[IC] Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

[Rune_Alchemist]

As it turned out Penny was incorrect about where were in Penrose they were but she was still able to lead the way to a nearby diner, thanks to a quick google search with her eye piece. She set an easy pace to the diner, sticking mainly to rooftops or back alleyways

About a block before reaching their destination Penny would detour off in search for a good place to pull her disguise on and would let out a sigh of relief after she was once again wearing a human form.

“Always nice to change out of that” she would say more to herself then to Rina as she started the last leg of the trip for breakfast. Her voice would be notably softer than it was when she was in her unsealed from, as well as lacking the harsher edge of static that normally accompanied it.

Rina for the most part, retook her usual stoic persona as they traveled to the Diner and taking the time to study Penny. She might have been out of magic power completely, but that didn't mean she couldn't still do her job. Hunt monsters and protect the weak as best she could...and assessing the threat a monster girl like Penny possessed.

"Hm." Rina gave her a frown. "That's a pretty good disguise." She commented idly, losing her own disguise. "Gotta say...I'm not used to seeing monster girls that don’t seem insane on some level." She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "So I apologize in advance if I seem harsh. I'm used to fighting, not making friends."

”Pfft, you’ve got nothing to apologize for, I know I’m a statistical oddity. ‘Sides you’re no worse than some of the members of Beacon” Penny would say brushing off the apology as she put her hands in her jacket pockets “as for the insane bit, I’m not going to say I’ve avoided that particular downside” she would admit with a sigh “I think it has more has to do with the monstrous half of me then anything. It doesn’t run off emotion and desire like most other monsters do, just cold logic. Thus it’s easier to control my urge to break things, that and I try to keep myself sated in that regard with small acts or abandoned places if I’m in a bad way.” she would explain with a shrug “Least that’s how I understand it, not had much chance to talk with many other monster girls and I still feel relatively new to this whole magical girl thing despite nearing my year anniversary at this point so it could be something completely different.”

By the time she was done explaining they had made it to the Diner, a Denny’s as promised “I’ve got a hundred on me so feel free to get what you want” she explained as she perused the menu herself. She might be able to subsist of eating near anything but wasn’t going to spurn the chance to get a cooked meal.

Rina said nothing to her comments relating to her being an oddity, or her more violent impulses. Just a thoughtful hum as they walked into the diner and took a seat. Reaching over to the Menu and giving it a quick look over. Pancakes, hash browns, sandwiches, oh god it all looked so good.

"Hm..." Catching herself staring open mouthed at the menu, She quickly decided she'll be getting some Orange Juice, pancakes, eggs, bacon, an omelette and a salad. No, she wasn't going to be eating it all here. Some of it was for later.

"You work with Beacon?" Rina questioned, leaning over the table slightly. "That's a surprise. Didn't think those narrow minded idiots would give monster girls a chance." That was the only reason Rina had never joined up. She didn't like to have the restrictions of being able to dispense justice at someone else's definition of it.

”It’s a recent development” Penny explained as she made her own decision on food, which only differ in the part that she was getting a milkshake and a sandwich rather than orange juice and a salad. She wasn’t planning on taking any of it home either. ”The Beckoners made a deal with my patron, that ended up with me working alongside Beacon, they’ve picked up another monster girl since then so it seems like they are changing their ways, albeit slowly, still it’s rather nice not having to worry about getting jumped by them anymore.” Most of Beacon still held onto their grudges against monster kind, or was just distant and distrusting of Penny but she was quickly learning to not care again as it just reminded her of high school.

”“So what's the story with Amaryllis?” Penny would ask after placing her order ”“And does she always talk like she’s in a shakespearean play?”

"We ran into each other yesterday when some psycho decided to use spirits to murder people." Rina replied, placing her order. "Long story short we decided we're a good team and decided to try and track 'em down. Us being at the stadium was a coincidence, though I think she'd probably say something about fate and roses." She mused. "But yea, she probably does. Some sorta patron thing I'd guess. Kinda makes me wanna shoot her myself, haha. Makes me glad sometimes I don't have one." She chuckled, leaning back in her seat.

Having a patron would have honestly made her life a lot easier honestly, even if she had to be ordered around by someone else. For one, she wouldn’t probably be needing to mooch off of monster girls for breakfast.

“All depends on who you get stuck with I suppose” Penny picked up her fork and started to twirl it aimlessly between her fingers “Mine is only about half a step above being on my own. As for the most part I get nothing from the bastard until He up and demands something of me from nowhere, and I’ll be lucky if I get an explanation as to why. That and he seems to like using my existence as his person favorite bargaining chip.” Penny half ranted. She had long wanted to get away from Laat, but never actively tried to get away from him due to fear, both of losing the only certainty in her new life and of the God’s reprisal.

Rina said nothing as their food arrived, immediately starting to dig in as soon as it was delivered. Ah gods, it had been a long time since she had a decent meal like this. Living on instant ramen and takeout was great, hell, she lived on that before she was a magical girl but it got old pretty fast.

"Sounds tough." Rina replied after a moment, though it didn't sound particularly genuine. "I for one am glad I don't have to answer to anyone. Means I can do whatever I want...usually just making sure people are safe...and hunting monsters."

Penny also dug in to her food with enthusiasm for much the same reason, as It was the first time in a while that she had gone out and gotten real, edible, food. “That not far from what I’ve found myself doing when I have the time, though more focus on the hunting part, harder for me to interact with normal people” she commented with a shrug “You from Penrose originally or just find yourself here by chance?”

"I've been here since I was a normal human." Rina replied dismissively. "...used to be a cop. Some stuff happened and now I'm a magical girl. What about you?" She didn’t seem like she was too interested in continuing this line of conversation about herself.

Penny couldn’t help a small chuckle at the simple way that the girl across from her described the transition into being a magical girl, still she knew better then to pry. “From out of town myself, been here two months, and it was my patrons idea to begin with.”

Sounded like she wasn't too keen on this whole thing still. Well, wasn't her problem as long as Penny wasn't going on some monstrous rampage.

The huntress quickly finished her food, having decided not to spend any longer eating than she needed. She already got the information she wanted anyways. Low threat. Not something immediately needing to be taken care of. Finishing her orange juice, Rina flagged down a waitress and got some takeout boxes.

"Sounds like your patron is a real piece of work." Rina grunted, seemingly mulling over something and taking a few moments before asking another question. "Hey, know anyone in the Beacon I could talk with?"

“He really can be” Penny would agree as she keep on munching away at her meal. “And yeah, Alicia. She’s one of the friends I’ve made, but more importantly the one only member’s whose numbers I’ve got.” She would explain, before borrowing the waitress pen before scribbling down a pair of numbers on a napkin and passing it over to Rina “Here, her number, and mine. Feel free to call me”

Penny would turn back to her food afterwards, figuring that Rina either had something else to do, or had filled her quota of dealing with people. Either way, Penny considered breakfast a success, as she made a few new acquaintances and had a amicable conversation over a meal.

All in all not a bad way to unwind after a fight.

"Alicia, huh." Rina took the napkin, briefly looking it over before stuffing it in her pocket. She'd have to call Alicia at some point. Gathering up the food boxes, Rina gave one last look to Penny as she passed. "Thanks for the breakfast...you don’t seem half bad, so try not to do anything that’d make me regret trying to be nice with you." With that, Rina headed out of the diner.

Ah shit. She forgot to ask about the alcohol.

[Flamelord]

Alicia watched the priest go for a moment before returning to more important things. Undoubtedly he'd soon forget what had happened, perhaps think it was some kind of miracle and that magical girls had nothing to do with it. Or that he had been attacked by witches t all. That was how this sort of thing worked, so she wasn't going to waste more attention on it.

She was going to need it, as the captive girl went about explaining just what was going on. Already focused, she slowly nodded at mention of the black coin, wondering where this was going. Purples eyes widened as Binky moved into her actual explanation, presenting a red coin as she described what it could do.

"It...changes magic?" Alicia muttered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Gumshoe. "Does it do that randomly, or do you get to choose what happens?" She wasn't thinking of using it herself, being quite happy with her magic, but she couldn't help but be curious.

Of course, it didn't take someone with lie detection magic to feel the evasive answer that Binky gave as being complete nonsense. She might have made it herself, but given what was involved she doubted these were just 'some investors'. So both of them weren't exactly innocent when it came to this thing, leaving her to decide what to do.

"Wanting to make sure there aren't adverse side effects is understandable, but I don't see why you have to keep them locked up for that," Alicia noted with a sigh as she shook her head. After a moment though she turned towards Gumshoe, figuring there was still something that could be gotten out of this. "What I intend to do is ask you what you think about a job, gumshoe."

Gesturing over at Binky with an open hand, she was quick to explain. "I plan on talking to her a bit more, but someone's going to have to track down her backers. I don't know about you, but she doesn't seem like the mastermind type to me, and you'd be a lot less likely to be noticed than Beacon would." Whoever they were, if they were playing with magic like this then it was worth knowing who they were and what their intentions were. Lest they ended up with Justine all over again.

@BrokenPromise

[Shifter_Master]

_{.:Setting the Stage:.}

Aurelio stood calmly as The Bates made their appearance. His cane was in front of him a soft blue light pulsing off of it as his hands rested on top. “A pleasure to meet you two” He would say bowing as he did. On the surface he was the very picture of relaxed, internally he was ready for anything that might be thrown at him.

A somewhat meandering story was not what he first expected, but the emotions that were being projected by Regina told a story of their own, Surprise, Nervousness, Anger, and a warped Desire. He was sure there was some truth to the tale that Regina had spun for him, but he was no light mage he could only tell that something was off not what exactly it was.

“To be fair to Alicia, she got a promotion for helping take down the lair of a Dark Magical Girl by the name of Justine. Not evicting you, and as far as I am aware no one has asked Penny about that whole affair” Aurelio would reason gesturing with his right hand as he did drawing attention away from his cane as the vibrant yellow strip would slowly drain away in to the ground below them “Not saying her attack was a good thing, not even saying it was the right thing, but I know that sometimes the desires of monsters can get away from them.”

“As for sleepovers…” Aurelio let out an internal sigh, the other beacon members were deeply wrapped up in these two sway if they didn’t react to the bleak description of their allies and the rather blatant hostility being displayed. He might be able to take one of them with him when he revealed his trump card, but he didn’t have enough Wonder for more than three people with what he was planning.

He was just glad he was able to get some of that precious emotion before this confrontation.

“I’d have to ask my mom for permission first, and she’d want to meet you and your parents before she said yes” He would try and talk his way out of this, his vow demanded nothing less, but he was fully expecting negotiations to fail any moment.

[FamishedPants]

S i l h o u e t t e

"Kept ya waiting, huh?

Silhouette

Having sustained injuries at the hands of a threat many times her own size, Silhouette had never rejoined the fray. She remained absent from the fight, incapable of offering a helping hand to those engaged with the gargantuan abomination, and instead remained against the wall of the stadium, unmoving. Her unresponsive appearance was not unlike a machine that had lost all power, a puppet with its strings cut, or someone no longer amongst the living. But the truth was that she was far from deceased. Her wounds were not fatal, nor were they severe enough to prevent her from fighting. Physically, she was almost in top condition.

But the wound that had put Silhouette down was a mental one.

Silhouette had been in shock.

She had lost control.

She had lost herself.

Silhouette eyes held no light in them. Her lifeless pupils stared forwards, at nothing in particular.

There was nothing on her mind except the hard fact that she had allowed this being inside of her to violate her body and use it as it pleased, and her thoughts while it did so. Silhouette was entirely conscious the entire time her body had decided to go berserk, but no matter how hard she had tried, her will never reached her body. Only when she had been rocked by that monster did she finally 'wake up' from that nightmare, but by then she had suffered for what felt like an eternity, and the damage was done.

I... don't like this.

Silhouette watched through her own eyes as someone else chose a target to attack.

...I hate this.

She watched some amateur, some beast throw attacks using her own body.

...please, make it stop...!

Sil felt her heart beating quicker and quicker, to the point where she was sure it was going to explode. Ironically, being smacked around by the huge behemoth was what wound up calming her down enough to take herself back. Regretfully, she didn't feelt much better even then. She was still sweating bullets and found it impossible to work up the will to move from her position. She had frozen to the wall of the stadium, trying desperately not to admit to herself that what she just experienced had not only managed to scare her but had terrified her almost to the point of tears, which she was just barely able to hold back. This violation of her very being wasn't just a minor inconvenience to her, it was something she could never forget, even if she wanted to.

Veronica's appearance also did little to set her mind at ease. Rather, it had the opposite effect, as such a blunder was only capable by a complete amateur, Silhouette had previously been convinced. It did not help that through the possession, unpleasant memories of a similar event had been dug up. One that came about as a result of the use of the black coin. She eventually decided that thinking about it wasn't going to help her mental condition improve. In front of Veronica, she had to stop acting so pathetic, too. While she couldn't forget this, she could try to ignore it.

"I understand,"

Silhouette's voice was quite soft and she went along with the policewoman with no resistance and sluggish movements. The crestfallen Mint agent attempted to keep her stoic look about her as best she could while she spoke to the white-haired girl who greeted her. "A pleasure to meet you, I suppose." she returned the greeting in the quiet voice that was probably difficult to hear. It wasn't intentional, however, and after clearing her throat, she tried moving past it.

"Today... should have gone a lot better."

[Ariamis]

Lily noticed how Alex continued walking away, and sank down to her seat with a look of confusion.
It looks like he was in a fight. Did something happen? She thought to herself, and bit her lower lip.
I hope it's not because of me. He said it's fine, but...
Her attention snapped back to the rocker twins who agreed with her offer, and she smiled cuter than a hundred chihuahuas combined.
"All right! Thanks a ton!" She answered, and nodded rapidly.
"Yeah, okay! Let's do all those things, and more! Bye-bii~!"

She waved one last time, and off she went, back to Alex' pad. She did not even look back as she hopped and skipped her merry way, happy as can be.
I made friends! Mission success!
When she returned back to the apartment, she saw Alex hanging out in the living room, and came behind the sofa; she loomed over him, her head upside down from his perspective as she smiled at him.
"Hi Alex! Did you see the new friends I made? They're a pair of super-fun music-loving girls!" She threw her hands in the air, which ended up as them throwing them downwards in a silly fashion, before she bounced back up to a standing position.
"And I had so much fun with them today! In fact, school was also fun! So, how was your day?" She asked, less enthusiastic about her question, since she expected the answer to not be positive based on his attitude.

---

Helga stretched her fingers, letting her claws clink against each other. "Aah! Now that was some good exercise!" She commented, having finished pulverizing the undead horde. She grabbed one of the loose bones from the ground and twirled it on the tip of her claw like a basketball. "But where did these come from? Those other girls didn't do it so, who did?" She put her palm to her chin as she watched Lupa perform some poses, like a living mannequin. "Hey, what's up with you?" She pushed her knuckles against her chest, but there was no response from the amnesiac wolfgirl. "Huh. That's weird. At least she's alive, so let's get going; I'm sure we can fix her. I mean, I got fixed from being a pile of ash, so anything's possible." With that, she took Mika's hand, and began walking her away like a big sister, a goofy smile on her toothy face.

---

"Hello! I'm Sally Shamrock!" She greeted the twins with a smile, though it turned into a pout when she considered their words. She was honestly saddened to hear about the circumstances that led to the twins brainwashing her compatriots. If this was back during old Beacon's reign, she wouldn't have thought twice about eliminating them. However, she genuinely pitied them, and wanted to give them a chance. She first glanced at Aurelio, and nodded at him before she began speaking. "I know it's not much, but I want to apologize on behalf of Beacon for your poor treatment. It hasn't been until recently that we have had a very one-noted policy regarding your kind. And even now, we're still working out some kinks." She then took a step forward with a big smile, seemingly oblivious to the tension. "I would love a sleepover. We could watch a movie, do each other's makeover, have a pillow fight...Anything you'd like. Because that's what friends do."

She clasped her hands together. "Now I understand...You didn't brainwash these girls because you were bad....It's because you were lonely. It might be hard to believe, but there was a time when I didn't have any friends. I was born in a war-torn country, where it was normal to see kids play with assault rifles and grenades like they were any old regular toys. Back then, I thought I was truly alone. But when I joined up with Beacon, I suddenly had a lot of friends. But, I won't pity you; you have made it this far without any help, and that is truly commendable." She curtsied, and then rose up. "I would like to be friends with you. Then you won't be alone anymore. How about it?"
After that, she waited with a smile for what the two would say.

Regina's eyes darted between Aurelio and Sally, changing her focus any time one of them spoke. "You want to be friends now?" Regina lifted a finger to her chin. "Interesting. You seem sincere with your request." She lowered her hand to her side. "but I don't want to just be your friend, I want to be your very best friend."

"Beyond friends!" Elroy bear hugged Sally. "Like, bestest buddies!"

Regina strut towards Sally. "So just let me place myself at the center of your mind, will you?" A black, nebulous energy coated Regina's arm as she moved closer towards the beacon captain.

Aurelio would return Sally's nod and take a step back, tucking his cane under his arm as he did, to let the lucky girl try her hand and a non-violent solution to this scenario, but that wasn't to say he was just going to stand around doing nothing. The moment that everyone's attention was diverted away from him he started to weave together the spare bits of emotion he had in to more substantial ones as well as prepare his Wonder for use.

Yet it seemed like his prep time was gone before he knew it as the mass of magic swirling around Regina’s arm just screamed ominous "Now now," Aurelio would say as he strode forward to match the monster girl "No need for the hocus pocus, it tends to lead to poor friendships" while he was still smiling there was a resigned look to it.

Sally yelped as Elroy caught her in his strong arms, blushing with wide eyes at how close the handsome boy was. A large sweat drop formed on her forehead as Regina came closer, and she gave an awkward giggle. "Oh! Well, I appreciate the courtesy, really do, but you could do without the mindwashing...Uh..." She grit her teeth as Aurelio stepped forward, afraid that he's going to get hurt. "Aurelio!" The Beacon buddies closed around the two, and Sally gulped. "Oh geez...Looks like I got snake eyes on this table." Regina came closer and closer, her arm outstretched towards Sally, about to touch her...

"Kneel."

Suddenly, Regina collapsed, as if her feet had lost all their strength, and her head turned heavy as lead, causing her to fall chest first down to her knees. She saw how the ground around her was also pushed down, and realized it was the work of gravity magic. However, the most frightening part was that the magic was too powerful to only come from a single source; she was simultaneously affected by two separate magical girls, and was completely immobilized, her boobs as heavy as sandbags. At the same moment, an arrow struck Elroy's back, causing him to release Sally from the pain; she used the opportunity to leap high into the air, and out of the ring of Beacon Buddies.

Aurelio looked up, and saw who were their rescuers: a pair of ghostly twins floated at about five to seven meters in elevation, and about ten meters behind Regina. The twins were close together, with one's hand resting on the other's shoulder forming a mana link between the two of them, both of them holding weapons.
"What a sad and pathetic girl, having to surround herself with relations based on lies," the twin in turquoise-blue clothes holding a bow spoke with a confident and charismatic voice as she turned towards the other one wearing violet-red, her eyes like blue twinkles in the night sky. She held a bow in her arms which was pitch black in color, with a golden engraving on the handle. as well as a complex and archaic engraving of a lidless eye that peeked out from beneath her fingers. At first glance, there didn't seem to be a string attached, but a careful eye could spot what, seems to be an almost-invisible bend in space, stretched by two elegant fingers.
"Yes." The other girl spoke much more softly; in fact, it was so soft it could be hardly heard over the Beacon Buddies' screams of surprise and shock.
"Let's unveil their facade, and break this abuse of mental might, Tourner." This one held a pitch black staff, longer than her height and seemingly made of obsidian. It was tipped with three concentric rings, seemingly unconnected to it and yet following its every movement as if joined by unseen force. These rings rotated around one another in a continuous pattern, circling a pitch black orb in their center of it, now glowing with a pulsing aura of violet and turquoise.

Tourner nodded. "You got it, Tuer." She pointed towards Sally and Aurelio."Warriors of Beacon, shall you join us in our fight against these mind-stealers?" Sally blinked, not having expected the situation, but after she glanced at Aurelio, she nodded at him again with a smile. She summoned her Shamrock Shooters, and pulled off a cool cross-armed pose.
"This is sudden, but fine! Now I can save my friends from these needy freaks!" She then focused on Abigail, and shot out a burst of shamrock-shaped bullets at her, running backwards as she did so, aiming to disable rather than kill. While this happened, Tourner already shot another arrow, having aimed it towards Elroy.

Sally's bullets ripped through Abigail's legs, forcing her to fall to her knees. ”Wahhh!? I thought we were friends!” She cried.

Elroy didn't have much luck deflecting arrows with his shield. Not only did they fly at unpredictable angles, but he had just taken a direct hit from Penny's cannon. Shona didn't have nearly enough time to heal all of his wounds. As a result, he wasn't feeling all that mobile, or resilient. "Once you get done turning me into a porcupine, I'm going to curl up into a ball and roll all over you!" Elroy sunk lower to the ground, unable to support himself with his shield.

