BrokenPromise

Decided to try something

What type of government rules in the main continent of the story, and who is the "head honcho?"

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

So, Deni eventually came home to the place Valkyrie had allowed her to borrow. Valkyrie’s existence in a void aside, Deni was very happy she had a place to just collapse into, detransform and just be Deni for a bit as she lay collapsed in the bed. The room had no windows, no way for Mariette to spy on her, it was just her, the bed, and a short selection of clothing provided by Valkyrie. Not that Deni had any use whatsoever of extra clothing…

But no, even Deni had been somewhat exhausted by the events of the day. Genki Girl meant she wouldn’t ever ACTUALLY run out of energy, but that was different compared to feeling the toll the day had taken on her. She’d been given a bit of a reminder. Things change rapidly. The reality of one day might be gone forever the next. Therefore, it was imperative she act before it was too late.

Veronica? Deni tried over the mental link, or whatever it was.

When you have the time, I’d like to discuss something important…

“I am available, for a time.” Veronica’s voice rang in her head loud and clear. “What is it?”

Deni’s just gonna rub her face a little. Now, because she’s new in town, there’s a possibility Mariette had someone shadowing her, just like Deni had shadowed people in the past. Fortunately, even if there were, there was no way they’d hear a mental conversation, so that’s comforting. Anyways. Here goes.

As I think I mentioned, I want to free Eli and Mariette from Asengav. Preferably in a way that makes him not just go pick them up again. As Asengav mind-bends his girls, as I know all too well now that I’m freed, it needs to be something I can force upon them. … You wouldn’t happen to have any super-convenient solutions lying about, would you?

Deni asks, grinning a bit at the end just because.

“To force?” Veronica considered the request. “To undo the magic of a patron is not an easy task. Though I possess the power to do such a thing. Almost everyone presently in the cradle was formerly another patron’s magical girl.” She paused. “But to force them? That would be impossible, at least with what I presently know. You could force them under duress of course.”

Yeah, no. It's not like Deni thought stealing from a horror was going to be easy.

Alright. Then let's change the goal. I'd like to undo a horror's mind-bending. Any ideas as to achieve something like that?

“It’s possible.” Deni could hear Veronica groan, like she was stretching. “Psychic, Emotion and Light magic users are all capable of removing a horror’s influence through a ritual. This means that Agent Tetrad and myself are capable of performing such a task. Though it will be difficult if they resist.” Her tone became sharper. “I must stress that I’m presently trying to ally myself with Mariette, and Trixy shooting at her may have made that more difficult than it has to be. But turning her away from her patron does yield certain advantages to me.” A pause. “Is this something you’d like to go through with?”

Deni swallowed a bit as she listened. That was better than she’d hoped for. Heh, so basically we just need to kidnap her? she asked, keeping the thing about allying with Mariette and Trixy shooting at her just in mind for now. Absolutely. I want them safe and free, something they’ll never be if they have to follow Asengav’s commands. If there’s any way to save them, I want to go through with it, she told, confidence in her tone.

“Mariette is reclusive and cautious, at least when she’s not using monsters to show off in front of other magical girls.” Deni could feel Veronica smile. “It will take some time to devise a plan. Angering an interdimensional horror is something I would like to try and avoid if I can. Not to mention I’d rather not drive a wedge between us with Justine’s assault on her looms so close. Speaking of, you should try to touch bases with Justine. She has one of mine, and is likely looking to pay Mariette a visit. We need to keep an eye on her and ensure we beat her to Mariette.”

Alright! Sounded promising! Which just begged the question of what Veronica would want in return, but Deni wasn't about to dwell on that! Yeah, I won't let Justine attack Mariette without me! And when she does, I'll let you know! In the meantime, Deni had one more person she needed to reconnect with. She'd initially kept her distance, but it seemed she may not have the luxury of time on her side.

---

‘There it is. The Golden Trove,’ Ronin breathed out as she stopped before the building. She smirked a bit. It had come as quite a surprise when she heard who was leading it. Could you believe it? That shy little creature moving up in the world, haha. So, Ronin had been putting off going here, because the time needed to feel right, but now she was realizing she didn’t have a lot of time to spend. So. Here goes nothing.

Ronin shoved open the doors with a grin.

‘Hello! I’m the Tiny Ronin!’ she called, treading in. ‘I’m here to make friends with your proprietress!’ she announced, because that’s how she is right now.

There was a man standing at the counter. He blinked once at Ronin’s deceleration.

”Where are your parents?”

“I’ve got this.” The Golden Trove was still recovering from being vacant for 3 months, and the manager couldn’t be bothered to dress up when there was so much that needed to be done. There was nothing especially oriental about Su’s attire. She gave Ronin a courteous bow before folding her hands over her stomach. “I’m the proprietress. Well, the manager. My father owns the place.” She raised an eyebrow. “I don’t mind being your friend though. Was there something you needed?”

Honestly, there wasn’t much that looked quite alike the “Sue” that Deni remembered. Yet, it was definitely her. Ronin smiled a happy, knowing smile.

‘Hiii! I’m Ronin! I’m soo happy to meet you, I heard a bunch about you!’ Ronin said, waving happily. ‘I need a bunch of stuff! I need a bunch of friends, I want to get to know basically the entire magical community, and a bunch more! But right now, I’d like to talk to you in private! There are things that would be sensitive should the wrong ears hear them~’ Ronin told, grinning a bit happily.

“Really now?” Su had her arms folded. After taking a moment to think about it, she waved her hand. “Right this way.”

---

The golden trove was coming together, but the back rooms still needed to be cleaned up. Ronin was guided through a few doors until they were in a hallway. Su never took her eyes off the tiny ronin, and she kept a certain distance from her as well.

“Is this private enough?” Su placed a hand on her hip.

‘A hallway, huh? Isn’t that, like, a perfect spot for people to eavesdrop on?’ Ronin told with a grin.

“No one is back here.” Su leaned against a wall. “all of the employees are walking the halls where the guests are. This is just a hallway that leads to some storage rooms and a private elevator that only I use. There are no nearby windows, and if there was a new magical presence, I would be notified about it.” Su rolled her shoulders. “It’s private.”

‘… Alright then! If you say it’s private, then it’s private! After all, I will be rather literally entrusting my life to you, anyway!’ she then told, before spinning around to face Su, a little smile of nostalgia on it, or at the very least of bittersweetness.

‘How are you, by the way? Is everything as it should? I should be asking that first and foremost. Look at you, running a hotel! I’m impressed, hahaha! Still, yeah. Are you alright and all? Does this lifestyle suit you well?’ Ronin asked, because she didn’t want to just head directly to the reveal, and also she genuinely wanted to know.

“Things were rough at first. Very rough.” Su looked down the hall. “Lost some friends, but that’s starting to feel commonplace. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I tell myself they’ll come back some day but it still feels like a long wait.” She brushed her hair out of her face. “Managing the hotel is enjoyable, but with everything going on I question why my Patron hasn’t decided to leave yet.” Su looked to Ronin. “I’m sorry, why did you want to talk in private?”

