "Watch the sword." Speaking of she would aim at the blade and fire several shots. She would see if her own combo of magic could reign in this embued items.

Metal clashed against metal as the samurai armor fought the scrap metal creature. This was added to by Melisas cannon shots, aimed at the blade that it wielded. That was a difficult target though because of the fast paced combat between Anaya's creature and it, so she was only able to score a glancing hit, at least for now.

Still, it did earn a pause from the samurai. A low groan filled the air, emanating from the armor like a ghostly wail rather than a person. Taking a step back, it readied its blade behind it before darting forward to slash at her. It was much more prepared than the last attack upon Anaya, and that made it all the more dangerous as it sought to bypass the metal knight and strike her instead.

"Shit!!" Seeing the samurai bypass her knight, Anaya rapidly fired sonic bullets at it's sword. While the knight waited for the right moment to step in and attack again.

Bits of metal began to fly in the direction of the sword iteslf to try and surround it. On one side it would try and cover it which could potentially dull the blade it would also allow the material to try and transfer Melisa's magic to the blade and hopefully overpower the spirit within. In theory she might be able to calm, seal, or perhaps take the weapon for herself.

Despite how fast and skillful the armor might be,it was not agile enough to dodge the next attempt. It interrupted its attempt to attack Anaya at least, though that had been compounded by the sonic bullets used against it.

As the armor stumbled back, a more mental battle began. Melisa would find that the Spirit was stubborn, prideful, and resistant to her efforts. That was likely why it had been running around and attacking things, whether it be simple anger or rejection of this future in which it had no place. How would she approach this challenge, and bring rest as well as peace?

Sensing a connection, she tried to keep hold of that. Raising up her hands she would try and get the spirit's attention. "Wh- hold on. There's no need to fight." Seeing as it was a katana she could only assume it was a spirit of a Japanese warrior. Bowing as respectfully as she knew how she would point to herself. "Look at me. I'm sealed inside an object too in a world I don't understand. We have magic that can help you though. What do you need?" She hoped her magic would bridge any language barrier there might be.

Melisa met with turmoil, discontent from the spirit that she came in contact with. While there was initial resistance, the language barrier was not one that applied much when it came to spirits. They could commune on a level far beyond that of spoken language. That might just be for the sake of drama, but it was at the very least a unique experience.

That said, the nature of the spirit in question meant that it was a bit less vocal and eloquent than Melisa was. “Release from these shackles. Purpose.” There were only so many reasons a restless spirit would try to act in the mortal coil, so this matched fairly well with what Melisa might expect. It didn’t necessarily make things easier, but it helped.

That wasn't the most clear. Wracking her brain for a moment, she would try and feel out her magic. "You wish to be freed from the sword?" The doll would ask.

Melisa would quickly find that the spirit seemed to become better at words the longer it conversed with her. That made things easier at least. "Release from being a trophy, as an object of amusement, and freedom from that cage of metal and glass." Given what the spirit had said before, it seemed he was not the sort eager to leave the mortal coil. Not just yet.

Looking off in the direction of the museum things would begin to click. Now that was something of a conundrum. The woman herself knew that just letting this thing go was not what the job called for. They were being paid to recover the armor. Despite this her monster form felt differently. It too had been kept in a case for many years. Looking to Amaya the tiny girl would groan a bit. "It doesn't want to be locked up anymore like it was in the museum." A thought passed through her mind, but she would wait and see what the other girl had to say.

"Hm..." Putting her pistols away, Anaya carefully walked up to the phantom, checking if there's any major damages to the armor and sword. "Hey, if you'd like, I can get a new vessel for you. You wouldn't have to go back to that museum anymore. Is that alright?" Anaya suggested to the spirit.

The armor paused, turning to look at Anaya as she made her offer, before speaking to Melisa once more. "What kind of vessel?" She would not see any major damage, since there had not really been any inflicted by them or by others it had attacked for this time.

Seemed the communication was limited to just herelf. Melisa would relay the question.

"I'm glad you asked! I hand craft all kinds vessels for my spirit partners!" In a boost of confidence, Anaya began to explain. "The suit of armor I summoned is one example of such. I can also do different kinds of dolls ranging from porcelain to ball-joint, and even custom orders like this!" With a snap of her fingers, one of the life-sized dolls was summoned. "So what do you think? If you have any ideas as to what you want, I can whip something up in no time!"

The armor eyed the life sized doll carefully, with a keen gaze that one could at least imagine. It didnt seem like he hated it, which would have to be good enough. "That is acceptable," he conceded after a moment. Thoughin doing so he carried the tone of someone not fully satisfied. Presumably the spirit wanted it a bit closer to the authentic deal.

Having agreed upon that, however, there was one last issue to address. At least in its mind. "And what of purpose?"

"Purpose? Well, what is it that you desire? What do you wish to do?" Anaya would ask.

"To serve. To fight. To protect."

"Maybe you could work with one of the factions here? I work with Beacon, for example."

The suggestion provoked a pause. DId the spirit even know what Beacon was? How much it knew of magical girls and that lifestyle were still unclear. Still, it was a pretty good suggestion to deal with this dilemma.

After a moment, it nodded. It likely would have bowed or something, if it could. "I will explore. and discern which Lord is worthy of my service."

The monster girl wasn't really sure about that proposition herself. She hadn't really encountered much of Beacon herself, other just today. Anaya didn't seem to be like how they were portrayed to her, but it was still early. Besides though, she had another idea. "I know some people that need protecting. They're not a big group or anything, mostly a hodge podge of people. But they had some trouble recently and I know they would appreciate assistance." Just in case she didn't say the name of the place.

The comment by Melisa earned another nod from the spirit. It was another place for him to investigate, and to decide where he should devote his loyalties. "I will seek out this group as well and hear their tale. My choice shall be my own."

"Great!" The girl brightened up with a sudden childish glee. "Oh, do you have a name?" She would look curiously.

The question brought a pause, as if the spirit was struggling to remember who he was. But eventually an answer was found. "....Iwanari Tomomichi. I believe that was my name. It is familiar."

Anaya smiled. "Well, Mr. Tomomichi, let's see you to a vessel of your liking first." She would summon a few more empty vessels for him to choose. Whichever one he picked, Anaya would help move him to it from the armor.

After confirming that Anaya did not have any dolls that were amored like his current shell, the japanese spirit would set to deciding on a new body. Certainly he was not the pickiest sort, but it seemed that he did have some preferences from fragmented memories of an old life, when he was still alive.

In the end he settled for a tall form, one with long black hair. Lithe in movement, but with some muscle build to it. It fit the sort of aesthetic he was looking for as a warrior, while still being pretty good looking.

The choice made, Anaya would move the spirit over. Eyes flickered over as the armor stilled and fell, no longer bound upright by magical force. It took several moments for the spirit to gain control, to feel out its new body and adjust to various sensations. Once it had, it was able to respectuflly bow to both girls. "Thank you both for your aid. Many things are strange to me, but I shall endeavor to learn now that I have the chance to do so."

Once Iwanari chose his new body, Anaya would send the rest of the vessels away. She bowed back in return. "I can help get you some new equipment later, if you wished. That aside, it's no problem at all." She'd collect the armor off the ground, relieved at the outcome.

"This turned out great. We can put the armor back and we have a new friend." She would help pick up some of the armor.

Their new samurai companion cracked a slight smile as Anaya offered to help him get some equipment, clothing, and the like. "I am in your debt. I will feel much better once I have my bearings, as well as a blade at my hip."

A blade? Hmm... Melisa would look over the katana and feel it out with her magic to get an idea of how it was made. With her abilities she should be able to make something similar if she can find the right material. "I might be able to make something like this."

Everything gathered up they would bring it back to the museum while working out details with Iwanari. He would stick around with them for at least a little while longer, until he was better situated to handle the modern world. Meanwhile, the girls would recieve their bounty for the successful return of the armor. All in all, it had been a good nights work.