Shona did her best to protect Elroy from the incoming arrows, but her untreated wounds were visibly slowing her down. There was only so much she could do. ”I believe you meant hedgehog.”

A monstrous Tonya tried to save Regina, but the immense gravity was making it difficult to walk. She would get there, but it would be too late.

Divina picked this exact time to leave the confines of her dimensional home. ”Okay guys so- What did I walk into!?!?!”

All the while, Regina's frail body was at the mercy of crushing gravity. She hugged herself as the gravity slowly forced her shoulders to the ground. "This magic, I remember it..." She grit her teeth. "...The fact that they were in hiding this entire time..." The blood rushing to her head was making her eyes bloodshot. "...Watching, waiting for me to present a moment of weakness..." Blood rolled down the corner of Regina's mouth as she spoke. "...I find it... disgusting..."

Regina and Elroy's aura's immediately fired off, overlapping each other in red light. This caused the beacon buddies to power up. Tonya did not struggle as much with the gravity field, and Abigail even found the strength to stand up despite her wounds. Though what caught everyone's attention was that Regina the monster girl was no longer present. In a puff of red smoke, she had been replaced by Regina the wingless dragon monster. While it was still struggling under the magic that it was being subjected to, it had just enough strength to look up at her would-be assassins. The Regina opened her mouth and filled the sky with black smoke. It looked like a volcano was erupting from the dragons mouth. While the smoke obstructed everyone's view from the sky, anyone caught in the blast would be stricken with crippling pain. Since the ghost twins were the only ones in the sky, and there was nothing to impede Regina's attack, it likely rolled right towards them. Regardless if she hit or not, Regina wasn't under the effects of the gravity anymore. She stood up taller as she continued to fill the air with more and more smoke. This didn't seem to serve much of a purpose at first, but the smoke was so thick it didn't let any light through. In a matter of seconds, everything was shrouded in darkness. No one could see, but the sound of combat was still erupting all around.

"It must suck, not being able to see and stuff." Elroy chuckled.

But Aurelio had another sort of vision that most others didn't possess. He could feel the emotions of those around him. And right now he could feel something exuding pure hatred right behind him. The monster might have been fast, or perhaps in such darkness it was simply able to shadow step behind him. But there was no doubt that this was Regina. She was close, and she was watching him. And then it just vanished. Not just the hatred, but many of the other emotions as well. As time passed, the smog cleared up, and Aurelio could see that the Bates and their squadron of brainwashed Beacon girls were no longer present. It wasn't clear if they had all shifted out of the overcity, entered Divina's interdenominational home, or had simply been vanquished by the mysterious ghost twins. But one thing was certain. A mighty stroke of luck had saved them from certain disaster.

In the chaos of the lucky turn about, there wasn't much that Aurelio could do. He would weave in a few of his own bolts of magic at the Bates, aiming more for Regina then Elroy, but other wise he stayed back and waited. The reason he was waiting was simple, he was expecting a desprate counter attack to be coming and he planned to be ready for it.

When Ragina and Elroy's aura flared, Aurelio knew it was time to act and due to his earlier preperation he was ready. "Showtime!" he called out spinning in cane infront of him in the same moment there was a flash of Blue and Gray as two clones appeared behind him.

Blue took off towards his ghostly allies the moment he saw that they were the target of Regina's attack. A shimering blue wall would spring to life to try and block the caustic smog.

Gray would leap stright at the brainwashed Beacon members, seeking to tag each of them as many times as he could. Each time he did there would be small grinning mask where he touched that would dissapear a moment later. In the confusion the Trickster Tag that was on Abigail would quietly vanish from sight as well.

Before Aurelio could pull of his final trick however the thick smoke screen would steal his sight. That wouldn't matter for long however as the pure hate being directed at him gave him a rather good idea where his target was. turning he would give the monstergirl a dramatic bow. Mid-bow he would snap his fingers and the ground would erupt with twisted yellow chains all seeking to ensnare Regina, but, he was a moment too late as before the chains could acomplish anything, his foes vanished.

The ghost twins were shocked to see Regina's transformation, and attempted to exert even morep ressure with their gravity magic.
"Tuer! Watch out!" Tourner ended up shouting out, and pushed Tuer as the black smoke was blasted in their wake. They ended up releasing the spell and faling back as the viscous haze began spreading in their direction: as ethereal beings, they were more vulnerable to air-based attacks than the average monster girl; since it affects the entire space they occupy. Even Sally had to brace, coughing as the smoke enveloped her. "You dirty cowards!"

The magician would wait, ready and alert till the smog cleared and it was obvious that the battle was over, this time at any rate. Before he would sigh and turn towards Sally "That was a bit close for comfort." Before waving to the ghostly twins and calling out "Thanks for the rescue! You two doing alright?"

Sally sighed, her shoulders low and her ribbon tails drooping down like a sad bunny's. "Yeah. That girl was a bona-fide yandere if I've ever seen one." In response to the likely reaction Aurelio would have had, she quickly added: "A crazy girl, I mean."
The twins looked around, and then floated down to ground level, their feet barely reaching the checkered squares.
"We're doing fine, thanks for asking!" Tourner responded with a cute smile, and floated closer to the dapper young man.
"You have some cool powers, warrior of Beacon. I like the different-colors to your spells."
Tuer kept quiet next to Tourner, simply observing the scene that was happening with a neutral expression.
"Oh, don't mind Tuer; she's a bit shy."
Sally nodded with a big smile, and walked up to the twins. "Hi there! I sure was lucky that you two came to help!" She attempted to take Tourner's hand, but it slipped right through, causing her face to turn blue from shock.
"Whoops, that's not going to happen. We don't do well with physical stuff, know what I'm saying?"
Sally pouted. "Oh, you're ghosts. Isn't that bad? You can't eat ice cream or feel the warmth of the sun..."
"It's fine," Tuer spoke up in a soft voice.
"But now...We..." She quietly mumbled the rest, and Tourner sighed in exasperation.
"What she tried to say is, now that we saved you, we will expect some recompense for it."
"Huh? What?" Sally asked with a blink of her eyes.
"You'll know...In time."

With those final words, Tuer took Tourner's hand. The two then began flying away, leaving Sally to scratch her head. "Huh...Well slap me silly and call me Sal-wait, that doesn't work. Anyway, those two are too mysterious not to be suspicious. We have to be careful around them, even if we owe them one."
And with that, she shifted the two of them back to Penrose. "Let's go grab some ice cream; I'm hungry."

Agreed, both to the ice-cream and the suspiciousness of them," Aurelio would stretch as he relaxed at finally being back in Penrose.
"Still, got a few useful things out of the encounters," He would go on thinking about the motes of Wonder and
Hate he had acquired, as they were some of the more powerful emotions that existed. "Plus I still have my magic tracking Abi so we might be able to launch a rescue op soon." He would explain seriously before shrugging off the seriousness and offering his arm to Sally.
"To ice-cream?"

"Yep! Let's go!" Sally took Aurelio's arm, and walked down the street, feeling like the luckiest girl in town. Little did she know that even then, she was watched...

[Card Captor]

Alexander shrugged, not phased by Lily brute forcing her way into his personal space anymore "Kind of crap, but that's normal for me." He huffed "Let's just say that my dislike of sports was both reinforced, and justified." He took a swig of his soda "I knew you were a social butterfly, but I didn't think-gah!" Alexander was suddenly cut off my Tim scampering up his clothes to perch on his head "...the fuck Tim?" The tiny weasel didn't respond, content to just stay on his head "How did you even-Bob!?" Said bunny suddenly came into view "...does the cage just not work or something?"
@Ariamis

[Rune_Alchemist]

"Uhhhhm," Aurora sat on the couch, the dim lighting of Chloe's apartment giving it quite the eerie atmosphere. "Jeez, you really got the whole 'dark and evil' thing going on here, don't ya?" Trying to start up a conversation with Chloe was like trying to poke an angry snake. An angry, soul stealing snake.

"Evil? Me?" Chloe laughed, nearly spitting out her tea. "My dear little Aurora, if I'm evil so are you now...and you don't think your evil, do you?"

"Wha? No! I'ma pretty magical girl of justice and purity!" Aurora puffed out his cheeks, trying to appear angry but failing completely. "Annnd I am going to bring justice and purity to all, yep!"

"Mhm, indeed. I'll have you do something for us soon." Chloe silently took a sip of her tea again, mulling over the situation. She hadn't heard back from the archive yet. Did they take the information and run? Pathetic. Liars were impure. She'd have to cull them too, perhaps. "Since the Archive has failed us, we'll have to return to the usual plan for now..."

"Aye aye! Just tell me what you wanna do!"

"Well for now I want you to meet a friend of mine." Chloe reached for her phone, quickly texting a message to Penny. ""Hey, hey, hows my Penny doing? Heard there was some kinda commotion over at the stadium. You're alright, aren't you? Stop by my place soon? I got pizza! <3" Standing up, the lights in the apartment returned to a less broody and dark level.

"She might be helping us...or even joining us soon. I want you to get along with her. She’s very...useful, to have in our good graces." Flopping down on the couch, Chloe laid on her stomach, propping her chin on her hands as she waited for a reply. Aurora contented himself with eating a slice of pizza that had recently been delivered.

Elsewhere in a Denny’s in downtown Penrose Penny would be finishing up her rather large meal, when she would get Chloe’s text. With a smile she would double check that Beacon hadn’t tried to get a hold of her before paying for the food and heading back to the alleyway she had pulled her disguise on in earlier in the day.

As rather then send a text reply, Penny was just going to show up at the apartment, easier all around the hidden mechanical girl would think.

So less than ten minutes after Chloe had sent the text she would hear someone walking through her front door ”Hey” Penny would call out as she stepped through “Got you text and since I wasn’t up to anything figured I would just come over now”

"Oh...!" Chloe looked up from her teacup, blinking in mild surprise. Setting the item down on the table, Chloe grinned, running over and giving Penny a hug. "How's my little Penny?~" Aurora was busy chewing on a rather cheesy slice of pizza, a thin strand of melted cheese connected her mouth with the rest of the slice as he turned his head towards Penny.

"Ah, If I would have known you'd be so swift I'd have cleaned up a little. Chloe continued, releasing Penny from the hug and motioning for her to take a seat wherever she wanted. "You look tired, Penny. Didn't work too hard I hope?"

Aurora remained silent, silently observing Penny. Specifically her chest region.

”I’m doing good, the stadium was an interesting encounter” Penny would reply as she returned the hug before she wandered in, taking off her jacket and tossing it on the back of the couch as she sat down. “Someone summoned a giant horror, me and a couple of other Metal girls took care of it while Beacon dealt with helping the people caught in the crossfire”

It was then she would actively take note of the new person in the apartment, “You must be the friend I was told about earlier” Penny would say offer a hand to Aurora “Name’s Penny nice to meet ya” The bemused look on Penny’s face would make it obvious that the boy had been caught staring, but wasn’t sure how she wanted to react to it.

"Aurora McKenzie." Aurora replied to Penny in a decidedly deadpan fashion. Chloe quickly moved on. He took Penny's hand, shaking it though he didn't say anything else, continuing to stare. Chloe simply stifled a quiet laugh as she moved on.

"A giant horror?" Chloe frowned in seeming concern, holding a hand to the side of her face. "Well, I guess since I wasn't alerted you had it handled, but really doing such dangerous things is going to make me worry." The dark magical girl sighed, though she didn't linger on the topic and moved onto the current introductions.

"Penny, this is Aurora. He's a new magical boy that will be helping me with a few things." At being called 'Boy' Aurora seemed to pout slightly, sending a few glances towards Penny, of a mildly less friendly manner. "He'll probably be doing some errands around Penrose for me soon, so if you see him do treat him well. He's rather new to all of this, and his magical capacity could be better...but he'll be a good luck charm if you ever need some, heh~"

Penny was tempted to explain that of everyone at the Stadium she was likely the most safe due to being in possession of Earth Bastion, but kept with the flow of the conversation instead ”Ah, bet he’s still got better magical skill then I do” Penny would say before noticing the pout that Aurora was sporting, along with the less than friendly glances and her eyes would narrow in suspicion for a moment before she would shrug it off.

”So, how long have you been a part of the magical community?” Penny would ask turning towards Aurora. The new guy was at the very least an ally of Chloe’s so that meant Penny try to get to know them, as they likely would be seeing each other a fair amount in the near future.

"Oh, uh...." Pausing for a moment, Aurora scratched the side of her head. "About five hours? So uh, really, really, new."

"There was an...incident yesterday," Chloe sighed. "Aurora was an unfortunate victim of it. I managed to...shall we say, take him under my wing~"

"But-but really!" Aurora pouted slightly, shooting Chloe a few angry glances. Standing up, he walked over to Penny, taking a seat next to her. Outlining the shape of Penny's boobs. "Why'd I have to become a guy! Why couldn't I get boobs and looks as big as hers?! Like c'mon, I can't be sexy and go out with guys like this!" Folding his arms against his chest.

"Ahem, Aurora was a girl until recently. He's still adjusting." She didn't make an attempt to hide her amused smile.

Penny would visibly shy away from Aurora while he ‘outlined’ his issues but wouldn’t be able to contain a chuckle at the boy’s outrage. “Have to say he’s doing a better job at handling it then I was” Penny would quip and sad smile on her face as she glanced at Chloe “Seems you’ve a knack for finding people out of their depths”

“I’ve got the opposite of your problem plus extra” Penny would explain to Aurora “I was a guy before all of this and now when, I’m human, I’m a girl.” Shrugging Penny tore a small bit of her sleeve off absently as despite her cavalier attitude about it, Penny still hadn’t fully come to terms with her change.

"Ufu, well, I like to think I can give people a new chance." Chloe mused.

"Huh? No kidding?" Aurora seemed shocked to hear Penny had used to be a guy. If that was the case though, then maybe they could be besties? He quickly grabbed Penny in a hug. "That's great! I mean like, not great great but we could be like, super unlucky together!" He pressed his face cheek against Penny's, with little regard for personal space.

Penny could not help the full body flinch that happened when Aurora hugged her. The same could not be said about how she roughly shoved the boy away but that didn’t stop her from doing so. “Don’t!” She growled eyeing the boy harshly, a red gleam entering her eyes for a moment as she did. She looked as if she was going to start shouting but she forced herself to stop and take a few deep breaths.

“I…” she sighed a little seeming to deflate a little with it “I’m not really comfortable with being touched” She admitted withdrawing away from the boy as she did. There was currently only two people she was comfortable enough around to not freak out about physical contact while she was in her sealed state and since Thalia had ran, Penny had only gotten worse about it.

"Oh..." Aurora quickly withdrew, seemingly mildly upset, and a little terrified. "Okay, but like you're really huggable so that angry look doesn't -"

"Aurora, that's enough." Before he could say anything else, Chloe interrupted. "Didn't I give you work to do?"

"Ah!" Suddenly bouncing to his feet, and nearly tripping over the edge of the couch, he gave Chloe a playful salute. "Right right! Almost totally forgot."

"Well then get on it and stop flirting with Penny." Chloe stood up, placing her teacup on the table. "Or I ­­might get offended." Aurora visibly flinched, a cold chill running down his spine before responding.

"Yes Chloe sorry Chloe. I'll go do that work now...old hag..." Chloe visibly flinched at that last comment, but before she could say anything the magical boy ran for the door, pirouetted, and left the room, leaving Penny and Chloe alone.

Chloe took a second to compose herself.

"Ahem, sorry about that Penny." Chloe proceeded to take a seat next to the other girl, giving her a friendly smile. "...this might be a bad time to bring it up," The dark magical girl sighed lightly, offering a hand to Penny. "But seeing you again made me forget how adorable you are, you know."

It would take a moment for Penny to respond, and not before she took another deep breath and let it out slowly “It’s alright” she would say softly drawing her knees up to hug.

She was tempted to take the offered hand and it was easy to see by the way she looked at it, but she didn’t. Too off center to feel comfortable with the action right now. Instead she let out a soft snort “Yeah, an adorable mess maybe” she would say shaking her head slightly, though she was at least smiling again now.

“Sounds like you’ve got plans in the works. Anything I can help out with?” Penny would ask not wanting to dwell on her issues at the moment. She seemed to do that every time she came to visit her friend, so she worked to push them down, for the moment at least.

She could take it out on a derelict building later.

Chloe gave Penny a mildly upset frown.

"Hey. I'm worried about you, y'know." That sounded genuine, at least. "But alright, if you don't feel inclined to talk about it, I can't really force you." She sighed, letting Penny have her space before pondering her question. Hm, what could Penny help her with. What indeed. Penny wasn't a very magically inclined girl, so there was very little she could really help with in terms of her own plans...but perhaps...

“It’s not that... ” Penny would interrupt before Chloe would have a chance to answer she had asked “It’s just all I seemed to be doing recently is moping and I’m starting to get tired of it. I know you care, your one of the few people that do” The monster girl would go on to explain as she uncurled to better face her friend. “I’ll talk about it though, if you think it will help.”

"Well, Penny, you're my friend, aren't you?" Chloe smiled. "And friends help friends, do they not?" Scooting a little closer to Penny, Chloe picked up a teacup and took a sip. "I can't help you if you don't tell me what it is, you know."

“I.. I still don’t feel comfortable in my own skin” Penny would start off slowly “I haven’t since I woke up and realized that I wasn’t human anymore, but you already knew that” Penny looked off in the distance as she spoke “Nothing feels right anymore and as you saw getting hugged out of the blue has me getting ready to murder the person who did it. Because my instincts freak out and suddenly I’m fight or flight, but I don’t do flight as my monstrous instinct aren't wired that way, so it becomes fight or destroy.” As much as Penny tried to fight it her agitation and frustration were starting bubble up again.

“I used to be better than this as well, kinda had to be as girls tend to be more touchy than guys, especially with other girls. I mean I was fine with casual contact for the most part, I could deal with a random hug without freaking out,” Gritting her teeth Penny stood up and started to pace, she could feel the urge to break things starting to well up again and tried to ignore it “But now I can’t handle practically anyone touching me when I’m sealed up unless I trust them, which I’m thankful for otherwise I would have lashed out at you as well the other day.”

Her voice continued to get louder as Penny got in to her ranting till she was nearly shouting ”And I have no god damn idea why! It’s doesn't happen when I’m unsealed but then again that’s a whole different set of issues on it’s own. And I have no Idea how to fucking fix it! I’m sick and tired of feeling uncomfortable due to some prick tearing me away from my life and... Gahhh!” Penny let out a screech of frustration as she punched the wall as hard as she could. The sound of a bone breaking was muffled by the sound of the wall breaking.

Quietly Penny would slump down next to the hole she had just punched one hand over her face as she forced herself to reign in her emotions before they got further out of control, the other cradled against her body. “I just want to feel comfortable with myself again…” she would finish softly tears in her eyes the she refused to let fall.

Through the entire rant, Chloe merely silently sipped her tea and let Penny vent. Now this was just getting absurd. Uncomfortable in her own skin? A small smile crept into the corner of Chloe's mouth. An opportunity?

"Ah that's going to take a bit to fix." Chloe sighed in an amused tone. "The wall, not you. Well maybe both." A laugh. "Well, Penny, it seems to me like you're just fighting yourself right now." Chloe stood up, setting down her teacup and taking a slow, long walk around the coffee table.

"I understand. I really do. Monster girls such as yourself can't help it. It's such a shame that you have to play to the whims of unloving, uncaring gods. I got really lucky - and that's why I do what I do. Help less fortunate girls find the right path." She had arrived next to Penny now, crouching in front of the robot girl with a soft smile. "You're afraid no one will love you if you're violent. You're afraid that you'll hurt people." She leaned in a bit closer. "Penny, you adorably silly thing - I think I've told you before, but I love you. I'll never hate you...and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're safe. Even if I get a little hurt in the process. The other girls...those from the beacon. I'm glad they're treating you well, but how long will that last? Us and them, we're incompatible to begin with. We can't help it. You're driven to destroy...I'm driven to control. We can suppress and ignore it, but when we do it boils over and hurts more in the end. Eventually it will end in tragedy."

She held out another hand to Penny.

"...but what if I told you, I could fix that, my dear, sweet, Penny?"

Penny listened to Chloe very closely as she talked, and trying to be completely honest with herself Penny knew that most of what Chloe was saying. The robotic girl was afraid of hurting people that she cared for and she was at odds with herself more often than not as of late, least when she wasn’t out hunting monsters that is. There was even the fact that Penny had already made a mess of things once before by trying to suppress her destructive desires.

But still she was cautious, this situation was starting to reminded her far too much of the first time she had meet Veronica and as Chloe had just admitted to, she was a controlling person driven to such by twisted urges and not everything the spirit wielder had said was true. Penny couldn’t believe some of it, not if she wanted to remain intact.

Penny wanted desperately to take offered hand, but she didn’t. It could have been the venomous word of Veronica whispered in the back of her mind stalling her, making her wonder if she could really trust Chloe, or maybe it was the pain in her arm, cutting through her emotional turmoil making her focus on the long term repercussions that were at stake here, of the many tangled strands she was connected too. Or perhaps it was the backend desire to break things that had Penny testing how far she could deny the Control her dark friend was seeking.