‘Because if a select number of individuals learned what I’m gonna share with you, they’d snatch me up, like, instantly!’ Ronin told, grinning widely. She giggled some more and then sighed out through her smiling lips, returning to the bittersweet smile. She turned away from Su for a bit, for entirely drama-related reasons.

‘I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm delighted to hear you're enjoying your hotel, did you open it as a safe haven for those who are lost? That's so like you!

Su hugged herself and looked away. “I-It’s just a business. ”

Ronin just smirked at said statement, and then continued. ‘I'm so sad I couldn't be there. What happened to me wasn't my choice, I'd never have picked it by myself, but it let me cast off my chains, so I don't regret it. What I do regret, is however my disappearance may have affected you. I didn't mean it. Sorry!’ she said, and as she did, her body started to grow…

Su turned her head back towards Ronin. “Do I know you?”

Slowly, Ronin had her body become longer, wider, grow notably in certain places… finally new clothes unfurled from nowhere and behind them her hair had changed style notably.

‘Tihi, yeah, you do. I vanished some time ago. But, I'm back now! Don't ask me how, because I definitely should be dead and I have no idea what saved me. Besides, I've decided it doesn't matter!’ she said in a jovial tone. ‘Because now, I can finally…!’

And so, Deni spun around, grinning, winking and making a peace-sign.

the same as that time

‘Hi! Sorry for being late! You didn't wait too long, did you?’

Su was still leaned against the wall when Deni transformed. But her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. She even had difficulty keeping her mouth shut. “D-De-Den-Dei-” She almost fell over sideways, but managed to get her foot underneath herself. Then with a sigh, she wiped her face with her hand. But Deni was still there. “What did I try to put on the table during our date?”

Ronin grinned widely, recalling the event. ‘You tried to place a-’

Su wrapped her arms around Deni and pulled her into a tight hug. “Deni, I-” She inhaled. “You’re alive!” She started laughing. “Where have you been?”

‘Woah!’ Deni grinned widely, embracing the girl that had hugged her. That was entirely fine. She patted the girl's head a bit, before replying. ‘I was consumed by Caroline, and for a while there, I was lost inside her. But, Eli defeated Caroline! … And I was left behind, everyone thinking I was dead. It's just recently something revived me, and I ran back here as soon as I could!’ She grinned a bit. ‘And I'm tied to a Horror no longer, but Asengav would snatch me up immediately if he learned I survived, hence~’ She gestured to the location.

Su pulled away and wiped a tear out from under her eye. “That’s great!” She folded her arms, and her expression became more somber. “Amber died shortly after you, um, vanished. I don’t even know where to start with what I’ve been up to.” Su placed her hand on her lower lip.

‘Eh? Amber d…?’ Wait, didn't that clash with, but, hm? Deni got a curious and mildly troubled expression for a bit. Yeah, “Raven” had been a bit different, but… Then Su talked some more.

“It happened a few months ago. It hurt me for a long time, still does a little bit.” Su placed her hand on her lower lip. “Penrose has been saved a few times, this new girl Mika’s been following me around. She’s more like a daughter now. And Helga and I sort of-” Her smile faltered. She didn’t look upset, but it was as if the situation had just become awkward. “Right, we, um, heh, we were going to go on more dates, weren’t we?” She scratched the back of her head.

‘Wait, Helga? As in Justine's follower Helga?’ Deni asked, looking a tad worried. Still. Dates, was it. Deni smirked. ‘I didn't give you a proper answer last time, I think. But, yes! I definitely owe you a couple dates now that you've waited this long for me!’ Deni called, reaching to grip one of Su's hands with both hers just for the sake of it. ‘If you still want to, that is!’

“Ngh!” Su’s eyes were trembling in her sockets. Then with a sigh, she lowered her head. “It’s been a really strange last few months.” She picked her head back up. “Helga fell madly in love with Amber. She looked at her as her savior, I still don’t fully understand it. She became one of the good guys. And then when Amber died, we were both upset for a while, and-” She shifted her eyes side to side before leaning her head forward like a vulture. “We… Kind of became an item?”

Deni raised an eyebrow at the fact that Helga had fallen in love with Amber. She'd been turned, huh. Wouldn't have thought that, given Helga's first impression. And then came… Deni's eyes widened in stunned surprise. ‘Wait, you and Helga? You and the crazy sharp-teethed one that wanted to eat us!?’ Deni would look stunned for a while, and then threw her head back and laughed. It was just too weird. She had to laugh.

‘Hahahaha, oooooh, yikes, the strangest things happen when you're gone for a couple months! Missed a bunch of character development and stuff, heh…!’ she looked to Su again with a proud smile. ‘Good on you! Bounced back from a loss and went and scored! Guess that makes me late to the party, but still, I'm happy for you…!’ She was also the slightest relieved, but she wouldn't say that. While she'd been gathering courage to have a girlfriend, it was really a boyfriend Deni had been craving within… eventually, anyway.

“Y-yeah.” Su chuckled. “Well, let me tell you what else you missed.”

---

Their conversation, as well as their location, had jumped around a bit. But Su was careful not to guide Deni out of the back room. They had found some boxes in a storage room to sit on and were using a giant crate as a table. They had touched on many topics, from the graveyard to the beach vacation to the rave.

“So you were at the rave?” Su rested her hands on her knees. “Just as well we didn’t have our reunion there. And oh!” Su raised a finger to her lips. “I won’t tell anyone you’re Deni, but not many people know I was Amber’s familiar either. I’d like to keep it that way.”

‘I… I can’t believe I missed the swimsuit event…’ Deni said, hands on her head a bit. Sure, she’d heard about the event from other sources, but, now she’d heard all the details… ‘Aaaah, darn it! Oh, well!’ she said with a large shrug! ‘Yeah, I was at the rave. I was hired by Veronica to protect Cindy Ford. That didn’t go so well.’ She then smiled at that Su wouldn’t tell about Deni. ‘Your secret’s safe with me! Good thing you told me, I wouldn’t have thought it was a secret, heh.’

Still… suppose she needs to talk to about that.

‘… So, I met someone on my way back to Penrose. Not by my choice, I was looking for someone who could transport me back to Penrose and was directed to her. This is… probably going to hurt. … I met with Justine von Visceral,’ she said, waiting a bit for a reaction.

Su’s eyes softened. “I did see her at the rave. I know she’s up to no good, but I don’t know what to do about it.” She folded her arms and leaned on the box. “I have a meeting scheduled with Beacon. I feel like it’s the best time to bring something like that up.” She hesitated. “But you, you met her?” Su’s eyes locked with Deni’s. “She let you live?”