It was a sunny day, like always, in Dan’s dimension. The dolphin seemed to be busy as he bounced and popped around the place, seemingly preparing for something. Then, a portal opened next to the central fountain of the island, and Shane appeared.
The dolphin squeaked in surprise, and like a popped balloon, haphazardly flew right up to him.
“Welcome, Shane! Oh boy, are we going to have a lot of fun!” He shook his hand with his fin.
“It’s not often that someone comes to visit, so it makes me really happy to see you took Paree’s offer! Now, what kind of surfboard do you like? Blue, green, red, a color not seen on Earth?”

Smiling as Dan excitedly came over and began asking questions, Shane shook the hand. ”Well thank you for providing the chance to come. Hmm, I would like green I think." He looked up at the clear blue skies. Certainly was a nice change to the cold of winter. ”Oh yes, I invited Gaia as my date.” She should be just behind him through the portal.

“Ahh… This certainly is refreshing,” Gaia would say with a contented sigh as she stepped through the portal. “Thank you, once again, for inviting me, Shane, and thank you for having us, Dan,” she added, giving both a dazzling smile. “I am certain we shall have a most splendid time.”

“You brought a friend!? Smashing!" Dan was so happy on seeing Gaia that he ended up flying on the green surfboard he had summoned for Shane, circling the two. “Would you also like a surfboard, Gaia?”

“That would be wonderful,” Gaia told Dan, unable to keep a melodious giggle from escaping her lips as she watched the whimsical dolphin fly around her. “Perhaps an electric blue one, to compliment Shane’s choice.”

"Coming right up!" The dolphin flopped down to the ground, and began to roll in place, soon becoming a blue circular blur, not unlike a certain hedgehog character. Soon, electricity built up, forming a surfboard with a radical look to it.
"There, made with blue electricity," the Lesser Force stated, and handed it over to Gaia. "I can also give out surfing lessons if this is your first time on the waves."

“Thank you for the most generous offer,” Gaia said with an appreciative smile. “But I do not believe it shall be necessary. Thanks to Mother’s blessing, my reflexes are greatly enhanced while in this form,” she explained. “Thus, I am confident that I can provide Shane with a suitable challenge, despite this being my first time upon a surfboard.”

”I’ve never surfed before. Usually kept my feet on dry land where my magic was more useful.” He would look at the surfboard for a moment. Despite never having touched one he had a sense that he could use it to great effect. An oddity as a result of the Red Coin he used. Though up until now he hadn’t even had the chance to test it out. ”Huh. Well I could probably use some pointers.”

"Excellent. Let's get this radical rendezvous underway!" Dan squeaked. Dan clapped his fins together, and the three of them teleported to the sandy beach close to the shoreline.
"Now then, the most important thing to remember is to keep a steady footing on the board."
Dan had turned into a beautiful blue-skinned woman, a colorful surfboard on the ground before her. She stepped on the board, and bent her knees. "Lowering your point of gravity and bending your knees are the basics of keeping balance, as is spreading your arms to better control which direction you're shifting your weight." She smiled. "The rest comes from experience."

Laying the board down the boy would stand on it while it was on dry land. He would do what he understood from Dan’s instructions. And from his form he seemed to have picked up on it right away. ”Like this?” He would ask to be sure.

Dan looked down at Shane’s feet with furrowed eyebrows. “Hmm...You’re bending a bit too much, Try straightening your posture a bit...There we go, that’s it!” She gave a thumbs up.
“You’re ready now. Have fun!”

”Cool. Thanks for the pointers.” Hopping off he would pick up the board and put it under one arm. Heading to the water he would get about waist deep before slowing down and waiting for Gaia to join him.

Catching up to Shane, Gaia grinned at her date as she ran her fingers through her verdant tresses. “You know, this place truly is a paradise,” she observed, sighing blissfully as she basked in the warm sunlight. “It’s hard to imagine that it’s still winter back in Penrose.”

”It is. But that’s what makes getting to visit all the better.” He would say as they waded out further and began to make their way out into the white water where they could begin catching some smaller waves to start. ”Alright, let’s give this a shot.” Moving along with the wave he would drift a bit along. Feeling confident with how it felt he lifted himself up and planted his feet on the board. Shifting a bit based on what the Mount perk told him he was off on his first go even if it wasn’t all that wild. ”Ah, so that’s how that works.” He hadn’t tried riding or driving anything since his transformation.

“Looking good, Shane!” Gaia commended, clapping her hands at the magical boy’s efforts. “Now, let the Daughter of Mother Earth try her hand!”

Paddling out into deeper water, the verdant girl waited for a large swell, before leaping onto her board and riding across the wave’s length like a pro. Giving voice to a melodious laugh as she rode through the tube, the botanical beauty reached out her hand and let her elegant fingers run through the water.

“Mother’s Mantel! I have never experienced anything so exhilarating in my life!” she exclaimed with a brilliant smile upon rejoining Shane. “I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to have this experience!”

Shane would watch the girl surf like it was natural and ride for quite a ways. We're this any average beach trip he would be inclined to one up the competition. Though that wasn't exactly why he was here and Gaia and her excitement of getting to come was more than enough to distract from that. "I'm glad you accepted. I'll be honest, I wasn't really sure who to ask until we got the chance to work together." He would say with a slight blush. Walking back out to take another go as they spoke. They would stop on a sand bar so they could talk just a bit though.

“Tell me, Shane,” Gaia asked with a slightly mischievous smirk as she leaned over on her surfboard and rested her head on one hand. “Out of all the girls in Penrose, why did you choose me? Was it simply for convenience’s sake? Or was there some characteristic of mine that you found appealing? My exotic appearance, perhaps? Or maybe my polite and serene disposition? Honestly, I really am quite curious,” she added, her smile widening as she gave voice to a small giggle.

He somewhat expected this question to come up sooner or later. So it didn’t take him all that long to answer. ”A little bit was convenience, but really a number of things. My magic kind of gives me some insight into people and the kind of things they like. So it doesn’t really take me long to get to know someone. I love your unique look, but your personality and how you conduct yourself were a bigger factor. The fact that you serve Mother Earth and not some entity that is out to take over whatever is significant too. And I spent a lot of my magical career with a pretty close connection to the earth. I feel like that’s a big thing we have in common. After all that I figured the only way I’d know would be to try.” He would hold his board and sit across it from Gaia.

“The thing is, Shane,” Gaia replied hesitantly. “I’m not sure if you really do know me. I can’t help but wonder… Will you still find me as attractive when I am no longer acting as the Daughter of Mother Earth?” she asked, a look of concern in her eyes. “You know, I’ve… never been on a date before,” she continued. “When I am in my mundane form, I can be a bit… rough around the edges. It was always hard for me to form relationships. The boys I liked were always intimidated by me, and the boys who liked me were lecherous assholes who got to learn the hard way why the nicer guys were scared of me. Wow…” she added after a moment. “I very rarely swear while in this form. I guess it shows just how much that whole situation really bothers me.”

He gave it some thought. None of those things were significant red flags for him. ”Well… I’ve never really been on a date either so this is new for the both of us. When we first actually met though you were untransformed so I got some read on that side as well. I didn’t get the impression you were that difficult or anything. Really though, we’ll never know if we don’t try. I'm not expecting to be an item after one date. That's not how people work, magical or otherwise." He did his best to reign in expectations. Some people dive right in and get themselves into a mess. Wasn't really what he wanted to do.

“True enough,” Gaia agreed with a smile. “And I feel the same way. It is nice simply hanging out and getting to know one another like this, although,” she added after a moment, her voice taking on a slightly more playful tone. “I do believe my dearest Connie would be very disappointed if you and I failed to share a single kiss before this date is over. She is such an adorable romantic,” Gaia went on. “You should have seen her face when I told her that I would be going out on a date with you.” She giggled musically. “I do not think I have ever seen her so happy in all the long years I’ve known her.”