That didn’t stop Penny from asking though “How would you be able to do that?” her eyes flicking back and forth between Chloe’s eyes and her outstretched hand as she awaited an answer.

"It is not something that would be easy," Chloe replied with a sigh. "We have to change this rotten world. This world that rejects us for simply being ourselves because it's controlled by fools scared of us. Scared of loosing their own power. The Beacon. The mint. Even that fool god of yours. For someone so focused on change, why is he the only constant?" She paused a moment, bringing a hand to her chin as she thought. A small wince of pain flashed across her features. "I have a plan. Something that could burn the ugliness from this world...but I cannot say much more than that. It is too soon. I trust you, Penny, but if someone finds out it could end before it began."

She flashed Penny smile.

"...but if you help me I can promise you that no matter what happens, I can give you a world where you can be yourself. Free to love, rage, or whatever it is you want without having that silly thing known as fear."

It would be a few long, silent seconds as Penny scrutinized the girl across from her, the disguised robot’s face was netral and seemingly molded from steel as she searched for something in Chloe’s eyes. But eventually, Penny would shift her weight, the wall crumbling a bit as she did, and although hesitantly she’d reach out, and accept the hand offered. “How can I help?”

Chloe smiled, helping Penny to her feet.

"Hmm, a power source of some sort would be nice." Chloe replied. "Preferably something magical in nature...say, souls, for example." A pause. "Though perhaps something more electricity based could potentially work."

“An electric engine I could build rather easily, would just need the parts and an Idea of how much power you need it to output.” Penny would reply easily enough though there was an odd look on her face as she regarded Chole “But I would need a soul to, mess around with” She would pause and shake her head after saying such due to the near absurdity of the statement from her point of view before continuing on “To see if I could even do anything like make an engine ran off them”

"Hm, I think I can arrange some spirits for you to play with very soon." Chloe replied. "Just need to rest a bit. Helping Aurora took quite a bit out of me and I'm frankly exhausted and I still need to get back into contact with those Archive girls." Walking back over to the couch, Chloe flopped down on it and stretched.

"Want to stay over tonight?"

“Sure” Penny would reply as she followed over to the couches “I’ll have to head to my place to get a change of clothes later, but otherwise I’ve got nothing planned” The robotic girl knew she wouldn’t forget today, the burning pain in her arm told her that. She wouldn’t mention it to Chloe, as part of her was sure the spirit mage didn’t truly care.

’Time will tell’, Penny thought ’Time will tell’

[FamishedPants]

S i l h o u e t t e

"This is actually a collab I'm still just lazy"

Silhouette

Betty blinked at Sillouette's response. ”Better? I saw you on TV, and I thought you were amazing!” She fidgeted with her seat belt. ”I'm not sure if I could have handled a situation like that. There was a lot going on. I probably would have just panicked.” She looked to Veronica. ”So do you always personally pick up your operatives?”

“Only if they're still useful to me.” Veronica did not look away from the the road while she talked. “So how did it feel, Sam? You looked like you were enjoying yourself, but your actions were... sloppy.”

Sil was almost taken aback by Betty's remark, but avoided showing it. It took her a moment to realize that to anybody watching her, she appeared as though she was having a blast, when in reality she was suffering the entire time.

The people weren't watching her, after all.

"I see."

Silhouette allowed Veronica to speak, and felt a small bit of relief upon Veronica implying she was still of use to her. She didn't actually doubt her own use to Veronica, even now, but for some reason those words provided some comfort. So in response, Sam did her best to speak objectively on a matter that, unlike many others, urged her to be subjective. "I did experience a noticeable increase in ability." she began. "In that regard, the 'steroid' most certainly did its job, however..."

She took a breath in, then spoke calmly.

"...however, it has a side effect that cannot be ignored. It seems to trigger a reaction with... well, the corruption a dark magical girl like myself has, and amplifies it. Going off of what the new girl said, I was enjoying myself. Given our history, I'm sure you can imagine the cause for that.

The girl you saw down there was sloppy because she most definitely was not myself."

“Seems there are some bruises on the fruit Chloe offered us.” Veronica's eyes moved onto Silhouette through the rear view mirror. “Perhaps at a later date, you'll have to see if that was a known side effect or not. Such a device isn't especially useful if one loses their sense of self.”

Chloe...

"Perhaps."

Silhouette's countenance remained stoic as she gave her one-word reply.

...if she intentionally withheld such information, I will ensure she regrets it.

“But that can wait for now. As you and Eliza are aware, the Mint has been behaving strangely as of late.” The coin broker parked her car beside the road. It was possible to still see the evacuation in the distance. “I cannot confirm if it is just a particular branch or the entire organization. What I do know is that I need to surround myself with people I can trust.” Veronica turned in her seat and looked directly at Silhouette. “To this end, I have decided to create my own organization. Or perhaps it is more correct to say I have decided to open recruitment again.” She pulled a folder out of her jacket and opened it in front of Sil. “All you need to do is sign this contract. It simply states that you will serve me to the best of your ability, and I will always know where you are. Though you are free to look over it yourself if you wish.”

Up until this point in her life, Samantha had never really felt like she could wholeheartedly trust someone and she didn't expect others to trust her beyond an extent. She mostly trusted that the people who hired her would give her accurate information pertaining to targets, and they could trust she'd get the job done. But the trust Veronica desired was the kind that arose from loyalty. A trust rising from a relationship a bit deeper and more complex than employer and employee. A form she had never once experienced herself.

It had never mattered to her whom hired her. So long as they could pay her when she was done, then she was fine. And if someone else ever decided to pay her to remove a former employer? It was merely a form of business to her, so she held no personal attachments that would hinder her ability to execute the task kid.

But this was different.

Silhouette did read the document. Veronica did not lie. Signing this document, it would allow her to always be keen on Silhouette's position, as well as other information Sil would prefer not to expose to others. At least, if the one asking wasn't Veronica. It had become more and more obvious over the past year. There was something strange, something foreign that Sil felt for Veronica. She wasn't sure yet exactly what it was, but she could say it was positive, even if there was a lot to fear from the senior magical girl.

This was most certainly a risk. She knew a one-sided relationship was easily abusable. She was aware that she could be being intentionally misled by Veronica, and it could turn out devastating for Sil, for Samantha. But more than that... she felt that there was the chance she could wholeheartedly put trust in her emp--... her.... in Veronica, whatever she was to Sil. And while this was an odd, unique thing for Samantha to feel, given her experiences with the magical world in general...

...that might not be a bad thing.

"I've never felt any attachment to the Mint, as surprising as that might sound. I'm merely indebted to them, and if anything, its potential demise would only benefit me. A dead debt collector can't collect, now can it?" there was a small pause before she continued. "But if it is in service to you, Veronica, then I suppose I don't mind."

A moment or two passed before Silhouette awkwardly spoke up.

"...Is it some form of verbal contract? It seems different than what I'm used to."

“Verbal?” Veronica smiled before swiftly transforming into a magical girl. “Not quite.” She turned opaque and phased through the driver's seat. Her body didn’t move, but seemed to just float into the back seat with Sil before her color came back. “Now, it's very important that I confirm this with you, as there's no going back on a contract like this. You're really okay giving yourself to me like this?” Veronica bit her lower lip in anticipation.

Silhouette almost seemed annoyed by Veronica's statement. "Yes, I'm sure. Like I just said, it would only benefit me if something were to happen to the Ebon Mint. Involving myself beyond what is required of me is not something I would do if I weren't sure I wanted it." She looked Veronica in the eyes with a rather powerful, unflinching stare. One filled with determination. It should have been very clear she was quite serious. "What I said remains. I will sign this contract because I wish to be of use to you, and that's something I'm absolutely sure about."

In response, Veronica swiftly rolled into Sil's lap, with her a knee on either side of her legs. The magical girl assassin wasn't given enough time to react before Veronica's hands came down upon her shoulders and forced them to lock eyes. Sil was unsure of Veronica's intentions and had begun to open her mouth to voice her confusion when suddenly the ebon vampire voiced a single command.

“Don't resist.”

Silhouette paused long enough for Veronica to slide her arms behind Sil's back and constrict like a snake, pulling the two girls close together. With their bodies in such close proximity, Samantha had begun to feel not just confused, but quite uncomfortable.

What is she doing?

Samantha was incapable of drawing a logical conclusion based on Veronica's actions. Why did they need to be so close? Close enough to feel each other's body heat, close enough to take in each other's scent? She never got this close to someone unless she wished to eliminate them, but Sam didn't think it was that. So, then, what?

Thankfully, she didn't need to wait long.

Sam felt a sharp pain in her back that had caught her unawares. Her response was to open her mouth to let out a hiss, but Veronica matched lips with Sam in that same moment. At this point, Sam's eyes shot open in complete surprise at where the situation had wound up, but slowly she relaxed into almost a trance-like state as her employer violated her mouth with her tongue. Eventually, their tongues met and after Veronica wrestled Sam's tongue into her own mouth, she bit down hard enough to draw blood, though Sam's relaxed expression didn't change a bit.

Having acquired the blood she needed for the contract, Veronica rolled off of Sil, still smiling, and licked the contract with her blood-stained tongue.

“Ahhhh...” Veronica's cheeks were glowing a bright red, and her breath was hot enough that you could see it. “You did good Sam. I'll explain the rest to you later.” Her eye lids fluttered shut.

Samantha was quite clearly in a daze, her face as red as a beet and her eyes unfocused. She only barely managed to reply to Veronica with a soft, "U-Understood..."

Betty had had her hands up in front of her face, but her fingers were spread enough so that she could look through them. ”Oh man!” She swallowed. ”She did the same thing to you too huh?”

Feeling a plethora of different emotions at the current moment, particularly embarrassment, Samantha couldn't even give a response to Betty, instead shyly turning away from the girl, her face still noticeably crimson.

“Sam.” Veronica's voice caught Sil off guard, mostly because it was coming from the front seat. It seemed that she had returned to the front of the car and was dressed up as a police officer again. There was no sign of the unusual behavior she had just demonstrated.“In order to maintain everyone's cover, you need to escape from our custody before we get to the police station.” She adjusted her hat and looked forward. “That is your first objective as a member of crimson cradle.” Veronica pulled onto the road again and slowly caught up to speed with traffic.

While she understood and accepted her new orders without hesitation, it was still difficult to voice such as she hadn't yet regained her composure. But so long as she knew what she needed to do, then that was enough. Locking eyes briefly for a moment with Veronica was indeed difficult right now, but persevering, she did so and nodded to her "new" employer.

Escaping the vehicle was nothing special. She had many approaches she could take, but perhaps as a sign of the new bond she had with Veronica, she went for the one that involved utilizing her darkness specialization. Sinking into the shadows inside the car, Silhouette followed them to the outside the vehicle and along the side opposite to the sun. When the opportunity presented itself, she leaped from the shadow onto the roof of a nearby vehicle, and then to the street, out of the way of incoming traffic.

Ignoring the angry shouts of the driver as she continued down the road, Silhouette held a hand up to her face.

Her cheeks were still warm.

[Flamelord]

&

&

&

Janet

Sammy squinted her eyes. “Track her backers? Do you take me for a fool?” The gumshoe tipped her hat. “Anyone can see that your eyes glisten with desires that only the coin can realize. Oh, this'll be just enough to get you that promotion, or maybe you wish to become a fellow test subject yourself? ” Sammy snorted and turned away. “I lack the manpower to take Binky by force, but mark my words Beacon girl, you have not seen the last of Sammy the Supah Sleuth!” And with that, she bumbled out of sight. Her cats followed suit, meowing like normal house cats.

Before Alicia could turn her attention back to Binky, She could feel the weight of her captive hanging off of her leg. ”Please don't feed me to the crazy cat lady.” She buried her head in Alicia's thigh and sobbed. ”Pleeeeeeease!”

For yet another time in this conversation, Alicia found herself in a position where she wanted to roll her eyes and sigh in exasperation. She wasn’t sure what it was about the supposed detective, but she seemed to inspire that reaction a lot. Maybe it was a good thing she had chosen to leave rather than opting for employment after all.

“Beacon doesn’t work like that but sure,” she replied in a low mutter, mostly to herself as Sammy took her leave. It wasn’t like she wanted to get promoted again after being made a Seraph, but if she wanted to buy into all the rumors then fine. Alicia couldn’t say that she wasn’t used to it.

Before she could do much more, she was thrown off balance as Binky grabbed at her leg. “Relax,” she replied, doing her best to remain upright with the dead weight leaning against her. “I’m not gonna feed you to the wannabe gumshoe. Especially when there’s still stuff I need to ask you about.”

Having been on the receiving end of questioning, Janet stayed quiet while Alicia interrogated. The whole conversation was a little over her head, particularly since she had been securing the perimeter and had missed the sudden transition to the Overcity and what had taken place there, as well as the initial conversation between the trio. A large part of the magical world she still hadn’t learned, what was and was not possible. Being corrupted was something the blonde was intimately familiar with and an experience that not long ago had her in hot water. Now there was a new coin that could change one’s magic? Janet really wasn’t sure what to make of that at the moment, other than their methods of testing didn’t sound all that hospitable.

Binky froze in place. ”Uhh...” She released Alicia's leg and slinked backwards. ”Y-you'll understand if there's certain things I'm not willing to share, but um, what did you want to know?”

Watching as Binky backed away, the fact that she thought she had a choice to make when it came to the information that Alicia wanted was amusing. But it was a fiction that she let stand for the moment, if only because it meant she wouldn’t try to run for it again.

“Sure,” she accepted before beginning. “So, how long have you been working on these Red Coins? And how recently did you make one that actually worked?”She remained where she was, letting Binky get comfortable so as to not inhibit her cooperation.

”A long time.” Hey eyes shifted side to side. ”But it wasn't until just a few weeks ago that we were actually getting positive results. That was when we started asking people to participate in in human testing.” Binky stretched out her hand, and a cup of ramen noodles appeared in it. ”They can complain and try to kill me all they want, but I think their living conditions were a lot better than mine.” Binky popped a pair of chopsticks off the side of the cup before eating.

‘A long time’ wasn’t very specific, but Alicia supposed that it conveyed the point well enough. A few weeks was a bit more than she had expected as far as the trial phase was concerned, though it wasn’t terrible either. It meant the proliferation of this stuff wouldn’t be as bad. Admittedly she could just be speaking in minor degrees of difference, but it made her feel better about it at least.

Binky did leave her curious on a few things, and she said nothing about the meal as she continued on that line of thought. “Why do you say that? Bosses with unreasonable deadlines?”

”The volunteers, if you can believe it.” Binky pointed in the direction that Sammy had wandered off in. She seemed to be implying that the people who volunteered for her project were treated better than she was. And of course, Alicia didn't need the ability to detect lies to confirm Binky was in real danger. ”So uh, I realize this is an interrogation and everything, but I do wanna hurry things up.” Binky was shivering. ”I've spent the entire morning running away from that crazy detective, and I'd like to take a shower before too long. I think we could all use one.” She stirred her noodles with a pain stricken smile. ”Do you mind just sort of cutting to the chase so that we can all be on our way? Heh?” She flinched before Alicia even began speaking.

Alicia could appreciate Binky’s desire to get somewhere safe and clean up a bit, especially if she was in real danger. Though one had to wonder why she was in danger in the first place. Wouldn’t her backers want to make sure nothing happened to her while she was doing something so important for them? She got the irritating impression that there was more going on than what she knew.

“The chase is that while I’m confident you’re being truthful, I doubt whoever is supporting you to do this has good intentions for these red coins. So I’d like to know either who is providing you with the resources to do this, or where it’s being made so I can go and ask personally.” The flinch might have been warranted, Alicia giving Binky a stern look as she pressured her for the information she wanted.

”Ah, oh, um, hmm...” Binky stirred her noodles faster. ”See, that's a bit of a sore spot for me. I mean, as far as where the coins are being made. Well, the escapees destroyed most of the building. So, heh, not a whole lot to find there.” The tiny girl sunk to the ground. ”And telling you too much about my backers would have an adverse effect on my health. Presumably.” She set the cup of ramen off to the side before propping herself up on her hands and knees. ”I'm pretty sure whatever fate they have for me would be far, far worse than anything you might be able to subject me to, heh!” Binky made another pained smile. ”N-not that I'm saying you have to kill me or anything! N-no! I don't want that at all.” She pulled a coin out of her loin cloth and flicked it to Alicia, only for it to veer off course and land in Janet's hair. The red coin floated in her pigtails, gently “sinking” in her water-like hair. ”I could always make you coins right? Beacon coins? Of course! That's what really has to happen here! You'd get to see how the coins are made and everything! Because these coins aren't evil, they're for giving girls second chances! It's a real win-win for everyone right?” Binky spread her arms. ”R-right?”

One would think a snake had just bit Janet the way she reacted for a split second. Only having been mildly engaged when the Red Coin came out the girl looked at it curiously before it was flung in her direction. Having almost no experience with how the water that was her hair worked a foreign object flying into it was a new sensation. One doesn’t usually feel with their hair but in this case Janet could. Couple with that this coin supposedly had some unknown properties she really didn’t want to be in contact with the thing. Flailing for a moment before realizing nothing was happening the girl calmed herself before calmly reaching out her hand. The coin was caught in a flow of water that made its way to her palm. ”Be careful what you do with these things. I still don’t get exactly what they do but I wouldn’t be tossing them around like that.” Rolling the coin over in her hand she looked over to Alicia. ”There might be some advantage to what she’s saying though. If she’s being chased then we could offer some protection while we get to learn more about these things.” She gestured to the held coin.

“It sounds like there’s already an adverse effect on your health imminent,” Alicia noted as she glanced back in the direction that Sammy had departed in. The ramen-eating girl was in an unenviable position to be sure, with however many test subjects there had been looking for her now. “Besides, are you sure that your backers aren’t going to blame you for this mass breakout?”

An eyebrow rose as a red coin was tossed to Janet, and an offer made along with it. “So just to be clear, you’re suggesting that you would make more of these red coins, specifically for us?” she asked, wanting to make sure that she was clear on what was being offered. It could be useful, even if it wasn’t exactly what she had hoped would come of this. At the very least she wasn’t going to dismiss it out of hand.

”Well.” Binky froze again. ”I mean, I'd need a few things, but if you gave me a lab and got what I required I could make them for you.” She took hold of Alicia’s leg again and shook it. ”If that's what it takes to get out of here alive, I'll do it. I just hope my servitude isn't eternal...” Binky whimpered.

This little arrangement, or potential arrangement, had plenty points of failure. Not the least of which was they knew very little about Binky. Though thus far most of the information seemed good, otherwise Alicia would have called it out. But Janet was also thinking about their patron. Beacon was only just starting to accept some change faster than she would have thought. But it would be hard to say what the response would be to a new coin coming into play when they already couldn’t even possess a Black coin. Janet half wondered if she ever took a wrong step at HQ if some of the members would burn her at the stake. ”Maybe we should discuss this somewhere safer.” Slinging her backpack around she reached in and pulled out the mermaid pendant she kept there. ”Let’s get you on your feet first though.” Placing the gem against Binky the magical healing effect kicked in immediately. The battered and bruised girl would be ship shape in no time.

Feeling like something of a scratching post by now, Alicia focused more on Janet than on Binky at the moment as she voiced something quite sensible. Considering what had already happened today, she didn’t want to risk that thing from earlier coming back and doing whatever it had intended to do before. Definitely not without backup to handle it.

“Good idea,” she agreed with a nod, waiting for her leg to be free so they could actually move from this sot. “I’ll talk to the Beckoners, explain the situation. We’ll see what they say.” She suspected that they would have some leeway given her position as a Seraph, but it couldn’t hurt to keep them informed. Especially when it came to something that could be very destabilizing for the magical girl community in Penrose, perhaps even globally. They would soon find out either way.

Together, the Beacon girls departed the scene, Binky in tow. Time would tell what came of this unexpected meeting

[Flamelord]

-I don't know how this happened-

[ERode]

【H】【e】【r】 【W】【i】【s】【h】✳【H】【e】【r】 【M】【i】【r】【a】【c】【l】【e】

A flash of silver, the caw of a crow, and it was over.

The young man, sandy-blond with fair features that’d have made him a fine model if he worked out more often, stumbled back, clutching his torn throat, trying desperately to stem the flow of that life-preserving ichor. But it spilled between his fingers regardless, his pounding heart only cause more and more to gush out, staining his clothing green. There was no shock on his face anymore, no fear or despair. Only a burning, monstrous rage that caused his human facade to twist into something more, something less. But there were no curses one could speak with shredded vocal cords, and, falling over a distended garbage bag, he expired.

One moment later, and the young man returned to his original form, that of a misshapen, long-eared midget with uneven nails and steel-rending fangs. Even that, soon after, turned to gray snow, melting away and leaving nothing left.

The Knight of Rose let out a sigh, even as her Sword purred in enjoyment. A quick kill, an easy snack. How kind it must be, to be satisfied with the basest of desires. The Penrose Independent had been useless. Beacon was unwilling to share information with an unaffiliated magical girl as well. Her clashes with the so-called ‘Beacon Buddies’ over the last few days only confirmed that, detestable as her Patron was, Annabelle wasn’t associated with that first spirit attack. And while Rina was a great partner, resolving new incidents didn’t solve old ones.