‘Hahaha, worse than that. She forcefully recruited me,’ Deni said with a little laugh. ‘Or, well, something like that, anyway. See, she intends to attack Mariette. She wants me to help her… for some reason. She wants to destroy Mariette… and I don’t intend to let her,’ Deni steeled herself a bit, to keep talking. ‘Having been freed from Asengav now, I know for certain. Mariette, Eli, the rest of the champions. They’re mind-bent, following Asengav by what they think is their own volition, but it’s not. A horror would not be so kind. So, knowing that… I want to save them. By any which means I can,’ she said, looking to Su’s eyes.

Su inhaled deeply. “I regret letting Justine live.” Su stood up. “Regardless, this is something I want to help with if I can. I doubt Veronica would let her old rival escape, same with Beacon. I’m going to bring this up at the meeting for sure.” Su folded her arms. “Just don’t get caught, alright? She must have recruited you for something. Just keep reporting to Veronica. Some of her agents stay here, so we should be able to work something out.” After a moment, she grinned. “After all, I can’t adopt you if Justine kills you again.”

Deni nodded to what Su told her to do, she’d been doing that, gathering allies and so on the way. And, finally, on the last part, Deni grinned right back at her. ‘I’m gonna need to stay alive for that exact purpose~! Mariette and Eli, too!’

Su nodded. “Let’s call this secret meeting adjourned.” She pulled out her cellphone. “I’ll give you my number so that you can skip the counter next time.” After they exchanged phone numbers, Su stood up. “If that’s all good with you, ‘Ronin,’ I have a lot of work to do. But I’d like to see you again soon.”

Deni nodded in turn, and as she stood up her form shrunk again. The chest deflated and her muscles decreased in size and her clothes shifted to roll out the eastern-inspired Ronin outfit again, complete with sword. Numbers were exchanged, and… ‘Yeah! This time I am not missing out on being your friend! We’ll see each other again, with the whole family in tow!’

So Ronin told, before she dashed in and hugged Su one more time, this time in her more tiny shape. ‘Count on it!’

Su blushed. “Heh.”

With that, Ronin then leapt off, waved a salute to Su with a happy grin, before she turned around and dashed out.

---

“There and back again.”

— Vermilion Veronica

There was no moon in the sky.

Veronica had been waiting a few days for this type of night. One where the overcast clouds blocked out the starlight, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. A magical girl of her caliber could move great distances in pure darkness. A moonless winter night was perfect.

Veronica was concealed by her magic, preparing to shadow step to her new base. The one outside of Penrose that Trixy had set up. This was an important step in her plans, and she wasn’t going to let any of her worries stop her.

Not how close Samantha and Trixy had become.

Not the fate of Betty.

Not Maura or Eliza’s feelings.

Not the twists, betrayals, or loses.

Not anything.

She had done everything she needed to do, and even managed to meet with Mariette before leaving. She would likely need to use that surrogate for the next few days, but Penrose would be left in the care of her Cradle agents while she focused her efforts elsewhere.

Behind her, Binky held a briefcase in on hand, and a tome under her arm. The briefcase was a little large, and Binky had dropped it several times on her way up. After a few minutes, she had finally gotten into position.

”Are you ready Binky?”

”Are you, Veronica?”

”…No.” Veronica looked over her shoulder. ”Can I tell you something?”

Binky set down the briefcase and sat on it. ”Sure.”

”When I devised this system for Cradle, I knew the most problematic part of it was going to be the mind reading part. I knew that I was going to be subjected to a lot of things I didn’t want to know. Even with an “algorithm” in place, I am bombarded by things I don’t wish to see.”

”I can understand that.” Binky looked at the starless sky. ”Trixy’s obsession with girls. Any time she looks at me I feel like I’m being undressed. And, well.” Binky looked at herself. ”There isn’t even that much to imagine!”

”It’s personal thoughts that I despise the most.” Veronica placed a hand on her face. ”One of the reasons I was so effective as a coin broker was because I didn’t relate with my tools. They did their job, and then I would treat them accordingly. My best tools were oiled and further honed, while the cheap garbage was cast aside. But how can you make these types of choices when you can grow attached to them?” Veronica pulled her hand away from her face and examined her hand. ”Maybe you like a tool because it has a cute handle? Or maybe you see yourself in a relationship with a tool down the road? If you work with your emotions instead of your mind, how can you remain a craftsman worth talking about.”

”That was an interesting analogy Veronica!” Binky’s eyes shifted side to side. ”But what does this mean for you?”

”I need to separate myself from these thoughts so that I can do my job properly.” A red coin appeared in the palm of Veronica’s hand. ”You’re still adamant about not using one of these, correct?”

”I don’t want to, no.” Binky’s head shot up. ”B-but I also want to be useful! I want to save Betty!” She sighed. ”Why? What are you thinking?”

”That’s a question for the next Vermilion Veronica.”

Her hand closed around the red coin, and her body was enveloped in the coin’s magic.

Veronica and Binky ~ Will Return

Writing the taboo

I consider a topic taboo if it meets the definition in the first paragraph of the first post in here. Most of these tend to pertain to sex, violence, politics, or behavior that defies social norms. Though some things are more taboo than others. I doubt many people would care if I played an amazon tribesman who walked around in the nude. But if I made a rapist? Yikes. Just saying rape is enough to trigger some people.

The trick to dealing with taboo topics is to know your audience, and also to have a bit of tact and creativity. It might surprise you to hear that as taboo as sexual assault is, there's actually a lot of cartoons that depict it. I know everyone's seen one of the hundreds of instances where a cave man clubs a woman and then drags her away to be his bride. We all know what's going to happen, but it hasn't stopped most of us from laughing. You can get "dirtier" and more serious than that if your RP group/forum is more accepting of that sort of thing and you know what you're doing.

As with all things, it really depends on how it's handled and what your RP group is composed of.

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@FamishedPants@Mateotis@Majoras End

Nobody knowssss, the trouble I've seeeeeeeeeen...

That is to say, added.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

The last of us 2 is still relevant? I found this video interesting. It's 30 minutes long but is both a good watch and doesn't treat TLOU2 as a masterpiece nor does it claim the whole thing is shit.

Also, spoilers.

Hider

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

[Eliminated Aighorost's uncalled-for interference.]

@ERode

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Reach Out

_@AtomicNut

Reaver fidgeted slightly. It had been a bit of a chase to find this particular person. Odin was the one who had spoken first of filial piety, and the gaze of the Allfather was far and wide. He would have realized sooner or later what had happened. Edward Turned had been assailed by magical girls. And someone had come to his rescue. Someone who had known the good doctor.

And that someone wasn’t his own mother, limiting the options to few people, magical girl hijinks notwithstanding. Finding the samaritan had been quite a bit of a chicken chase through Glimmr. Fortunately, one of her associates was a posting whore of all things, which made it significantly easy.

The big surprise was that both of them had seen the other before. Cindy’s party. She tried to get close to him, disguised, only for him to ignore her and press on Cindy. And then they came to blows in the park.

Funny how things changed overnight. He had… gotten in touch with other parts of his family, and this girl who opposed him had helped his father. An uncomfortable truth, but one that had to be rewarded.