"Aww, Connie sounds like a sweetheart." He would laugh a bit from the girl's description of the reaction. "Maybe I should see you home once we're done here and we'll share that kiss. So long as you're okay with that." He would offer a smile.

“Yes,” Gaia agreed. “She certainly is. And that sounds absolutely lovely, Shane,” the verdant girl added with a warm smile when the magical boy mentioned escorting her back home. “You know, the Daughter of Mother Earth cannot give her first kiss out to just anyone, but I believe you have already proved yourself to be a most worthy recipient,” she told him with a playful giggle.

"It's an honor" He would grin. Their trip here was only just starting though. With that taken care of he would look out over the water. He would point out a spot where the waves were a bit bigger than what they've tried. "Well while we're still out here let's make the most of it." The two would head out over the water and begin to make several passes, just enjoying themselves on the surf. After a while Shane began to get more and more elaborate and risky with tricks. Despite the difficulty he managed to keep his footing. It was a blast to do though. Admittedly he enjoyed watching Gaia and how excited she was to be surfing as well.

After a good amount of time surfing, the two would make their way back to the shore and where Dan was waiting for them. "Man, that was a lot of fun. I never realized what I was missing." He would look over to Gaia beside him. "Though it was a lot more fun with you. You were really good out there."

“You have become quite the skilled surfer yourself,” Gaia replied. “And now that we have both mastered the art of riding the waves, we can have a proper competition when next we visit this tropical paradise,” she added.

”Oh, you’re on.” He would chuckle as they came up to Dan.

The dolphin was sitting on a beach chair, a big pair of sunglasses over his eyes and holding a folding sunscreen tilted to reflect the sun's rays to his blue about. He lifted them up as the two approached him. "Well, wasn't that a lot of fun?"

“It was indeed,” Gaia told the dolphin warmly. “Thank you again for hosting us. I do not wish to speak for you, Shane, but I, for one, cannot wait to return here for our next date.”

Raising his eyebrows for a moment. ”Our next date? Well…” He wouldn’t finish that thought for effect. He would turn to Dan. ”It was great. I don’t know what else you had planned but I’m looking forward to it.”

The dolphin stood up on his tail and clapped. “Excellent! I know just the thing: hang gliding!” He clapped his fins, and the group found themselves at a very alarming location; they were on a platform situated on the rim of a dormant volcano. There were hang gliders resting on the corner of the platform, as well as skydiving suits. “You can use the thermal updraft from the volcano, and really soar the skies!”

“Oh, my…” Gaia observed, as Dan brought them to the location of their next activity. “I must say, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting…” Then, her emerald lips curling into a smirk, she added, “Do we need to sign a waiver for this?”

Dan dismissively waves his fin. "Oh, you don't need to worry, it's 100%, completely safe...I think!"
A puff of smoke manifested around him, and he appeared to wear a red and yellow onesie. "Now, let's do some extreme sports! Woohoo!"

Looking down the mountain it was a good way down. This was quite a bit different than the boy expected as well. He felt that he would be fine doing this activity. Actually it might be a whole lot easier for him. His boo… er, sandals quartered his weight. ”Wow.” He would laugh a bit. ”Funny enough the first time I ‘flew’ it was on a boulder of all things. Now I get to actually try with some proper equipment.” He would walk over to the equipment and look it over. Not that there was a lot to it mechanically. This time though he would fully use his magic since falling out of the sky didn’t sound like a fun idea. ”Alright. Have you ever used one of these Gaia?

“I can’t say that I have,” the verdant girl replied. “But if Dan says it is safe, I believe we should take his word for it. After all, it would reflect rather poorly on him as a host if we were to get injured while doing one of these activities,” she added with a grin. “Would you like to go first, Shane?”

”Sure thing. But let me explain how this works first.” He would begin going over the various parts and ways in which you control a glider. He also had some pointers for a few scenarios. One could have mistaken him for an instructor.

“My, my…” Gaia observed with an approving smile as Shane showed her the ropes, as it were. “You are quite the expert! Am I to assume you’ve done this sort of thing before?”

Chuckling nervously he would rub one arm, something he did more as Shannon than currently. ”Eh, no. I have a particular magic that allows me to expertly control and ride things. I wouldn’t be doing a very good job as a gentleman if I didn’t try and keep you safe.”

“What a fascinating ability!” Gaia marveled. “I can see how that would be a very useful skill to have,” she added, before striking a pose of exaggerated shock. “Why, Shane!” she gasped, while placing an elegant hand on her chest. “I had no idea that boys these days could be so chivalrous!” Treating him to a dazzling smile, she glided over and wrapped her arms around him. “If my heart knew any fears about our upcoming aerial excursion, they have now completely departed,” she told him as she gazed affectionately into his eyes.

At first Shane was amused by Gaia’s overacting. She seemed to enjoy playing up her responses. He didn’t think what he was doing was all that significant. He was going to downplay the complement when the verdant girl moved in close and embraced him. Looking back into her eyes he would put an arm around her as well. ”Of course. I wouldn’t want any harm to come to you.” He would say in a softer tone. He wouldn’t push his luck right now though and just give her a comforting hug as it were.

Allowing Gaia to take a step back in her own time, he would move them over to the suits. ”We’ll want to wear these. It can be a bit chilly and the wind a little harsh.” He would take up one of the suits and hand Gaia hers as well.

After taking a moment to playfully run her fingers through his hair, Gaia slipped away from Shane and began donning the flight suit the boy had handed her. “It sounds as though it shall be quite the exhilarating experience,” the verdant girl noted. “Although it is a shame these suits cover up so much of my stunning body… Especially since I know how much you enjoyed feasting your eyes on it,” she teased, giving him a playful wink. She had never flirted with a boy to this extent before, but it was clear to see that the nymph-like girl was very much enjoying herself.

”Kind of hard not to.” He would tease back a bit. He would get dressed into his own suit. On returning he would take his glider and point out a few other things before he would demonstrate launching off into the air. He would be able to glide fairly slowly while he waited for Gaia to catch up.

Keeping in mind everything Shane had just taught her, Gaia also took to the sky. Soon she was soaring high above the ocean, giving voice to an exuberant laugh as she felt the wind blow through her verdant hair. “This feels absolutely amazing!” she called out to Shane as she pulled up beside him. “And what a view! I can see the entire archipelago from up here!”

”Yeah... I’ve never been this high up before!” For a while he would just glide and look down at the earth below. You don’t really know what you’re missing until you could see it from overhead. And the area was beautiful, just like what you would expect to see on a postcard. After a while he would begin to try swooping and rolling. Head back in the air he would begin to have more fun just flying through the air.

Dan soon followed after them in his own tiny glider, swooping around like a hummingbird.
“YEAAAAAAHHH! Flying with friends is the best! It’s so exciting I could explode!”
In an ironic twist of fate, that’s when it began; Shane and Gaia heard a rumble slowly build up from below them alongside a plume of smoke that began to rise up; the volcano was turning active. Dan squeaked. “Whoah! Even O’l Smokey’s getting fired up!”

“Uh, should we be concerned about that?” Gaia asked the dolphin as the volcano below them seemingly prepared to erupt.

“Uh, no need to panic, you just have to-WATCH OUT!” At that moment, the volcano erupted, causing magma to burst forth from the depths of the earth, as well as a shower of flaming rocks.
“Dodge the rocks!” Dan shouted as the debris shot out towards them.

The volcano erupting surely was not on their list of activities. Dan confirming this wasn't just some thematic event. Shane pulled up a bit with his glider to get above the others. "Stay close! I'll deflect the rocks." Using his Earth magic he would start redirecting incoming rocks so they would curve to the side enough to miss the trio.