Didn’t mean she could give up though. Forcing a smile, forcing some flair, Amaryllis repeated her transformation incantation once more, to remember just who she wanted to be, before turning to leave the alleyway.

Two figures stood in the open watching at the end of the alley. The light behind them made it difficult to make out their features, but the unusually arabian garb was a dead giveaway for a magical girl. Neither looked particularly threatening though. Stepping into the light Violet took a bow before introducing herself. ”It’s nice to meet you, Knight of the Rose. My name is Violet and this is my sister Sakura.” Righting herself she motioned to the scene behind Amaryllis. ”That was quite an elegant display. We can appreciate your artistic flare.”

“Your words are kind, but your purpose remains opaque, Violet,” Amaryllis replied, keeping her distance. It didn’t feel as if they were intrinsically dangerous, but it was still a scenario where she was outnumbered in a dark alleyway. She placed a hand on her rapier’s hilt and readjusted her jacket, wary but not aggressive. “What do you require of me, Maidens of the Sand and Storm?”

Neither girl reacted much to what Amaryllis did other than to the last bit that was said. Violet glanced back at Sakura for a moment before refocusing on Amaryllis. ”Maidens of the Sand and Storm, never thought of that. I like it. To answer your question however we only ask of one thing, a wish of your choosing that we may grant.” Ordinarily Violet would have liked to lead around a prospect, but this sword bearer didn’t seem to want that banter. Or perhaps that was a misread on her part. Either way it should get across their intent.

“A wish?” Amaryllis rolled the idea in her mind. “Why?”

”It is our curse if you will. Our patron requires it of us and fate lead us to you.”

A curse to create miracles? It sounded too good to be true, too convenient when she just hit a dead end, and too flimsy to simply have ‘fate’ be the deciding factor as to why this encounter occurred to begin with. But Amaryllis found herself asking regardless, like a moth to a flame, “And these miracles of yours, have they limits?”

Nodding in confirmation Violet continued. ”There are limits. We are only magical girls after all. But if we are not able to grant a wish you are free to make another wish,” While she could have gone into more detail the Djinn Sisters were not in the business of divulging the details of what they could and could not do. ”What did you have in mind?”

Revenge was the easy one. Information would have helped too. Or just gaining more strength overall would be great. Mayhaps this was a chance to regain her own life and sever this contract with her Sword? But those were all things that she could get herself, in due time and with due effort. “Penrose has been assailed by many magical threats recently,” Amaryllis began, quietly, decisively, “And most of them have turned their focus not on their magical brethren, but upon the unknowing populace. I despise that. Is the power granted by your patron sufficient to prevent that from happening?”

”Mm, depends on the wish exactly. You'll have to say it as a wish I mean, and then I'll know for sure.” Violet shrugged slightly. Their magic was not always clear until they heard the wish and either could do it or hit a wall.

“Then this is my wish is as follows: for all those within Penrose who are under the Veil of Ignorance to be shielded from magical malice that seeks to physically, emotionally, or spiritually damage them.” Amaryllis smiled. “How’s that sound?”

The djinn girl looked impressed for a moment before smiling. ”A selfless wish, I like it. Quite a lofty one as well. Let me see what I can do.” There wasn’t much to say to find out. Their patron being linked to them made it nearly instant. But in this case a wish of this scale was outside their individual capabilities. Cafar’s approval came in the form of Mana Font as Violet’s magic surged. This amount of magic was not something either of the girls could maintain long, but wishes were usually pretty instant. Eyes shining while her outline glowed the magic was palpable as it began to spread up and out over Penrose. Floating down the magic covered the entirety of the city, guarding all those unaware of the supernatural world from magical harm.

The exertion of magic and focus was a taxing one which caused Violet to drop. Sakura was there to keep her sister from hitting the ground hard. Catching her breath Violet looked up to Amaryllis. ”Your wish… has been granted...” Light headed for a moment she slowly got back to her feet.

It was like looking at a supernova, contained in a glass box. Half of her wish was a whim, and Amaryllis had practically expected the wish to be a failure to begin with, but now, as she saw the full power of a god descend upon the magical girl, the Knight of Rose gulped. Was this actually happening? Was it really that simple? Would this divine protection last?

...why had no one else wished for such a thing before?

Her amethyst gaze watched the magic expand and fall, an almost indiscernible film drifting upon the Unknowing. In its scabbard, the Sword shuddered, rusted nails of caution and disgust crawling against her kidneys. In her mind, she doubted still, how effective this was, what the limits of this was.

But that didn’t change what had occured. What it had caused.

Hah, she was making this declaration quite often these days, huh?

Amaryllis’s embrace was sudden, quick, three steps crossing the distance in the blink of an eye before her arms wrapped around the twins, forgetting in that moment how licentious such an action was in a costume as unrestrained as her own. “I will not forgot this favor you have done for me,” she spoke in their ears. “My blade is your own, wishgranters. Call my name, and I will be there.”

Even if it was only for a day, even if the protection was slight, it was still something. And that something could easily become the difference between the Knight of Rose arriving right on time or too late.

[Ariamis]

Lily was apprehensive at first, but she let out a giggle when she saw Tim sit on him.
"He really likes you, Alex! Anyway, I'm glad you're okay. Things are really starting to look up now." She lifted Tim off his head, and petted the weasel's head. ¨
"But that's a lot of pets you're taking care of. It's really sweet of you." She then went to the balcony, taking in the fresh air as she continued petting Tim. Then, she suddenly turned, a big grin on her face.
"Next time, you're taking me to solve crime too, Alex! I knew you sneaked off; I can tell it from your face. Besides, I can't wait to get to use my new magic."

---

A couple of days later...

"Scheming at the Manor of Mirrors"

There was a long, rectangular table, sitting in place within a large dining hall in Mariette’s Manor of Mirrors. Seated at the very end was Mariette, looking intently across at the other champions of Asengav; the group had come together after a couple of days. On her left, in order, sat Lea Keufer, Josefin Hermansson, Taihei Kumi, Jelena Dias, and one empty seat belonging to Mayra McCullough, who’s not here now. On her right, in order, sat Freya Cameron, Tullia Barese, Victoria Tretyakova, Suzette Laderoute, and one empty seat belonging to Ronja Koskela, who’s not here either. There was also one empty chair straight ahead of Mariette. Out of those who should be here, three were missing. Regardless, this was Asengav’s champions gathered from multiple worlds. Eli was currently out, the only girl currently on a mission.

‘… Repeat that,’ Mariette asked, looking to her right at Freya. To her left Lea glowered, the mystical representative of Asengav taking note of every word said.

‘I said,’ Freya repeated, frowning. ‘that Ronja took on multiple hostiles on her own and attempted to kill them but got herself countered and injected with lethal poison. She engaged them in order to feed her spider “babies”.’ So sounded the report, and there was a silence hanging over the room.

‘As in, her minion shadow spiders?’ Josefin asked.

‘Nope!’ Suzette, the one closest with Ronja of those present in the room, told. ‘Completely normal, if oversized and deadly, spiders that follow their mother, and she loves them back.’ Suzette was enjoying herself, thinking this situation hilarious.

‘… She’s not their mother,’ Lea stated blankly, as if insulted by the idea. ‘The mate with which she’d produce said babies with does not exist. She cannot even have adopted them, she has no Beast-specialization with which to control them.’ The question of “So, what gives?” hung silently in the air.

‘That’s… on me,’ Taihei raised one of her limbs, staring down into the table as she sat and the rest turned to look at her. ‘She asked me to make children for her, so I did. I designed them and made them love her, at her request. Figures she’d go get herself offed while trying to use things that I made. It’s probably all my fault.’

‘She’s not dead,’ Freya told, frowning. ‘Thanks to Suzette diving into a world of kindness and using said kindness to heal her, Ronja was brought back from utter ruin. We’ve locked her up for now, though. She’s not doing anything until she’s reflected on her mistakes. Which I’m sure she will, seeing how the poison has rendered her permanently blind.’

There were numerous twitches of uncomfortability among the less stoic of the group, like Josefin, Tullia and Victoria. Mariette nodded. Ronja was one whose powers were vital for their plan to work, losing her would have been disastrous. Fortunately, Freya had been quick to recover her when the word that she was in danger had been reported. Onto point two…

‘Where’s Mayra?’ Mariette asked, looking over to those in the back of the table. Victoria sat with her arms crossed, frowning, while Jelena grinned while closing her eyes.

‘She deigned to stay,’ Victoria said.

‘We were off fighting for fun, just testing out a couple of locals…’ Jelena said, still grinning, remembering that battle. ‘… And Mayra took a liking to them and is now hanging out with them,’

‘Hm,’ Mariette made a noise of acknowledgement, considering it.

‘Er, isn’t that bad?’ Josefin asked, looking worried. ‘Mayra’s the most chaotic and unpredictable of us,’ she says right after Ronja did something so extremely silly, ‘isn’t there a chance she’ll start talking about things she shouldn’t with them?’

‘Nah,’ Jelena grinned. ‘Like the rest of us, she’s utterly terrified of pissing off Asengav. While she gladly partakes in what new things there are, because she’s so fundamentally curious, loving making new friends and seeing what new people have to offer, there’s no escaping that when the time comes she’ll be fighting on our side. She won’t leak anything~’

‘That’s still dangerous,’ Freya said. ‘They’ll eventually figure out her connection to us, and then they might catch her, either to hold as a captive against us or try to get information out of her.’

‘You underestimate Mayra,’ Jelena giggled with a grin.

‘You underestimate our enemies,’ Freya replied, frowning.

‘What about your own problem, Freya?’ Suzette suddenly asked, looking mischievous. ‘How many have you killed since coming to this city, all to satisfy that burning hunger inside?’

Freya shuddered, looking away from Jelena and Suzette.

‘… Five. I’ve eaten five innocent people,’ she replied, hesitant.

‘Do you think it might become a problem that someone will seek out who has eaten these five innocent people?’ Suzette asked, smiling like she was poking at a weakness.

‘Hardly,’ Freya replied. ‘This town has a multitude of magical murderers. I’m probably definitely not the worst huntress of the night. I’m a drop in the ocean.’ Between the Vixen’s and Massacrer’s and others’ activities, Freya’s would hardly be noticed… she hoped.

‘We are off-track,’ Tullia spoke up, hoping to be a voice of reason. ‘There was an army of skeletons in town, and there was a giant in the stadium. What gives?’

‘We have detailed documentation of what went down at the stadium,’ Lea spoke out. ‘Our friends were kind enough to share their notes. We have a pretty good idea of all that happened there. We can plan accordingly,’ she said, proud of her words.

Mariette nodded. It was helpful to have a being so well-connected with the mystical forces of the world here, all manners of Lesser Forces and Gods which she could contact…

‘… But we are clueless as to who summoned the skeletons, or why,’ Freya followed it up with.

‘They were cleverly made, the magic made damaged skeletons join together to make more powerful ones,’ Victoria, the witness at the scene, reported. ‘It wasn’t a random incident. Someone summoned them there with intention, but what that intention was is beyond me. They were marching on the park, though.’

A silence hung over those present for a time.

‘… Were they after Esther?’ Tullia asked.

‘Why would they? What could that possibly have achieved? Eh,’ Victoria shrugged and leaned back, placing her hands behind her head.

‘We’ll look into it. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter in the grand scope of things. More importantly,’ Lea said as she looked to Suzette first, then Tullia and Freya. ‘I heard you did some distracting while you two were setting up?’

‘Yeah, distraction successful! It went off without a hitch, and I got to scare some degenerates while I was at it! There was even this other empath that tried to attack me. She was pretty adorable, thinking she could actually match me,’ Suzette smirked widely, reminiscing.

‘Without a hitch, huh,’ Tullia commented, looking to her.

‘… Okay, so I was hit by a sniper. Wouldn’t have been a problem if YOUR healing artifact worked like intended!’ Suzette shot a glare across at Taihei. Taihei sat, completely unintimidated, giving a tired stare back at Suzette.

‘You took an item I had made,’ she replied, calmly. ‘I don’t know what you were expecting. Really, you should have seen it coming. I don’t know why you insist my things should bring you good fortune, or something. It’ll heal you eventually, though, just keep using it.’

‘Pah, hahaha! Why do we have this girl?’ Suzette laughed a bit, looking at her.

‘Hey! Taihei’s exceptional!’ Josefin immediately defended. ‘She just… has a lot to deal with!’

‘Ooooh, look at little miss untouchable speaking,’ Suzette laughed. ‘You’re, like, only paired with Taihei because you’re the only one lucky enough to survive her presence!’ Taihei stayed quiet, though a slightly upset Josefin sat straighter and prepared to defend.

‘That’s not-’

‘Enough,’ Mariette declared, stopping them before they could bicker further. The rest fell silent as their designated leader had spoken. She could command any of them, minus Lea, due to the whole representative of Asengav thing.

‘There’s another point that needs to be discussed,’ Freya told, cutting the silence after it became clear Mariette wasn’t saying anything further. ‘A wish has been made to the duo known as the Djinn Sisters. A Magical Girl made a wish to protect those under the veil of ignorance within Penrose. That is to say, the non-magical mortals.’

‘Puff, how boring of her…’ Suzette commented, looking snide.

‘I’ve tested it out earlier. It does not protect them if I just go up and stab one of them. It does, however, stop magical attacks from affecting them. They won’t be affected by any insufficiently powerful collateral magic or rituals. Any magic spell cast upon them is dispelled. They are immune to any magical effects, as well as their destructive power, though can be killed by collateral damage from destroyed buildings or so,’ Freya told, eyes narrowed.

‘Wha- Those two are powerful enough to grant that sort of wishes!?’ Tullia asked, alarmed, eyes wide.

‘Heh, I wonder if they’ll grant my wishes if I go to them?’ Jelena asked, a grin on her face.

‘I suggest you don’t,’ Leo told, in her “I am smarter than you” tone. Jelena scowled at her. Lea continued, unphased. ‘The Djinn Sisters have a history of occasionally messing with those who wish with them, causing undesired effects and the likes. Making wishes to them is too dangerous to be applicable. However, they are sufficiently powerful to make wishes like this, which has every chance of becoming a major thorn in our sides. I say we execute them, immediately.’

Mariette frowned the slightest where she sat. It was the natural course of action. Yet… yet thanks to a wish of the past, in their previous encounter, she had a connection to them. One that made this proposal… undesirable.

‘… Can’t I try to wish away my predicament, first?’ Taihei asked.

‘NOPE!’ Suzette declared with the widest smile. ‘Out of all of us, you’re the LAST person we want using an unstable wish machine!’

‘… Aww,’ Taihei made a disappointed noise.

‘Then, uh, let me?’ Josefin asked, giving a little hopeful smile.

‘No,’ Lea declared, making Josefin hang her head in sadness at being shot down. ‘No wishing with the Djinn Sisters. Instead, let’s plan how to dispose of-’

‘I’ll talk to them,’ Mariette told. Eyes turned to her as Mariette had said something. Holding an expressionless face, she looked to them all, ignoring Lea’s intent look. ‘I know them from an earlier event. I will negotiate, and see if we can come to a separate arrangement. Until then, we will work around whatever wishes they’ve declared. Do not worry, because a previous wish of Eli’s has ensured they cannot intentionally get in our way,’ Mariette told, the eyes of the people around looking at them.

‘They can cause us considerable trouble unintentionally, as well,’ Lea said, unconvinced.

‘I’ll talk to them,’ Mariette repeated. ‘We are still on track. Overall, we’ve been successful. We have plenty of information on the residents of this city, we know roughly what to expect. We’ll be ready in time. I have tasks which will need to be accomplished in the coming days. In the meantime, I expect you all to finish preparing the city. Soon enough, we’ll be able to-’

She was interrupted by a message to her phone, which she had been forced to learn how to use. All the other champions also got a message. Mariette and the others, minus Lea who could not be bothered, fished out their phones and took a look. The message was simple and concise. A new player was going to enter the mix.

---

A week later...

”Do We Fight Now?"

It was getting dark out, but the orange sun was still hanging in the sky. If not for the surrounding buildings, their shadows likely could have reached outside the city. The wind felt...almost cathartic, despite the busy sounds of the city being not too far away. At least to the void-touched magical girl, sitting in place upon the roof of an abandoned building as she stared out upon the dancing lights in the distance. It had been a while since she had been saved by the Beacon Buddies, and she’d lived with Regina and Elroy since then. Though in the long term it was perhaps the blinking of an eye for many, for her...heh, it had been a lot to handle in just the last while alone.

Since arriving in Penrose, she had been through more than anything else her magical girl life had managed to put her through. Some of it was….bad, and hurt even now. Thinking she could talk to Rina and Amaryllis...slaughtering much of a stadium of people even. Her boss overriding her control on her powers like it was nothing, lecturing her on things she hated...and maybe a bit she needed to hear as well. She’d had much of an arm cut off, replaced by what seemed to be an arm made of magical chains derived from Amaryllis’ magic. At times... even now….she felt the phantom feelings of that former piece of her that...wouldn’t be coming back. Her boss wouldn’t even tell her his plans as of yet, not the big plans. Nor would any of the most important parts that had driven her to this point be revealed yet, it seemed.

Yet some of her time here was good as well, moments she’d treasure as long as she lived. The taste of good food, walking about the city and seeing a new place, dinner with friends for the first time, helping a person find the pawn shop….heh. Even the moonlight at night as it glistened on the morning dew, and the feeling of warm sunshine on her face during the day. The little things, she supposed. But most importantly, she...felt very happy she had found Elroy...and especially Regina.

And speaking of, Regina seemed to phase out of the shadows not too far away.

"Um." Regina hugged herself. "Hello Annabelle."

A small smile came to Annabelle’s face as she heard that familiar voice, one echoing softly in her ears like a beautiful bell chime. Or perhaps she was being a tad dramatic in her thoughts about how Regina sounded. Timid with people, but fierce in battle like a rampaging valkyrie. Ever since they had met, Annabelle had done her best to try to be there for her, a thing which had surprised herself a bit at the start even. She liked a cute face, but….hmmm, it was different.

Different than a lust for food, than pain becoming pleasure, different than anything she had enjoyed so far in life. To her, Regina felt ‘real’, as real as could be. Heh. Were she of a more superstitious sort, she’d have leaped upon the chance to call it a “red thread of fate”. Some belief she heard about from Japan or something...it was a long time ago she had last heard about it, really. Actually...a small tidbit of info from her past life.

But it talked about something like two being being destined to meet each other, if she remembered right. She liked the sound of that, if she had to be honest...or perhaps she was a romantic at heart. Haha.

“Seems Elroy isn’t hanging around tonight, haha….Though I don’t ever mind being alone with you, as long as...you are ok with it,” the magical girl said, swinging her legs around from where they had been hanging over the roof’s edge, standing up and walking calmly over to Regina in her magical girl form. Not getting up to her too close, but...not too far either. Though as she saw Regina in that self-hugging state a small pang of worry came into her mind and onto her face, “Hey there, Regina. Ah...Is something wrong?”

"N-nothing's wrong. I just had Elroy stay home today." She took a deep breath. "Would you mind taking a walk with me?"

A-a walk?! Annabelle felt a ping of surprise leap into her at the very thought, and for the first time in a long time the void-touched girl had a tiny bit of blush on her face. Albeit, she hoped Regina would not be seeing it. Though as soon as she began to blush, she quickly calmed herself down. It wasn’t a normal Regina request as far as she could remember, but...yes, she would be glad for a nice walk. Night air felt pretty clear for the most part, even.

”I would love to take a walk with you. It feels great out tonight, perfect weather for a walk!” the white-haired magical girl said, smiling softly at Regina.

It felt as of late as if her emotions that normally didn’t come out had been in play. Ever since the stadium....ah, she didn’t need to ponder on that right now. Even now it panged a bit within her as a sore spot, though she wasn’t going to deny it either. More than anything, a lost chance for friends, to be a helpful magical girl, Regina and Elroy putting themselves in danger for her….those had struck chords within herself where the violent actions and death hadn’t even phased her. Not like those latter most thing could phase her anymore, though…

Regina took Annabelle across the roof. The buildings might have been run down, and a few had even collapsed. Yet it was still possible to walk from roof to roof with little effort. There did not seem to be any intended destination.

"When you took Elroy and I out to eat, you said that you couldn't remember your past." They were walking side by side, and Regina was looking straight ahead. "Do you still not remember anything?"

”....Truly, I don’t remember anything but glimpses of information, but...no voices, no images of people i once knew….,” the white haired girl said, keeping pace with Regina calmly as she let the breeze caress her hair, pulling the hood of her outfit down to let it happen as she looked at the twinkling stars above whilst walking, ”....Sometimes i dream about what life before might have been like. But...that is all they are. Dreams. Albeit, as of late I keep finding mostly you….and on occasion Elroy and the Beacon Buddies...in them without fail. Haha, and i don’t mind that at all! Just makes those dreams even better.”