Would she even come? Would she bring an entire ambush with her? He wondered. His choice of meeting had not been coincidental. Indeed it was the very same park that the big fight had broken out. He was suited up in his armor, his full regalia, and intended on taking this seriously.

Reaver could spot Tetrad here and there. Her head would pop out from behind a tree, then she’d retreat. Only later to pop up over a wall to check things out. She was using some sort of stealth magic, but Reaver could see through it easily enough. Regardless, it seemed she was taking their meeting seriously as well. A few minutes passed before she was content with her observations. She sighed, shook out her hands, and revealed herself. Her eyes were squinted, and she had one hand on her hip, and another on a card.

“What do you want?”

“Hm.” Reaver stood poised arms crossed. “Well it’s fairly easy. Do you think that what you have done would be without consequence… Tetrad, was it?” Reaver said, his arms crossed but evidently without a weapon. “This will no doubt put a hamper on whatever I was doing.” He said nonchalantly, before cracking a smirk.

“Answer me truthfully. Did you save Edward Turner? And if so, what is your degree of acquaintance.” He said.

“I’ve talked to him a few times, he just happens to be a face I remember.” Her face softened up when she chuckled. “I mean he's pretty hot, that’s really the only reason I remember him. Otherwise I don’t typically commit non-magicals to memory.” With a cough, her expression became hard again. Her eyes jumped between Reaver’s eyes and his arms. “I was the one who saved him. One of them anyway. Are you an acquaintance of his, or is he just one of your objectives?”

“Yes, he had that air about him.” Reaver he said, before smiling, and without a hint of mercy nor preparation, he dropped the artillery shell. “I’m Will, Luna.”

Tetrad pulled her head back. Both of her eyebrows were way up in the air. “Uh. Um.” She folded her arms and shifted her lips from one side of her face to the other. “Luna huh? That’s your answer?” She swung her hand at the dead city that surrounded them. “There have got to be plenty of girls who think Edward Turner is a DILF. Why that one in particular?”

“I was taking a pot-shot. Guess your first surprised face does betray you.” Reaver said. “If not obviously the fixation with cards as weapons. Outward personality. Trying to find good men to hang out with. Most of the magical girls are not that adamant in finding magical boys… they turn to other prospects due to the circumstances and scarcity.”

He coughed.

“Now, If we take straight magical girls, who like cards, are extroverts, know Edward turner, and have been declared as ''missing” or ''dead” ... how many of those do you think would be left?”

The gambler wore a scowl during the entirety of Reaver’s explanation. “Well.” She raised her arms in a shrug before smiling. “When you’re right, you’re right.” She folded her arms. “Considering how easy you were to dupe in the past, I’m a little disappointed you uncovered my real identity before I could do the same to you. Then again, who’d think an introverted magic the gathering player would be flirting with girls and biting their heads off?”

Reaver shrugged. "No act comes without consequence." He paused. "I was tired of being myself, and became someone else. Oldest history in the magical world. But the cost of pretending to be a bad boy, is to be a bad boy." His stance relaxed. "Then again who would have thought that the free spirited gal would become under extensive scrutiny under the Red Woman?"

Tetrad shrugged again, but kept her arms folded. “When you’re right, you’re right.” She looked down at her chest. ”But if I’m going to be honest with you, the lack of back pain is the best part of my new life. I had been considering breast reduction surgery for a while, and it just isn’t necessary anymore.”

“Well, why do you think you were able to dupe me so easily, then?” Reaver smirked as he tilted his head.

She scratched the back of her head. “What’s the game plan now? We can keep playing tit for tat, but that doesn’t seem very productive. Do we fight? Hug it out?” She lifted her palm up and pointed it at Reaver. “Because while hugging is the best part of any reunion, I’m gunna have to skip this time.”

“I guess I could ask you to step on me and call me scum and use a whip and all of that… but business before pleasure.” Reaver said, before unsheathing his sword and in a sudden movement, stabbing it in the ground, kneeling before Tetrad.

“I, William Turner, son of Edward Turner, under the Gaze of the Allfather, swear to grant this woman a boon. She may command me once without reserve, for whatever she desires or wishes. Whether it is my life or that of others, whether it causes the ruin of my patron or patrons, I shall deliver this boon unwaveringly to the best of my ability until I breathe my last. In the name of Odin, this I swear.”

He finished, before raising himself once more, his sword disappearing. “This is your reward for saving my father. Do think carefully when to use it. In all likelihood we will be on opposing sides.”

“That’s it?” Tetrad raised an eyebrow. ”You’ll have to forgive me if I question how valid this ‘gift’ is. Though this is also the type of thing I’d expect the old Wiliam to do.” She sighed. “What the hell happened, Will? We use to just be two goofy kids. Now we’re up to our armpits in espionage.”

Reaver shrugged. “Make that as you will.” He paused. “I suppose… we grew up, and we realized that the wings that would take us anywhere were made of wax.” He added. “Next time, we might have to kill each other. Heh.” He began to walk away. “Be seeing you around I guess... “ He began to walk.

“And before I get caught in more soapy moments, I will say this now so I won’t get a death flag. You were my first love.” He admitted, and continued to walk away.

Tetrad stared at Wiliam’s back as she walked away, not seeming to react to his parting words. She pulled the deck of Magic the Gathering cards she had shown Eliza earlier during the rave and looked them over. Once she was done, she slid them back into harness before bolting away. “Take any joke that far and no one will laugh at it.”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

S i l h o u e t t e & V e r o n i c a

”There has to be a chastity belt in the cradle somewhere.”

— Veronica

Silhouette had been called to personally meet with Veronica. She was given coordinates to a random location where they could meet. This one was an apartment in a run down complex. When Sil got there however, it was not Veronica who was waiting for her. Instead, there were two black double doors, the same kind that lead into her international mansion. Recently Veronica had been trying to minimize her contact with the outside world, so it was rare for her to appear anywhere by herself.

When Sil entered, she was transported to the same familiar hallway. Though the banquet at the end looked different. There was just a small table that could seat two people with a red tablecloth thrown over it. There was nothing else on the table, but Veronica was sitting opposite to Samantha. Her arms were folded in her lap, and she seemed to be looking off into space.

”Be seated.” Veronica did not look at Sil when she spoke.

Silhouette pulled a chair out from the table and sat on it as requested. She found her eyes being pulled across the interior of the mansion in curiosity as it had only been the second time she had seen the place. This lasted merely a second, however, and she soon rested her eyes upon the vampire before her.

”Shouldn’t we be wearing masks?”

“It has been some time since we’ve gotten to have a private meeting in person, hasn’t it?” she said, crossing her arms as she came to this realization. “Usually we have a bit more space…” Silhouette almost seemed disappointed by this.

Veronica gave a small nod, but continued to avoid making eye contact with Sil. ”Your thoughts on the operation?” A cup of tea rose out of a shadow in Veronica’s hand.

