---

Nicole had always tried her best never to get sucked away in parties.

After all, she wasn't a stranger to them. Hasta was renowned around the world for its freewheeling nightlife, for the garrisons of arcades, dive bars and dance clubs where the only answer for the sound of rolling thunder and the hiss of rain on the street lights was rolling bass and hissing synths. Then, as now, Nicole was a thrall to the vibes at play in her home; she still remembered the first impression of Palmyra as a dim, unwelcoming place bereft of fun and vibes, and though she'd found her share of fun in the city it was still hard to shake off that initial sense of incarcerated dismay.

And then, as now, she'd played a specific role in the group dynamic - the girl who always tried to keep an eye on every friend, keep everyone together, make sure no one was too drunk or not having their share of the good times. It was a way to make sure everyone got home safe, no one got anything funny dropped in anyone's drinks, and no one was tempted away for the night by anyone too untoward...but it was also a way of making sure everyone felt included, and that the night would remain a positive memory for everyone to share. She'd assumed that tonight, Radiant Storm would all be--

-ehheh--

-ahhah--

--in the same boat, in that regard.

But there were signs early on that Penny and Dana viewed this whole shebang in a different light than Nicole did. Both of them resisted her attempts to buy them trendy swimwear with a voraciousness she found admirable as their team leader, but confusing as their friend; in the end, Dana opted for more simple garb that at least fit her personality, while Penny had ceded to Nicole's sense of taste but looked as uncomfortable as Nicole had ever seen her once she actually put the swimsuit on. You would have thought Nicole was sending her to the trenches at the bottom of the ocean with no armor on from the way Penny fought and stared at the swimsuit in disdain. Even now, the two of them seemed content to prank each other and begin dividing up an armory's worth of water guns between each other. Nicole wouldn't fault them for that. She knew enough to know that the two girls wouldn't find much comfort in the embrace of electronic music or by licking salt and lime juice off of a rich girl's hand or midriff.

but Nicole was a simpler girl, made of weaker stuff than water gun wars. And Aiya's eyes were always watching her.

They were even watching her right now, playful amber oculars glinting as Nicole slung her head and neck back to gulp down a quick drink of rum. Her body below the collar continued to move on its own; she ruled the dance pad at the moment on a particularly upbeat, heavy disco-funk beat with plenty of driving synth and the occasional orchestral gong to herald Nicole dropping to the floor or twirling in place. She had put down four competitors in the space of twenty minutes, and was now about to vanquish her fifth, so the richer cadets and blue bloods had slowly begun trying to ply her with alcohol mid-dance routine. As if cerebral impairment had anything to do with slowing down a girl's footwork. That came from the vibes system, not the nervous system. Nervous systems were for nervous people.

And right now, Nicole was dancing on the wind in front of the eyes of the global elite.

"This one goes out--" she whooped between another GONG "--to Dana Noel! Queen of the gunslingers!" She spun on her heels and began dancing backwards, the lights of the dance machine glinting off the gemstone in her navel as she pointed two finger guns in the direction of the girls on the railing - just to show there were no hard feelings in refusing to engage in some of the more risque activities.

"One of you pick the next beat! These rich people want to see me loooose!" she shrieked. "They don't know I caaaaan't!"

The vessel rocks gently in the water, occasionally shifting as bodies run, dance, or vault across the surface of the deck. The vibes, in general, are good. From the hastily erected dance floor on central deck to the cluster of cadets dangling off the rear, good times are in ample supply.

For the most part, anyway. Dana’s chocolate bar causes a minor emergency in the water at the vessel’s postside as nearby cadets scramble and claw their way out of the water and the inky brown stain that the confectionery creates. A brief investigative committee is formed to determine the origins of the brown cloud, but after several minutes of deliberation no culprit is definitively brought to justice. The water on that side of the boat is abandoned.

Aiya, though somewhat distracted, fields Dana’s request for water guns with a exasperated smile.

“You really have a one track mind, Noel.” The heiress teases the other girl, reaching her hand out to ruffle her hair as if she were a rambunctious younger sister. She manages to fulfill Dana's request after some digging around, providing her a hefty water rifle with which to assault the partygoers deck. She claps the Norban girl on the back, sending her on her way with a lopsided grin.

Her reign of terror doesn't last too long before she's forcibly disarmed, however. Priya and Noah team up to take her down–the former providing a distraction while the latter lifts the Norban bodily from the deck and dumps her into the water. They and a few other cadets join a second later, Dana soon lifted onto Noah's shoulders to engage in an impromptu game of chicken with Priya and her own partner. The other girl proves a tenacious opponent, and a small crowd forms near the railing to cheer on the aquatic gladiators.

Penny, in the meantime, has to deal with navigating the party without her sunny companion to keep her safe. Despite her efforts to retain modesty, she can't avoid the eyes of every cadet looking for a chance to chat up an Ars Magi. As Aiya has demonstrated, Nova Lux's cadets are a rare commodity in high demand among the upper class.

The Siscian girl has to navigate a web of potential suitors, offers to dance, or join in one of the games taking place across the boat. What little reprieve she can find is usually with the other Ars Magi, who occasionally cluster together to conspire before their attentions are inevitably dragged elsewhere.

But at least there's some higher profile partiers to take some of the attention off of Penny and those like her. Specifically, Nicole's and her reign as queen of the dance pad. Try as they might, no one can challenge the redheaded girl and come away victorious.
Aiya eventually, once she's finished making the rounds and seeing to her other guests, joins in to help. Help being extremely subjective, since from a technical standpoint having two bodies on the dance-pad doesn't go quite as well. It does work a lot better from a visual standpoint, though.

The sun continues to sink down the line of the horizon as the hours tick by, casting a long red line across the shimmering water. Aiya encourages the rest of the Ars Magi to take their turn on the dance floor in due time; Priya (who has an pop and lock) and Cara are an easy sell, but she tries to cajole Dana and Penny too if they can be lured away from their various activities.

Eventually the mood becomes slightly more sedated as cadets break into smaller clusters to watch the sunset. Aiya and her inner circle retreat to the more intimate crew quarters below deck, taking Nicole, Dana, and Penny along with them. The space below deck has just enough room for a small couch and a few cramped seats to lounge on, a comfortable enough space to relax and dry off from the days earlier activities. There's even a well-stocked drink cabinet, probably meant for the important associates of the De Mars family--which doesn't stop Aiya from breaking it open.

"They're going to start sending you out on assignments soon, dolcezza." Aiya laments as she sips from a drink. "You and all your friends. I'm not going to get to keep you all around to play anymore." A dramatic sigh parts from the dark-haired girl's lips. Nicole is already aware of Aiya's attempt to lay claim to her for the De Mars family–but there's still a long time before the Ars Magi's official graduation and assignments.

"You two." She raises a finger to gesture between Penny and Dana. "Have to make sure nothing happens to her." There's a thread of humor to her words, her usual good cheer doubled and then some by the afternoon of drinking. "I need her."

She pauses, a silvery laugh escaping from the heiress after a few seconds of consideration. "Isn't it strange?" She asks, clarifying, "We get to be in charge of you. You're the most powerful girls alive, and you have to do what we tell you to do." The girl shakes her head. "How funny." She raises her glass in a toast. "Here's to Nova Lux and our brave heroines."

The other officers raise their turn, a proud salute to their saviors and subordinates.