Regina slowed to a stop. ”I'm happy to hear that, actually." She turned towards Annabelle. ”I've only been a magical girl for a few months, but you're the only one who hasn't tried to exploit me for anything. Well, you and Elroy." Regina was coiling a lock of hair around her finger. ”But if I'm being honest, my life is a lot happier now that I'm a magical girl." Regina turned her head so that she was giving Annabelle a sideways glance. ”I suppose as an amnesiac, it's easy to think that you were robbed of precious memories. Your first day of school, your first kiss, your first job, your last birthday, your last Christmas, it's impossible to know what any of those must be like. But even knowing that..." she closed her eyes and shook her head. ”... I envy you so much." Regina's eyes drifted towards the sun. Just a few more seconds and it would get swallowed up by the ocean. ”I can't remember why my parents were so angry, only that it had something to do with me. My mother left me early in my life, and when my father wasn't drinking, he was beating me. I'm not sure why he kept me around. I think it was for the welfare money. I don't think I ever remember him leaving the house to do more than check the mailbox." She wiped her eyes. ”I got groceries for us. That was the best time of my life. I can't remember any birthdays, or even a single Christmas. But shopping, it got me out of the house and away from school. I had to be careful though." She inhaled through her teeth. ”When you shop for things, you're always tempted to get something for yourself. I wanted to buy a makeup kit for myself. He found out about it. It was painful. Time around him was always painful." She took a deep breath. ”I thought Elroy would be the only friend I ever had."Annabelle could feel something warm in her hand: slender fingers wrapping around her palm. ”I'm so lucky to have found you."

Annabelle gently gripped those slender, warm fingers in return, before gently lifting up Regina’s hand and placing a chaste kiss upon the back of the girl’s hand. She then let their hands back down, though...she wasn’t letting go. Not squeezing tightly, no oppressive or clingy feelings...just seemingly happy to hold the demonic-looking girl’s hand.

”I can’t say who is luckier right now, but....I always feel like the luckiest magical girl alive when I and with you. I never knew you had been through so much, and here i am feeling a bit sorry for myself not remembering the past….I feel so foolish, but…

...I suppose I have always wanted friends because….I’ve always been alone. Serving Lord Soth, working with minions, sending monsters back to the void….most magical girls seemed to hate me. Many shrugged me off. A few….a few i know tried to chase me to kill me, and what happened to them I don’t want to think about even in my worst dreams…..

I cannot say I went through that...abuse, that hell that you wish to forget. If I could hand over that amnesia and bear that burden for you….I would without a second thought.

But if nothing else, though I can’t change the past, though...neither of us can…..I can promise you something, some things I know for sure right now.”

Annabelle reached over, gingerly taking both of Regina’s hands into her own. Regina trembled, but only momentarily. She looked into Regina’s eyes.

”If anyone even tries to hurt you again, i am going to kick their asses, Regina. If they try to kill you, i will kill them. I won’t let anyone hurt you, ever, EVER again.

I’ll buy you all the makeup you want. I will treat you to the best dinners, and the best movies, and whatever else you want in this world. I will listen to whatever you need to say, and if there is any way i can help you i will if you but ask me.

I would sail around the world on a wooden raft, if I had to, through storms and hell and back….all just to be by your side.

I suppose...what i mean to say is…...I want to make you the happiest magical girl in all the world, Regina. The happiest magical girl in the universe. Nothing less than that.“

And then the sun sank into the ocean. It was a moonless night, and what little light came from the living part of Penrose.

---

After Regina and Annabelle had parted ways, the monster girl made her way to a secluded area of the slums.

”Soth, I know you're around here." She fret her brow. ”Answer me."

As if responding the call of Regina’s voice, the air around her seemed to shudder, as if the world itself had been shaken by a deep rumbling...a stirring. And as if peeling away shards of glass from a broken mirror, the world around her seemed to crumble….save for the bit of roof she was standing on. Night sky and distant light, they were replaced with an oppressively vapid darkness that seemed to surround her on all sides. In effect, it would all seem much like being pulled into the Overcity, but...this was far from being the Overcity, if anything.

Then above Regina, another occurrence. The shimmering of a portal, far larger than anything that had been at the stadium a time ago. Titanic in size, emanating an oppressive pressure from it upon all in the vicinity, even a bit upon Regina herself despite how incredibly far up it was above her. Out of this portal then began to slither tentacles, some covered in eyes, some barbed and jagged, some covered in mouths with several sets of razor-sharp teeth. Some tentacles as big as skyscrapers, whilst some seemed as tiny as as a mere human being in comparison.

But finally, barely sticking through the portal came a single, great eye. The glistening orb was black, as dark as the abyss it came from, with a single, white iris. Though far from being the rest of his body, this was a sight more rare...and terrible...indeed. A glimpse of part of the terrible form of Lord Soth, restrained only to avoid driving the witnessing magical girl insane, or crushing her with this part’s mere aura alone.

”Ah, young one. You wished an audience with me? I feel it would be better spoken of in this place, A space i have formed for such conversations on….special occasions.

Now, little magical girl, what is your request of me?”

As grotesque as the horror was, Regina didn't flinch in its presence. ” I do not care for you, and I'm unsure how much I should be helping a horror. Forwarding your plan is going to hurt a lot of people. But..." Regina sighed. ”Are we going to be safe? Is Annabelle going to be alright once this all goes into effect?"

A moment of silence seemed to hang in the air, but as soon as it came it seemed to disappear once more as the voice of the great horror rang again through the entire space.

”Ah, yes. The girl, Annabelle, my ‘Herald’ as many have taken to calling her.

You seem to have developed some level of care about her well-being. How...interesting, yet quaint.

Once completed, my plan shall see my use of the girl at its end. You may do with her what you wish at that time moving forward, as she will be out of my service. I am sure that she would feel great joy over that, wouldn’t you agree?

Though as for all of you...well, I cannot promise there won’t be potential….’collateral damage’. Nothing you humans haven’t rebuilt from before, though, so I worry not about it. Though many worlds have suffered, so truly it isn’t a matter to concern one’s mind over in the long term.

And I am sure Beacon would arise to the occasion to assert some influence by assisting in such efforts to repair anything that had been destroyed or damaged. Truly, once they are done searching out all opposition, like rats scurrying about amidst the rubble~”

”I don't care about any of that, so long as we're safe." Regina let her arms swing at her sides. ”Is there anything you need that can be used to accelerate your plan?"

”Oh? You are quite the mortal to jump to the point, aren’t you? Hahaha!

...My passing amusement aside with this affair, i have need of one last resource my servants had located after much searching. The whole corpse of a magical girl, which lies there ready for harvesting. With it, my plans can finish very soon indeed.”

You and your forces are to secure this corpse, whilst i make final preparations for what is to come and reinforce my territory.

In this mission, i shall provide support from some of my most lesser underlings, if only merely to provide a portal by which the corpse can be transported more directly to the abandoned school. Nothing larger, as i did before on a mere whim~

However...Annabelle shall remain at the school during this mission and right after, as I have need of her for the more…’crucial’ aspects of my plan.

Upon delivery of the fully-intact corpse, however, payment shall be immediately given to you. Then you and your forces are to all vacate the school grounds immediately, so I can begin.

Then once all is done, you may come retrieve your friend, as promised.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Regina turned her back to the Horror. "Now let me out of here so that I can get you a damn body."

---

Another week later...

"At Beacon"

After Binky was taken to questioning, the Beckoners discussed privately for an entire day. The angelic Beckoner then appeared before Alicia, and informed her that they have accepted Binky's offer, and ordered her to bring Binky under Beacon's protection. Sylvia oversaw the construction of a private magical workshop in a hidden location, where Binky was given access to all the tools and materials she required to produce Red Coins.
"It seems the Beckoners want to make these strange new coins using that poor girl," she told Alicia at lunch break. "Not that I'm going to question them. At least she has a real home here. Isn't that right, Kimble?" She petted the catgirl, who sat on the floor next to them, ruffling her cat ears, to which she purred in response. "It's been quiet though, and that worries me. Sally's also lost some of her energy." She glanced at Sally, who was playing baccarat with Janet. "She told me that some Beacon girls had been brainwashed by a pair called 'The Bates'. A fortnight of combing the city, and still not trace of them..." She muttered, and chugged down a big cup of cocoa. "Anyway, I guess we-" she was interrupted by a messenger girl, whose whisper in her ear caused her to gasp.

"A New Challenger Arrives"

On top of one of the larger buildings in Penrose, looking down over the streets, stood five individuals. Two twins stood by talking to one another and pointing out details of the scenery, the latter’s birds currently telling her the results of their scouting mission. One body stood glaring down at cars and such while holding her head beneath her armpit in lack of other places, magic energy rising like smoke from her severed neck. A winged, scaled monster girl stood grumbling next to their leader. Said leader was a glowing blue being floating in mid-air, electricity surging through her constantly and occasionally zapping off her. She wasn’t even bothering to notice said out-of-control electricity, merely let it be.

‘We should currently be safe from attacks,’ the pink-haired one of the twins turned and told their leader, who simply nodded. They were pretty exposed here, but there was a matter of showing that they were not afraid.

‘Beatrice,’ the blue monster-girl told. The winger monster-girl turned to stare at her with a little smirk. ‘Is your spell ready?’

‘Prepared as you wanted it, ma’am,’ Beatrice chuckled a bit. ‘It’s gonna take all my potential with Sound-magic, but I’ll do it. Just say the word, and I’ll have your voice echoing throughout the streets at a steady volume for a large distance in all directions. Those who don’t hear it will hear about it soon enough. I’m ready when you are.’

‘Ueh-heh-heh, time to fight for our lives. Are we ready for this?’ the head carried by its body asked, sounding partly excited and partly apprehensive.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ the leader said, turning her head to look at the four individuals gathered to their left. Locals that they had contacted ahead of time, gathered because they seemed to be in hiding and had something to gain from their cooperation. ‘You are all agreeing to this by the terms laid out?’

‘Keh-heh!’ laughed a little witch in purple and blue clothing with a small round creature flying by her head. ‘I get to open my magical store of gizmos and fortune telling, and you protect me when I’m in danger? In exchange for some help occasionally? Sounds good to me~!’

‘Hmm-mm,’ a smiling girl in white, blue and pink flashy uniform carrying a golden staff and a wand made a little noise. ‘Help me find what I’m looking for, and the Walker family will provide some manner of aid, which will hopefully be of use to you,’ she agreed.

‘I, uh…’ stammered a girl usually sure of herself, a monster-girl with red dragon-scales along her indecently clad body, small magic engines attached to her limbs, shoulders and horns. ‘… I’ve had to live in the dark to avoid Beacon long enough. Protect me from them, and I’m on your side.’

Fourth stood a quiet, blue clad girl with green hair, and behind her stood a gargantuan horned monster on two legs, awaiting her commands. She looked forth, and confirmed. ‘Darkness grows, beyond our sights. Promise me you will help deal with them, and I will help deal with your foes in turn.’

The blue electric leader nodded to them, confirming that what they asked for will be looked into, and then turned to face out towards the city.

‘Beatrice, begin,’ their electric blue leader told, as she began drifting out to stand at the edge of the building. Beatrice flexed her wings and then clasped her hands together, channeling a powerful spell. The leader waited until the spell touched her body, surging through her, before she yelled out. Her voice carried across the city, any wake being of the magical world would surely hear her, while any normal person would dismiss it immediately for something natural. Cindy Ford spoke.

Cindy Ford

‘Magical denizens of Penrose!’

‘I am Cindy Ford, champion of the Thunderbird. I hereby designate myself as the ruler of this city.’

‘If you wish to contest my claim, then face me in combat. In absence of such, I will assume rule has been deferred to me.’

‘As ruler, I will hold sway of how this city is run. I will wish to know who lives in my city, and be quick to rally those I need in times of peril. If you cause trouble in my city, then it will be within my right to banish you from these lands, with punishment should you return.’

‘If you wish to support me, then I welcome you to contact me. Standing atop Penrose Town Hall will be seen as seeking an audience with me. Those who join me will be under my protection, and I shall wreak havoc upon those who threaten my vassals.’

‘I do not intend to interfere in the lives of Magical Girls. Your personal goals and lives are your own. Live as you have, it is your city. However, I require you to acknowledge that I am your ruler, and act accordingly when I appear before you or demand something of you.’

‘That is all.’

… With that, the spell of sound faded, and Cindy drifted back to her companions. The call had been made. It was now a matter to see how people would respond to it.

[Shifter_Master]

&

-During the first week-
_{-Dealing in the Dark-}

Penny checked the time on her phone again before she snapped it shut and sighed. She was currently at Penrose park, sealed up and sitting on a bench that overlooked the pond closer to the center of the Park. Nervously awaiting the meeting she had set up with Olympia. It hadn't seemed like it would be this nerve wracking a few days ago, when she set it up during a lax patrol she had filled in for the Beacon.

She opened her phone again to check the time, again, noting that it had only been a minute since she last checked, thus she was still a few minutes early to the meeting. Once again she snapped it shut and shoved in her pocket. She tried taking a few deep breaths to try and calm her nerves and it would work until she remembered why she was here.

Hunting Thalia. The runaway fox girls name still tore her up inside, but she was moving past it. Penny couldn't tell why, exactly, she was looking for Thalia. Closure perhaps, revenge maybe, she just felt she needed too, even though she had no idea how she would react to meeting her old friend again.

Phone check again, another minuet had passed, and it away it would go again.

After a couple more minutes passed, emerged into the lamplight of the park, originally obscured by the mantle of night. She was short, wearing what appeared to be the school uniform of a local establishment, over the top of which was a red jumper, flanked by a pinkish red backpack. Shoulder length, brown hair fell across her face as she approached the bench Penny sat on, her eyes casually, and somewhat purposefully, flicking across the darkness, scanning the park around them.

As she approached, she pulled out a pocket watch from the jumper, and pushed in the button on the top, allowing the metal casing to flip up and reveal the clockface. For a second she watched it tick, when, seemingly satisfied, she closed it again, and pocketed it.
"You're Penny?" she questioned, almost monosyllabically. Waiting for the response, she pulled her sleeves down over her hands, seemingly cold.

Considering Penny's nerves it was hard for her not to notice the other girl when she stepped in to the light, the girl’s appearance finally forcing Penny to calm down as she watched and took stock of the girl as she approached. She knew very little about the newspaper but had read over a few of their articles thus was more than a little curious about the types of girls that worked for them.

"Yeah, that's me" She would answer, moving so that there was room on the bench incase the other girl wanted to sit. "That should make you Olympia. Thanks for agreeing to meet." she would go on leaning back in to the bench as she spoke.

"You work with Beacon..." she responded, seemingly ignoring her comment, while looking Penny up and down, "And you're a Monster Girl. You're a Monster Girl, working with Beacon." their eyes locked as Olympia repeated her words, carefully selecting and speaking them, as though testing them out in some fashion, "You're a very strong Magical Girl, who was involved in both the Justine Incident, and, just a few days ago, the Stadium Assault."

Olympia's eyes flittered to the space on the bench, and she moved to sit - removing the backpack and gingerly smoothing out her jumper and skirt before she sat.
"You're one of the strongest girls I've seen." she said, simply, unfurling the top of the backpack, exposing a large amount of documents. Some appeared to be school books, while others were kept in various binders, kept neatly stacked and organised, "You must get tired, being connected with so many threads in Penrose." Even with a joke, the girls face remained neutral, almost weirdly so, "You want to to talk about the Vixen... do you have information, or do you want it?"

Penny wasn't surprised that Olympia knew about her, she had been talked about in one of the P.I. articles after all, but she was bemused at the oddly specific way the other girl was talking. That didn't stop her from snorting at the attempted joke though, as she did seem to be wrapped up in everyone else’s business.

Everything else was noted, but didn't seem to stand out to the monstergirl.

"I'm looking for information..." Penny would reply after a moment "And I might have a little bit of information about them, but no proof if I'm right" She would add shrugging away the odd way that Olympia talked, figuring it had something to to with the girls magic, something that Penny was never going to understand. "I'm trying to... Hunt her down. Anything that will help is apprecated."

"Hunt..?" Olympia asked, tilting her head slightly to the side as she said it, looking at Penny offhandedly in her peripherals, "You want to hunt the Vixen?" she reached into her bag, lifting one of the smaller binders out from its flap. With it removed, she shifted to keep the documents inside hidden, and flipped through a couple pages.

"I have..." she reached into her sweaters left pocket and removed a small recording device, and switched it on, "...some information regarding it. I have permission from the Boss to give it to you." Olympia briefly scanned a page she has stopped at, then flicked her eyes towards Penny, "But... Only if you can give her something as useful. I want to know what you know first."

"Yeah, she's been killing Beacon members and they are my allies" Penny would explain at the obvious questioning lilt to the reporters statements. "Plus if I'm right, I have unfinished business with her" And If Vixen was Thalia it was going to be a messy affair, but it was going to be that way if Penny met up with Thalia at any point from here on anyway.

The fact she had to offer up something in advance a shake of her head and a shrug of her shoulders. It was seeming like no one actually used money in the magical world except for the Mint. Never the less "Not much admittedly, at least not of who she is now, And as I said I might be wrong, but I might know who she was before she became a pyscho." Pausing a moment Penny shifted her attention to the lake before continuing "She started off as a Monstergirl, and she's not from Penrose originally. She was Patroned under a Deity, a Goddess of the Hunt by the name of Lothreen, and back then her drive was combat. I know she used to have a healing artifact and a purification one. Healing is in the shape of a flute, Purification is in the shape of a whistle, and she has a pair of dagger that were telescopic and I think the amulet she has was magical but I never asked but her magic is Beast and Fire."

She had tried to keep the hurt from her voice as she spoke, but wasn't too sure how succsseful she was. As the longer she went on about Thalia the more memories that would float to the surface. She stayed silent after she was done speaking for a few moments just focusing on breathing. "That's most of what I know about who she used to be. It going to be enough?" she would ask once she was sure she had pushed down the hurt again.

Olympia lifted one of the pages to look at the next, leaving the conversation in an uncomfortable silence for a half minute as Penny concluded her recount, seemingly oblivios to her discordance. She then tore both pages out of the binder, and placed it on the floor, to take out a flip phone.
"Lothreen... Goddess of the Hunt..." she repeated idly, whilst typing up a series of messages with rapid speed, "I have engaged with her once. She's faster than me, possesses Fire magic, and wields a pair of clawed guantlets."

With the final word she closed the lid of the phone, and turned back to Penny.
"The trackers haven't detailed anything regarding a Deity Patron, a flute, a whistle, daggers, nor Beast magic. Though..." for the first time since the meeting had begun, Olympia displayed some kind of emotion - hesitation, "The same day as the Stadium attack she forced her way into the Overcity, and we lost track of her for a number of hours." her hesitation seemed to turn to anxiety as she looked down at the phone in her hand, "I... I... I've..."

The anxiety tunred to fear, and, suddenly, Olympia stood up, and walked a short distance away from the bench, breathing rapidly. With her arms wrapped around herself, she attempted to bring the anxiety under the control, still constantly glancing at the phone.
"I-I... need the Boss to confirm if any of that is useful..." awkwardly she turned back, still hugged into herself, "How did... you know this person? Describe her."

"The gauntlet's are new" Penny would comment as she watched Olympia have a minor freak out "So is the Shift, sounds like she might have changed Patron's."

"Back when I knew her, If it is her, she was my friend, one of my closest ones. She looked to be young, she had a bundle of tails, whiskers and a pair of fox ears." As she spoke Penny would stand and surveying the surroundings, it would be just her luck for them to get attacked right about now "She was a Kitsune. Her fur tended to be black or at least dark. We used to go hunting together, even split a lair for a bit."

"She's got a full transformation as well, only saw it once, It's a massive canine covered in flames, though with her beast magic I wouldn't be surprised if she can change it." It was hard for Penny not to recall Thalia's Demon, considering what it told Penny about her friend, shortly before her heart was broken.

Shaking her head to clear it of old thoughts she took a step towards Olympia still clearly watching out for whatever might be in the darkness "Also, feel free to transform if it will help you feel better" Penny offered to the other girl, feeling tempted to drop her disguise as well "We can also have this conversation on the move if you want."

Olympia eyed her informant warily. Her gaze flickered between Penny and the lake, then back to the phone, and back again to Penny a number of times before she dropped her arms to her sides with a shaky, seemingly rattled sigh. After a cautionary moment, watching for Penny's sincerity, she dropped the disguise. There was no transformation sequence - no catchphrase, or glittering lights - as she did so, and before even a second had passed, standing there was a hooded, tanned skinned girl. The shoulder length brown hair shifted to white, and a metal tail extended from her back, but most notable was her arms. Halfway down her upper arm on both sides, they widened utf into a series of metal connectors, leaving the rest and her hands replaced with giant metal fists. This was a Monster Girl.

"I can't confirm if the person you knew, and the Vixen, are one in the same." Olympia replied, with slightly more emotion in her words than before; her fight or flight response appeared to be wearing off, though a slight reddening to her face remained, "What was her name? If the trackers get caught up in a fight with her it may help to calm her, or drive her away."