Sil seemingly caught on to her reluctance to meet eye to eye, but responded, albeit with a hint of bitterness in her voice. “Perhaps our worst one to date.” she confessed.

”I’m glad you feel that way.” After sipping from her glass, Veronica set the cup on the table and turned to Sil. Steam waved over the cup of black tea, and filled the air with its scent. ”Almost every aspect of the operation failed or backfired somehow. Even Hyun managed to be brought down in a way that strengthened Beacon’s numbers.” She folded her hands under her chin. ”But I didn’t bring you here to talk about just any failure. What do you think the largest setback was?”

Sil took a moment to reflect on that night before giving Veronica her answer. “Our numbers aren’t particularly large to begin with. I think losing an agent to Justine was the worst part of the night.” She seemed confident in this.

Veronica was about to sip her tea again when she froze.

”Incorrect.”

The table sunk into a shadow on the floor, and Silhouette’s body was clamped in the black hand of the cradle. Her limbs were frozen in place, unable to escape.

”Losing agent Betty was unfortunate. It is certainly my greatest error of the night. The one I share the most in.” Veronica stood up, and her chair, too, sunk into a shadow. ”But Betty will give away Justine’s location in time. That is the power of the contracts you all sign.” The hand of the cradle changed shape. Silhouette’s body was now encased in a black coffin. Only her head stuck out of the top. ”You should know by now that I didn’t call you in here today to talk about my own failings.” She stood in front of the coffin. ”You are close though. The reason why Cindy’s death and Hyun’s conversion bother me less is because while they weren’t wholly desirable outcomes, they will cost me nothing in the long run. Mariette’s escape is only problematic because I saved her pet and Trixy opened fire on her. She may have reversed Betty’s sacrifice.” Veronica kicked the casket, causing it to fall backwards onto the floor. ”As you said, you know that our numbers are small, you know that we aren’t as strong as Beacon yet.” She planted her foot on top of the coffin. She looked down at Sil as if she were nothing but an insect. ”Why have you given them a reason to attack us?”

Sil vainly struggled in the coffin, but Veronica’s question seemingly triggered something in her. “That is absurd,” she retorted. “So long as we have any ties to the corrupted, they’ll be hostile. My only wrongdoing there was underestimating my target, which I will not do a second time.” she declared.

”There is a difference between being hostile towards someone and actively hunting them, Sam.” Veronica kneeled. ”Beacon are a lot of incompetent fools, and for all the Ascendancy’s strength, they are no brighter.” She drove her fist into the top of the coffin, Samantha could feel the vibration all over her body, causing her to grunt in pain. ”You attacked an inquisitor. It would be so easy for them to rationalize that we were in league with the independent. Why didn’t you attack the real target? Why didn’t you get out when I ordered it?” Her second fist came down, also shocking Sam’s entire body. Veronica’s face was inches away from hers. Her irises were shaking in her eye sockets. ”You don’t have to answer. I know you let your emotions guide you.”

Sil was panting heavily from the rough treatment. “You’re wrong…” she denied through her labored breaths. “Sooner or later, we’ll have to… deal with them... I believe I saw an opportunity in the commotion that would benefit us down the line, so I took it, that’s all…” Silhouette almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself instead of Veronica. “...I don’t let emotions control me…”

”Normally. That’s what makes this instance so strange, and infuriating.” Veronica stood up and stepped off of Silhouette. The casket that housed her body dissipated. ”We will deal with Beacon, Samantha. But we will do it when I am ready. When Cradle is ready. The ascendancy alone is more than twice our number.” Placed her hands together. ”During the last meeting, I said that I would leave Penrose. I am ready to depart shortly.” she turned to face Silhouette. ”But this behavior of yours is disconcerting.” A black orb appeared in between her hands. ”You are the finest tool I have.” She looked off to the side. ”I’d rather sharpen you than throw you away.”

Silhouette opted against spending more time than necessary on the floor, rising to her feet with a defiant look about her as she caught her breath. “I am a blade that does not dull, Veronica.” she shook her head in denial. “I had… far too many chances before we ever met for that to happen.”

Sil remained silent for a few seconds. Eventually, she broke the silence with a question, or what appeared to be an attempt at one. “...you’re confident in your company while you’re away from Penrose?”

Veronica continued to dodge Samantha’s eyes, but she didn’t seem as wooden as before. ”If I’m going to be perfectly honest with you Sam, I am not. But my hands are tied, I’ll think of something.” The black orb started to drip like hot tar. ”I’ve been thinking that your second piece of cradle gear isn’t very good. Now that Shade is sentient, it’s not especially practical.” Once all the tar melted away, all that was left was a basketball. It looked pretty average, except the brand logo read “DUNK MASTER” with a butterfly separating the two words. ”The Dunk Master. This is the oldest weapon in the cradle. This will replace your gauntlets in your arsenal.” She extended her hands. ”Go on, try it.” She was still looking away from Samantha.

Sil took the ball in hand but her blank expression betrayed her confusion. Then, with a slight flourish, she spun the ball on her fingertip. Silhouette felt a surge of magical energy flow into her, though she felt physically drained. “How does this work, exactly?” she asked, dribbling the ball before tossing it at a nearby wall.

”The last person who used it was able to project their spells out of the ball from any angle. They used this to guide the ball with propelled flames. I imagine you can apply your stasis magic to anything the ball hits, as well as any other spell you can conjure up.” She looked past Samantha at the ball. ”Perhaps you can slow the air around the ball? If done right that should cause its trajectory to curve.” She sighed. ”It’s a weapon that invites creative use of its features.” She wiggled her finger at Sil. ”You’ve likely felt the effect of the ball though. It redirects your magic, so you’ll become more potent magically, but even weaker physically.” She folded her arms behind her back. ”Will you use it?”
The ball bounced back Silhouette's way and she picked it up. "Not really an orthodox weapon, is it?" she eyed the magical basketball with curiosity. "Still, having extra options is always nice, even if it might cost me physically. I could see myself making use of it, yeah." she nodded firmly, then tossed the ball into the air. It would rise slowly but then fall down extremely fast, landing on Sil's finger and spinning yet again. She did not bother to attempt to do something more inspired than that at the time.

"...You've been avoiding looking at me," she suddenly mentioned. "Even after doing such things to my body, you won't look me in the eyes? Why is that? ...Was I really such a disappointment?"

Veronica slowly turned to look at Samantha. ”You are dating Trixy, correct?” She took a step closer to Sil. ”Are you doing that to boost her morale?”

Silhouette nodded her head in affirmation. "We are dating, yes." she stopped spinning the ball and placed it under her armpit. "But I don't think we started for that reason," she said as she began pondering just why they were in a relationship. "...well, I didn't see any particular reason to not do so. And, I suppose she's not always so bad. Anyway, why do you ask?"

”Well, you are my top agent.” She placed a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. ”I worry about things compromising your judgement.” Her other hand rested on Samantha’s hip. ”If you need someone to fool around with, it would be best if they weren’t someone you were working in the field with. That could cloud your judgement. Though it should most certainly be someone who lives up to your standards.”