"Fuck." Says Aiya, turning her bottle over to lament its emptiness. It's unclear if her unhappiness comes from the system issues of the post-apocalyptic world or if she's just upset she'll have to get a new drink. Either way with a loud thud the dark haired Duodecim plants the container down firmly on the center of the varnished wood table.

"Who wants to play spin the bottle?"

---

Dana giggled as Aiya playfully ruffled her hair. “Sweet!” she cheered a moment later, when the heiress agreed to begin a search for aquatic armaments, the energetic Norban following close behind. “Great idea, Penny!” Dana told her friend with a big grin when the Siscian suggested recruiting any Water Elementum users for their “team” in the impending water war. Indeed, the sunny sharpshooter could barely contain her excitement, and her golden eyes seemed to gleam even brighter when Aiya presented her with a massive water gun that was almost as big as she was. “Oh, wow! Thanks!” she told the heiress. “Y’know, this thing kinda looks like the prototype polyphasic plasma particle projector Professor Pinnacle let Alexis use in episode twenty-three!” Unfortunately, it was also the only water gun on the ship, and so, Dana was forced to abandon her plans for an all-out water war and switch to a series of water-based pranks instead.

Darting from one line-of-sight-obstructing piece of cover to another, the sunny sharpshooter snapped off a series of quick blasts, before ducking out of sight. However, it didn’t take long for the others to deduce the source of these attacks, and no sooner had Dana accepted a challenge to hit the surprisingly agile Priya, then the grinning gunslinger found herself being lifted into the air and thrown overboard. “Woah!” she yelped, before splashing into the water below. When she reached the surface a moment later, she saw who had been responsible for her unplanned soaking, and her auric eyes lit up. “Nice one, Noah!” she called up to the big cadet with a giggle. “I never knew you could be so sneaky!”

“Hey!” Priya called as she vaulted over the ship’s railing. “Let’s have a chicken fight!”

“Yeah!” Dana agreed with an enthusiastic grin as she raised two fists in the air. “Come on, Noah! Let’s show ‘em what we can do!”

Giving a nod, Noah and another cadet promptly jumped into the water, and lifted Dana and Priya onto their shoulders. There followed a series of hard-fought and incredibly entertaining (at least, if the wildly cheering crowd was anything to go by) battles, with Dana gaining the slightest of leads over the spirited Priya, thanks to a few small, but well-timed Light Elementum distractions. It was only once the informal competition was over that Dana realized she had forgotten all about Penny. The thought of having abandoned her socially awkward roommate to what the bespectacled girl could very well view as a living nightmare caused Dana’s jubilant spirits to rapidly dampen. Immediately setting out to search for her, the concerned Norban soon found her roommate amongst the crowd gathered around the dance pad upon which Nicole looked to be giving the performance of a lifetime. Weaving her way through the cheering mass of cadets and fellow Ars Magi, Dana had just reached Penny’s side when Nicole gave her a boisterous shout out. “Whoo! Show ‘em what ya got, Nicole!” the sunny sharpshooter called back with a wink, while giving the red-head two finger pistols of her own.

As Dana continued to watch, Nicole did just that, defeating every other guest who foolishly dared to challenge her dominance of the dance pad, and when the heady Hastan asked one of the audience members to pick the next song, the grinning gunslinger’s smile grew even wider. “I’ve got just the thing!” she told her team leader as she grabbed a music player from her bag and plugged it into the sound system. “This one’s a personal favorite!”

Eventually, Aiya herself took to the floor in a bid to challenge Nicole’s seemingly unassailable supremacy. As it happened, the two ladies turned out to be evenly matched, providing a stunning performance against the backdrop of the setting sun that delighted Dana and the rest of the various onlookers. Once the inconclusive contest finally drew to a close, the energetic Norban pulled Noah aside to watch the last fading embers of the brilliant sunset. It was just as the magentas and neon pinks had begun to fade into deep, dark lavenders and purples that Aiya requested their presence below deck. After sharing a puzzled look, the incongruous pair made their way down into the bowels of the yacht, until they reached a small cabin, within which they found Penny, Nicole, and a handful of officer cadets waiting for them.

“Well this sure is cozy,” Dana noted with a grin as she made herself comfortable next to Noah on one of the cushioned couches. “So, is this like one of those ‘after parties’?” she inquired of their host. “Cause, y’know, with how awesome everythin’ else has been, I was kinda hopin’ ya might have arranged a fireworks show for us, too!”

As it soon became apparent, Aiya had a fireworks show of a different sort in mind, and it didn’t take long for the heiress to begin retrieving expensive-looking bottles from an ornate wooden cabinet. Now, Dana had never tried alcohol before, but the irrepressible Norban was always up for something new, and this party was a special occasion, after all, so when Aiya offered her a glass, she cheerfully accepted. “You can count on us!” Dana reassured their host with a playful salute, when she and Penny were instructed to keep Nicole safe. “Your girlfriend’s got the best team in Nova Lux watchin’ her back!” she added with a confident smile. “Right, Penny?!” she asked her by-this-point-probably-quite-overwhelmed roommate. Aiya then called for a toast, before inquiring if anyone was up for a little game…

“Spin the bottle?” Dana echoed with a slight frown, while the hints of a blush began to color her cheeks. She’d heard of the game, of course, but never played it, and to be perfectly honest, she was a little unsure if she really wanted to. There was definitely at least one person in their group that she wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with, but there were also quite a few others with whom it would be very awkward, to say the least. Then again, if they could just get away with kissing on the cheek, maybe it would’t be so bad after all… “Uh, what rules were ya thinkin’ of usin’?”

---

Penny tries to stick to Dana as much as possible, even though there's only one water gun on board, so Dana's got the only one. However, the crowd of partygoers and the increasingly labyrinthine corridors got the shorter girl separated from the mischievous gunslinger. She finds herself isolated and blocked by a wall of casual partiers, who have unknowingly blocked off Penny's route - though whether it was out of genuine coincidence or because they were all taller than her and thus probably missed her is unknown.

"Dana?" Penny calls out in vain over the din of the party and the loud bass of the music system. "DANA! Here! I'm over here!"

It's no use. By the time she catches a glimpse, Dana Noel is long gone. Penny has to find her own way around.

"Ah crap," she mutters. "Excuse me, coming through..."

And that's when someone finally notices her.

"Excuse me, little girl," a blonde guy with a tan and a silver-white speedo, "aren't you a little young to be here?"

"HEY! I'm NOT a kid!" she snaps back, forgetting her own social awkwardness in a moment of temper.

"Oh, Reykard, behave, she's an Ars Magi," a leggy olive-skinned girl (presumably Reykard's girlfriend).

"Wait, how'd you-" Penny looked down, remembering that the implanted gem - the mark of her status - is now fully visible in a bikini. "Oh, right. Uh, y-yeah, you got me there. I kinda got invited with a friend of mine, so if you all don't mind-"

"Oh please, darling, what's the rush?" the olive-skinned girl giggled. "We're all friends here! My name's Tatyana vi Minerva, a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. What's your name?"

She extends her hand for Penny to shake, to which the Siscian reluctantly does.

"Uhh.. My name's Penny... Penny Grenoble," she says. "Nice to meet you, too, Ms. Tatyana."

"Penny...Hey, you're that short girl with the hammer," chipped in another girl, this time a heavily tanned redhead wearing a bikini and jean shorts.

"I'm not short, it's a late growth spurt," Penny grumbles under her breath.

"You know, the one that faced the new heavy assault model mech alongside the other team," the redhead continues, unfazed by Penny's complaint (or more likely not paying attention). "What was your team's name again? Radiant Star?"