Shane successfully redirected the rocks, causing them to fall down into the ocean. However, magma was now beginning to spill from the volcano.
“Oh no! My island!” Dan squeaked, and with a clap of his flippers teleported out of there. The two could see how he had appeared back at the platform, now mustering his magic to create a tidal wave that swept over the volcano, cooling the magma and turning it into volcanic rock.

“Mother’s Mantel!” Gaia exclaimed as the volcano violently blew its top. Clearly alarmed by this unforeseen development, Dan frantically instructed them to dodge the flaming rocks spewing from it, something Gaia managed to accomplish quite skillfully. “I once played a video game with a similar premise,” she told Shane, once she’d joined him at a higher altitude. “But I never thought it would serve as training for the real thing!”

A moment later, the Earth mage employed his magic to redirect the molten boulders away from their small squadron, before Dan used his own magic to extinguish the volcano completely.

“Nice work, Shane!” Gaia commended. “You too, Dan,” the verdant girl added as she glided down to where the dolphin was waiting. “I only wish I could have done something to assist you. Unfortunately, my magic usually isn’t too helpful when it comes to dealing with volcanoes…”

Following the rest to the ground he would look around to see what might have been impacted by the blast. Given this was Dan’s world he was a little curious how such a thing could happen without the patron realizing it beforehand. Concentrating his magic he would feel out the earth for the cause and if there would be further eruptions. ”Is this a normal thing?”

Dan wiped the sweat off his brow with an oversized napkin, and sighed in relief when the activity finally ceased. He then turned to the two with a droopy nose.
“I-I’m sorry...” He fidgeted in place. “I’ve recently been experimenting with magically altering this world, you see. Some of that magic ended up embedded into the fabric of this reality, connecting it to me and my feelings.” He teared up.“I-I got too carried away by excitement, which caused the magic within the volcano to respond, nearly hurting you-!” He then began to cry loudly, his tears coming out like tiny fountains. “ I ruined your vacation! I’m a terrible host!”

Shocked by Dan’s anguish, Gaia rushed over to the dolphin and gave him a big hug. “Shh… Shh… It’s okay,” she told him while gently patting his head. “We all make mistakes. And you have been a most splendid host,” she added, giving him a warm smile. “Our vacation wasn’t ruined, it was simply made more interesting and memorable. Don’t you agree, Shane?”

Having what happened explained to him, he would stand back up. He would give the dolphin a pat on the head. ”Yes. It’s all good Dan. We’ve had a great time so far and no one was hurt. I think now maybe we can just relax and enjoy the sounds of the ocean.” He would assure the aquatic patron.

Dan squeaked when Gaia gave him a comforting hug, and calmed down. He wiped his tears and nodded. "Th-Thank you, Gaia, Shane. Allow me to make ends one last time." The Lesser Force clapped his fins, and they teleported back to the beach, back to their beach wear and sitting on beach chairs. A table with drinks was set right next to them.
Dan then bowed. "Now, please relax, and enjoy the rest of your visit. I'll be going now to work on my little project, but I'll come running if you call me. See you later!" He then disappeared with a puff of blue smoke.

For the next hour, the two simply relaxed and chatted about various things, getting to know one another a little better. Soon enough, it would be time for them to head back, and Gaia took Shane’s hand as they approached the portal.

“Thank you again for such a wonderful time,” she told him. “I do not think I shall ever forget this for as long as I live.”

"It was my pleasure. I'm glad you agreed to join on such short notice." He would lead them through not far from Gaia's place at the orphanage.

“Sadly, I believe this is where we must part ways for the evening,” Gaia observed, before wrapping her arms around him. “Although I also believe this is where we share a farewell kiss,” she added with a smile.

Giving a slight chuckle Shane would put his arms around the girl as well. He would lean in and give her a kiss, holding it for a few seconds. After a moment he would draw back. "Maybe next time we could go out as our mundane selves. Get a feel for that side too hmm?" He would put the idea forward.

Gaia closed her eyes as she felt Shane’s lips touch hers. It was the verdant girl’s first kiss, after all, and she wanted to enjoy the sensation to the fullest. After several blissful seconds had passed, they slowly pulled apart. Shane then went on to ask about the possibility of going out as their mundane selves.

“I… Think I would enjoy that,” Gaia said after a moment. “Although I don’t know of too many places we could go, what with Penrose in its current state,” she added with a slight frown.

Shane could think of a few things still around to do. How exciting or whatever was harder to say. "Well give it some thought and let me know what you'd like to do and we'll figure it out from there. That sound good?"

“Yes,” she agreed. “That sounds like a splendid idea. You know, I am quite fond of playing video games,” she added. “So if you can find a good arcade that is still open, that might be most enjoyable. Worse comes to worse, we could always play some games here,” she noted, gesturing to her room at the orphanage. “If you don’t mind Connie being there, too, of course.”

”Not at all. I don’t think I’ve actually played a video game in years.” He would muse slightly. Being a wanderer since joining the magical world he didn’t really settle anywhere to play all that much. Maybe he did play something at one point, but it was such a rarity he all but forgot about it.

“Wonderful,” Gaia replied. “In that case, I greatly look forward to it. And I promise to go easy on you for the first few games,” she added playfully.

”I look forward to it. I guess I’ll see you again soon at the Christmas party. Oh and let me know how Connie reacts to our date. I’m sure it will be adorable.” He would give her a quick peck on the cheek. ”Have a good evening.” He would step back to leave.

“I shall certainly do so,” Gaia told him warmly as she stepped onto a lowered tree branch and allowed it to raise her up to her window. “And a most pleasant evening to you as well,” she added, blowing him a kiss before slipping through the window and disappearing from view.

In the two weeks that had passed, the situation in Penrose began to develop in an unusual manner. The crowd of homeless corrupted girls returned back to the Sanctuary; some were enthusiastic by their return back home, while others seemed less eager, missing the warmth and the sun. Dan was saddened, but still glad for the brief visit of so many visitors, claiming it gave him a great boost in magic, as well as ideas on how to utilize it.

Covington Industries began to influence the city through marketing and other means as they announced that they were hiring for various new projects they were beginning to develop. Because of this, new blood began to slowly pour in from other cities, drawn in by the promise of cheap apartments and the good reputation the company held in the industry. Penrose, while still a city on the verge of abandonment, had begun to see hope in the form of new life on the streets. Some were suspicious on the attention the company was giving to the city, but none could deny the profitability of their move, drawing in other companies who also wanted a slice of the action.

Rachel was furious from the twins' disappearance, but in the end decided not to pursue them, focusing on the situation in Penrose. The Ascendancy thus kept to their regular patrols, but now only found regular monsters to hunt, with only a few spottings of monster and dark girls; most have either found refuge at the Sanctuary, or joined the Ebon Mint family, with scarce between. Elora also made a small update to the Beacon's website which caught Penny's attention, but she found nothing major aside from a few small bug fixes and optimization changes.

As magical girls increased in monster hunting activity, the streets were beginning to become safe again. The drug cartels that had previously haunted it were scattered; some blamed the Ascendancy and their policing, but some believe it was the Sanctuary's and Penny's influence on the underground community that caused such a change. A few even claimed it was a ploy by Ebon Mint, but none could tell the rumors from the truth.

Things seemed to calm down for once despite the tension between the factions, which was a rarity for the Penrose magical community.



“Aaah, it’s todayyyy!”
Lily was ecstatic that morning when a blue portal resembling a swirling vortex appeared; she had eaten her breakfast faster than Alex could wake up from all the noise she was causing, followed by clapping her hands to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to see what Dan has in store! Knowing him, it’s going to be amazing!!” When Umukamui arrived to check on her, the ferret-like being was greeted by a Christmas card that Lily held in her hands.
“If you’re not too busy at the moment, would you like to join us? I think you’ll get to meet lots of magical girls at this party!”