Penny would tilt her head to the side upon the reveal "Huh..." she would say before following suit and shedding her disguise as well with her traditional flash of lightning and screech of torn metal. "Can honestly say I didn't see that coming" Rocking back on her heels she would take another moment to once again look over Olympia gauging her again with this new piece of information, before shrugging.

"And I'm not sure I want to give her name away." Penny would answer after thinking over the question "I'm hunting Vixen down to try and confirm if they are the same person, I don't want her to get a blamed for Vixen's actions if they are different people. I can give you my number though" Penny would offer crossing her arms over stomach as she spoke "To pass off to the trackers. In case they want to call for back up, or if they have a potential sighting."

Between the sound of Penny dropping her disguise, and her reply, the phone in Olympia's hand buzzed, and released a small ringtone. The bleeps ran in sequence, filling the empty space of the park. When before she was racked with anxiety at the phone, this time she casually opened her giant hand, and let her tail flick out and open the lid.
"'The Metamorphosis is interesting, as is the possible secondary magic type and Deity Patron. But we have no interest in engaging The Vixen in direct combat. I need more than this.'"

The metal tail quickly flipped the lid closed, and then wrapped around it to keep it out of the way.
"The Boss doesn't normally ask for favours in kind. She... believes in the truth being available for free; that's why she published the Janet Howell Trial so soon after its conclusion. Which means... She thinks this information is valuable somehow..." as she spoke, a kind of confusion washed over her as she reread the two documents in her hand, "I can give you this now, but... She will call upon a favour from you in the future. Do you accept these terms?"

Penny's gaze was drawn to the metal tail, and she openly watched how it moved while Olympia used it to manipulate her phone.

The robotic girl also had no surprise at all when she was offered a deal, it would make the Independant the fifth group Penny now had ties to "Sure" she would reply with a shrug "So long as it doesn't go against my established allies."

Without an emotional tick or response, Olympia took a step forward, with her gauntlet outstretched, for Penny to take the documents. Taking things at face value might have been the sign of foolishness in some circles, but for the Independant, one's word was all anyone had. When Penny had taken it, she took a step back.
"We don't have much. Her lair location's are unknown, since she tends to relocate within a week, if not a couple of days."

While Penny read, Olympia went about setting up to leave. She put her disguise back up, sorted her documents back into her backpack, sent a quick text message, and picked up the recorder from the bench.
"The notes also have the locations of her different attacks, most of which have been cleaned up, but there are a few more recent that our team has kept near enough pristine. And..." she quickly glanced up at Penny's robotic form, which stood vastly taller than her, "I've... Seen her first hand, so... What you described? I... Can't speak for much, but that's what she looks like. Lots of tails, with burnt black fur."

Not only did Penny skim over the documents as Olympia packed up to leave, she also took silent photocopies of the documents. She knew it would take a bit of time to fully scour the information she had been handed, but hopefully it would give her a lead.

"I'll admit I hope they aren’t the same person" Penny would reply as she looked back at Olympia "If they are, you'll likely hear about the aftermath on the news, as she's not the only one with a Metamorph" shaking her head Penny pocketed the documents.

"Regardless, thanks for the info" she would wave before turning to leave "Catch ya round"

"Uh... Penny?" Olympia said as she turned to leave, "If... if she really is your friend, then..." she shifted uncomfortably on the spot, finding the words awkward and painful to say, "Th-then... I'm sorry..." and as she finished, she turned and scurried off into the darkness.

"Same here" Penny would whisper to herself as she started her trek home, she had a computer to finish and things to read.

[Flamelord]

&

-During the first week-
_{-Shopping trip-}

A couple of days had passed since the attack at the stadium as well as the Cathedral, and life continued on much as it normally did. Alicia had been busy with Beacon work, when she wasn't helping Janet integrate back into society after her extended absence, or when she wasn't busy with her schoolwork. They might not have the end of the world to worry about, but things were rarely sedate.

Still, she had found some time to carve out of her schedule to relax, and remove the stress that being a Seraph meant. She had chosen to spend it with Penny, partially because she felt bad with her previous distractions taking all her time, and because Penny had mentioned wanting to do something like that earlier. It sounded like it could be a lot of fun.

So she'd arranged for them to spend the afternoon hanging out,and agreed upon a time to meet. It was a mall, near downtown without being a super popular spot that swarmed with people all the time. In spite of that there would be plenty for them to do and look at, which made it the perfect candidate when she was thinking of locales.

At the moment Alicia was waiting for Penny to arrive, occasionally glancing at her phone for a text as she meandered in a slow circle around the children's playground near the front of the mall. Her hair was combed back, and she wore jeans as well as a floral themed t shirt. It was near the agre upon time, she was just waiting for Penny to show up. Hopefully nothing had come up since they had last talked.

Penny was currently running a bit late as finding a place to pull on her disguise had taken more time then she had thought it would. Still it wasn't long till she was seen rushing down the street towards the mall. To those not in the know it seemed like she was making a mad sprint to the building, but in fact Penny was making sure not to run all out as even in her sealed state she was far faster and stronger then one would expect of a teen girl.

"I'm here, I'm here" She called to Alicia when she caught sight of her friend slowing down to a more sedate pace as she covered the last stretch "Sorry, finding a place to park took longer then expected." She explained scratching behind her ear sheepishly "Hope you weren't waiting too long?"

Penny, for her part, was dressed in a tight fitting Nightwish band t-shirt with a pair of baggy cargo pants and her ever present jacket, though it was currently tied around her waist, and her hair was pulled back in a simple braid which still came down to her lower back.

Alicia turned as she caught Penny's call, a smile breaking across her face as she waved to her friend. She didn't mind that she was a tiny bit late, especially with her professed Virtue encouraging her to do so. What was a few minutes in the grand scheme of things? Certainly nothing to hold against her.

"Hey," she said as Penny came to a stop, quickly accepting the apology as it was offered. "You're fine, I haven't been here that long." She could imagine the difficulties that her friend had when it came to parking. Monster girls had things rougher in that regard, though not incredibly so given the other aspects of their condition. Or Penny's condition at least, from what she knew of her friend.

Having greeted her friend, Alicia turned and began guiding them into the mall at a slow walk, not in a hurry to get anywhere in particular. "So, did you think about where you want to go first?" she asked, glancing over at her companion at the same time. "Remember, I want us to go to at least one other place before going near any hardware stores." She felt it was needed, what with Penny's preference for machinery.

"No problem, I don't have any personal projects planned at the moment any way" Penny would reply as she followed her friend in to the mall, her hands in her jacket pockets. While she had become something of a gear head as of late alot of that had to do with Penny learning to get comfortable in her skin again, as with each custimization she made her body felt more like hers rather then one she suddenly woke up in.

"And as much as I might regret this, I do need to pick up some more clothes, these are some of my only good ones at the moment." Penny was never sure how it worked out but for what ever reason any damage she took in battle had a decent chance of effecting what she was wearing in her disguised form the next time she pulled it on, everything save the jacket at any rate. It seemed nearly as hard to damage as Penny herself was. Thus she tended to go through shirts rather quickly.

"Anywhere you want to checkout while we are here" She would ask giving a sideways glance at Alicia "It's more your day off then mine"

Leading her friend past the childrens playground and into the air conditioned mall proper, they would soon find themselves passing store fronts and booths in the middle of the path. They sold the typical things - jewelry, cell phone contracts, that sort of thing. Nothing particularly worth looking at, even for her.

"Clothes it is then," Alicia agreed without hesitation, flashing a smile at the same time. This might be her time off, but just spending it with others was good enough for her. Though of course she also had her own preferences. "Well, I was thinking of checking out the music store, see if they had any interesting CD's."

Taking a left at the first of the main plaza areas, she took them towards the end of that hallway, where a Macy's waited for them. They could get plenty of clothes shopping done there.

At odds with how Alicia walked through the Mall Penny's gaze seemed to be pulled to every shop as they walked by it. Though nothing really caught Penny's interest, she had always been something of a windowshopper.

"I could likely get you the MP3s if you wanted" The taller girl offered as they walked in to the Macy's. "Wouldn't be too hard" Out of old habit Penny would end up heading towards the guy's section of the clothes befroe she started to browse around for the more thrifty price options.

"Online piracy? That doesn't sound very heroic of us," Alicia noted, warm expression shifting towards something closer to a joking smirk. She didn't really mind all that much, though it was more a matter of finding something that she wanted than acquiring it. Actually coming into possession of stuff was fairly easy, as a perk of being a magical girl.

Entering the store, she hummed along to the in store audio track as she followed along towards the guys section. Eying some of the options that Penny chose, as well as some that caught her own eye, she wasn't surprised by the more discount oriented narture of what was picked. "Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with a bit of a tattered aesthetic, especially if the clothes are just going to get ruined anyway," she noted idly. She might not be a fashionista, but she could provide advice if needed.

"Hey Jack Sparrow and Sinbad are both heroic pirates" Penny would reply with a small grin as she started to pick out a few shirts that she liked and fit her limited budget. "And I swear it's Laat messing with me, not met anyone else that has the same issue as I do with thier wardrobe" She would explain before shaking her head in exasperation. She had no proof and no way of getting other then asking the destructive deity, but the concept made sense to her if nothing else.

"That reminds me, I still owe you an explaination don't I" She would say after a moment, recalling the text sent months ago

Alicia shrugged in turn to that. "For given values of heroic I suppose." She couldn't much argue with it being a result of her patron though. Nobody in Beacon had that sort of problem, as far as she was aware. One had to wonder why Laat did that sort of thing, aside from an arbitrary nature.

Penny's sudden shift in topic earned a confused look from Alicia, the magical girl not making the leap to the text that had been sent so long ago. A lot of stuff had happened since then after all. "An explanation for what?"

"My insanity I supose" Penny would reply before she noticed incomprehension on Alicia face "Remember the incident at the old car garage a couple months back?" Penny would supply hoping to be able remind her friend without having to explain it "I sent you a text afterwards offering to explain why I freaked out"

Penny wasn't all that suprised that Alicia had forgotten in all honesty. Alot of things had happened since then. Still the blunette always strived to keep her word, even more since she had gotten drafted in to Laat's service.

Alicia blinked, looking on in continued confusion for a few moments longer before her jogged memory finally clicked. "Oh right, that." She flashed Penny an apologetic wince, now that she rememebered what it was that they needed to discuss. To be honest she had gotten over that, or just forgotten about it some time ago. It was a minor thing compared to the struggle against Justine and the imminent end of the world.

"Well, if you want to talk about that now we can, or I don't mind waiting until we're done shopping," Alicia offered. holding on to some of the cllothes that they picked out. It wasn't like it was urgent anymore, after so long.

Penny mused over Alicia offer for a bit as she gathered up her own choices. She was tempted to take the offer to wait, as it would be easy to let the conversation drift to diffrent topics and 'forget' to bring it up again. "Thats..." She sighed before continuing on "I'll give you the cliff notes now at least"

"Main thing to understand is the fact that I need to break things and those things don't have to be physical things. Silence, peace, agrements all of them are just as tempting as stone and steel." As Penny spoke she kept her attention away from Alicia. Both out of fear of how her friend would take the information and to keep focus on what she was saying as it wasn't as easy to explain as she hoped it would be. "I tend to try and manage it by breaking smaller things, I've got a bucket of nails by at my place that I twist apart if I notice the urge starting to pick up, but it only delays it for so long. To make things more difficult my emotions tend to be more volatile when I'm not sealed so my selfcontol tends to be sloppier."

Waiting patiently, it seemed like Penny was going to let this whole thing drop for now as they began to near the end of their shopping in this particular store. So Alicia was pleasantly surprised when she spoke up again, beginning an abbreviated explanation of what had been going on.

She slowed, a hand drifting along the edge of a countertop as her friend explained her particular affliction. Pieces clicked into place, her understanding as to why the whole meeting had descended into violence starting to make a lot more sense now that she knew this. It was...unfortunate, but if it was something that she had no control over then there didn't seem to be a reason why she should unnecessarily blame her for it.

Remaining near Penny for the moment, Alicia patted her shoulder with a small nod of her head at the same time. "Ah, okay. Is that a patron thing or a monster girl thing?" As far as she was aware it could be either.

Penny didn't bother to try and conceal the warm smile that Alicia's simple acceptance caused to appear. She was just glad to have it. "For me it's both. All monster girls go a bit mad when they get turned. I just have the additional pressure of my patron to deal with as well, as one of his few rites requires I activly seek out something to break every month" She would answer with a shrug.

Alicia held back a wince, understanding the nunity between nature and patron to some degree. Not that she had to worry about the same specific issue as part of the Beacon, but they were fairly stringent about their rules, even if she might want to do otherwise.

Following along, she snagged a few things in passing while keeping up the conversation. "Still, it seems like being a monster girl has some benefits to it. You're way stronger than me, for example.' She would admit, monstrous nature aside she sometimes wished she was as strong as her friend. It would help a lot with everything they had to deal with these days.

After a moment though she moved slightly in front of Penny, offering a green sundress. "Here, let's try this one too," she added, before physically adding it to the clothes they had so far.

"True there are some perks" Penny allowed. She had the clothes she had picked out folded over her ams as she walked and talked, seemingly having made her choices for this trip "Still feel cheated out every now and then though, as my magic just straight sucks. I think I can lift ten ponds of metal and light a lightbulb at my best without cheating" she groused. It was a petty complaint and Penny knew it, still having little to show off when it came to magic would forever be a sticking point for the physically capable girl, regardless of her monstrous attributes.

Due to her grumbling about the unfairness of magic, Alicia's comment and action took a moment for Penny to process. "Wait... Try on?" she asked looking at the sundress that had been added with apprehension, hoping she had misheard.

There was no helping the deadpan look that was sent Penny's way, practically radiating disbelief. "You merged with a boat and turned into a giant robot," Alicia pointed out. "I have a bow." Having magic was nice and all, but she didn't have any tricks that could match what her friend could do.

At least their shopping was something easier to talk about, the magical girl clearly more in her element than the monster girl. "Yeah, try on. You know, wear it and see if it fits, how you look, that sort of thing." Alicia explained, probably unnecessarily, as she began guiding Penny towards one of the dressing rooms near the middle of the store so they could test out what they had selected so far.

Penny wanted to refute Alicia's statment, citing her inner monster as responsible for the robot incident, but she was currently stuck focusing on the changing rooms looming ever closer. She did at least have the grace to wince at the her friends well delivered point.

"There's.." Penny tried "But I..." A few times in fact "We don't..." to dissuade Alicia from heading to the dressing rooms, but couldn't even get past the first words due to her scrambled nerves. The thought of running breifly crossed her mind, but before she could fully work through it they had arrived at the the dreaded location.

in the back of Penny's mind she couldn't help but think 'I knew I was going to regret this'

Ignoring the halfhearted attempts to prove her wrong, they soon arrived at their destination. Alicia made sure that Penny was in front of her the entire time, with no room to run off before they got there. Fortunately it wasn't necessary.

She took the moment to take the pile of clothes from Penny, leaving her with the green sundress as her first item. "Go on," she said, nudging the monster girl into the dressing room. "Try it. I'll be waiting right here for you." It was....mostly sincere. Depending on how long Penny took she might need to find something else to occupy her time.

Penny walked towards the closed off room with great reluctance, but she did walk there without any further prompting from Alicia. Once she was in the dressing room and had locked the door, she spent a few long moments just stairing at the dress in her arms.

Letting out a loud sigh, Penny went about changing in to the sundress, pointedly ignoring the mirror as she did. She had a sinking suspicion that her friend would not let her leave without trying something on. Thus she figured that it was best if she just try to get it over and done with quickly, and hopfully never have to do this again.

Thus it didn't take as long as Alicia had feared for Penny to get changed, though it still took longer then most people would have for a such a simple outfit change. Still, despite her steeling her nerves, she exited the dressing room very timidly, a blush easily visable on her face dispite the fact she refused to lift her gaze from the floor.

The sundress, while it wasn't as tight fitting as the band shirt Penny had been wearing, was still rather flattering considering the mosnter girls rather curvy physique, shapely legs and rather pale skin tone. That wouldn't be much of a suprise to Alicia, seeing as it was realatively unchanged from when Penny was in her true form. The real suprise due to the sundress would have much more to do with the various tattos that Penny had across her body, most of which were normally hidden by her regular outfit's and jacket.

"How.. How do I look?" Penny would ask after a moment. Trying, and failing, to keep the nervousness out of her voice as she waited for Alicia's reaction.

When Penny exited the room she would find that Alicia was waiting there for her, just as she had promised. Which didn't mean she had dine nothing, as a keen eye would notice a few more items added to the small pile of clothes. It had to have been her, since they didn't match the baggy, concealing nature of what Pennty had chosen thus far.

Fingers idly drummed on her upper arm as her gaze drifted over the monster girl, assessing how she looked in the dress that had been selected for her. It worked really well, in fact. Not that she was entirely surprised, having seen what Penny looked like beneath all the baggy clothes, but at least it lined up with her mental image. To that, she gave a firm and visible thumbs up.

"You look good," she assured her confidently as she took a step forward, albeit leaving her with some personal space still. The blush was cute as well, but she refrained from saying anything about that for now. "See, that wasn't so bad was it? Also I like the tattoos. I don't think I've seen those before."

"They're another quirk" She would reply focusing on the chain tatto on her left arm in an attempt to get her blush under control, which had flared up due to Alicia's compliment. "Each one showed up after a modification I made." She would explain noteably more at easy in regards to them then to her outfit.

"You were there when I got the ones on my legs done" Penny would add shifting her weight to better show off the elegent wing like design running up one of her legs. "Didn't know about it happeneing at first, but they've been helpful" she admitted tracing the chain on her arm with her fingers.

Alicia leaned closer, examining the tattoo that seemed to be a bit more visible than the others. "The hover implants?" she observed, figuring that was the most likely explanation. As far as Patron things went it wasn't the worst perk that one could be stuck with, though it might make appearance awkward.

"Still, that's pretty neat," she concluded, stepping back. "At least you don't have to worry about going to school or that sort of thing. That would be more difficult to deal with." Dress codes would be a pain and they might not be a fan of tattoos in all likelihood. Having said that, she passed over a few more items. Specifically a skirt, long sleeve shirt, and a lace jacket to go wirth it. Something a bit more formal, but there was no harm in trying to look fashionable.

"Yup" Penny would confirm with a nod before chuckling "Very true, Thankfully I've no desire to go back to school. Going through Collage was enough for me" She would reply displaying an exaggerated grimace at the thought of going to back to school.

Her sholders would slump when Alicia handed over the next set of clothes "Do I want to know how many more outfits you're going to have me try on?" she asked taking the bundel with a sigh of resignation, casting a weary look at the skirt as she did.

Leaving the commentary about having to continue in schooling Alicia shot her friend a warm look, even as Penny seemed to sag beneath the metaphorical weiight of the additional clothing that she was being handed. She probably didn't care all that much, considering what she had said about how her clothing got destroyed so easily, but it couldn't hurt to try, right?

"Just a few more," Alicia assured Penny. "I noticed that you seem to wear the same sort of clothes, so I figured we could vary it up a bit. If that's alright with you?" She shot her friend a quizzical look, waiting for an answer.

"Cheap clothes tend to be the same" Penny would lie, still eyeing the skirt as she did, as trying to explain that she wasn't comfortable with her body because she spent most of her life as a guy didn't seem like an appealing topic to bring up.

"And yeah it should be fine, not sure how much I'll be able to get though" Once again she would lie, though it would be a smaller lie then her first one. She would be able to deal with playing dress up, but saying it would be fine was pushing the definition of the word. Though she couldn't tell if she was more nervous or mortified at the fact she was going to be modeling for Alicia.

"Back in a moment" Penny would excuse herself using the new set of clothes to try on as the reason. leaving the light user alone with her thoughts for a bit as it would take Penny longer then it had the first time to change in to the more formal outfit, but once again when she exited she would be blushing and staring at the ground.

Accepting the explanation, Alicia remained pleased that Penny was willing to go along with what she wanted. Though she didn't seem incredibly eager for it, it was something that they could spend their time on. And she had to admit that she was just a bit curious as to what her friend would end up looking like in the new clothing.

She was left wondering for a bit longer than last time, but the wait was no deterrrent as Penny soon emerged. That earned a grin, Alicia closing the distance to take her friends hands in her own, holding them warmly. "Hey, you look great," she assured the blue haired girl with a smile. "It shows off a different side of you, a good side."

Penny's head snapped up when Alicia took her hands in theirs, thus couldn't avoid looking at Alicia as she gently complimented her. This caused Penny's blush to become bright enough that it would likely still be visable if all the power suddenly went out.

Unable to maintain eye contant for long Penny quickly diverted her gaze once agin to the floor."T-t-Thank you..." she would stammer out quietly. Unable to add anything else due to her brain resembling mush at the moment.

Sadly the moment wouldn't last, as just after the stammering reply a pair of wolfwhistles could be heard not to far from the two girls. Turning to look, the source of the whistles would be found to be a couple of teen boys standing not far away rather obviously checking out Alicia and Penny. "Hey does heaven know that it's missing a pair of angels?" One of them would call out removing any doubt about their reasons for interupting.