"Team Radiant Storm," Penny corrects her, grumbling in annoyance.

"Sounds like something from a kid's show," Reykard chortles as he downs a drink.

"Well, I think it's pretty swell," the redhead continues. "I'm Olivia Grey, currently studying at the military academy. I'm specializing in General Staff work and Logistics. Great to meet you!"

"Thank you," Penny says, feeling forgiving towards Olivia's unintended slights with the height and the team name. "I mean, Team Night Sky don't get this much crap for their team name, do they?"

"Well, they've earned their respect, Ms. Grenoble," Tatyana replies with a grin. "But I'm sure your team has potential, if they can take down a heavy assault mech, even if in training."

"Th-thanks for the complements," Penny replies, "but I really gotta get going, ‘cause my friends-"

"Oh, darling, what's the rush," Tatyana cuts her off, putting her hand on Penny's shoulder and gently pulling her along. "We're all friends here. And besides, it's good for your future career to socialize."

"Thanks, but I'm already pretty good on grades," Penny boasts. "Top five percent, even!"

"Oh, you poor girl, here's a little free hint from me," Tatyana purrs, leaning in to talk into Penny's ear. "It's not what you know, it's who you know."

As she says so, her posse closes ranks behind the unsuspecting Penny, taking the unsuspecting Ars Magi with them.

"W-wait wait wait... aawww, crap," Penny groans as she’s dragged along, feeling so very unprepared for this.


Penny quickly finds herself on a large couch, surrounded by a small group of partygoers drawn from both the military cadets and the nobility, feeling so far out of her element she feels naked. Especially with only the bikini on. She wishes she still had the towel. It didn’t help that several of the guys - and quite a few of the girls too! - were getting flirty. The other Ars Magi had either intermingled with other groups, and the smart ones formed their own little groups, something Penny wishes she had thought of.

“So, Penny, how’s life at the famed Nova Lux treating you?” Tatyana asks, giving a confident smile. “Making a lot of friends there?”

“Well, it’s certainly an experience,” Penny says, glad to take any out from the constant flirting and offers of drinks. “Funny thing about my team; we met on the same airship on the way to the academy. Apparently, Ars Magi candidates-”

“Are so rare that they have to send special airships to pick them up,” Olivia cut in, taking a break from schmoozing with a couple of the other officers. “You’d think they’d wait to collect a batch, but apparently it’s considered worth the cost to just send an airship to collect batches as they show up.”

”Yeah, so anyways, we sort of bonded on the trip here. It was… well, pretty much the only thing we could have done,” Penny continues. “It was a long trip, obviously, and I was picked up at Siscia.”

“So, got a girlfriend yet?” asks one of the girls giggling by Tatyana’s side, a bronze-skinned beauty with jet-black hair tied in a french braid. “Or a boyfriend for that matter?”

“Yeah, there’s been this officer’s ball a few months back,” a guy adds. “It was a big event. You must have met someone, right?”

“Well, I…” Penny pauses, feeling a little sweaty as the questions started getting a little personal. She wonders if she’s being poked as an amusement, or if it’s to signal she’s free game for hungry wolves. Somehow, she’s beginning to wonder if it isn’t too much to wish for Void right now. Those, at least, you know where you stood with them, and you were always allowed to fight back.

“Yeah, come on, tell us,” Olivia teases. “You can’t seriously expect us to believe you haven’t met or even talked to anyone interesting…?”

“W-well, there’s this officer from the Academy…” Penny begins hesitantly,figuring the concept of a boyfriend could at least deter some of the flirting. ”He’s Dima, a nice guy from Pola. He studies in the Infantry section.”

“Is it serious?” Olivia asks, her tone clearly teasing again.

“I… I don’t know…?” Penny replies, taken aback. “I mean we haven’t advanced it that much, we’ve sorta been busy with tests and school life. We do see each other on occasion, though…”

“It doesn’t sound serious,” Olivia says, with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Hey, it’s none a’ yer business!” Penny replies in annoyance.

“Well, if it’s not serious, perhaps you seeing other people,” says one of the other girls. “I mean, you’re young, you’re an Ars Magi… the world is your pearl.”

“Th-that’s a pretty cynical way of seeing things,” Penny says, uncertainly. “I-I mean, that would be wrong, right…? Right…?”

“Oh please,” Tatyana chuckles. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“I… I think I need to visit the ladies’ room.” Penny says, getting up and edging towards the door. ”I really gotta go…”

“Oh, I’m going with you,” Olivia says as she gets up. “I gotta freshen up myself…”

Penny couldn’t object, and finds herself begrudgingly escorting Olivia to the restrooms. Penny counts herself lucky she found an empty stall, and gets in quickly, completing her business and preparing to leave, only to find Olivia waiting for her at the wash basins, freshening up a bit.

“Did Tatyana put you up to this?” Penny grumbles.

“Oh no, it was my choice,” Olivia replies sincerely. “Admittedly, making sure you didn’t just run away was part of it, but I really did want to freshen up a bit. That, and talk a bit before we drag you back to the shark pool.”

She takes a few cans she had lined up on the wash basins and offers a couple to Penny.

“Thanks,” Penny says, grabbing the ice mocha. “Mmmh, that’s the stuff.”

“Ice mocha? Really?”

“Hey, I really like coffee,” Penny replies. “And root beer.”

“Jeez, no wonder you’re so short. Coffee stunts your growth.”

“Bah, old wives’ tale,” Penny grunts in response. “So what else did ya want to talk about?”

“Well, how to put this simply,” Olivia says, picking out a sparkling cider. “You need to get your head out of your ass.”

This earns a spit take/geyser as Penny spewed iced coffee all over one of the washroom mirrors before going into a sputtering fit.

“Excuse me, but what the fuck?!” Penny snaps back in between coughs.

“Look, I know you watch the propaganda and hear all the talk from everyone starting from kindergarten to when they start testing you for potential, on and on about how the Ars Magi are our saviors and how they’re all our dear sweet angels and how they’re all gonna save us all. Problem is, you’re trying to act like that’s all it is. Just doing your civic duty.”

“And it is.” Penny says, looking at Olivia suspiciously.

“Seriously, you get that line from an episode of Gunslinger Alexis?”

“My mom’s an SDF sergeant,” Penny replies icily. “I got it from her. And I prefer Altea anyways.”

“Huh, that explains some things,” Olivia says in amusement as she sips her drink. “Look, okay, I may have overstepped things…”

“Ya think?!” Penny snaps back.

“Look, sorry,” Olivia sighs. “Didn’t want to step on any nerves. I may have overstepped here. Thing is, it’s… frustrating. Looking at you, that is. They train you to fight off scary beasties that can tear people apart in seconds, yet you can’t manage a simple social gathering?”

“In my defense, I can’t smash my way out of a bunch of hanger-ons,” Penny replies. “Also, I’m pretty sure even an Ars Magi will get in trouble for flattening a Duodecim or two and their friends.”

“Well, you shouldn’t act like a scared rabbit surrounded by hungry wolves,” Olivia counters. “You act like this is a huge inconvenience being here. Like being an Ars Magi is a duty. You know how many girls would kill to have your spot? Being in the spotlight, surrounded by nobility and the elite? It’s like being a rock star. And let’s not get to those who actually were rock stars and then got selected to become Ars Magi.”

“It’s still a dangerous job,” Penny replies sombrely, sipping her drink as she thinks of the time she nearly got killed on the Laurus.