---

Once they were ready, they entered through the enchanted passage, and arrived in a place completely different from what they were expecting: a large wooden hall decorated with wreaths and lights that sparkled like the colors of the rainbow. The lodge had a second floor visible beyond the railings. At the very middle of this lodge, surrounded by chairs and tables, stood an enormous Christmas tree with countless ornaments hanging from it’s leafy branches, and a shining star at the very top. Various present boxes lied at the base of the tree, wrapped in pretty ribbons. At the back of the hall was a lit hearth, it’s gentle flames exuding warmth to every corner of the place as if it was the beating heart of the building itself. Of course, the fire itself was behind a protective pane of glass, and pipes delivered the heat before dissipating from a chimney outside. The faint scent of peppermint could be caught in the air.



“B-Bwuh?” Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide open as she took in the sights, and then at herself. Unlike at the beach, her uniform had changed into a Christmas-themed costume, complete with a hat that sat snugly on her green locks of hair.



“Wow, it’s so comfy!” Lily spun in place with her arms out, causing the dress to slightly flare out from the motion.
”Are we really at Dan’s beach? It looks so different now!”
She ran over to the nearest window, wiped away some of the fog on it, and peered outside.
This was immediately followed by audible awe as she saw the world they ended up in:



It was an island covered in pure white snow that seemed to glitter like diamond dust. There were lamp posts and other lights illuminating the whole place, as well as some hills and trees. Around the building seemed to be various other buildings in festive style, giving the place the atmosphere of a Christmas-themed amusement park, with strange spherical white creatures resembling feline snowballs rolling around.



In the far distance, Lily saw the ocean, and other islands with no snow on them. “This isn’t the beach! It’s another island!” She told Alex, and took both of his hands.
“There’s so much snow!” She bounced up and down in excitement.
Soon enough others also arrived from portals of their own.
“Oh, Alicia! Dina! Connie, Mia!” She waved to the various girls she recognized, and ran up to hug them. “I’m so glad to see you all here too! You look super cute!”
Among the people she didn’t recognize were FanFan, who had arrived with graceful poise.

“Oh my, this is quite the extravagant party,” the courteous Ascendancy girl stated, and examined the fingerless gloves she now had.
“Such strange magic...Well, I suppose it does fit with the theme~”



“Oh, you look positively fabulous, FanFan!” Sally grabbed FanFan’s arm, her smile wide.



“Oh, I just know we’re going to have the most fortunate fun here!”

“Yep! Isn’t that right, Alicia?” Kimble asked as she took Alicia’s hand in her own, a warm smile on her face.



Another arrival was a girl who at first attempted hiding behind Maura, staring at her surroundings with a vacant expression before she sighed and gave up, stepping into view with a blush.



"...I should have stayed dead in the Cradle," she mumbled.

Alexander's first instinct upon seeing a strange portal in his home, and no Lily, was to panic. Until he remembered something "Oh right; Christmas." He let out a sigh of relief "Jeez, couldn't they give us a warning? I bet most people wouldn't react well to strange portals popping up in their home. Well, whatever" He shrugged as he walked through the portal-

---

-and into a winter wonderland "Geez, this place is unrecognizable! I'm kind of impressed." He looked around to take in the sights, when he suddenly saw three very familiar animals making a snowman. "Huh!? What the fuck are you guys doing here...and where did you get those hats!?" He asked, his mind suddenly registering the tiny Santa hats on them. The three of them stopped what they were doing to scamper over to Alexander. He sighed and kneeled down to them...which was when he noticed his own wardrobe adjustment. "What...? I look ridiculous" He took off one of the reefs...only for it to reappear on his head. He paused for a moment, took a deep breath in and out, and then smiled "Well guys, what say we go meet up with Lily before I'm overcome with the urge to mount a dolphin over my fireplace." He got back to his feet, and with his magical GPS, made his way over to Lily, animals in tow.

"So It is the day, huh." Sakura said, clenching his fist and venturing into the portal. What awaited him was a different world of dazzling colors and festive ambience. It was well done, but he was a man of known priority. Those were some really... nice flattering dresses, and he was glad to be a man once again. He did a brief salute to Sally and Fanfan (while focusing on certain parts for a brief moment), before noticing a known face among the crowd.

"Hey Sparky-chan, been a while." He said in a smug smirk. "Bet you don't recognize me. I'm Sakura." He said, with a cocky grin. He hopefully wasn't too hard to notice. Sakura's newfound rebel spirit did not comform at all with the etiquette of the place.



"Anyway, this is shaping up to be something nice, bud and Sparky-chan?" He said with barely contained humour, before his sight was set on yet another girl of the tasteful view that was on the parade, hidden behind someone. "Just a sec."

"OI!" Sakura called, as he stomped with decision... having set his sights on Justine. "What's the meaning of this, Vicky Rectal? Shouldn't you be dead, you titty leech?" Sakura said.

Five minutes in and there was trouble brewing already. Dina couldn't believe her luck. She had been running ragged up until the last moment helping Dan with preparations, and although she replied Lily's hug with warmth, it was not enough to shake her from her duties to make the party bearable. Seeing Justine alive was a surprise, for someone as heinous as her... but unlike the Yaponski buffoon (judging by his accent and how he struggled to pronounce "Visceral"), she was bound by hospitality.


"Yes, it is an interesting question." At the worst possible moment, thank to Lily's intervention, someone else had arrived. It had pondered to come in a small animal, but since it was playing the role of guest, it took one of her spare bodies for a spin. Umukamui had arrived. "Someone wasn't throughout with his elimination, it seems." She made a gesture of salutation to Lily.


"Esteemed guests..." Dina tried to rein in, stepping towards the brewing trouble in the scene. It was then when a huge guy, with an eyepatch, and a mean attitude, hailing a sack of unknown artifacts had barged in. Dina's eyes went wide, and for a second she forgot to speak english.

<<"What's Odin doing here!? Who Invited him?!">> She said, before her eyes rested to one figure who was sheepishly following. Sann, you airhead! Urgh. Nevermind, it's my fault. She was an eager child. She lamented, before eyeing the scene.

"A more interesting question, Sakura, son of Yukio, is that why are you risking a Yule truce for such a trifling matter." said a booming voice, as meaty paws patted both Sakura and Umukamui's heads, threatening to squish them like grapes. "Do you call yourself a man amongst men, Sakura, son of Yukio? Huh?" The man said.




"Why you..." The effeminate boy snarled back, before he managed to catch a glimpse of Umukamui's attitude. That titty rat... she was smiling, and trying to appease the man? What the hell. Well, might as well go with the flow. "Nevermind... I'm gonna find Em if she hasn't appeard already. Or a fair lady. Whatever."

"Lord...Odin...It's a pleasure." said Umukamui, in a forced polite tone. "I was not aware it was a such party in your honor."

"It is now."His eyes then rested on Dan the Dolphin."Dan the Dolphin. Keeper of this Dimension. Surely you did not have the gall to do a Yule party without my permission did you not? Most people these days have no manners, and I will show you your just desserts. The voice boomed.

Dina's tail looked like a metronome now. Sure, Odin had defused the situation...by blowing it to pieces.

"I was graciously invited, by the mercy of my newest Valkyrie, Sanngridr... so I shall bring in the ALE. THE GIFTS. THE SACRIFICES!" He roared, as a trio of other Valkyries entered the scene.

"Lord Odin... I don't think they would appreciate nailing a maiden into the christmas tree as sacrifice." Said the most mature looking of them all. "Modern appliances get stained with blood quite easily."

"I see, Reginleif."Odin pondered."Okay how about this. Sanngridr will be the sacrifice for this party. And by sacrifice I mean you can do whatever you want with her. As long as she lives until the end of the party, I'm not complaining."

"Wha..." said Sann, unable to even react or salute people.

"Just bear with it, you naive child...It's still better than grabby undead drunk vikings." Reginleif said. "Besides so many young chicks here... aahh... so sweet and cute. Don't you think so, miss Rune?" She eyed her puppet.