Sam’s hand rested upon Veronica’s and she stared into the woman’s eyes, before turning away herself. “When it comes to fooling around… well, I’m not entirely knowledgeable.” she said. “I even had my first time earlier with Trixy, I think.”

Veronica’s eyes shot open and she took a step back. ”You. Did. What?!” She reached her hand up to her head, but then pulled her hand away sharply. Agent and employer didn’t make eye contact or speak for the next few seconds. Veronica folded her arms behind her back and walked away. ”Trixy attacked Mariette and disgraced this organization as a whole. You will punish her in my stead.” she ordered without looking back. ”Do not disappoint me.”

Samantha did not seem to understand why Veronica reacted so flamboyantly but did not comment on it. The question mark above her head was almost visible, in fact. “I see,” she said, thinking back to that blunder. She understood that Trixy meant well, but this mistake was fairly big. Since she had already been thinking on it already she did not need much convincing. “Leave it to me and I’ll make sure you’re satisfied with my work. She’ll know not to do something like this again.”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

“Double post woooooooooooooooooooo!

Also Ari as Vi-chan Woooooooooooooooooo!”

— Tetrad

It was time for another interrogation. A high profile one no less.

Elvira was in what appeared to be a concrete bunker. While mostly bare, the furnishings it did have were of outstanding quality. The chairs and table were sturdy, and the lighting was far less intimidating than Tetrad’s dimly lit interdimensional bar. There was also a not-so-subtle mirror that hid Veronica and a few other cradle agents from view. 

Elvira woke up to one of Tetrad’s cards poking her in the nose, and opened her eyes to squint. “Oof...Uh, whah...” She quickly realized she had been brought to an unfamiliar location, and gripped the armrests of her chair.

Tetrad was flicking blue cards at Elvira’s unconscious body. Most of her wounds had been healed already, but they had only done enough to ensure she didn’t die.  

“You awake Vi-Chan? Do you prefer Elvira?” Tetrad tapped her fingers together. “You probably don’t remember much. But um, yea, you were hit by a magical car. You almost died.” Tetrad folded her fingers together. “We patched you up, and we’d like to know a few things.”

Elvira attempted standing up, only to fall back down; she was still woozy and aching from her injuries, exacerbated due to being untransformed. She put a hand to her forehead. “Ow, my head hurts-wait, huh? A car? Who are you anyway? And where am I?”

“I’m Agent Tetrad, with Cradle.” She continued sorting through her cards, flicking the non-blue ones over her shoulder in an attempt to “”combo” into the ones she actually wanted. “As for your location, it’ll be a lot easier just to leave it at ‘interrogation room.’ But you’re safe here. While you were running away, you were hit by a car. We recovered you shortly afterwards.”

Elvira visibly tensed at the word ‘interrogation’, her eyes having shot wide open.

She set her deck face down on the table and folded her arms. Her face was neutral, her posture was relaxed. She swished her lips from one side to the other. Like a friend examining a quarantine haircut. ”Kind of weird for a pop idol to hatch a scheme like that. Do you want to talk about it?”

“W-What scheme? I don’t remember any scheme.” She briefly considered transforming and running, but then realized that if they didn’t prepare for such a thing happening, they would have bound her with chains or otherwise incapacitated her. She was too free, and that made her more scared than anything. She hatched up a plan, and brought out her pleading face.

“Well I wouldn’t know anything about that. You see, I was actually brainwashed, and don’t remember anything.” She had a pouty lip. “One moment I was chilling in my home, and the next thing I knew I was performing at some dingy club and attacked by all kinds of weirdos! I was so shocked, I needed to run away.”

Tetrad’s grin widened until her eyes shut. ”Oh! And here I thought you were working with the PI or Mint! It’s a relief to hear that isn’t the case.” She exhaled. ”Because the Mint would surely punish one of their agents. I can’t speak for the PI, but I get the impression they don’t like failure either. But if you don’t need any protection from them, that makes my job easier.”

Elvira managed to keep her poker face and nodded with a smile, though inside she looked nervous. Phew, that was sloppy, but the bimbo bought it.

Tetrad was about to get up, but then after thinking a bit, she sat back down. ”Still, something doesn’t quite add up.” She was still smiling. ”Hope you don’t mind, but one of our agents went to probe your mind. We wanted to find out what was going on while you were out. But someone put an enchantment on your mind to block mind probing. It’s pretty advanced too, it’ll take us a week to get inside.” She folded her arms. ”But this makes perfect sense. Whoever captured you must have sealed away your memories. We need to get in there so that we can uncover their scheme. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they come after you themselves. Let us help you.” Tetrad chuckled.

She blinked. “Oh, did they?” She doubled down on the lie. “In that case we just have to wait until it’s done then.” It was a week spent away from people who would want to kill her like the Mint. She also had time to think of an escape plan before they found out the truth, so she decided to accept it. “Anything else you wanted to ask me?”

”A week? Oh, no, we have a much faster way in.” Tetrad reached behind herself and pulled up a piece of paper. The paper had a slightly red tint to it, but at a glance anyone could tell it was a contract. ”There might be a way to bypass the spell entirely if you sign this.” Tetrad tapped it.

Elvira’s eyes darted to the contract; she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. “Huh?” The contract laid open before her, and she visibly shivered; it brought out bad memories with the Mint, when she signed her hellish contract. “A c-contract?” She asked, and bit her tongue for the stutter. “Uh, sorry but-”

”You’re a free agent, right? So you won’t be stepping on anyone’s toes if you sign. It’ll temporarily make you an agent of Cradle. This will give us direct access to your mind. So any troublesome barriers and such shouldn’t pose a problem.” Tetrad rapped her hands on the table. ”We can put whatever you want on this, within reason. Would you like a security detail? That can be written in! Would you like money? That can also be written in! We can even write in other rules like that we aren’t allowed to hurt you after you sign. Not that we would, but you seem a little nervous.”

She tapped a finger on her knee, her eyes moving between Tetrad and the paper. They’re bullshitting. Nobody can provide complete security. She’s just baiting me so she could bust me and then kill me.But if it’s true, I could admit my guilt right now and then-

Tetrad leaned forward. ”Well, not that I would. I don’t want you to get upset, but Veronica is a former mint coin broker. She had very different ideas for you, so I’m hoping we can solve this with a contract.”

A bead of sweat trickled from her brow. No no no! She’s got connections to them! Chloe’s got you covered, Chloe’s got you covered, don’t buy it! 

“Uh, what kind of ideas, exactly?” She asked, trying to get more time as she sorted out her inner dilemma.