“And how long do you think you’ll last? Think you’ll reach retirement with the kind of work you’re expected to do?” Olivia reasons. “Many Ars Magi live fast, die young, and some don’t even get to leave a corpse.”

“I’m aware,” Penny replies. “They try to emphasize caution and training above all else. What’s your point? What’s your angle here?”

“Oh, that’s simple,” Olivia says. “The way you’re going, you’re here to do your job, fight the Void, then retire. Small dreams. What do you want to do once you retire? If you retire?”

“Go back home, work on electronics, maybe even research some noxtech…”

“Wow, you really do have small dreams,” Olivia chortles softly.

“Hey, nothing wrong with small dreams,” Penny answers defensively.

“Well, ya gotta dream bigger than that,” the redhead says. “You’re an Ars Magi. People like you get medals, and get monuments dedicated to them. You don’t get to dream small. Yes, it’s a really dangerous job, deadly even. But you gotta make this job work for you as well. It’s exhausting work, all take and no give. Even if you really do mean to serve and protect, it doesn’t hurt to get a few perks out of the job. ‘Sides, as they say, it’s never what you know, it’s who you know. Networking works.

“Ultimately, it’s your choice,” Olivia concludes. “You can choose to go back to your own little world and live like you want to, no skin off my nose or anyone else’s. Or you can learn to relax a bit and just unclench, you know? Try and get ahead in the world. Get what I’m saying?”

“I… I think so,” Penny says, stirring her iced coffee contemplatively.

“So I think I’ve annoyed you enough with the cynicism, and I think my friends are getting a little concerned about my absence,” Olivia speaks up. “If you want, I’ll just tell them your friends scooped you up and took you elsewhere. I don’t think they’d mind, really.”

“Nah, I guess I’ll come along,” Penny mutters. “Guess there’s no real harm in opening up one’s horizons a bit.”

She finishes off her drink can and tosses it in the trash can on the way out.

“So your mom, what’s she like?” Olivia asks as they head back.

“Well, she’s a pretty cool person, but dad’s the one who mostly takes care of the siblings given she spends quite a lot of time on duty.”

“Oh? How many siblings you got?”

“Six,” Penny replies. “Two older sisters - twins - and I’m the third oldest.”

“Wait, seriously?!” Olivia replies, laughing. “Have your parents ever heard of a condom…?!”

But at least there's some higher profile partiers to take some of the attention off of Penny and those like her. Specifically, Nicole's and her reign as queen of the dance pad. Try as they might, no one can challenge the redheaded girl and come away victorious.

"This one goes out--" she whooped between another GONG "--to Dana Noel! Queen of the gunslingers!" She spun on her heels and began dancing backwards, the lights of the dance machine glinting off the gemstone in her navel as she pointed two finger guns in the direction of the girls on the railing - just to show there were no hard feelings in refusing to engage in some of the more risque activities.

"One of you pick the next beat! These rich people want to see me loooose!" she shrieked. "They don't know I caaaaan't!"

“Hey, guys, look at that redhead up there on stage,” says one of Tatyana’s friends as the rest of the group were gabbing away. “Seriously, she’s just on fire…”

“Hey, that’s Nichole, she’s my teammate!” Penny pipes up, moving forwards to get a better look. “Go Nichole! Kick their asses! Whoo!”

She gives loud, cheering whistles as the Hastan girl decimates her opposition.

“Seriously, where’d she learn those moves?” Tatyana asks, laughing.

“Hey, she’s Nichole,” Penny replies confidently. “She’s just that good!”

Giving a nod, Noah and another cadet promptly jumped into the water, and lifted Dana and Priya onto their shoulders. There followed a series of hard-fought and incredibly entertaining (at least, if the wildly cheering crowd was anything to go by) battles, with Dana gaining the slightest of leads over the spirited Priya, thanks to a few small, but well-timed Light Elementum distractions. It was only once the informal competition was over that Dana realized she had forgotten all about Penny. The thought of having abandoned her socially awkward roommate to what the bespectacled girl could very well view as a living nightmare caused Dana’s jubilant spirits to rapidly dampen. Immediately setting out to search for her, the concerned Norban soon found her roommate amongst the crowd gathered around the dance pad upon which Nicole looked to be giving the performance of a lifetime. Weaving her way through the cheering mass of cadets and fellow Ars Magi, Dana had just reached Penny’s side when Nicole gave her a boisterous shout out. “Whoo! Show ‘em what ya got, Nicole!” the sunny sharpshooter called back with a wink, while giving the red-head two finger pistols of her own.

As Dana continued to watch, Nicole did just that, defeating every other guest who foolishly dared to challenge her dominance of the dance pad, and when the heady Hastan asked one of the audience members to pick the next song, the grinning gunslinger’s smile grew even wider. “I’ve got just the thing!” she told her team leader as she grabbed a music player from her bag and plugged it into the sound system. “This one’s a personal favorite!”

“Oh look who shows up again!” Penny says when Dana finds her again. “Seriously, you run off and left me behind!

“Still, it’s fine. Had fun? What happened with you?”

“Oh, right, let me introduce you…” Penny says, introducing Dana to the group as a close friend and teammate.

“Told ya she has a real bunch of gems on her team,” Olivia says to Tatyana vi Minerva.

The sun continues to sink down the line of the horizon as the hours tick by, casting a long red line across the shimmering water. Aiya encourages the rest of the Ars Magi to take their turn on the dance floor in due time; Priya (who has an pop and lock) and Cara are an easy sell, but she tries to cajole Dana and Penny too if they can be lured away from their various activities.

Penny excuses herself and her friend from the group, and thank them for the great time. It was a bit exhausting dealing with the attention and the high society talk, but like Olivia says, best to open one’s horizons, or at least get to know people.

Away from the group, Penny gives a long-held-back sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God that's over," she says. "I mean, it was fun, but... it's just a bit overwhelming, you know? And some of them can be so grabby..."

“Well this sure is cozy,” Dana noted with a grin as she made herself comfortable next to Noah on one of the cushioned couches. “So, is this like one of those ‘after parties’?” she inquired of their host. “Cause, y’know, with how awesome everythin’ else has been, I was kinda hopin’ ya might have arranged a fireworks show for us, too!”

“Eh, ya never know, probably firing a bunch outside right now,” Penny replies. “We’d probably never hear it on account of the loud music and all the other partygoers.”

Eventually the mood becomes slightly more sedated as cadets break into smaller clusters to watch the sunset. Aiya and her inner circle retreat to the more intimate crew quarters below deck, taking Nicole, Dana, and Penny along with them. The space below deck has just enough room for a small couch and a few cramped seats to lounge on, a comfortable enough space to relax and dry off from the days earlier activities. There's even a well-stocked drink cabinet, probably meant for the important associates of the De Mars family--which doesn't stop Aiya from breaking it open.

"They're going to start sending you out on assignments soon, dolcezza." Aiya laments as she sips from a drink. "You and all your friends. I'm not going to get to keep you all around to play anymore." A dramatic sigh parts from the dark-haired girl's lips. Nicole is already aware of Aiya's attempt to lay claim to her for the De Mars family–but there's still a long time before Ars Magi's official graduation and assignments.

"You two." She raises a finger to gesture between Penny and Dana. "Have to make sure nothing happens to her." There's a thread of humor to her words, her usual good cheer doubled and then some by the afternoon of drinking. "I need her."

“Seriously?” Penny chortles. “She’s our teammate and our friend. Nothing happens to her on our watch.”