It was good to see that Penny appreciated the compliment, even if hadn't entirely expected just how deep her reaction would be. That blush was cute, especially with how she was currently dressed. This alone made her initiative worth it, as far as she was concerned.

But it didn't last, and she looked over at the sound of whistling to see just who was trying to draw their attention. The pickup line wasn't much better to be honest, though it was incredibly fitting for reasons they couldn't possibly know. And to be honest, she wasn't entirely opposed to the attention. It was refreshing, especially since she had been so busy with magical girl business and that sort of thing wasn't as important. But it wasn't like she had been really old when she became a magical girl, so what was the harm in enjoying herself a bit?

She couldn't help but giggle a bit, facing the duo with a less intimiate smile on display. "Please, stop lying and tell us what you really think," she replied, curious to see just what they were willling to try to get their interest next.

Penny was decidely less enthused by the interuption, but was slow to respond as she was kick starting her brain again. Afterwards Alicia would be able to hear a groan of annoyance from the girl behind her and a grumbled "Great just what I wanted..." and would miss the thoroughly unimpressed look Penny was giving the teens.

The two boys, bolstered by the mostly friendly reception, moved closer to the two girls "You wound me!" one would claim dramaticly clutching a hand to his chest, before getting smacked in the back of the head by his friend.

"Please, feel free to ignore my friend here, his IQ tends to drop in the presence of beautful women-" "Oi" "-Not that he can be blamed with you two in the area" The taller of the two would say flashing a relaxed grin as he did "Names Keven, and class clown here is-"

"Jason" Said teen would interrupt "And if there is anything I can do to you-" another smack to the back of the head would interupt him.

"Sorry about him" Keven would say "How about I treat you two to lunch? To make up for it?"

Well, Jason and Keven certainly made for quite the comedic duo, even if the routine was unintended rather than a conscious plan. Alicia was finding herself taking a shine to Keven, though it was hard to say for certain when she'd met him all of thirty seconds ago. But there didn't seem to be anty harm in adjusting their plan a bit.

"I appreciate the offer Keven," she agreed with a nod before looking to her companion. This was to spend time with her friend after all, so if Penny didn't want to then she was more likely to listen to her rather than forcing her to go through with it anyway. "What do you say?"

Penny's first instinct was to shut them down, hard, and were she alone she would have. That Alicia was also here had the monstergirl biting her tounge at that option.With a sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed the surge of jealousy down, so she could try and think clearly.

"If you want too" She would say to Alicia, though not without reluctance "I've got the time to spare" Public outing always had to be measured against how long Penny could hold her sealed state, which was about four hours optimally.

Keven and Jason shared a quick look of triumph at that declaration. Penny would just shake her head "Give me a sec to change" she would add before heading back to the dressing room to do just that.

"Sooo" Jason would say shortly after Penny left "Mind if I ask your name? Or should I just keep calling you beautiful?"

"I guess we will then." Alicia decided, giving Penny a warm and thankful smile as she agreed. She knew it wasn't what they had initially been planning to do, but you had to take opportunities like these when they arose. There couldn't be much harm in it, especially since they were offering to buy lunch.

She nodded as Penny dismissed herself to change, before turning to the duo. She didn't expect it would take too long, though she wouldn't have been surprised if she wasn't particularly urgent in getting back in the clothes she had come in. Particularly since she hadn't looked too thrilled about this when she left.

Jason was well recieved as the dark haired girl shook her head. "I'm Alicia," she replied, before asking a question of her own. "So what brought you two out here today?"

"Browsing and gift hunting" Jason would reply with a smile "My lilttle sis has a birthday coming up" He would explain with a shrug. "Otherwise not much, what about you and your friend?"

Over in the dressing room Penny was stalling a bit, just not for the reason Alicia might have thought. The nonhuman was taking a moment to examin her reflection, trying to see what it was her friend saw, the image of that smile lingering as she did.

Letting out a sigh, Penny had a pretty good idea what was going on in her head, but couldn't help but feel the timing could have been better. Shoving aside those thoughts she quckly got changed back in to her own clothes, but couldn't help but give her reflection another once over before she left. She could see the diffrences but both seemed weird to her if she really thought about it.

With a shrug she walked out, but rather then putting on her jacket she tied it around her waist, after all it was a rather warm for her to be wearing it.

Well now, that was nice to hear. Though it seemed that Jason was making the most of his time out even if he was doing a bit more than gift hunting. "Girl's day out," she explained in turn, glancing back at the dressing room. "I've been pretty busy the past couple weeks, so we figured we could just hang out for a bit and catch up."

It was at about that time that Penny returned, Alicia shifting to stand beside her friend now that they were ready to get going. "Okay, well let's buy these and then we can see what this place has in the way of food,' she offered, making sure that everyone was agreed on their course of action before heading towards the front to do just that.

With that the four of them would venture towards the checkout, during which Penny would give her name as well, and Due to the shirt she was wearing music came up a topic to toss back and forth as the girls payed for their choices.

"Learned about them recently, always been a fan of Metal and Rock, so they are right up my ally." Penny would say.

"Jazz is my music of choice" would be Keven's addition.

"And I'm going to look like the odd one out due to Pop arn't I?" Query Jason with a sigh.

"Classical, though I do admit a soft spot for acapella and some soft rock," Alicia chimed in, providing her opinion in music. It was hardly an area of expertise, but she enjoyed listening to the radio like anyone else.

There was a minor suprise at the checkout as while Penny didn't keep the sundress she did chose to keep the last outfit she had tried on, but otherwise there was simple banter between them all, as hobbies were brought up as they made their way to the food court.

While slightly disappointed that Penny didn't keep the sundress, Alicia made no issue of it as she purchased the rest. She could understand why with the tattoos after all, probably didn't want to draw attention to those. Moving along with the others, she was avid member of the conversation as they headed to the food court

Upon arriving, they would find that there were some people there, but also plenty of open tables to sit at. There was also a wide variety of food, even if it was mostly fast food chains to pick from. There were sit down restaurants in the mall, but that seemed a bit much.

"Hm, what do you say Penny?" she asked, a hand resting on her hip as she eyed the various options. "I'm thinking sub sandwiches myself."

As much as Penny would loath to admit it, she was enjoying this impromtu addition to the days plans. So much of her life had been consumed by the magical, that she had forgotten what being normal was like and it was relaxing to be able to snark and joke around again, and it showed in the way Penny carried herself. It was more carefree then she had been in a long time.

"Ooh, that does sound good" Penny would agree as she looked out across the variety of food options "Better then my idea as well" She would joke as they headed towards the sub-shop.

"I'm gonna grab a slice of Pizza" Jason would say before moving to break off from the group "Want me to grab you one as well Kev?"
"Sure Pep please"
"You got it"

"Your greasey temptations shall not sway me from my salad sandwich" Penny would call out as she stepped in to line to order.

"So, where do you two go to school?" Keven would ask shortly after Jason left.

Penny in agreement, Alicia slipped into the line for food with the others, though Jason broke off to head to pizza instead. Not a bad idea, but she'd had pizza recently and wasn't as much in the mood for it, hence her curent choice.

She glanced over as Jason posed another question. "North Lincoln High School," she offered, being truthful in that case though she didn't know what Penny was going to say. But she wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being a lie of some sort. The line shuffled forward, her gaze perusing the menu as she decided upon what she wanted

"I'm homeschooled by my dad" Penny would reply offhandedly as she prused the menu, and as had been assumed she was lying.

"What about you?" she asked, keeping the conversation going as they neared the front of the line.

"East Jordan High, It's not as imprssive as it sounds" he would answer with a shrug, East jordan had something of a reputation due to the high volume of rich kids that went there. "Though Jason is one of the star members of the Track team" he would add glancing over towards his friend as he did.

Penny wouldn't be able to hide a flinch at that but would try and hide it by speaking up "Didn't peg him as the sports type"

Conversation was put on hold for a moment as food was ordered. Penny's sandwich was the largest club they offered with every topping and a few diffrent sauces added on top.

For her part Alicia would get a classic BLT, with a bit of ranch dressing added to it. She eyed Penny's sub with some amusement, left mostly wondering if she could even open her jaw wide enough to eat it. It would be interesting to watch either way.

Keven would add a drink to thier orders as well when he stepped to pay for everything, and afterward would lead the way to the table that Jason had snagged. "Took you guys long enough" He would pipe up grinning.

"I suppose, but at least we know there was some care put into out meals," Alicia challeenged as she sat down next to Penny, Keven sitting next to Jason as he was handed his piece of pizza. Alicia figured Penny would be more comfortable that way, which would keep things light.

"Excuses," Jason scoffed with a grin, taking a bit of his pizza now that they had arrived. A hum escaped, and having heard Penny before he made a bit of a show of eating it as well, if only to jab at her. "So what did I miss?"

"Not much, we were just talking about what we do at school," Keven replied as he dug into his pizza as well. It was close enough to the truth that the specifics didn't matter all that much. Besides, he was curious to hear what the girls would say on the subject.

So was Jason, who took the bait quite well. "Oh? And what do two classy individuals such as yourselves do in your free time?" This time he managed to dodge the chastising whack from his friend, unfortunate for both of them if that was what they enjoyed.

Alicia didn't mind the question, finishing the bit of her sub that she had started chewing before she answered. "Not much I suppose. I'm something of a tutor, and I'm in a private archery group," she offered before letting Penny take over. It wasn't like she could talk about that magical girl stuff, so what she had explained would suffice for now.

"Outside of kicking ass in MMA, I tend to build things and go wandering Penrose. Tend to have a fair amount of free time due to being home schooled, also tend to get lost easy as I've only been here a few months." Came Penny's reply, thought it was delayed a moment, as true to expectations her sandwich was a bit difficult to eat. Not that she seemed to be suffering to much hardship over it.

"Wandering?" Keven would ask interestedly

"Yeah borrow my dads truck and go for a cruise" she would explain before taking a quick bite of her food "try and find somewhere interesting, or someone." she would finish after finishing her bite of food.

"Well I coul-" "Not my type" Penny would interupt sharply, knowing fully well what was about to be said by Jason.

"What is your type then?" Jason replied a little bit indignant at the bluenette's harsh shut down.

"Girls" Penny would say blandly before taking a larger bite out of her sub.

While the small lies had been expected givne the subject of conversation, Alicia had not anticipated what came after it. An eyebrow rose slightly, interest piqued, though her surprise was overshadowed by the duo across the table, Keven breaking into a bit of a coughing fit as some of his food got lodged down the wrong pipe momentarily.

While his friend was busy recovering, Jason looked between the two of them, fingergesturing from one to the other. 'Alright, alright. That's cool. Does that mean that the two of you are..."

Alicia shook her head, though it was not particularly fervent. "No, we're just friends," she replied, flashing Penny a warm smile. What more was there to say?

Even though she knew it was coming, hearing 'Just friends' hurt. Not that she had no reason to expect anything else. It did confirm Penny's suspicions though, she was starting to crush on her angelic friend.

Still she returned the smile with one of her own "What about you two?" She would ask to keep the conversation moving, more out of polietness they true interest.

They four of them would spend a while longer chatting as they ate, but eventually they would split up back in to thier original groups, both had shopping that needed to be done after all. The rest of the day would prove to be more of the same, a relaxing day off. A rare treat for those in the magical community.

[ERode]

Sitting by a table at the back of the restaurant, Amaryllis absentmindedly stared out the window, ignoring the looks she received from other patrons, stirring a sweating glass of iced tea. With magic sealed as an avenue of mass murder, the more nefarious individuals of the magical realm within Penrose had turned to simply stabbing people instead. It was bothersome and disgusting, but it was also to be expected. A long sigh seeped between her lips, and she pulled a strand of hair behind her ear, leaning forward slightly to rest her chest against the table. Work never ended, and mundane murders only meant that it was out of her own expertise now.

Maybe she might as well just put on a cape and play as Batman? Maybe she shoulda wished for a secret base from those sisters too. And a transforming vehicle.

Amaryllis smiled. Nothing but flights of fancy. Her phone flicked out once more. She had come early to avoid a bad impression with the super sleuth girl, but it figured that she had come too early as well. And now everyone was staring. Ugh, feels bad to only purchase drinks and tell the waiters that kept gravitating towards her that she was still waiting for someone. Didn't help that other ladies were looking at her with vehemence and jealousy too. It wasn't like she was TRYING to grab their lovers' attention. Just that the last time she came to a restaurant with a 'full stealth' get up, the manager had called security on her. That had been an absolute joy. As the buxom girl stewed in her own thoughts, cutting the perfect image of a mysterious beauty waiting for a cruel lover who'd stood her up, a bowl of Caesar salad was placed by her table.

"Oh," the girl said, eyes flickering towards the waiter, "I, uh, didn't..."

"On the house, babe," the waiter (as tanned and blonde as any beach boy) winked. "Call me when you're tired of waiting."

"Uh..." Amaryllis awkwardly drifted into silence, before spooning herself some lettuce, her face only slightly screwing up with the flavor of the dressing. Man, she didn't even like salad, but it'd also be a waste of food if she just...let it sit, right? Wait, did this mean she was supposed to tip him afterwards? Actually, what the hell, he wasn't even the waiter that was assigned to her table!

...

Naturally, her eyes turned up again, in a manner that was unfortunately coquettish.

Yup, there were definitely more waiters heading in her direction, with more food items she never ordered.

As her Sword snickered in the bag she kept it in, Amaryllis simply hoped Sammy had a big appetite.
@BrokenPromise

[Card Captor]

After one week

Alexander walked into the room where his animal freeloaders lived "Alright you two, soup's-" He froze at the sight before him. "...how!? Fucking how!?" He screeched as he looked at the new occupant. "...No, no I'm done. I'm not taking in another one of you assholes!"

After two weeks

Alexander walked into the room where his animal freeloaders lived "Alright you three, soup's on." He walked over to the cage, opens it, and fills the bowels of Bob, Tim, and Dave. "Fuck my life, how do these assholes keep getting in my home?" Once his animals were taken care of, he went to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and took a seat on the couch and watched some TV.

[BrokenPromise]

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03

STR: 10 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 11 | MAG: 17 | LCK: 05

Earnings this post: Helped save some people, dispatched some witches, and held off Sammy. 1 Gold 5 Silver 3 Bronze

Total: 3 Gold, 100 Silver, 99 Bronze

So this was the big day, eh?

It felt kind of weird. There was little to no build up this time. While Justine had spent several weeks gathering up magical girls, this thing with the Bates seemed to come out of nowhere. In fact, it wasn't quite live yet. But it would happen, and it would be a messy affair.

Something was happening to Penrose. Magical girls were starting to become more cliquish. The idea of Penrose's magical community coming together as a whole was a distant one. If not for her spool, she would have doubted so many people would show up once things got out of hand.

But the one thing that She kept thinking about was Alicia. She had been using her spool of thread to look over the girl's life, trying to peace together exactly why a member of beacon would be so easy on monsters. Would she be easy on her? Could Alicia and Mac have a conversation one day?

Eh, unlikely.

B-but she would enjoy it! If it did happen. Maybe.

She actually hadn't been hitting beacon too hard this time around, had she?

And she wasn't likely to start. With a horror on the horizon, they all needed to band together to kick its ass.

---

There are two types of people: those that arrive early and those who arrive late. The ones who arrive early crave obedience and order in their lives. Those that arrive late are usually more whimsical and free spirited. The reason why there are no third types of people is because it's very difficult to arrive directly on time for anything. Some people would say that the act of trying to arrive right on time would land you in the latter category, as most people would assume you were late if you didn't set some time aside just in case you ran into something unexpected. Also worth noting, the same types of characteristics can be gained from looking at cat and dog people. Dogs are obedient pack animals, while cats tend to do their own thing.

Sammy was a cat person.

”Just in time!” Sammy burst into the restaurant wearing a rather adorable uniform. ”Now all I have to do is make a few deductions!” Sammy had never actually seen Amaryllis out of costume, so she'd have to run around calling out her name to get her attention. But that sort of thing was far below her status as a detective. This was a test of her detectives skills. A warm up before tackling a real case.

A waiter approached her. ”Hey miss! Are you looking for your mom and dad?”

”Absolutely not! A supah sleuth like me doesn't need clues to find those types of missing people! I'm looking for a different mark.” Sammy scanned her surroundings. The knight of rose shouldn't be hard to find. Almost all magical girls were between the age of 7 and 16, and there were very few woman in that age group seated here at this hour. Fewer still that had come without adults. She couldn't rule out groups of girls, as the knight could have come with friends. But such groups weren't present. ”Alright, I need at thick book. You will fetch it for me.”

”Eh?” The waiter was curious as to what she needed the books for, but didn't ask. There was an old phone directory behind the receptionist's desk, which he promptly got. By the time he returned, he could see that Sammy was standing on a seat opposite of Amaryllis. He jogged over to the table, book in hand. ”What are you doing?”

”Yes, it's all coming together now.” Sammy surveyed the table and its single occupant. The girl drew her finger and pointed it at Amaryllis ”A girl with voluptuous curves who's eating a salad, despite meat clearly being in her diet...” She swept her hand threw the air. ”...All this food pushed to the other end of the table...” Sammy closed her eyes and placed a finger on the side of her head. ”The perfume, the smoke, the unusual look of calm on her face, and the glares of all the other patrons. There's only one thing I can deduce from all this...” Sammy threw her fists up into the air. ”All of this food is for me!”

”Hey!”

Before he could get out another word, Sammy swiped the directory out of his hand and dropped it onto the seat she was standing on. ”I'm not sure why you guys would all pitch in and try to buy me food. I mean, I'm not that cute.” She sighed. ”And if some little rascal is trying to win my heart, I'm already in a relationship.” Sammy sat down on the directory, which elevated her just enough to where she could comfortably use her utensils.

There were no words to waiter could use in this situation. His face was turning purple, as were a lot of the other waiters. They slowly backed away from the table before vanishing from sight. If Amaryllis truly wanted to be left alone, Sammy granted her peace.

”Amaryllis, you have no idea how lucky you are.” She placed her fork on a plate with a danish and dragged it closer to herself. ”You get so much attention when you're this cute. If I looked like you, maybe people would leave me alone so that I could actually get to the bottom of my case.” She started to cut the danish up with her fork and knife. ”But I suppose it's good for getting witnesses to talk. Everyone seems to let their guard down just because you're cute. Oh, and you can have some of this by the way, I'm not really even hungry.”

---

The event from 2 week ago was a mess. The Golden Trove was quickly becoming a hang out for pesky magical girls, which was putting Boteg on edge. Between Charlie's angels extended visit and the unannounced appearances from Mayra, Su felt like she had acquired a second job. Well, a third job. She always took care of Boteg and the apartment complex, now she just spent more time acting as a body guard and less time searching for Penny. Su wasn't even sure what she was going to do if she confronted Penny. Her removal was something Boteg was insistent on, but Penny had many allies, and Su risked angering any number of them. And aside from Su's well being, Mika had been feeling down recently ever since meeting Lupa. She had really come around from two weeks ago, thanks in no small part to Helga. But that was another magical entity to spook Boteg, and required explaining to someone who could just barely speak Elizabethan English. And then there were all of Su's smaller failures that were highlighted by the bigger ones. She ran off on her own to confront a monster girl, who was fortunately just Mayra. One of the reasons why the Mayra thing was so upsetting to her was that Amber died doing exactly what she did. They broke away from their friends in a high pressure situation and attempted to fight a monster girl. That was a foolish thing to do. At least Helga didn't chew her out about it.

Su had managed to find some free time to get away from all that. Helga and Mika both recommended she go do something fun. While Su was grateful for the change in scenery, being away from work gave her time to think about Amber. Without the constant stream of things to do, she couldn't get her mind off of her death.

She was just outside of Penrose, in silver glade forest. It was just a cluster of evergreen trees that seldom saw any visitors. This was where they had decided to bury Amber. It wasn't the sea, but Amber always kept an evergreen air freshener in the bridge of the ship. Helga had uprooted a boulder and carved it into a gravestone, and Su planted some violets over her grave. She heard they tend to grow and spread easily, which meant one day Amber's grave could become a flowery meadow. She could picture it in her mind's eye. The purple peddles swaying in a calm breeze, all surrounding Helga's stone pillar. But there was something off about the forest today. The forest floor was littered with an unusual number of branches. At first Su thought there was a wind storm, but the damage was too widespread. With all the trees around, there was no reason for there to only be damage this far into the forest. And the damage got worse the closer she got to the grave. It wasn't just tree branches, but entire trunks that had been knocked over. The type of damage was very inconsistent as well. Some of the trees looked like they had been ripped out of the ground, while others had been broken up and scattered about. Su ran deeper into the forest, unsure what she would find waiting for her. The clearing around the grave was much wider now, and was surrounded by craters. The stone pillar had been knocked over, but what was more unsettling was the ring of dirt surrounding the grave itself. Su knew what she was going to see when she got closer, but she still couldn't believe it. Of everything that had been happening to her, the world was going to give her another gut punch. The closer she got to the grave, the more her fears were confirmed. It wasn't until she was standing over the hole that she was able to accept it. Someone had stolen Amber's body.

