Penny Asimonv @Shifter_Master & Alicia Hayden @Flamelord & Janet Howell @t2wave & Natasha Harthorn @canaryrose & Beckoner @Ariamis
Several days after the disaster that befell the meeting of magical girls and boys, Janet had the opportunity to learn a lot more about how the others in Beacon lived and did things. It was nice having Nat and Alicia around. Unsurprisingly all of their parents got along quickly so visiting one another was easy. Things were surprisingly quiet though. From the way things sounded she figured that they would have been out saving more people.
Things became more clear though when Janet's Beacon appeared to her. Something big was going down but only the minimal amount was shared with her. The surprising part was that they wanted her to contact Penny and arrange a meeting with her and her patron. Her new friends were also informed by their Beacons and they gathered together at Janet's house.
"I'm surprised they want me to do this. I would think that after the mess I got myself in before they would ask one of you." She said as she fished her phone and the wrapper with Penny's phone number from her backpack.
"Well you did say that you wanted another chance," Alicia pointed out from where she sat in Janet's bedroom. It had been interesting to get to know Janet, but she thought that they had grown fairly close, and that she was starting to adjust to life in Beacon pretty well. Aside from having to deal with parents again, but that was a small price to pay for all the benefits. "That's probably why they chose you for this."
"Why are we doing this again?" Natasha queried, her voice rising in slight annoyance and exasperation. "Not that I'm criticizing the Beckoner's judgement- but we haven't been given a real reason as to why we're doing this." She was sprawled out on the bed, her legs propped up on the headboard, clad in black leggings.
Janet had to nod at that, it made sense she supposed. "I guess so. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. From the way I was told it sounded like something bigger is going on. I think it may have something to do with why one of our own went crazy and killed Victoria." Walking around she grabbed her backpack and walked around to her desk and sat down in her computer chair.
Watching the two, Alicia was calm enough with what they were being told to do, even if she might not be entirely sure herself. "I'm sure they have their reasons. They can see a far bigger picture than us. At the very least, making sure we still have some friends after what happened at the last meeting would not be amiss. It would be difficult to operate if everyone was actively hostile towards us."
Natasha sighed. "I guess. But we'd better not miss dinner or anything. That would be a tragedy." She fiddled with her bright earrings, the same ones as she always wore.
Janet laughed a bit at that remark. Food seemed to be decently high on her list of important things, especially if pancakes were involved. "Well we don't have several dozen people to negotiate with so it should go a lot faster that the last time around."
"And we shouldn't have to worry about unwelcome interruptions. Unless one of you has something you would like to say now," Alicia added. Natasha being obsessed with food was no shock, but she genuinely didn't know how long this would end up taking. One could only hope that it was not too long. Depending on how complicated the negotiations became she wasn't sure if she would be suited for it anymore. But if Beacon said to do it, then she would do her best.
Fiddling with her phone for a while Janet eventually managed to dial the number without pushing a wrong button. Holding the device up to her ear she waited for Penny to answer.
Far from the suburban district that Janet and her friends were at, in a rundown warehouse sat Penny, the warehouse had become the mechanical girls 'home' for lack of a better option. Not that she minded, it was out of the way, not many people ventured to this district, and there was plenty of rundown and abandoned buildings that should could take apart in case an urge overtook her. Currently Penny was sitting in front of a wide variety of machine and computer parts, she was trying to build herself a phone, or at least a facsimile of a phone.
She had spent most of the past few days in her natural state, something she was unaccustomed to doing, incase Janet had called or texted her. Since Penny had no way of knowing if a call or text had been sent while disguised. This is what lead her to try and build a phone, or more likely, a pager.
It was in the midst of this she felt an incoming call. Considering only one person had her number, that she was aware of at any rate, she set down the parts she was working with so she wouldn't fry them while she accepted the call.
"Hello, This is Penny, What's up?" She answered cheerfully, there was a small amount of static that could be heard when she spoke, as was normal when she was in her default appearance, that wouldn't likely be noticed due to it being assumed to be coming from the phone connection.
After waiting a bit with the phone ringing the line was picked up and Janet heard Penny's voice on the other end. "Hey Penny, it's Janet." Maybe that was obvious but you never could tell. Penny sounded a bit different over the phone so she probably did as well. "Uhm, not much at the moment. But apparently the Beacon want us to have a meeting with you and your patron to maybe work out some kind of agreement."