“You can count on us!” Dana reassured their host with a playful salute, when she and Penny were instructed to keep Nicole safe. “Your girlfriend’s got the best team in Nova Lux watchin’ her back!” she added with a confident smile. “Right, Penny?!” she asked her by-this-point-probably-quite-overwhelmed roommate.

“Damn straight,” Penny replies, giving Dana a high-five.

She pauses, a silvery laugh escaping from the heiress after a few seconds of consideration. "Isn't it strange?" She asks, clarifying, "We get to be in charge of you. You're the most powerful girls alive, and you have to do what we tell you to do." The girl shakes her head. "How funny." She raises her glass in a toast. "Here's to Nova Lux and our brave heroines."

The other officers raise their turn, a proud salute to their saviors and subordinates.

Penny pauses a bit, but then returns the salute.

"Fuck." Says Aiya, turning her bottle over to lament its emptiness. It's unclear if her unhappiness comes from the system issues of the post-apocalyptic world or if she's just upset she'll have to get a new drink. Either way with a loud thud the dark haired Duodecim plants the container down firmly on the center of the varnished wood table.

"Who wants to play spin the bottle?"

Earlier, Penny would have excused herself, but she instead downs a drink in one chug.

“Eh, the hell with it, guess I’m game…” she says, crushing the can in one hand and tossing it away.

---

Underneath the thin sheen of sweat and the heavy plate of her armored ego, a small pinprick of offense had begun to poke at the dance-hall duchess' mood with all the mild irritation of a horsefly bite. She wasn't quite sure what it was. Maybe it was just that Nicole, with her pleasantly cosmopolitan background and her voracious hunger for the lights and sounds of nightlife, was just now being confronted with the true meaning of wealth - an opulent yacht that looked like it could have glided from the ocean directly into outer space, fellow cadets who could go fit-for-fit with the enfant terrible of the Nova Lux High Fashion Association (membership currently two) and still have enough drip to last them through the rest of a fortnight after Nicole herself had exhausted all her nicer clothes. Or maybe it was a lingering affection for Astrelle, who was at least no stranger to partying in general, if not in something of a different tax bracket than her; maybe it was seeing Dana and Penny so hesitant to truly plunge into the vibes of the evening, which she could hardly fault them for given their backgrounds, but would have made the evening a bit less of a guilty pleasure.

Or maybe it was that she had already pre-gamed before arrival through a couple back channels (Hastan girls having natural inclinations towards finding black market channels was just a stereotype, damn you!) then drank more throughout the first part of the evening, and had finally started taking shots to the dome of some kind of brandy that would be giving her granddaughter phantom headaches someday. So many of her lingering, mild irritations could have just been the fact that she was drunk and taking things too personally. Like hearing a girl she vibed with and liked musing on how quaint it was that she could be sent to die at any moment. Or hearing that girl playfully charge her teammates, her little sisters in arms, the girls she'd taken under her wing and coaxed onto this yacht in the first place, with pet-sitting Nicole. Or the smug nature of the toast.

Stretched languidly along the bottom half of an L-shaped couch, long legs stretched slim so that her tights could brush the smooth, organic textures of the boat's nerve center, Nicole swallowed those misgivings down with another sip of that brandy and told herself it was fine. She don't know any better, a drunken, unfamiliar voice in her subconscious soothed. She don't go outside.

Huh. You're probably right. Thanks voice!

And with another gulp, the misgivings vanished. Tonight was all vibes, after all. They were among friends. Or, given the predatory gleam in Aiya's face as she brandished her empty cognac bottle like a status-granting jambiya, people who wanted to be more than friends.

"I," Nicole slurred, sitting up and curling into a regal, princess' posture. "I wanna play Spin the Bottle."

A slight gust of wind brushed through Aiya's long, elegant fingers, and hugged at the lip and stem of the bottle.

"I can't leave my rookies alone without a vet."

---

"I can't leave my rookies alone without a vet."

"'Eeeyyy, up high!" Penny slurs, trying to give Nichole a fist bump - only to miss and nearly fall flat on her face, barely catching herself in time.

"I-I'm fine, I'm fiiine..." she says, trying to play it off. "Jus... got a little over-excited, is all..."

'How much did I drink?' Penny finds herself wondering.

---

“Oh look who shows up again!” Penny says when Dana finds her again. “Seriously, you run off and left me behind!

“Oh crap… Sorry, Penny…” Dana replied with a sheepish grin, while scratching the back of her head.

“Still, it’s fine. Had fun? What happened with you?”

“Well, uh, the soaker sniping was goin’ great, until Priya and Noah teamed up and threw me in the water,” the grinning gunslinger explained with a giggle. “After that, we had a super fun chicken fight! It was great! Priya’s really tough,” she added, holding up two clenched fists. “But I still managed to beat her!”

“Oh, right, let me introduce you…”

Penny then proceeded to introduce Dana to some of the new friends she’d made in their time apart, causing Dana’s grin to widen even further.

“Hey guys! It’s really nice to meet ya!” the sunny sharpshooter greeted in her typical exuberant manner. “Thanks a bunch for lookin’ after my pal, Penny, here,” she added, putting an arm around her bespectacled roommate’s shoulder. “She gets kinda nervous around new people, so I’m really glad she was able to make some friends!”



Before Aiya could answer Dana’s inquiry, Nicole (unsurprisingly) announced that she, too, wished to play spin the bottle. However, it was Penny’s uncharacteristically enthusiastic response to this that really caught the cheerful Norban’s attention. Indeed, it was such a compete 180 from the reluctant, socially-anxious girl she had boarded the yacht with that Dana couldn’t help but wonder if the drinks they’d been offered were drugged. After all, she’d been drinking a fair bit, and she felt fine. Penny couldn’t possibly be that much of a lightweight, could she?

“Uh, you okay, Penny?” Dana asked with a frown as the bespectacled Siscian nearly fell out of her seat.

“Alright… If you say so…” the Norban hesitantly told her roommate when Penny rather unconvincingly assured her that she was fine. “But, uh, maaaybe hold off on the drinking for a bit,” she suggested with an awkward chuckle.

Dang… I was hopin’ she’d loosen up, but not this much… Heh, girl really doesn’t do anything by half measures…

Glasses are refilled dutifully by Aiya, who plays hostess with a well-practiced smile. Nicole is not entirely imaging things—here the Duodecim girl is queen. If she doesn’t actively relish it, she is at least so accustomed to it that she doesn’t give her privilege any second thought.

“Rules?” Asks Aiya when Dana speaks up, as if the Norban was speaking a different language. “Ooooh, was there someone in particular you wanted to kiss, Noel?” Aiya asks mischievously. Her gaze, which flickers between Dana and the large cadet she’s planted next to, clearly implies what she means.

“We have a spare cabin for that, you know.” She suggests, though she can’t keep her face straight for long. “Just kidding. You don’t have to play, there should be some other games around here.” She says, absolving them of their party obligations.

Nicole and Penny, who volunteer, earn a somber salute. There’s one or two officers who excuse themselves from the proceedings to play cards—and offer Dana and Noah a new little circle to join—but Penny’s new friends and the rest soon begin the game.

It goes until the wee hours, until the boat finally makes its lazy return home.

So to do the officers and Ars Magi, one way or another. Everyone survives.

---

---

Until the next morning, at which point it probably feels like it’d be better to be dead.

The hangover is predictably horrible for those that indulged. Not as bad as having an Armagus forcefully shoved in ones body, but maybe only just a little better.