”I doubt you want to know the specifics. But she’ll probe your mind, get what she wants, and then you’ll be at the mercy of the world.” Tetrad sighed, her smile vanishing. ”I get it, I signed Veronica’s contract too. Situation was a bit different for me, but it’s still scary.” She looked at the contract. ”Honestly Elvira, this is not typically how I approach these, erm, interrogations. She waved her hands over the table. ”But I don’t want you to be scared or anything like that.” She pointed at Elvira. ”I believe that you are innocent, or at the very least, wish to help.” 

She pulled the contract closer to herself. ”So if you have any demands, just let me hear them and we can make this contract easier to sign. Right now it looks like you’ll be a cradle agent for a week. Though you won’t actually have to serve us, that’s just to give Veronica access to your mind for the duration. No harm will come to you during or after the contract is fulfilled, and you’ll be given a studio in a safe location that will have a computer, some speakers, looks like there’s some props written down here, a studio microphone. Anything else you’d like to add?”

Elvira tapped her foot, and leaned on the palm of her hand as the elbow rested on her knee. She was still suspicious of Tetrad’s words, though she was also tempted by what was offered. “I once signed a contract with the Mint,” she admitted before she realized it. “Biggest mistake of my life. I didn’t read the fine print, so I was treated like crap and got zilch for pay. And every waking day I had to be afraid that the big boss upstairs didn’t decide to bump me off...Or worse.”

She stopped her tapping and averted her eyes. “I managed to run away, but I’ve been in hiding ever since, doing everything I can to keep them off my trail.” She glanced at Tetrad. “‘Veronica’s ex-Mint, correct? Did she quit because she wanted to earn more money off of suffering magical girls?”

Tetrad pushed the contract off to the side. ”I’ve never worked for Mint, but having worked under her, I’d have to say no.” She pulled out a deck of Tarot cards and started shuffling them. ”We don’t have any debts. I’ve yet to see her send an agent to their death or anything like that. We’re a small force so we feel more like a family than anything else. We have a Glimmr page, which I don’t see the Mint doing.” She cut the deck of cards without looking at them. ”My situation was something like this: A puchu took me on as a magical girl, he left me for dead, some Cradle agents found me, and that’s when I was offered a contract. I feel like she saved me, if anything.” Tetrad set the cards down with a smile. ”Would you like to talk to some of the other agents? There are a few in the other room.”

"Uhh...Sure." Elvira was surprised by the turn this interrogation took. To her, Tetrad seemed like someone willing to torture her, but so far she was courteous and co-operative. Then again, maybe it was all a ruse just to catch her. "I'd like to see what other agents the Cradle has." Maybe then she'd get a better feel for the truth.

Tetrad lifted her fingers up to the side of her head. ”Who have we got?” Tetrad waited. ”Eliza’s on a date? Figures Silhouette won’t be available. But those others should be enough.”

A wooden door swung open, and Trixy stepped in. Her rifle was holstered across her back. “Hi!” She gave the idol a dumb smile and waved her hand. “I’m Trixy! I run the Cradle’s Glimmr account, maybe you remember me sending you a message? Maybe not, you’re pretty popular.” She laughed.

Elvira had to hold herself from scrunching her nose at Trixy, having remembered the message she got from her. Oh crap, she's here. She gave an awkward smile as she lightly waved back at the new girl. "Uh, hi? Yeah, I get tons of pings, so I must have missed yours, sorry~."

“That’s fine, but are you single? Asking for a friend because I have a girlfriend myself. I love her to death and it would be rude if I cheated on her. But if things were to fall through-”

"Oh, thanks, but I'm good. An idol like me isn't allowed to openly engage in relationships anyway, hah."

”Hello!” A lanky white haired girl gave a single wave as she entered the room. She had an assault rifle strapped to her back. Though she also had what looked like a surgeon's medical kit. ”I’m Maria, but everyone just calls me Remedy.” She nodded. ”Apologies if you weren’t healed adequately. Water magic isn’t the most efficient, and my magical bandages only work when applied directly to wounds.”

She didn't know the other girl, but she seemed decent enough, if a bit cold. "Well, as long as it doesn't leave a scar; I need my skin to be unblemished for my fans~"

”You shouldn’t have any scars.” Remedy reassured her. ”But I understand you wanted to talk to us?”

The NEET smiled a bit. "Well, I just wanted to hear some opinions about Cradle and Veronica. What is it like working for her? How would you compare it to the Mint?"

“Oh you cannot compare Veronica to anyone!” Trixy clasped her hands together like the fangirl she is. “She’s sweet, very pretty, and sees the good in everyone.” Her eyes squeezed shut. “I had nothing going for me, but she looked inside me and found my potential. Now I’m her top manager!” She gave a nod to Remedy.

”My Puchuu abandoned me a long time ago, so I was trying to make it as a solo girl.” The medic smiled. ”But once I started working for Veronica, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. I knew she’d have my back.”

“Is that so?”

Elvira asked, interested to see the girls with such positive views on Veronica. Still, since they haven’t worked for the Mint, it was hard to gauge. All this thinking had taken a toll on her, and she held her head again-

A guttural laugh cut through the room, and a third guest invited themselves in, causing Elvira to blink in surprise. This one was a woman in a black dress. Her flesh was gray, and there were veins running all over her body. ”I suppose if she wants to hear how Veronica compares to the Mint, She’ll have to hear it from someone who’s actually worked for both, huh?” Her voice was almost as deep as a man’s.

Tetrad pulled her head back. ”…Oh! Hi sunshine!” She pointed at the newly arrived with both hands and looked at Elvira. ”Anyway! This is Blair.”

”You’re useless, all of you.” Blair took a seat beside Tetrad, who just looked away and folded her arms. ”Now I just want everyone to shut up. I’m going to say this once and then I’m going to leave. It’s way too crowded in here with even just two of you idiots.” Her skin seemed to pulse with the beat of her heart. ”So, you want to know how working for Veronica compares to working for Mint, right? That’s easy, they don’t fuckin’ compare.” Blair leaned back in her seat and lit up a cigarette. Tetrad covered her nose. ”The Mint sinks you as far in debt as it can, and then uses that debt to control you. You never move up, you always move down.” She flipped open a zippo lighter and lit up her cigarette. With a solid click, she stashed it in her pocket. ”They kept pressuring me to do more and more dangerous things. I ended up using my own coin and stole another one off a fellow agent. It was a shitty thing to do, but I think I got the worse end of the bargain. I was doing both of our operations, and still my debt grew.” She exhaled through her nose, and the gray smoke tumbled over the table. ”The others will tell you Veronica makes them feel appreciated, that she’s honest, or that she’s the second coming of Christ. I don’t know about any of that crap. I do know I’ve been her agent since her coin broker days, and things didn’t get better until she broke off from the Mint.” She poked the contract while standing up. ”You do what you want, makes no difference to me what happens to you. But me? No regrets.” Blair headed for the door without looking back at anyone. 

”Right, um. So yea!” Tetrad smiled. ”That was Blair, I’m a little surprised she showed up with everyone.” She waved to Trixy and Remedy, who waved back before leaving the room themselves. ”She’s sort of a loner, doesn’t seem to like any of the other agents, but I’ve never heard her say anything bad about Veronica.”