"Uh..." There was a handful of ideas that Penny had as to why Janet might have been calling, this was not anywhere close to what she was expecting. "..Um, okay" giving herself a quick shake to get her composure back she couldn't help the feeling that Laat was laughing at her right now "Who is 'Us' and where did you want too meet up?" she asked after a moment, her suprise very evident in her voice as she did.
"Oh right. By us I mean Natasha, Alicia and myself. We're all part of Beacon. We can meet at... uh..." She tried to think of a good place to meet. She still didn't know the city all that well. Actually she didn't know what side of town Penny was on either. "Where are you? Maybe we can find somewhere in between."
"I'm.. at.. my home," she replied slowly as she looked around at the cluttered expanse of her dwelling. "It's on the western side of town, and anywhere we meet up, we're going to want to make sure that it's somewhat out of the way," She added as she fell back, a metallic thump ringing out as she did, although the sound didn't transfer into the call. "As you've seen my Patron already. He tends to be very, very loud."It was offical Laat had to be laughing at her.
Though Penny couldn't see her, Janet nodded as she listened. She probably should have thought of that already. "Right. Well, it was a good place to meet last time. Maybe we just go back to that pond in Penrose Park late in the evening. Does that sound good?" She glanced at Nat and Alicia to see what they though of that idea.
"I mean, we'll have to ask our parents first, but that sounds okay." Natasha said cautiously, holding her excited demeanor back.
"I've got no problem with that, It's a place we all already know of and know how to get there," Penny said nodding to herself as she thought about it, it was likely the closest to neutral ground that could be found on short notice. "I'll meet you guys there I guess, Anything else?" She asked as she started to pack up her pager project and wrap it in a tarp so she could stash in a bag she found recently. She was planning on moving over to the park now and just working on the pager till the meeting. 'Two meetings in a week at this park, at least I got invited to this one rather then stumbling across a flier.'
"Right. And I don't think there's anything else right now. If there is then we can figure it out there. See you soon." Thinking it over again she couldn't think of anything else so she left it at that.
"Sounds like a plan then, see you soon!" She replied before letting the call go. Quickly she had everything stored in a beat up old backpack. With a short sweep of her dwelling to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she was off. Stopping just before the door to pull up her disguised form before leaving.
Hanging up Janet leaned back in her chair which rocked slightly. "Okay, I did what was asked of me. What should we do in the mean time?" She swung her legs gingerly and waited for a response. She still was new to most of the stuff neaby in town and they had a few hours to kill before their meeting.
"Hmm..." Natasha rubbed her chin, in thought. "We could watch a movie. Or hang out with the 'adults'." She made a quoting gesture with her fingers, laughing. "What do you guys want to do?"
Alicia hummed in thought, rubbing her chin as she considered what they might do for the moment. There were plenty of options, but they had to make sure that they were done in time for their meeting. Something did occur to her though, and she looked towards the newest member of their group. "Ah, Janet, how goes your magical training?"
Ah, that was a good question. Sitting back up she put her hands in her lap. "Doing alright. I don't know if it's the particular magic I was given but it isn't that bad figuring out. Probably helps that I'm not a ranged magic girl, I can just use my fists." Lifting her hands up she pounded a fist into her other hand. Chuckling a bit she shook her head. "Fist fighting is something I have a decent amount of experience in." She actually hadn't divulged a whole lot about where she'd come from before being picked by Beacon at that point. But she did seem to be getting more confortable about teasing at it.
Natasha groaned. "Training? You're so serious, Alicia." She said, and then looked to Janet. "What were you, an MMA wrestler or something?"
The reaction to the idea of training was understandable, but Alicia didn't feel bad about bringing it up. "It never hurts to get some more practice in, especially when you're starting out like she is," she countered. They had their own moves down pat, but for a new girl there were all sorts of things that she might not know how to do yet, which practice would help her figure out. "Water and Fists? That can be a dangerous combination. Still, I'm glad to hear that you're picking it up well. In that case we don't have to do anything there unless you feel like you need to." It might be for the best not to show at the meeting all roughed up or just tired.
Waving her hands a for a moment Janet tried to reign in what she said. "Oh no no. Not nearly so professional. I uh... well... I learned to survive in prison." Crossing her arms she hugged herself lightly before putting them back down. Time to see how they would react to where she'd come from.
Natasha sat up abruptly, her eyes narrowing in an expression that could only be called disbelief. "Wait, what?" she said, hoping that she had misheard Janet's words.