The second Valkyrie would then perk up and flutter around, closing it near Dan. "Herr Dan, ja? Zis is for you! Present!" said in a thick german accent the Valkyrie Kára. "Ich can sing too! It'll be wunderbar!"

"Ranngridr, make sure she doesn't get into trouble." Reginleif once again said to the third Valkyrie who was struggling with a sack of gifts and had just fallen.

"Ai vittu, miks putosin?" She said almost in a imperceptible whisper in an unknown language."Miksi mun pitää kaitsea jotain kakaraa?"

"You're second youngest, shush. Newcomers must prove themselves. Be thankful we raised you from the rank of magical girl" Reginleif said in an oddly dissonant calm voice. "Hm, is that the childe of the Rus? Dina Denisova?" Reginleif would then move forwards Dina, who was having a small panic attack.

"It is her. A joyous coincidence. But a bitter one, Reginleif. To think she has chosen Dan over other patrons... Well I guess we can get a toast for the old times. Well met again, Dina Denisova. Now if you will excuse me. YULE AWAITS" The rambuctious god then proceed to do his business of making the party more lively, despite the fact it was already lively enough.

"Well ...met." Dina said.

"Don't worry, little childe. He isn't in a bad mood. The dolphin gave him a excuse to throw a party. Things get dull even for the gods." Reginleif said, before winking at Dina.

"Okay...well I guess it's good?" She said.

"That Vals Kirin sure is stacked huh." The crude Yaponski ventured to say, after the Valkyries' wake.

"You stand no chance, crude boy. She only takes someone seriously after a hundred years of age..." Dina sighed. At least the Puuchu woman had made herself scarce, choosing to go grab a pick-me up and not raise any kind of trouble anymore.

"Guess we got here early, huh?"

Christmas time was something Maura was fond of, the one day where families get together near the end of a year to feast and give gifts. She always found the decorations, the stories and such charming, but never got to celebrate it in the past. Her work came first. So would it be fair to call this work? Well, however it goes, it should prove interesting.

Such as Maura bringing Justine with her. She noticed the smaller girl's hesitance when she hid behind her, and patted her back with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll stick by you if you're feeling nervous." she told her. Soon enough, trouble decided to brew a little earlier than expected, in the form of Sakura and his patron noticing their arrival. Or more specifically, Justine's.

"Shouldn't you be in dress code?" Maura looked at Sakura with a raised eyebrow, steping up to block the two in case they tried anything. "Look, it's a long story, but she's under my supervision now and-" before she could explain, an unexpected guest had made himself known. The All-Father himself, and a group of valkyries. "Well things just got interesting." Maura noted. Atleast it got the heat off their backs. She'd have to thank him later.

"The others should arrive soon. Come on, let's look around." She said, looking back at Justine.

Eliza was the next one to arrive. She wanted to wait for Oros at first, but after awhile, it seemed best to go and hope she makes it in time. "Man, my luck with dates kinda sucks." She grimaced. Not only from that line of thought, but from the outfit she got stuck with. Atleast it was different from all the santa claus outfits, but she wasn't one for ballgowns. "If they start cracking jokes, I'm burying myself face first into the snow." She grumbled, standing by the actual christmas tree.

"This is stupid."

"You need a break, Valerie."

"I need to be hacking into databases and finding whereabouts, not whatever this-" Valerie would motion to the dress she wore. "-is."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know you're not sure about this, but we'll be fine. Dan doesn't allow fighting, and we could get more people on our side." She'd explain.

"Or something could happen to screw all this up. Ow." The android would flinch when the other girl smacked her on the head.

"Let's just get some food first..."

Lasty, the Walpurgis Night trio would walk through the portal in unison. "Here we are, girls~!" Maribel stretched her arms out. "My, isn't this place wonderful? Not everyday we get invited to a gathering that isn't our own~" She'd giggle, moving over to one of the seats. Rowena sat down next to her, and Lauren leaned over from behind the couch.

"Eh...the host is a dolphin?" Lauren would look over to Dan with a raised brow.

"Better a dolphin than a shark, they're much more trustworthy." The nightmare witch joked, unaware that Eliza had noticed the three.

"Uh, Maura? Someone invited your sisters. They're there. Right now."

"....FUCK."

‘It’s finally time!’ Deni expressed, skipping excitedly. The girl had made herself a brunette for once, but still looked very similar to her younger twin in her face. ‘Yes! Christmas! A real, proper Christmas!’ Eli replied, hands together as they looked around so excitedly as well.

‘It’s not gonna be like Christmases of old, like with our family and such… but it’s much better than it could have been!’ Deni grinned so happily.

‘Yes! I’m so happy you’re here with me…!’ Eli said, almost starting to cry… Deni saw this, smiled happily and hugged around her sister.

‘C’mon! Let’s go see our friends and eat candy!’ Deni suggested.

‘Yes!’ Eli replied, and the two girls turned and happily giggled as they sprinted through the halls.

---

---

On the roof of the building stood a white-haired girl, gathering courage. She had a gigantic sack lying on a portal behind her, because she’d be unable to move it on her own. She was in a little Santa dress, complete with a cap. Her eyes were focused with intense determination.



‘Like before, I expect you to stay out of sight. They shouldn’t know you exist,’ Mariette said to the shadow behind her.

‘And here I got myself dressed up and everything,’ the person behind her said.



‘… Regardless, remember that we’re liable to let information slip here, which we can’t. We’re also here for a mission. A mission I have resolved myself to clear…’ Mariette said.

‘I could have bugged the whole building,’ the person suggested.

‘No. That’d be disingenuous. Dan still has the mirror. We must make sure that this is the most peaceful party ever, with no ulterior motives,’ Mariette said.

‘That’s an ulterior motive,’ the person commented.

‘… Off with you, I need to focus,’ Mariette retorted.

‘As you wish, ma’am,’ the person said, turning around and walking.

Mariette took a deep breath. Dan had told her to prove that she was sorry for what had happened by working on the Christmas party. She had no idea how working on the party could possibly prove that she had changed her ways, primarily because she hadn’t, but she’d do her absolute best to put effort into this.

She eventually figured she’d waited enough. She took a deep breath, opened a portal, and skipped through.

First, she went up to Lily, because she’d been the first to appear. Ignoring everyone else, Mariette walked up to her, eyes gleaming with determination, as she put a hand in her bag, pulled out an item, and offered it forward for Lily to take.



‘Merry Christmas, Lily. I hope you’ll have a great time, here,’ Mariette said, making herself smile, and then turned to the next person, in order to give them a plushie, too.

Taihei had been very confused when Mariette requested a copious amount of stuffed animals without any enhancements on them. Because, as Mariette figured, everyone should think stuffed animals are cute. It also ensured the gift would be equal for every person, and she didn’t need to take into account people that she didn’t know. This way, there’d be a gift for everyone, and Mariette had enough of them to account for over a hundred extra guests she hadn’t kept in mind.

Mariette was going to hand out plushies to every single person in the party. Everyone was equal. She’d smile to friends, forced smile to strangers, and even more forced smile to those who’d tried to kill her in the past. This includes to anyone in Beacon, and to Justine. She’d look exceedingly worried trying to hand something to the members of Ascendancy and Alicia, but it was all in the spirit of Christmas. She’d hesitate in front of Justine, but still hand one over and then turn as quickly as possible to the next person. Couldn’t be held back by anyone. And of course, one for Dan, too.

‘Merry Christmas! I hope you’ll have a great time here,’ she’d say to everyone, because that’s the line she practiced, with the addition to their names if they’re her friend/ally.

You may all pick yourself what kind of plushie you get, or you can roll on this handy table if you can’t decide.

As everyone was coming in, Ruby was going to each and getting a guest list made up. As well she was taking down signups for the various events they would be having. "Welcome everyone, I will be your assistant event coordinator for the day. Please check with me if you would like to sign up for any of our events. We have White Elephant, Snow Fort Battles, Sledding, and Snowman Contests." As more and more arrived from various places she began teleporting around in puffs of purple smoke. Everyone could choose to participate in any event they would like.