Her vision was spinning. Su took a step away from the grave, and nearly lost her footing in the soft dirt. Her stomach was on fire, and she had to fight the urge to throw up. This was wrong. Su couldn't think of anyone who would hate her enough to do this. Nobody knew the location of the grave site aside from people close to her. But Mika was too kind hearted, and Helga loved Amber too much to even joke about it. Her mind kept asking the same question over and over, but she was unable to deliver a response. Had Penny decided to consume Amber's body? Did the magical girls from two weeks ago do something? There was no one to comfort her, and even if she screamed, no one would be there to hear it. With a growl, she rolled over onto all fours. She wasn't getting anywhere with this.

Su didn't see any of the violets she had planted. Maybe Su was setting herself up for disappointment, but she had to find them. Right now, that was more important than the location of Amber's body. She crawled over to the piles of dirt and brushed them away with her hands. Over and over again, until her hand finally caught on the stem of something. It could be a violet, it had to be. She tool hold of it and gently pushed the dirt away from the shape until the plant came free. Sure enough, the violet had survived. It was missing a few pedals, but they would grow back in time. With a sigh, Su hugged the flower against her chest. That was all Su really needed right now. She could already feel herself calm down. It was such a relief to know that not everything had been defiled. She placed the flower off to the side where it would be safe, and retrieved some bottled water from her handbag so that it wouldn't dry out. In time, Helga would come back to set up the stone pillar. And while it wasn't assured, Su was determined to find Amber's body and return it to this place. But knowing that Amber's grave would one day be covered in violets was a victory, however small.

---

They were back in the sewers again. Elroy and Regina had used them to traverse the city many times. Regardless of the sun's position, the underground passages were just one giant shadow that they could use to get anywhere in Penrose. Regina was making her way towards the abandoned school, and Elroy was following close behind with their prize wrapped in a dirty blanket. They were covered in bruises, as were the beacon buddies.

"It doesn't really look like the body of a magical girl though." Elroy gestured with the blanket. "But I guess we shouldn't question our patron. I doubt the ghosties would attack us if it wasn't."

Regina kept looking ahead. "It is a magical girl. She's exactly as our patron described." She closed her eyes. "Did you hear that announcement? That girl claiming penrose is hers? How childish!"

"I actually agree with you." He chuckled. "Say, does this end of the world plan feel a little premature? I mean you wanted to square off against beacon, show thunder thighs that we're the real Penrose royalty. Hell, we've only just begun building an excellent harem! And then we gotta settle things with the ghosties."

"The body will take care of all that." Regina looked off to the side. "But I know you like a good fight, and I'm sure we'll get one as soon as the ritual starts. It'll just be screams as far as the eye can see."

Elryoy scratched his chin. "That does sound good." He snorted. "But still, doesn't that seem a little unfair?"

Regina snorted. "The world has always pit itself against us. It never wanted to be our friends or see us grow." She looked ahead. "So now it all burns, and we get to watch."

[Flamelord]

It was lunch break at Beacon HQ, and Alicia found herself seated next to her nominal boss as she chowed down on a home made sandwich. Nothing too fancy, just some ham, lettuce, and cheese. It was filling, and that was good enough for her. In the meantime they chatted about things that were going on, school and Beacon related business, whatever came to mind. At the moment, that was the new recruit they had brought in.

"I don't know what they have in mind with her," she agreed with a nod, her sandwich laid upon the table for now. "I'd say maybe they want to keep red coins out of the hands of our enemies, but if that was the case then they wouldn't be having her make them. Maybe it's a recruitment pitch thing." She shrugged, only able to speculate at this point. Undoubtedly she would learn more of the plan for Binky if it became relevant.

Glancing over at Sally as the topic shifted, she couldn't help but frown, a huff escaping at the mention of who was responsible. "That's what gratitude gets you these days I suppose," she muttered. She'd let them go, and this was what they decided to do? Typical.

Still, there was something bothering her. They certainly hadn't had that kind of ability when she had met them before, or if they did then they were good at hiding it. "Isn't that weird to you as well? Justine could be considered an isolated occurrence, but we're looking at at least five magical girls getting mentally subverted in two months, from two completely different sources, in the same city. What are the odds of that happening?" She sighed, leaning back into her chair as she crossed her arms over her chest in visible annoyance. "What good is the Spark if they can clearly get around it anyway? Especially a pair who shouldn't by all rights have that kind of power?"

Stopped by the arrival of a messenger, Alicia straightened up as she shot Sylvia a quizzical look. "What is it?" she asked. Somehow she had the feeling that it probably wasn't anything good.

[ERode]

Well, it was nice to see that some people's characters remained consistent. Shooting a grateful smile at Sammy's direction for inadvertently driving off the slacking waiters, Amaryllis marvelled at the bombastic confidence the child exuded, from her cutesy outfit (undoubtedly some form of cosplay, cause no Penrose private schools had that sort of uniform) to the sheer mass of her eyes. Children did have that sort of confidence though, didn't they? The fearlessness that allowed them to blow past societal expectations and ignore whatever dark and dastardly thoughts their surroundings were made of. She leaned forward slightly, sipping her ice water...and then realized that her plan of shoving all this free food into Sammy's direction was going to be foiled if this keeps up.

"No no, I insist," Amaryllis replied, one hand motioning towards the small mountain of appetizers, "I was the one to invite you, so please, go ahead and enjoy. Hardworking super sleuths need to eat lots to keep up the good work, right?"

Well no, not really. She could just have this to go if Sammy was really that resistant to the idea of free food.

Shaking it off, the blue-haired bombshell recentered herself, before pulling out the laptop from her backpack and turning it on. A couple seconds later, she typed in a couple keys, pulled up an application, and slid it to the side of the table for Sammy to see. What shone on the screen was a collage of browsers, each of them pointing to a different news report on a crime or incident within Penrose City over the last couple of weeks, the connection between them all being the mysterious circumstances in which they occurred. Some were random stabbings that happened in broad daylight, the perpetrator escaping without a trace after the fact. Others were more subtle, from the almost-instant disappearance of children being caught on CCTV to sudden, unexplainable spikes in aggression of predators housed in Penrose Zoo. "Well, so," she paused, wondering if she shoulda opened up with more banal small talk first, just ti get them both comfortable with talking, "Thoughts?"
@BrokenPromise

[twave]

Early In Week Two
Janet - Unexpected Summons

@BrokenPromise@Ariamis

It had nearly been two weeks since the discovery of a new coin existing. Not that there was a whole lot of information about how it worked. Beyond murmurs about what it could do the exact details were a mystery. What’s more Janet hadn’t heard or seen anything the slightest hint of where the creator of the coin had gone. Not that she felt the need to know, but it was curious. Things started out as an average morning. Going through her slightly changed routine of checking in with Alicia before doing her normal prep for the day. Not much had been going on as of late so slinging her backpack on and stepping out the door she pointed herself in the direction of Beacon HQ.

While in route though she was intercepted by one of the Beckoners. An encounter was not the most surprising thing really, what was however was what was said. “Janet Howell, your immediate presence is required at the following location.” Rather than speaking out the details though the tiny magical creature gave it to her psychically. “No one is to follow you until you reach the rendezvous point, where Tabitha has set the teleporter zone. She will explain the rest.”

”What am I supposed to…” Before the girl could finish her thought though the Beckoner vanished without a trace. ”do…O-kay.” Slightly stunned for a second Janet’s Absolute Direction kicked in full force. For as brief as the interaction was the details given for the location didn’t leave any room for mistaking where she needed to go. Still she was supposed to go right now and avoid anyone spotting her. Sighing lightly she stepped out of sight from the street and transformed. If she was to avoid detection then between Incognito and Ever Mist she would make herself untraceable just long enough to get where she had to go.

Thank goodness it was still early in the morning when a fog hanging around wasn’t totally out of place. Given the timing the Beckoner had to have known the advantage. Each step the anxiety mounted. What would be so important that she had to sneak around like this? This was also an area that she’d never really explored. What in the world could be out here that she couldn’t have just been dropped off there normally? Arriving at the specified location she stood there for a moment before she felt the effects of teleportation magic moving her somewhere else. Realizing she was now inside somewhere she dropped the cover of Ever Mist. ”Hello? Anyone here?” Janet called out as she took her first look at her new surroundings.

It took a moment for the mist to fade and for Janet's eyes to adjust to the darkened room. But she would soon notice that there were plenty of people present. There were several clones of Binky walking around in lab coats. They all had name tags that displayed false names like “Linky,” “Winky,” and even “Dinky.” None of the name tags read Binky, but there was one “clone” off in the darkest corner of the lab without a coat. The lab itself looked like a cross between a wine cellar and a study. The walls were lined with books and potions, and there was a long wooden desk that ran down the center of the rectangular shaped room. There were all manner of gadgets on it, from beakers to tomes. “Pinky” was sitting at the far end typing out notes on a laptop, and “Jinky was carrying boxes around.” There were a few doorways that branched out into other rooms, but Janet wouldn't get a chance to explore them at this time.

”Of course there are people here. We've been expecting you, Jan.” Dinky wrote on a chalkboard filled with all kinds of scribbles, plus a few smiley faces. ”We need to notify the beaconers that you have arrived. So you can sit tight.”

“There is no need to, Dinky. I will take care of that.” A girl in a red suit stepped forward, holding a notepad around her arm. “Greetings. I am Tabitha, the supervisor for this, ahem, ‘test of loyalty’ that has been given to you, Janet Howell. Pleased to meet you.” She bowed, blushing a bit for some reason, and adjusted her glasses in a graceful manner as she read her notes. “As you may surmise from our surroundings, this is the laboratory where Binky has been assigned to work at in the creation of Red Coins. We have moved on to the testing phase of the project, and would need your assistance with that.”

The real Binky(?) stood up from her dark corner. ”And if you have any-”

”Quiet you!” Dinky snapped. ”Finish synthesizing that potion! Then you can screw around as much as you like.” She looked back ahead at Janet. ”Where was I? Yes, if you have any questions before we begin, now would be the time to ask them.”

Finally getting a good picture of the space around her, Janet stood amazed for a moment at the clones moving about and working on… who knows what. Before having to ask much else though she was addressed and at least partially informed of the goings on. Tabitha went on about it like one would expect of a supervisor, down to ordering a Binky around which Janet didn’t particularly like but decidedly held her thoughts for later. Uhm… Testing phase? H-how can I help with that... exactly?” Her curiosity was getting the better of her, though she suspected she might know what was coming next.

“So far, the only tests we have applied to the prototype Red Coins have been basic,” Tabitha explained. “Magic application, mana transfer, and so on. However, Beacon needs to verify whether a Red Coin is capable of transforming the user’s magic as Binky has claimed. And that is where you come in. Now, if you could step on that circle over there.” She pointed towards an empty area at the center of the workshop, where a small red circle was painted on. Next to the circle was a small desk, with a Red Coin placed on a small pedestal. “Now, miss Howell, I would like you to wait just a moment. Winky, if you could.” Upon her orders, a glass box was lowered down over Janet, enclosing her within it. “Don’t worry, this is just a safety precaution,” Tabitha spoke, her voice a bit dulled through the box. “This box has been magically sealed and enforced in case of, ahem, any unfortunate occurrences. So, your task is to pick up the coin, and focus on it. Picture yourself as different, and attempt to awaken the power within it.” Tabitha nodded, and smiled a bit encouragingly. “You can do it, miss Howell.”

Janet's eyes widened as Tabitha gave the instructions. Beacon wanted her to be the first to try the coin. The girl opened her mouth to ask why her but she paused. Going through everything that had been said thus far her thoughts hung on ‘test of loyalty.’ This wasn't just a test to see if the coin were to work, it was to see how far Janet was willing to go in service of Beacon as well. Before she could change her mind, not that she'd said yes or no yet, she was enclosed in a protective box.

What to do? Listen? Try and get out? Panic? Having gone through several transformations at this point with varying results she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to do it again. Frozen for a minute it was clear she was conflicted. Shakily she stepped into the circle. Staring down at the Red Coin she reached out to pick it up. She paused briefly, her attention suddenly switching off the coin and onto her hand. It was blue and translucent. Water? Pulling back and gripping her wrist she checked her hand again and was normal. What the hell was that? Was she losing it or was that not just what her hand looked like when she was a monster. Glancing at Tabitha it didn't appear that anyone else had spotted what she had. Sucking in a deep breath she exhaled to calm her nerves a bit. She needed to rationalize what she was about to do.

When she'd first embarked on this whole journey as a magical girl she wanted to help others. As time had gone on she'd seen an organization take a chance by changing their stance on those that were once considered enemies. Having been on both sides of that she wanted to continue being an influence for positive change. Under Beacon her vow was Charity. More than a monetary commitment to a single entity, it was meant to lend aid to those in need. Despite its history Janet felt that Beacon was still a force of good in the world. The Red Coin in front of her might be yet another tool to making a difference.

On a less altruistic look though, Binky had seemed confident that the magical item she'd managed to create wasn't harmful. If anything it was to help others that had received the short end of the stick when it came to magic. While Janet didn't really feel like her magic was bad or useless, she had somewhat become disenchanted by it after Justine corrupted her. The results of which surely played a part in why she was hear now. She, having fallen out of grace with her patron, was expendable. But if it worked then it would surely put her in better favor in the eyes of the Beckoners.

All these things going through her mind in a blur, Janet had put her hand back out and grasped the coin. A third chance… Fourth chance? Whatever it was she was going to trust that this thing wasn't going to hurt or kill her. Speaking to herself she determined to continue. ”C'mon Janet, you can do this.” Tabitha hadn't given a great amount of detail on how this thing worked. Could she influence the transformation with what she viewed in her mind's eye? Focusing on the coin she tried to imagine things she could do if her magic was different. At first it felt like the coin was drawing in a small amount of her magic. Not long after though it began to glow a bright red, feeding back into Janet as the magic it contained flooded out.

Dissolving in her hands the fragments seeped into the girl’s skin. The crimson magic flowing through her veins and reached down into her very soul. Gasping for breath Janet recoiled but there was no escaping the effects now. "D-damn this is intense. How long should... O-oh god. T-this was a... huge... mistaaAAKE!” The beautiful blue of her watery hair shifted hue into a blood red and began to boil as the very nature of her magic was being scrambled. The resulting vapor filled the space making it harder to see. Even so the red glow began to grow inside highlighting Janet’s distorted silhouette. Struggling with the rapid changes she was visibly stumbling. Stretching out it was apparent that her body was maturing rapidly, gaining height while her bust and butt filled out. Thus far it would look as if Binky’s claims were valid.

Internally Janet felt like she was on fire. Every ounce of her being wanted to cry out but she couldn’t get her voice to escape her throat. Something was pulling and tugging at her core, trying to rend her apart. And then the bonds of her soul snapped. Janet heard a second voice speak in her head briefly before it faded away. Onlookers would see a second pair of arms sprout from Janet’s body. Crashing against the desk inside the piece of furniture didn’t stand a chance as the magical girl inside flailed around. A second head appeared as the girl’s torso seemed to expand, pull away, and ultimately divide into two whole individuals. The red glow of each form began to be obscured as their new outfits materialized around them. At least one of them appeared to be wearing some kind of armor. There was a clatter as their weapons fell and leaned against the walls of the box.

As the results of the Red Coin were finalizing the intensity of the red died down and the mist began to dry, the magical source that had fed it having been lost. What was left inside were two magical girls, very obviously twinned, and clad for battle. The armored one had managed to keep on her feet, but the other seemed to have fallen on and broken both the desks and pedestal. Both were clearly reeling from the experience but they looked at themselves and each other as best they could, attempting to sort out what had just occurred. One thing that was obvious was that their Water and Sound magic have been replaced by… something. It wasn’t quite clear to either of them yet.

Warriors Reforged

Dinky grinned. ”A success! Not that there was any doubt.”
Tabitha’s glasses trembled as she tried to keep them steady with her shaky hand, her eyes wide at the sight. All of the Binkys were high fiving each other, Save for the real one, who simply remarked on what happened.

”It would appear that the girl's transformation has split her soul. I believe that's called having a 'twin soul' power in academic speech.” Binky looked at Tabitha. ”See? The coins are harmless and stable. But we still need to observe the long term effects of the red coin.” Tabitha blinked, and nodded. “Yes, that is the correct term. But still...This is unbelievable. She-I mean, they look so different.” Binky scuffled towards Janet. ”How do you feel? Oh.” “Oh my.” Tabitha lifted her notepad up to her face, and blushed at the sight of the two girls; they squirmed in the tight box, pressing themselves against the glass and each other in a less-than-decent manner, further showcasing their new physique. Binky looked back at Tabitha once she had gotten closer. ”Can you lift the barrier? The way their bodies are pressing against the glass doesn't look very comfortable.”

”Cramped. And yes please.” Janet agreed. Between the growth that their bodies had underwent and doubling up on the number of people in the box they had more than quadrupled the volume they took up. Her twin squirmed a bit, stuck below her counterpart. ”At least you don’t have an armored girl standing on you. I think your heel is jabbing a kidney.”

Tabitha seemed as if she was distracted by the view, before she shook her head. “Yes, it seems they are...fine. I’ll release the spell.” She extended her palm out, and a magic circle appeared on it. With a flash of light, the glass box disappeared, resulting in the twins falling into a heap on the floor in compromising positions. Tabitha averted her eyes, and reached down to lift the top twin by her hand. “My apologies; I assumed the area of my spell was sufficient to contain your...ahem...new forms, and I was mistaken. Anyway, congratulations on passing the test. Your next task is to report back to Alicia once you have rested.” She then turned towards Binky with a smile, and in a surprising move, hugged her. Binky trembled under the display of affection. “On behalf of Beacon, I would like to thank you for the contribution you have given for our cause.” She released her, and began writing on her notepad. “As per our agreement, we will grant due compensation in living amenities and resources. However, if you wish for anything else, please let me know.”

”If I have anything I need, I'll be sure to let you know.” The corners of Binky's lips curled into a smile, and Tabitha also beamed. ”I hope we can become friends. That includes you too, Janet and Janet.” She scratched the back of her head. ”Heh, that's actually kind of confusing. I suppose at least one of you needs a different name.”

The moment the protective barrier went down both of the girls that had been trapped inside became aware of all the other minds in the area. Squinting as their heads were abuzz with activity as their minds unwittingly reached out to touch any other they could. ”Oh man… This is weird.”

Janet absently nodded in response to Tabisha’s orders. She was glad to hear she had passed even if she didn’t entirely understand what the test was. Smiling to Binky she tried to hide her slight annoyance to her new Psychic abilities. ”It would be my… our pleasure.” Her face contorted a bit trying to wrap her brain around that concept. Glancing at her twin she acknowledged the issue. ”You do need a name.”

A brief moment of silence passed as the twin put a finger to her chin. ”Mmm, Jenna. She said grinning.

”Jenna, really?” She said rolling her eyes.

Throwing her palms up in front of her she dismissed the criticism. ”Hey, you picked Janet. Not my fault you crushed on every J named girl in high school.” Tabitha giggled a bit, before she coughed into her fist and returned to her usual expression.

Not really having a response for that she simply dropped the subject. Switching over to checking the results of the transformation it was once again another change. Having gotten somewhat used to being a small girl she now had to adjust all over again. How magic decided how your body.would look she would never know. But this time around it seemed to have made her significantly more well endowed. Hard to say right at this moment but if she had to guess they would probably be pretty close to Alicia’s height now, maybe slightly shorter.

Speaking of, Janet and Jenna were supposed to report back to their charge. Which begged to question how she was supposed to explain why she was so different. ”So what do I tell everyone when they ask what’s happened to me? I don’t think I can get away with blaming puberty.” Jenna asked while turning to Tabitha.

Tabitha smiled gently. “You can explain that you used the Red Coin. We wanted to keep the project under wraps because we were unsure it would succeed. Keeping this clean for PR, you know? But since it worked, we can now happily announce the results.”

Curious as well, another thought crossed Janet’s mind. She probably already asked herself this but it was worth voicing anyway. ”There’s something else I’d like to know. Why did Beacon choose me? To test the coin I mean.”

Tabitha bit her lip, and looked down at her notes. “Uh, I’m sorry, but I was not disclosed with that information. The Beckoner who contacted me simply said that you were chosen to carry out the test.” She then sighed, and adjusted her glasses. “Anyway, I must return to my work. Take care, miss Howell, and may the light of Beacon guide your way.”

One answer was better than no answer at all. Wondering why was probably going to drive her crazy but the Howell girls couldn’t blame Tabitha for not knowing. ”Alright. I guess I’ll have to see if the Beckoners are willing to tell me later.”

Moving to one of the desks Jenna snatched a pen and paper. Writing down their number she navigated around the clones and handed it to Binky. ”Here’s our number. If you want to meet up or need anything just give us a call.” She smiled and headed back to her twin. Before leaving they would need to lose their transformation. With their warrior appearance dissolving their new normal forms were revealed.

New Girls

Checking out their new bodies Janet just shook her head and chuckled lightly. ”This is going to take some getting used to.” Without the armor or uniform and in a regular dress their shapely forms were much more accentuated. Heading out the way they came the girls made their way home to rest and acclimate to their new bodies and magic.