That seemed like a pretty natural response. "Yeah. My past life wasn't very virtuous. Actually I was recruited by the Beacon while I was there. I wanted a chance to change. That's probably why I stuck my neck out at the meeting. I could sort of sympathize." She hung her head a bit.
There was a long pause before Natasha replied. "OK then." she said simply.
Not much to say to that so Janet shrugged awkwardly. How else do you tell your friends you used to be a criminal? She probably could have saved it for later but she felt that they should know.
It finally came time for the meeting. Penny was apparently already there when Nat, Alicia, and Janet arrived. Smiling at her new friend Janet waved as they approached. "Hey Penny! Looks like you beat us here."
Penny was quietly tinkering with a mess of wires and circuit boards when she heard her name being called "Yo Janet," she replied with with a wave of her own and a relaxed smile. After taking a look at Janet's friends her smile became a bit strained, she recalled Natasha being rather vocal in her distaste for those of a monstrous inclination, and while Penny didn't fault her for that, The hidden mosnter knew she wouldn't be exempt from that distaste if the other girl knew.
Alicia on the other hand seemed like a calm sort and was at least willing to try and hash out a workable alliance at the last meeting. 'Plus, she's rather cute Blushing at that unexpected thought Penny quickly started putting her pager mess back in her bag in an effort to hide it till it faded.
Arriving at the site of the meeting, Alicia thought that she recognized the girl who was waiting for them there. She had definitely been at the meeting earlier, but she was having trouble nailing down particulars. A mental shrug followed after a moment and she let it go. She would just have to get to know Penny now, and hope that what had happened last time had not affected their willingness to make an alliance. "Hello," said with a small bow as she came to a stop.
Moving closer Janet stood awkwardly for a moment. They were all here so how exactly do they start this? "Okay well. Maybe we should deal with the meeting before anything else because that kind of determines everything. Let the water that gives life and wears down mountains be my strength." She transforms into her magical girl form and summons the Beacon.
The angelic being appeared, strumming its harp. It looked towards Janet with a gentle smile that also conveyed a certain feeling of authority.
"Janet, you have spoken with the chosen of Laat'AlOfan, is that correct? The Beacon will now grant an audience to them."
Hearing her Patrons full name sent a shiver down Penny's spine "That makes you the first to know His name that I have met" She said evenly as she stood up, it was suddenly very apperent to her that this whole meeting could go very, very badly for her. Unconsciously she slipped in to a defensive stance as she focused on the angel she had seen before.
"And Few Others That You Shall Meet Will Know Of Me At All My Lady"
A familiar voice overrode whatever Penny was about to say as once again Laat'AlOfan's visage took up the sky. He was leaning closer to the small meeting, his arms folded in front of him. "I Would Ask Why You Have Sought Out My Chosen And I, Beckoner. As Last I Recalled Your Order Did Not Seek Those Outside Your Influence With Out Good Cause"
His question, while polite, seemed much more akin to a demand. This was partly due to the volume at which he spoke, but there was also the tone in which He spoke it carried a sense of restrained power that was seeking a target."A fitting existence for one filled with so much conceit," the Beckoner answered with stoic disposition. "But for now, the Beacon is willing to forgive such trangression. This human community requires far more faith than it's denizens can provide, and the forces of darkness soon overtake it with sin and heresy. For a proper purge of taint an alliance would be agreaable. That is, if you share our love for humans and their hearts. We also require that your chosen be tested; we won't condone any treachery or blasphemy from them, or our champions will respond with swift retribution. For that end, a passage of time shall set a restriction on this agreement. And if we deem it necessary, we shall hold a tribunal, and properly test your champion; see if they are worthy of sharing in our blessed mission. These are our commandments," the angel said, and stummed its harp once more.
"Those In Glass Houses Beckoner, We Both Know Conceit Do Not Try And Paint Your Self As Pure."
Laat replied with a touch of heat "But We Can Have That Conversation At A Different Time, I Am Not Opposed To An Alliance. I Am More Curious As To Why You Have Sought Me Out Now, Or Truely Why you Feel Then Need To Seek Help At All. Does the Darkness On The Horizon Worry You So?"
With a wave of dismissal he continues "But I Am Getting Ahead Of The Disscusion At Hand, You Seek To Test My Chosen?"
For a single instant it seemed as if Laat was about to attack the Beckoner for some perceived slight, but just as suddenly as he seemed to take offence he relaxed "In What Fashion? And What Constitutes Blasphemy? I Worry Not About Treachery As They Know Well Enough How I Feel About Such Actions From Them At The Current Time."