As guest made their gift wishes for the White Elephant exchange, boxes of varying size and shape would appear on a table in the back of the lodge. Once all the gifts and guests had arrived they would be allowed to pick one at random and receive whatever it was inside. Guests would be free to trade gifts in the end if they so chose.


Mariette would arrive and hand Ruby a Mouse plush. Before the portal girl took off she would reach out and put a hand on her shoulder. She would say in a lower tone. ”Hey, do you mind if we talk for a moment or later. I have something important to tell you as a friend.”


Entering through another portal three figures would look around at the beautiful lodge. Suddenly finding herself in a lovely red dress Kayli would take stock of those present. Justine's presence was something off a surprise. There seemed to be a number of patrons here as well that she should perhaps speak with.

Rose and Iris' clothes changed in a like thematic fashion. Excited for such an event things were looking like they would be a lot of fun. It was then that Rose spotted Odin. Gasping she ducked behind her sister. "Eh? What is it?" The girl would look around confused, looking for a threat.

Pointing over her sister's shoulder the small group would follow the invisible line. "I-It's the Odin. Hilde's patron was Huginn and Muninn. They served the Allfather." She squeaked out. Sucking in air she would hold her breath as Kayli turned made her way to the Norse god. _{"Kayli, what are you doing?"} After a few moment the twins would follow after.

Approaching the patron, Kayli would give a polite curtsy. It was what she could provide for respect in such short notice. While she didn't have as intimate memories of the Norse, Cindy had still been well aware of them and their exploits. "Allfather. It is both a surprise and honor to meet you. I assume you patron one of the girls in attendance." She would open.

There was a brief interruption as they received plushes. Kayli with a Owl, Rose with a bat, and Iris a Goat. They each thanked the girl for the gifts.



With their first date going well, the two love birds decided to arrive at the Christmas party together. Shane would come by Mia and Connie’s place to meet up with them.

“Look at you, showin’ off,” Mia teased the magical boy as he used his Earth magic to elevate himself up to the two friends’ window. “Y’know, if you texted us, I would have had the tree bring ya up.”

”Ah well… Too late I guess.” He could see the portal to Dan’s place was open inside. ”May I come in?” He would ask.

“Of course!” Mia told him with a laugh. “We were kinda startin’ to worry ya might not make it,” she added as she helped him through the window.

“H-Hi, S-Shane!” Connie called from where she was sitting on the bed, filling a large drawstring sack with some wrapped presents. “I-It’s n-nice to s-see you a-again!”

”Nice to see you too Connie. Have you been doing alright” Last he checked the nightmare girl had a little trouble with her magic and such. He didn’t completely understand how all that worked but it sounded like it could be difficult.

“O-Oh, y-yes!” Connie told him with a bright smile. “M-Much b-better, t-thank you f-for a-asking!” she added. “T-Thanks to Mia’s help, I-I’ve f-finally b-been a-able to g-gain c-control of my m-magic,” she explained, looking positively elated. “L-Like, j-just the other d-day, I was able to p-paint a picture w-without anything c-creepy appearing in it! I-Isn’t t-that great?!”

Grinning he would nod. ”That’s awesome.” He would look at the sack. ”Bringing along some gifts for friends?” He would assume.

“Y-Yeah!” Connie would confirm happily. “H-Hopefully t-they’ll all b-be a-able to m-make it…” she added, frowning slightly.

“I’m sure they’ll be there,” Mia reassured her. “In fact I’m positive that at least one of them is gonna show up,” she added, giving Shane a grin.

Seeming to catch the clue he would nod. ”I’m sure they’ll all be there.” He would smile. Since this was the first time here he took note of the decor from where he stood.

Shane would notice that the room in which he found himself was a bit on the small side, but still decidedly cozy. Dominated by a rather sizable bed, it also contained a small table and kitchenette. A large tv covered much of the wall opposite the bed, while scattered about on the other walls were various colorful landscape paintings, along with a single illustration of a pink-haired girl fighting several robed figures. He would also notice that the bed itself was covered in dozens of stuffed animals and other cute plushies of various kinds.

“Shall we be going now?” Mia asked, having just finished changing into her magical girl form. “I wouldn’t want them to start the festivities without us.” she added with a wink.

“A-All set, Mia!” Connie replied as she gently closed up the sack, having ensured that everything was packed up nice and snug. “I j-just know this is g-gonna be s-so much f-fun!”

”Yeah. I think it will be. Might be a bit odd in swimsuits but whatever.” He would chuckle.

Stepping through Dan’s portal, Connie, Gaia, and Shane would find themselves in a veritable winter wonderland.

“Oh w-wow!” Connie gushed as stars seemed to fill her eyes at the sight of it. “E-Everything looks s-so pretty and f-festive!”

“Including us, or so it would seem,” Gaia noted, while taking an approving look at her new, holiday-themed outfit.

“O-Oh, g-gosh!” Connie exclaimed with a slight blush as she finally took note of what she was wearing. “Y-You’re right, Mia! A-And y-your hair! I-It l-looks like a C-Christmas tree!”

“How appropriate,” the verdant girl said with a grin. “And you look like you’re ready to hit the slopes for some snowboarding,” she added, turning to Shane. “The goggles are an especially nice touch.”

Reaching up he would check the goggles on his now apparent hat. He would look over his outfit. ”Wow. This is a pretty nice outfit. I approve.” He would look over to Gaia. After a moment he would blush a bit and then poke fun at himself a bit. ”Well, I think we have the red and green theme down pat.”



A moment later, a cheerful voice called out, “Ta daaa~! (giggle!) Magical Dream Princess is heresie, along with the super duper adorable worable Melisa Wisa~! (giggle!) Wowie zowie~!” the whimsical girl exclaimed as she bounced out of a nearby portal, with Melisa at her side and several sparkly clouds piled with presents floating behind her. “This placey wacey is, like, sooo super duper Christmasy Wistmasy~! (giggle!)” she added, spinning around with her arms extended, before whirling outside and trying to catch some snowflakes on her tongue.

Some girls that enter into Dan’s dimension went through some more dramatic changes, especially if they were rather unique. This time however, the two foot magical girl kept her physical form while she was now clad in the garb of a nutcracker soldier, complete with a big bushy mustache. ”Oh goodness.” Reaching up she removed the stache, apparently attached with a simple magnet. After a moment she would giggle. ”This is adorable. Wow.” Putting the cane over her shoulder she marched around just a bit. ”Haha, oh my. Your dress looks amazing Princess.”

Twirling back inside, MDP squealed with delight at the sight of Melisa’s new outfit. “Like, you look soooo super duper cute, Melisa Wisa~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl told her, kneeling down to get a closer look. “You can be Magical Dream Princess’s Personal Worsonal Royal Guard~! (giggle!) And, like, super duper thankie wankies~!” she added when the doll girl complimented her own outfit. “Magical Dream Princess totally wotally wuvs it~! (giggle!) It makes her feel all Christmasy Wistmasy~! Oh~!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining even brighter at the sight of some of her other friends. “It’s Connie Wonnie and Gaia Waia~! And somebodywody Magical Dream Princess doesn’t know yet~! (giggle!) Like, what’s your namey wamey~?!” she asked Shane, while bouncing up and down with glee.

Putting on a serious face for effect and replacing the mustache the tiny girl would stand straight and salute. ”Yes your majesty.” The persoana didn’t last as she quickly began giggling.

Spotting the excitable girl inbound Shane would let the girl speak until he was addressed. He would smile and offer a hand to shake. ”Shane. It’s nice to meet you. It’s Magical Dream Princess you said?” He would try and confirm.