Priya is the only partygoer that appears unaffected, dropping by Radiant Storm’s dorms with plates full of eggs, aspirin, and big glasses of water.

By the time the lucky(?) Ars Magi make it to the common room they’re in time to hear the afternoon news reports: A heavy front of Nox is sweeping down across the coast, a slowly-building vortex of toxic magic.

Thankfully, there are still a few vacation days left. They’re not all that cheery, though. Soon enough the Palmyran military is confirming that the storm will be hitting the city, and the preparations begin soon after. Barricades are re-enforced, shelters shuttered, Nox diffusers checked and re-checked. There’s a palpable air of unease that turns to sinking dread. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, but such storms have never boded well, and no sanctum city has ever weathered one without issue.

By the time the cadets are back on duty they have new briefings waiting for them. Nova Lux’s Ars Magi will be second in the line of defense should anything break through the walls and the full-fledged Magi defending them. Teams are to be deployed throughout the city at strategic points to repel any invaders, along with a small detail of officers to supervise and coordinate the defensive efforts.

And so begins the storm of the century.



The tempest hits at exactly 1600 hours.

Radiant Storm has not gone far from home. They’re posted up in Nova Lux’s Grand Hall, the same place where the fancy ball has been held prior. Now, however, it is not nearly as festive. Temporary workstations have been set up for the teams of officers gathered inside, each squad of cadets led by a senior overseeing their work. Large monitors display satellite images of the city, blurry infra-red diagrams that track the storm as it descends on Palmyra.

Rain is hammering down against the massive, curtained windows. Leaves and debris from the sprawling gardens outside gust by, and the massive trees outside jitter and sway dangerously in the howling wind.

Unlike usual, Radiant Storm doesn’t see many familiar faces among the hall. Penny spots cadet Grey busily at work on the radio, but she’s too busy to acknowledge the Ars Magi. Most of the officers are, which leave the magical girls to sit, wait, and catch what snippets of conversation they can.

What they can glean is that the senior Ars Magi are hard at work at the city walls, keeping out the worst of the Void that come with the storm. They, however, have the less exciting job of playing reserves. Which means a lot of waiting around, and not much way to kill the time between themselves.

The night drags on. Rain hammers down harder, and the cracks of thunder can be heard. Through the dark fog outside are the occasionally flashes of lightning. They do little to illuminate the world beyond the window.

Then something happens.

In the distance there is a worrying crash–something not quite the crack of thunder, but somehow similar. Suddenly the team of officers are moving and shouting, taking clipped directions from the woman in charge. Her hand is pressed against her ear, and she barks several quick orders to the cadets gathered nearby.

"Divert all the squads to the Vault." The woman barks. "Send everyone!"

When she turns to address Radiant Storm her tone is urgent: "Nova Lux is under attack." She informs them. "All of you, head toward the medical wing immediately."

The location is intimately familiar to each of the Ars Magi. In addition to the patch-up jobs after their training operations, the medical wing was one of the first places a Nova Lux student got acquainted with. The barrage of tests, physical exams, and eventual surgery all took place there. Of Nova Lux's organs, this is one of the most vital.

"The enemy...are Ars Magi."

---

It goes until the wee hours, until the boat finally makes its lazy return home.

So to do the officers and Ars Magi, one way or another. Everyone survives.

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙳𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜
𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟸𝟸𝚗𝚍, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝚄𝚗𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎
Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti

---

Until the next morning, at which point it probably feels like it’d be better to be dead.

The hangover is predictably horrible for those that indulged. Not as bad as having an Armagus forcefully shoved in one's body, but maybe only just a little better.

Priya is the only partygoer that appears unaffected, dropping by Radiant Storm’s dorms with plates full of eggs, aspirin, and big glasses of water.

It starts with pain. A throbbing, thundering pain inside her poor head. It felt so bad that even though she knew she was at no risk of dying, she certainly began to wonder if she shouldn't just pray for the sweet release of death.

In retrospect, drinking had been a very ill-advised idea, though she can now see how easily one can get sucked in through a combination of peer pressure and party mood.

"Urrrrgggghhhhh..." came the hoarse protest from her lips, more a groan of something crawling from beyond the grave than someone waking up in a bed. "Wwhhhhhyyyy....."

It takes considerable effort and willpower to get up and get on with the day. To survive the hangover, one must outlast it, after all. She's had experience dealing with her mother's hangovers when the battleax had partied too hard, or taken the loss of some of her men particularly hard. She had always wondered how quickly things went from "maybe a drink or two" to "being drowned by Bacchus", and now she had definitive proof. Part of her wonders if her mother would be more disappointed for drinking so young, or if she was disappointed in her for being such a lightweight.

First order of business; a ton of water, some aspirin, and a decent breakfast-

-only to find she was beaten to the punch by Priya. She stares in surprise at the dishes loaded with her salvation, then at the one carrying such valuable gifts. Priya didn't seem the least bit affected.

"Okay, why aren't you hung over?" Penny asks in an accusing tone.

However, the smell of sunny side eggs is too tempting, and she forgoes any further questioning, taking what she needs for herself and her roommate.

"Thanks a mil, Priya, you're a lifesaver," she says before closing the door. "Hey, Dana, Priya just delivered breakfast and some painkillers, if you need any after last night. I sure do."

By the time the lucky(?) Ars Magi make it to the common room they’re in time to hear the afternoon news reports: A heavy front of Nox is sweeping down across the coast, a slowly-building vortex of toxic magic.

Penny manages to recover enough that she can function in public again. Her head is still throbbing, and her throat is still dry even after drinking so much water, and her expression is stuck on a sour, exhausted look, unwilling to deal with the outside world, but she's coherent and capable right now, so that's a win. The headache is still there, but the worst of it has passed, fortunately.

"I think drinking may have been a mistake, girls," she grunts to the others. "I hope you're in better shape than I am..."

Watching the news to take her mind off her current condition, she remembers the bit about the nox storm approaching. This wasn't the least bit comforting; she remembers the old geezers in Siscia talking in hushed whispers about the last time their city got hit by a Nox storm. She heard tidbits of horror stories; people melting from sheer exposure to pure Nox, monsters appearing in the heart of the city, walls and defenses torn apart either by roving Voids or the sheer fury of the storm itself... She shudders to think of what could happen here and can only hope the city was the best prepared it could be.

The next few days are filled with tension. The usual activities are on, but to Penny it becomes clear that everyone's just biding time before the front hits, awaiting the storm of the century. Already, many places are shored up or barricaded. Running tracks are closed, as are outdoor swimming pools. More and more activities were diverted to indoor halls, putting more strain on the facilities as they became more and more crowded, with people forced to wait for turns. The atmosphere is tense and choking, like a heavy weight crushing everyone underneath.

However, Penny's concerns are distracted by more bad news from home. Just as it seemed that Nessa was about to turn a corner and recover from her recent bout of ill health, it suddenly became even worse, plunging the poor girl into a sharp fever and exacerbating the pneumonia that had incapacitated her. Now, her life hung in the balance, held up in the ICU with only prayer and hope to go on.

To say Penny was rattled was a bit of an understatement. Her baby sister was bedridden, maybe even dying, and she could do nothing to comfort her from thousands of miles away. She had sent a message with a postcard to cheer Vanessa up or even just cheer her parents up, but otherwise the Siscian felt impotent. All this power, and she could do nothing to help her sister in her time of need. Worse still, Penny had gone partying on the yacht while her sister suffered; she even wondered if she could even be considered a responsible sister anymore.