"If they did not believe it was serious, then we would not be here," Alicia pointed out following the speech of the Patron that they had come to converse with. She had transformed some time during the whole thing, and now stood near Janet with a relaxed stance. With Beckoners here, what did she had to worry about? She couldn't speak to what the test might contain though, and fell silent to see what would be included there.
Penny was growing increasingly nervous at the back and forth between the Patrons that were present, but kept her focus on the three magical girls in front of her; if it all turned to hell they would be the first to attack her, and as she was still disguised it wouldn't be an easy fight to get to safety. "He is just being confrontational" She said to Alicia, knowing that Laat wouldn't care to respond to her statment.
The angelic being didn't react to the god's actions, and continued with the same tone of voice: "Our purpose is the most virtuous, our love the most sincere, and our fury the most righteous. The Beacon stands steadfastly against the dark, until there is only light. And to fulfill that destiny, we are willing to accept assistance." The angel pulled a few chords on the harp, sounding a couple of pleasant notes. "Our test shall determine if your champion is faithful to us, and our goals. Time shall be one of the judges; once the full moon shines upon them and the true darkness of the city has not been vanquished, they shall be deemed a hindrance to our cause, and dealt with as necessary. If what you claim is true, and they are not of traitorous heart, then that won't pass. As for blasphemy, they shan't condone any compliance with witches, monsters or the Black Mint; these sinful entities must be eradicated for the good of all."
"A Simple Test Of Character?"
Laat stated in a droll tone "If That Was All That Was Required Many More Would Flock To Your Banner, But I Shall Let My Chosen Discover What Exactly Your Test Truely Entails On Their Own, If You Are Willing To Let Them That Is"
He states shifting attention down to Penny who is still watching the others. "They Have Donned Thier Armor And Drawn Thier Weapons It Is Time For You To Do Such, That Shall Be The Truest Test This Alliance Shall Have"
"I don't have a choice do I?" Penny asked, resigned at Laat'AlOfan's Command. Silence was her answer. Taking an additional step back she steeled herself for what was to come. Quietly she spoke "Limiters released and Systems are green. Circuits Charged and Steel Sharpened I Stand Ready for Action!" With a flash of lightning and a squeal of metal Penny's disguise was ripped away, revealing to all present what she was. There was a soft grimace on her features and her entire demenor told of her discomfort. "I just want to say I hate you for this" she spoke just as quietly as before.
"I Am Aware Of What I Have Forced"
Laat responded to Penny, His tone suprisingly light, before turning back to the Beckoner "So, Do You Still Seek To Test My Chosen? Now That You Know What They Are?"
His tone was professional, giving nothing away.The angel's gaze was drawn to Penny's new form, and they gave a strum of their harp. "So this is your chosen's true nature? Man melded with machine. This is unprecedented." The angel was quiet for a moment, and then spoke. "We have deemed her to be a knight of the modern day; clad in armor that is fused to her skin, and wielding weapons of today, she is fitting for our mission in purging this land of malicious intent. However, she is not without flaw, and should she give even the slightest sign of monsterhood...Our valorous champions won't show mercy. This is our verdict."
It would be hard pressed to tell who was more shocked between Penny and Laat, well it would be if Laat had and an expression to read.
"That Was The Intent, And Nothing Is Without Flaw That Is Why We Must Grow."
He stated simply His joy evident is His voice "Your Sight Must Show Something On The Horizion That Is Not My Purview If You Are Finally Willing To Bend From Your Old Ways. I Know Not Of What It Is That Worries Your Order, Thus I Must Assume It To Be Of New Growth, But You Must Know That I Do Not Seek To End Everything. If It Is Such A Threat That Is Coming Then I Am Glad We Can Come To An Agreement For The Time Being."
He continued before looking off to the side for a few moments in thought."The Mint Is Our Enemy Strike At Them With No Remorse. Those That Have Communed With The Dark Have Drawn My Ire, Purge Them Where You Find Them. Those That Have Lost That Which Links Them To Humanity Seek To Reduce All They Find To Ash, See To It They Are Rendered Down First. These Are The Tennets That You Must Follow For The Next Two Moons My Lady. In Return I Shall Discontinue The Last Rite For As Long As They Will Keep You"
Laat'AlOfan gestured to the Beckoners as He spoke to Penny, his tone was commanding as he spoke to his chosen before he turned back to those that brought about this meeting."I Present Penny Asimov, The Gray Lady, To You Of The Beacon For You To Test, Should She Be Found Agreeable I, Laat'AlOfan, Do Pledge My Support For The Next Two Seasons As I Find Your Terms Acceptable, What Say You?"