Elvira was astounded by the powerful speech Blair made before she left, as suddenly as she had arrived. The internet idol could tell that she spoke from real experience, having also felt the burden of those debts. She lightly waved back to the others before turning to Tetrad.

“I see...Looks like Veronica’s a good boss for you girls.” She bit her lip. “I like the look of this place too. Nice and shady...Just like my old hangout.” She sighed heavily. “So, a week-long membership? That’s what you’re offering, right?”

”We can change it to whatever you’d like really. Within reason.” Tetrad folded her arms and leaned forward. ”It can be made longer or shorter.” She picked up the contract to look at it again before pushing it away. ”I mean, if you wanted to actually work with us, that would be cool too. I don’t think it’s what Veronica’s expecting but it wouldn’t be hard to convince her. The process is the same either way, you’re shown a contract that outlines everything and then you sign it.” She locked eyes with Elvira. ”Up to you though. I think we can make this contract better for you if you’d like though. Maybe get a TV thrown into the deal?” She grinned. ”Chocolates? A plush?”

“Hey now, don’t treat me like a spoiled brat,” Elvira retorted. “As long as I get a room and a computer with wi-fi, that’s all I’d need.” She took a deep sigh as she closed her eyes...And then took a pen, writing into the contract.

Sorry Chloe, but I just can’t trust you anymore after how you abandoned me at the rave...Goodbye.

After a moment, she slid the contract back to Tetrad. It had new additions in the terms including living space for Elvira, basic amenities, internet connection, and even a right to lock her room whenever she wants to. Most surprisingly, Elvira demanded full membership into the Cradle.

“These are my terms. I’m sick and tired of running, and even more sick of people who use me before leaving me. So if I’m going to be here...I’m settling in for good, I suppose.”

”Yis!” Tetrad squealed with excitement before clapping her hands together. ”I think you’re making a smart choice, and I can’t wait to show you the others!” She looked over the contract. ”Alright, let’s get these changes amended.” 

---

Not much later, Veronica walked into the room with a new contract. She placed them side by side so that Elvira and Tetrad could see they were the same. ”This is agreeable then?”

Tetrad took a look over it. ”Looks good to me, But you should look over it too Elvira.”

Elvira read through it, with a grim face she nodded. "I don't like the fact that my life is in your hands, or that I can get sent on dangerous missions," she stated, not sugarcoating the facts. "But it's a lot better than trying to fend for myself in a hole somewhere, waiting every day until a debt collector kicks down the door. I'll also have a better chance to further my career as Vi-chan. I'll get to live...In more ways than one." She managed a bittersweet smile. "I accept the terms."

Tetrad had no problem waterboarding, electrocuting, or anything of the sort to get the information she needed. Her targets were always evil, and using evil means against them didn’t feel wrong to Tetrad. It was poetic justice. But something felt off this time. That was why she decided to go easy on Elvira.

”Very well.” Veronica pulled a quill out of her sleeve and quickly swiped the tip across her cheek. Elvira flinched, but did little else. Her blood splattered on the contract, and Veronica cleaned the tip of the quill with her tongue. ”It’s done.”

”You’re one of us, Elvira!” Tetrad placed her hands on her hips. ”Turning you over to the C-team was hard, but I’ve got MAD charisma!” She laughed. ”I don’t hug girls often, but you’re an Idol so come here!” She leaned across the table and placed her hands on Elvira, only to realize she was locked in stasis.

”Elvira? You okay?”

She was still wearing her bittersweet smile, flinching at the signing process.

”Oh, now these are quite lovely.” Elvira’s gauntlets appeared on Veronica’s arms. ”And she has a big backpack too? I wonder if Myria would have a use for that.” The red rouge inspected the gauntlets. ”These will make fine weapons once they’re cursed. I may use them in my own arsenal.”

”Veronica!” Tetrad stood up. ”What are you doing? She’s an agent now!”

Veronica looked at Tetrad out of the corner of her eye. ”Did you really not see this coming?” She stepped behind Elvira. ”You were interrogating someone inside the cradle. Why wouldn’t I take the opportunity to plunder her gear?”

”Her contract says we can’t hurt her.”

”She is not in pain.” Veronica placed a hand on the back of Elvira’s head. ”She isn’t even aware she’s in stasis. It’s like she’s asleep, only she’ll never dream. If I were to awaken her right now, she wouldn’t even realize she was in stasis.” Veronica pulled a spectral red tome out of the back of Elvira’s head and flipped through the pages. ”So she was in league with Chloe? And the PI did their own thing? No wonder the rave was a mess.”

”We need more people.” Tetrad approached her employer. ”You need someone to replace Bet-”

”Don’t. You. Dare.” Veronica slammed the book closed. ”How do you think people will respond to Cradle knowing that we are harboring Elvira? What will you tell Maura and Eliza who lost two of their number to the rave?” The book was held up in the air. ”She lied to you Tetrad, she was in control the entire time.”

”I know that, I'm not a literal bimbo!” She cast out her arm. ”I’m not going to pretend our idol here isn’t a shady person, or even that she’s perfect.” With a sigh, the gambler continued. ”Penrose will be stronger if they know who their enemy is. We know Chloe is a Mint agent. If we can spin a story where Elvira was brainwashed by the Mint, that will hurt their image, right? Hell, if Justine and the Mint are working together, it’s all the more plausible.” Tetrad placed a hand on her hip and forehead. ”Eliza and Maura is something else, I can try talking to them.”

”You really don’t want to see her left in the Cradle?” Tetrad nodded, to which Veronica clicked her tongue. ”Very well. We will leave it to a vote.” Veronica opened the book again. ”The next cradle meeting will begin in a few days. I will ask for everyone’s input then. If even one agent wants to see Elvira imprisoned, in the Cradle she stays. Now let me read in peace.”

”That is fair, Veronica.”

Tetrad sighed. She had been given a chance to set Elvira free. She understood Veronica’s concern. Elvira would require some explaining to the general population. The Acendency was already not too happy with them, and they would be making themselves a pretty big target if Elvira joined their employ. All the same though, Elvira was a lot like Tetrad. Tetrad had been left for dead by her Puchuu, but Elvira had been left for dead by everyone who she ever chose to work with. The only difference was that Tetrad was fortunate enough to meet Veronica first.

Sometimes, all someone needs is an opportunity.

The Worst Writing Advice

Now what's the next writing advice to discuss? People who say semi-colons are bad but don't know how to use them?

@Roach

I'm just always afraid I'll use a semi-colon at the wrong time, so I end up never using them.

Kind of like an em dash. It's a versatile tool—Some would say too versatile—which is why I seldom use them. Mostly it doesn't serve any real unique purpose that other forms of punctuation can't handle. There's no button for it either, so you have to go Alt + NUM 0151 which I can't remember and then I spend all this time googling stuff and at the end I'm just like why botherrrrrrrr.