Her teammates would find her rather distracted and lost in thought, but she'd wave them off with her mind being preoccupied with "stuff". She would continue with her training when possible nonetheless, the only outlet she had left to focus her stress and doubt.

All the while the city was counting down to the storm...

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚕
𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝟾𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅
𝟺:𝟶𝟶 𝙿𝙼
Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti

---

The tempest hits at exactly 1600 hours.

Radiant Storm has not gone far from home. They’re posted up in Nova Lux’s Grand Hall, the same place where the fancy ball has been held prior. Now, however, it is not nearly as festive. Temporary workstations have been set up for the teams of officers gathered inside, each squad of cadets led by a senior overseeing their work. Large monitors display satellite images of the city, blurry infra-red diagrams that track the storm as it descends on Palmyra.

Rain is hammering down against the massive, curtained windows. Leaves and debris from the sprawling gardens outside gust by, and the massive trees outside jitter and sway dangerously in the howling wind.

Unlike usual, Radiant Storm doesn’t see many familiar faces among the hall. Penny spots cadet Grey busily at work on the radio, but she’s too busy to acknowledge the Ars Magi. Most of the officers are, which leave the magical girls to sit, wait, and catch what snippets of conversation they can.

What they can glean is that the senior Ars Magi are hard at work at the city walls, keeping out the worst of the Void that come with the storm. They, however, have the less exciting job of playing reserves. Which means a lot of waiting around, and not much way to kill the time between themselves.

The night drags on. Rain hammers down harder, and the cracks of thunder can be heard. Through the dark fog outside are the occasional flashes of lightning. They do little to illuminate the world beyond the window.

It doesn't feel like waiting out a storm, Penny realizes. It feels like a siege. Waiting for whatever might happen and responding to it, trying to wait out the tragedy and respond to emergencies. It just feels like they're just waiting for something to happen, and yet hoping nothing does happen. The frustration of waiting for something yet hoping it never occurs, a conundrum for the ages, and one Penny feels all too keenly. Even Ars Magi for all their power pale before the fury of a Nox storm.

"Anyone got a deck of cards?" she jokes, trying to relieve the tension.

Then something happens.

In the distance there is a worrying crash–something not quite the crack of thunder, but somehow similar. Suddenly the team of officers are moving and shouting, taking clipped directions from the woman in charge. Her hand is pressed against her ear, and she barks several quick orders to the cadets gathered nearby.

"Divert all the squads to the Vault." The woman barks. "Send everyone!"

When she turns to address Radiant Storm her tone is urgent: "Nova Lux is under attack." She informs them. "All of you, head toward the medical wing immediately."

The location is intimately familiar to each of the Ars Magi. In addition to the patch-up jobs after their training operations, the medical wing was one of the first places a Nova Lux student got acquainted with. The barrage of tests, physical exams, and eventual surgery all took place there. Of Nova Lux's organs, this is one of the most vital.

"The enemy...are Ars Magi."

At the sound of the explosion, Penny starts. It takes her a bit to recognize the sound not as thunder, but as a deliberate act of demolition, an attack. At first it seems ridiculous; this was the very heart of the Imperium’s military training and testing complexes, so heavily defended and fortified specifically to protect against such acts. An attack here seemed absurd; who could manage to get people in so deep?

Unfortunately for Penny, she realizes that the notion of an attack was not only plausible, but the only logical answer. The sabotage of the initial test and the confrontation with the C-rank Void, the events aboard the Laurus, and what Dana and Nichole saw there. Penny had not found anything on rogue Ars Magi, and yet could not doubt Dana’s testimony; ever since they had fought together on the Laurus, she had no reason to believe the cheerful Norban to be anything but honest.

Also, an attack during a Nox storm was a stroke of mad genius. At any other time, Nova Lux would be too hard a target to breach, too hard a nut to crack. It had its walls, its defenses, and fortifications, but the student body would be the biggest and strongest deterrent to an attack. But during a Nox Storm, with everyone trying to stay safe and literal hurricane winds playing havoc? With a lot of luck and a bit of skill, you could easily make it through to the weaker parts, and cripple the academy as a whole by striking at its heart. Sure, it might recover…eventually…maybe, but in the meantime the damage would hamper Imperium operations across the globe. There would be no telling what sort of damage could be done in the meantime.

And now the orders confirmed it; they were going to go up against enemy Ars Magi. Voids, drones, and robots had been one thing, but now it was a different level of threat. Assorted powers combined with human cunning, not exactly a fun combination to face. For a moment, Penny’s mind flashes back to her final test with Yagami Tsukino, and the tricky labyrinth she had been made to traverse. She could only wonder; what if Tsukino was actively trying to kill her? Because she has a feeling it would be similar to what she’s about to find out.

Quickly transforming to Ars Magi mode, she skates to the destination, making sure not to get too far ahead of the others; isolation was death, and there’s no telling what to expect.

“So, Nichole, what’s the plan?” Penny asks the red-haired girl. “I know we’re going in blind right now, but just wondering if you had anything in mind…”

---

Despite her best efforts, Dana couldn’t keep her face from turning a bright shade of red when Aiya inquired if there might be someone in particular she was looking forward to kissing, the Duodecim girl’s lips curling into a mischievous smirk as she did so. “W-Well, uh…” Dana stammered, her mouth forming a sheepish smile as she scratched the back of her head and giggled nervously. Yet, before the sunny sharpshooter could come up with a coherent response, Aiya went for the killing blow by nonchalantly mentioning that a spare cabin was available for those wishing to engage in more… intimate interactions.

At this, Dana was sure she could feel her heart abruptly stop beating, even as blasts of steam shot from her ears. A quick glance at Noah revealed that the big cadet was looking equally uncomfortable and, as with Dana herself, he seemed unable to articulate any sort of response to Aiya’s playful teasing. The irony of the fact that she was now getting a taste of her own mischievous medicine wasn’t lost on the young Ars Magi, although, thankfully, Aiya mercifully chose to end the torment and offer the pair a way out of the awkward situation. “O-Other games?” Dana echoed, the Norban desperate to latch onto anything that might provide a means to escape the humiliating spotlight that had been placed on her and Noah. “T-That sounds like it could be fun, right Noah?” she asked the big cadet in a hopeful tone.

As it happened, not only was Noah equally eager to move on to other things, but two other cadets were kind enough to join the pair in their game of cards. Soon enough, the awkward exchange with their host was but a distant memory and Dana was back to her boisterous and bubbly self. The rest of the night passed in a blur of fun and frivolity, until the Assurance finally returned to the dock in the early hours of the morning. Yet, before making her wobbly way off the yacht, a quite tipsy Dana had still managed to give Noah a quick kiss when no one was looking. Just thinking about that moment brought a contented smile to the cheerful Norban’s face that persisted even after she had returned to her dorm, collapsed onto her pillow, and drifted off to dreamland.

---

By the following morning, however, those dreams had turned into a nightmare, and that smile was long gone. In its place was a wince of painful discomfort as the sound of Penny’s groaning voice woke her with a sharp lance of pain to her aching head. “P-Penny…?” Dana mumbled, her own exhausted voice sounding just as anguished as her roommate’s. “H-Holy crap… You look terrible…” she added a moment later as she slowly opened her burning, groggy eyes and got her first glimpse of the bespectacled Siscian’s haggard visage.