“Yeperooni~! (giggle!)” MDP would confirm. “Magical Dream Princess is Magical Dream Princess~! But you can call her MDP, for short~!” she added with a wink. “It’s, like, so super duper nice to meet you, Shaney Waney~! (giggle!) Oh~! And this is Melisa Wisa~!” she said, gesturing to the tiny girl. “Isn’t she, like, the most adorable worable dolly wolly person worsen you ever wever saw~?!”

”Oh man, that’s a perfect Christmas outfit for you.” He would laugh a bit.

”I know right! It’s the best.” She would twirl as if in a play. She had to grab her hat when it almost fell off from stopping.

“O-Oh m-my g-gosh!” Connie gushed, her eyes sparkling as she knelt down next to Melisa. “Y-You look so c-cute!”

“Most appropriate indeed,” Gaia added with an approving smile.

It was around then that Mariette appeared and handed each of them a small plushie.

“O-Oh, w-wow…!” Connie said with surprise as she was handed a colorful butterfly. “T-Thank you s-so much!”

“My most sincere thanks as well,” Gaia told the white-haired girl as she received a butterfly of her own, in a color scheme that complimented Connie’s. “These are very lovely.”

“Like, super duper thanky wankies, Mariettey Wetty~! (giggle!)” MDP cheered, giving the probably very embarrassed girl a big hug after receiving a pink unicorn. “Magical Dream Princess will totally wotally cherish werish this for ever and ever~! (giggle!) Oh~! That reminds her~!” she added, reaching over to one of her floating clouds and taking a wrapped present to give to Mariette. “Heresie~!” she told the portal girl with a happy smile. “If you open this thingie wingie right before you go beddy bye, it’ll give you the sweetest weetest dreamy weamies you can imagine wagine~! (giggle!) Merry Christmas, Mariettey Wetty~!”

Shane would get a bunny plush which he would tuck into one of his coat pockets where others could see it. ”Thank you Mariette. That’s very sweet of you.”

Getting a turtle plush half her size, Melisa would hug the soft plush. ”Aww, thank you miss. Hmm, how am I going to carry this? Oh!” Placing a hand against the fabric some metal strands would flow through the threads and form a sort of skeleton inside. Setting the plush down she would begin walking around and the turtle would start to plod along behind her.

“Awww~!” MDP squealed at the sight of Melisa’s turtle. “He’s, like, the perfect werfect friendy wendy for you, Melisa Wisa~! (giggle!)” she told the tiny girl. “Like, you’re so little wittle, you could probably wobably ride him, if you wanted to~!”

Pink eyes lighting up the doll would gasp and look back at the plush. ”Oh my gosh you’re right!” Hopping on the turtle she would use a little more metal to create reigns and begin riding around at a comically slow pace.

Penny stood staring at the portal that had opened up with no small amount of curiosity. She knew what lay beyond, at least in principal, but the last time she was in Dan’s realm wasn’t the most pleasant. At least not from her perspective. She owed it to Dan however, or more likely to Dina, housing the girls from the Sanctuary while repairs were underway was a great boon.

With a shrug, she would venture into the Portal. Goblina and Ashlyn knew how to get in contact with her incase things went wrong and she couldn’t turn down the opportunity to talk with some of people who might be there. That and she could do with a vacation of sorts, Yes, she was literally a machine but the human elements she was holding onto did still get worn down from the near total focus on work.

Which was why the chance to see MDP again was really all she needed to venture forth.

The feel of Dan’s magic overlaying over her was always an odd one, as she could feel part of her systems trying to rebel against the seemingly aberrant readings that were suddenly being injected into her systems. Those were easy enough to silence, and when she took a moment to examine how it was that she was envisioned here within Dan’s world she had to give an appreciative whistle. After all she looked good.

With that out of the way she would once again look outward. Eyes skimming over everyone who was in attendance. And Much like last time she could identifying and name just about everyone. She noted that most people ended up with the same sort of outfit, tweaked here or there based on personal flair, but she couldn’t say she was that surprised. It was a Christmas party after all.

She would note the gathering of Beacon members, Alicia and others. She would notice Dina acting as a secondary host to Dan, who had yet to make an appearance. The other collections gathering here and there, such as the Maura and her host of agents or the coven of witches, also got notices. But ultimately none of them were all that important just yet. It was still early, and work would creep in sooner or later. Which was why Mariette also only given a simple passed over.

Justine being here did catch Penny’s attention. For a lot of reasons, but she put that on the back burner as well. Talking to her could wait, as with all the other official stuff she wanted to get to, plus she had no desire to get closer to the One-eyed God in the area either.

So, she stayed at the fringes, going mostly unnoticed. She didn’t look like herself after all. Ruby would be the only one to approach her, hard to avoid the greeter when she pops up with magic, which Penny would sign up for everything.

But that was it, Penny didn’t feel like talking to people, not yet at any rate. So when her attention caught wind of something else going on, something that didn’t require talking, she drifted that way.

As she drifted away she would send out a few texts. To those that she wanted to know that she was here.







From there, she was free to join in the thing that sounded the most fun at the moment.

The snowball fight!

Penny didn’t know these girls, and as far as she knew they didn’t know her. That meant little to her as she entered the fray with out warning. A lone girl against the three different teams. But her raw physical advantage, coupled with gravity packing while she was throwing was enough to somehow bring her onto equal footing with them, assuming that they all didn’t just gang up on Penny that is.

She wouldn’t care though, it was senseless, it was pointless, and it was fun. And that was what Penny needed right now.

---

”Well now” Aurelio would say with a nod of appreciation as he admired his new set of threads. It was always a treat to see how it was he would end up here in Dan’s realm, especially since it paired with his Eternal Style so easily.

It wouldn’t take much for him to see a friendly face, as to him most of the people here were friendly faces! Still there were a few that demanded his attention first. It wasn’t hard to slip up behind his first target, all the wandering reds and greens helped him blend in, almost more than his normal attire would have here. “Sally my dear,” he would say warmly, giving her a hug from behind “You look wonderful” A soft kiss on the cheek and he would turn his attention towards the rest of the small gathering they had already not moving from the embrace.

“FanFan! Gald to see you got an invite.” He would say with a nod to the Ascendency girl, “Alicia and Kimble, always a pleasure.” Another nod “Lily, Alex it’s been too long. Here’s hoping that this treat will be as joyous as the last one!”

He would ignore the brewing and, seemingly, deflating confrontations off to the side. This was Dan’s realm, and the dolphin was all about fun. It wouldn’t do to step in the way just yet. If it continued to escalate, he would. It just wasn’t kind to let that kind of thing ruin the mood for everyone else, but for now he would let the Host take care of things.

---

It was proving to be a rather odd week for Viva, or really things had been weird ever since she had woken up on that sidewalk two weeks back. She had gotten new directions from Mother, Reaver had gone AWOL, new plans were put in place, new friends made. But the pièce de resistance had to be when a rather mouthwatering winged Monstergirl flew up to her. Just to slap her in the face with an envelope and fly off again. It was rather disappointing at first until she read the invite in the envelope.

And today was the day, at least she hopped that was why there was a glowing blue portal in her room. With a smirk Viva would saunter into the unknown ready and willing to see what this newest twist had to offer her.
---
Viva would take a slow look around, eyes darting across all those that had arrived before her. Most of which she couldn’t recognize, which all in all was likely a good thing for her. New faces meant less worry about jilted feelings. So would avoid those she knew for now, after all with the curves on display at the moment work was the last thing she wanted to talk about.

Speaking of such, Viva would stroll her way towards a delightful looking trio. Nearly any of the groups around had a chance of getting the corrupted nurse’s attention, but bringing a whip to this place? That was always going to tip the scales, the tight leather her friend was wearing didn’t make it a hard choice either.
“Good evening ladies~” She would announce as she approached. “Seems like you three now how to have a good time. Mind if I tag along?”

_{@AtomicNut, @PlatinumSkink, @Flamelord, @Ponn & @Ariamis, @Card Captor, @Flamelord & @Majoras End}