He asked, his tone formal, but light.The angel gave a nod, and played a soothing melody from its harp. "The covenant has been established. Alicia, you are granted the right to conduct a Tribunal of Honesty when you deem it necessary. Stay vigilant against evil, and fight together with this new ally. May the light of the Beacon guide you forward," the being said, and then disappeared, leaving the Beacon's chosen with Penny and her god.
With booming laughter Laat'AlOfan regarded Penny and those of The Beacon
"Know That History Has Been Made By The Actions Here Tonight. My Lady You Do Your Station Justice"
before his form shattered once again letting the stars take their rightful places, his laughter echoing out for a moment longer."Thank you Beckoner," Alicia replied with a nod as she was given the right for a Tribunal if she needed to do so. With her powers she was the one who was best suited for such a job. A Deity might be able to lie to her, but another magical girl? Not a chance. That seemed to conclude the meeting, and after a moment she turned towards Penny once again. "Well then, welcome to the Beacon." They were allies now, and she had no reason to not treat her with respect. It would be interesting to see how this worked out.
Penny was still in shock at what had just transpired, In the span of about two minutes her whole world just got turned around, again. When Alicia, welcomed her it finally hit home that she had some how been allied with the Beacon despite her monstrous status. Sagging to the ground in relief "Thanks, that had to be the most stress inducing conversation I have watched in my entire life," she replied not really caring that she was rambling a bit.
"Yeah. For a few moments there I thought things were going to go badly." She let out a long sigh. Janet had practically been holding her breath since the beginning. The whole time she had to bite her lip and let the two powers talk it over. But it turned out alright, better even. Throwing her hands up in the air she pumped her fists. "We did it! Welcome to the group." She raised a hand up for a high five with Penny.
Gleefully Penny got to her feet and returned Janet's high five, she was on cloud nine at the moment. "Now that, that is out of the way whats on the agenda?" She asked her eyes literally glowing due to her good mood.
Though not so exuberant as the duo, Alicia nonetheless wore a pleased smile as she watched the exchange. It was too early to tell anything, but she had the feeling that this would go well. "Hm, now that we're allies we might as well get to know each other better. Do you have a place to stay at, or would it be more comfortable to join us at one of our places instead?"
"Ehh, one of your places might be best," Penny answered abashedly. "My place is kind of a mess and not the best for hosting," she explained, which was technically true, she just didn't want to bring down the good mood by explaining that she was effectivly homeless and was currently squatting in an abandoned warehouse. It didn't effect her much due to the changes that she had underwent, but it still seemed embarrassing to her.
Natasha's stern face turned into a silly grin, and she ran at Penny, barreling into her, throwing her to the ground in a bear hug. "Welcome to Beacon, Penny!" she yelled cheerily.
Penny let out a oof as she was taken to the ground, her smile not dimished at the sudden hug. "Thanks, glad to be a part," she exclaimed, before looking around at her new allies "So where to?"
Laughing a bit at Nat's sudden tackle, Janet motioned in the direction of her home. "Well we were at my place before this. It's kind of late though so Nat and Alicia probably have to get home. Our parents probably wouldn't like finding out we were out super late like this. But you could probably come and stay at my place if you'd like. I kind of started all of this."
Alicia held back a sigh as Natasha hit Penny with a flat out tackle, not exactly approving of it but not willing to argue. It just didn't seem like the right way to treat someone who had just joined up with their group, at least in her mind. "If that's what you two want to do then i have no objections," Alicia added, glancing towards the horizon. It wasn't terribly late by her count but they should probably start getting back soon.
"I appreciate the offer Janet, but I'm fine with where I live for the moment. Besides its going to be hard to hide this as I can't stay disguised while I'm asleep," she replied gesturing to herself as she spoke "It is getting late though, so how about we meet back up tomorrow to get to know each other better?"
Rubbing her chin a bit Janet had to conced that. "Hm, good point. Didn't realize that happened with sleeping. Huh... Well anyway I guess we keep in touch and watch for monsters popping up. If nothing is really going on then we can hang out too." Things had been unusually quiet, especially considering that this city had been a big hot spot for monster activity. Something was up but she didn't really know what. Either way for the Beacon girls it was getting late and they had to head hone. Saying their goodbyes the four headed their seperate ways to reconvene another time.
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