Just then, a knock on the door sent another spike of pain shooting through her, forcing the Norban to squeeze her eyes shut and press her pillow against both sides of her head. “Owww…” she groaned. “N-Not so louuuud…” she whined in protest, carefully opening one eye to see that Penny had opened the door, revealing a surprisingly perky Priya. Wonder what she’s doing here… Dana idly pondered as she closed her eyes once more and pulled her covers back over her head. S’kinda early… However, before she could drift back into blessed unconsciousness, the suffering sharpshooter dimly made out Penny saying something about a hangover. Huh… So this is what a hangover feels like… Dana thought to herself, before giving voice to a small giggle. In hindsight, she probably should have expected as much. The party had been such great fun that she had quickly lost track of just how much alcohol she had consumed, and now she was paying the price for that not-so-slight slip-up. Thankfully, Priya had come bearing gifts, namely, various items to help get Dana and her roommate back on their feet. “Y-Yeah…” Dana confirmed when Penny asked if she needed any of Priya’s offerings. “I-I’ll have some in a… lil’… bit…” she mumbled before slipping off into slumber once more.

---

When she woke up again a few hours later, Dana found that Priya’s gifts did a world of good. While she hadn’t been feeling very hungry, and thus chosen to forgo the eggs, the water was gulped down with the speed of one dying of thirst. Yet, it was the aspirin that she was most thankful for. It might not have fully cured her headache, but a dull soreness was far more preferable than a shooting pain. Slowly but surely, Dana made her weary way to the dorm’s common room, where she wasted no time in sprawling her tired body across the room’s comfiest couch. “Yeaaah…” the Norban replied with a drawn-out sigh when Penny noted that drinking so much just might have been a mistake. “I’m kinda startin’ to think the same thing…” she added with a wry smirk as she turned her head to face the bespectacled brunette.

As was often the case, a news report was playing in the background, and the mention of the approaching Nox front caused Dana to perk up. “Hey, they were talkin’ about that the other day, right?” she spoke up. “Ya think it’s gonna turn into a full-blown storm?”

Such storms were blessedly rare occurrences for an inland city like Norba, but even Dana’s monolithic, man-made mountain of a home had felt their fury, and she dimly remembered how worried her parents and siblings had been when the entire city went into lockdown ten years prior. She and her family had ultimately weathered the storm just fine, but she later learned that Voids had still managed to breach the city’s outer defenses and wreak havoc in its otherwise impregnable residential core. If one were to strike a sprawling port city like Palmyra, the damage was likely to be far worse. Then again, while it might lack the extensive defenses of consolidated, fortress-like Norba, it did have one distinct advantage Dana’s home lacked- Nova Lux. With the world’s largest concentration of Ars Magi on hand to help defend it, Dana was confident Palmyra could withstand whatever tempest the Earth’s corrupted atmosphere cared to dish out.

However, the following days would put that confidence to the test, as Dana, her teammates, and the entire population of Palmyra watched the Nox front strengthen into a raging cyclone of cataclysmic proportions, one that would almost certainly strike the city head-on. Tensions mounted as the city prepared, the term “Storm of the Century” being used more and more often by increasingly anxious voices to describe the swiftly approaching tempest. A day before the storm was due to hit, Dana and her team were told how they would be aiding the city’s defense. Team Three, along with the rest of Nova Lux’s student body, would be held in reserve, placed at key locations around the city to respond to any potential incursions, while the veteran Ars Magi stood guard on the front line of Palmyra’s perimeter wall. Although Dana did her best to keep her team’s spirits up with encouraging words and discussions about where in the city they might be assigned, even the irrepressible Norban couldn’t help but feel that they would soon be facing the biggest challenge of their young lives…

---

When the tempest hit at 4 pm the following afternoon, Dana and the rest of her team found themselves stationed in Nova Lux’s own Grand Hall. In light of their various predictions on what far-flung point of the vast metropolitan area they’d be assigned, it was almost comical how close to their dorms they had actually ended up. Yet, this was clearly no time for levity. The last time the group had been in this hall, they had been attending a mandatory ball, but now the festive ambiance of music and light hearted conversation had been replaced with the far harsher sounds of clipped orders, roaring wind, and pounding rain, punctuated by sudden, jarring thunderclaps. As the apparent command center for the school’s defensive operations, the rest of the hall was occupied by several clusters of officers, gathered around their respective workstations. Not wishing to interrupt their obviously important tasks, Dana decided to content herself with watching their monitors from afar, alongside the other members of her team.

At first, the grinning gunslinger’s full attention was fixed on the various monitor screens, her auric eyes flitting from one display to another in an attempt to spot the first sign, the first hint, of a disturbance, but as the hours dragged on and afternoon turned to evening, the lack of activity gave rise to a sense of increasing boredom. Without anything else to occupy their racing minds, the members of Team Three turned to admittedly awkward attempts at small talk.

“Really startin' to think they should’ve made those indoor gardens, y’know?” Dana quipped with a smirk as she watched the stately trees beyond the rain-lashed window nearly bend over backwards in the howling, hurricane-force winds. “Still, this storm’s got nothin’ on Team Radiant Storm, right guys?”

“I wish…” the Norban replied with a sigh when Penny jokingly asked if any of her companions had brought some playing cards.

As it was, aside from the tracksuits they had on, none of the girls had been permitted to bring anything other than some water and light snacks. While Dana could sort of understand the logic behind such a decision, that still didn’t make it any less annoying. Yet, just as the tedium of waiting was about to become unbearable, something finally happened.

At first, Dana had thought the sound was simply another thunderclap, but that idea was swiftly rejected. Not only did the detonation sound slightly off, it was immediately followed by an array of warning lights flashing into existence on the officers’ myriad screens and consoles. Indeed, those same officers were even now in a state of urgent motion, and it wasn’t long before the senior officer present began snapping orders to Dana and her team. The school was under attack, and they were to head to the medical wing immediately. However, it was the officer’s next words that made Dana’s blood run cold.

The enemy they would be facing weren’t Voids.

They were Ars Magi.

At first, Dana wasn’t sure she was hearing correctly. Sure, she had seen Victoria Glass duel what looked like another Ars Magi on the Laurus’s rain-lashed deck during her initial trip to Palmyra, but she had simply assumed that it had been nothing more than a Void capable of mimicking such a form. Perhaps that was case here as well, she pondered. Then again, perhaps actual Ars Magi truly had sided with the Void for whatever inexplicable reason in a chilling real-life analogue to one of the most shocking episodes of Guardian Gunslinger Alexis, an episode in which a team of Alexis’s most elite allies revealed that they had been secretly working for the evil Doktor Xylannis all along! That said, the idea of Ars Magi, paragons of heroism that they were, voluntarily joining the inhuman enemies of their species was utterly incomprehensible to an idealistic girl like Dana, and she soon found herself wondering if the hypothetical traitorous Magi had actually been brainwashed instead. Yes, she realized, they could be victims of some new type of Void puppet master, forced by it to work against their former allies to ensure its own nefarious ends. Even so, whether mind-controlled puppets of the Void, or autonomous agents working towards some currently-indiscernible goal, Team Radiant Storm would almost certainly be going up against full-fledged Ars Magi, with all the abilities such a title entailed…

Clenching her hand into a fist, Dana called upon the power stored within her Armagus and, after the flash of a golden sunburst, the grinning gunslinger was once again bedecked in her Parma, her shining Gladius held at the ready.



“Okay, guys!” Dana called as she followed after Penny. “Let’s show these jerks what Team Radiant Storm can do!”

There was no doubt that this would be their greatest challenge yet, but Dana was confident they would be up to the task.

They would have to be.