BrokenPromise

Grimoiric Heart

Hey! Would a misanthropist grab the new kid and show them a bunch of cool moves? Stripes just likes her personal space.

Symphony of Espers

@FamishedPants Looks fine. slap that bad boy on your sheet.

New operation phase starts tomorrow, so you guys all got ready in time.

Grimoiric Heart

After nodding to Lupin's comment, Stripes did notice Nessie was standing with them today. She had meant to talk with her on the day of her training exercise, but talk about tuning grimoires and the curious oddity that was Lupin stole her attention in the end. Stripes had also assumed that in the time she had been gone Nessie had formed other relationships. It wasn't like what Stripes had done for her was anything special. Sure, it felt great to personally save a future magical girl, but it was just another Tuesday for Stripes. Anyone in her position would have done the same thing. If Nessie had been the one to save Stripes, the last thing she'd want her to do is stick around her as a constant reminder of her former weakness. People should learn to get out from under their heroes at some point. Her dower mood didn't go unnoticed, but as soon as Stripes thought about approaching her, the teachers offered her a ride. There wasn't much point in worrying about her now. Stripes and Lupin had to figure out how they were going to keep up with a magic broom.

_{@Majoras End}

"We can get going I suppose." Stripes's zone of influence was a little strange and seemed to vary in size depending on the situation. In non-combat situations like this, the range was quite small, while it tended to encompass the part of the battlefield that she was in during a fight. It was something she was still trying to figure out, but after a few years she felt like she was more or less in control of her powers. The important important part was that Stripes's "allies" were anyone nearby who was assisting her directly, which was why normal mundane humans didn't steal her power. "Your turn to carry me." Stripes wrapped her arms around Lupin's neck and hoisted her legs and back into her arms. "You should have no problem running along the rooftops. If you get tired, just transform back and you can ride my tabby form." Stripes wasn't certain if Lupin would be visible ridding atop her back, but figured that few people would even notice them running up there. But Stripes was positive with their combined magical might that Lupin would probably not run out of stamina. It would be different if stripes was fat, but she was pretty light for her height.

And if Lupin refused to carry her, she'd just turn into a tabby and run there herself, lone tiger style. But demonstrating their teamwork was important to her.

---

Barriers came up, Ozma explained everything, and Stripes was not surprised. This was Ozma that was leading them around. It would have been a much bigger shock if everything was like it seemed on the surface. Though stripes did have to wonder if this was as "off the record" as she was letting on. The Grand Ministry was run by a nutjob and it made sense that she would confide a special mission in Ozma, as she had a similar mind. But none of this really mattered. They were here to slay pageless and get a good grade. They just needed to watch for friendly fire and go on from there. Lupin seemed pretty tough during training, it was time to see how she reacted in a fight.

Stripes's eyes flicked up between Ozma's face and the massive lizard behind her. "Nothing we can't handle."

Stripes scrambled and climbed up a vending machine against one of the far walls. From here, she could rain magic missiles on the pageless. Voleys of eight or four missiles (depending on Lupin's proximity to her) descended on the swarming monsters. She prioritized hitting closer to the other magical girls, as there was no danger of her glowing projectiles ever hitting an ally. Though this did mean someone would have to watch and make sure Stripes didn't get surrounded. She could defend herself, but not while also laying down suppressing fire.

Symphony of Espers

@SilverPaw Talked to Erode about it. While 10 MP isn't too significant, it feels a little weird to have a special do a bunch of different things at silver. However, you could make the melody cast with a [Bronse Self] and then use either [Enhance] to power up the [Heal] or [Reflect] note. Alternatively, [Powerful] could be used to make the entire Backup stronger with a slightly longer windup. Otherwise the parameters for activating the rank up bonus are fine and you can slap it on your CS.

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

"A glimpse at things to come.”

— Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

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

Magical Overload, Cradle Supply, Connected, Gifted Item (Aigorost) | Monstrous Form, Exposed, Mercy, Distrust
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03
+46
STR: 20 | AGI: 20 | VIT: 20 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20

Earnings this post: Zilch

Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze
Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze

It was too early to pat herself on the back, but it seemed like everything was going smoothly. Mac walked up to her alter ego and blended into Iron Mouse's position. It would be a shame if only her illusion was taken to see Maura. "Clearly Oliver hasn't told you anything about me. Figures he'd want to keep that to himself. That just means he likes me, right?” Mac, and by extension Iron Mouse, poked Val's shoulder. "But look, I wouldn't be the invincible Iron Mouse if some drama was enough to scare me away. I've fought plenty of baddies and I've been in enough relationships to know how bad stuff can be. And until you've been to Rochester, you ain't seen 'nothing!” With a giggle, she put her hand back on her gun. "I might not look it, but diplomacy is my middle name. I think I can do a lot more than just kill monsters for your boss. Get 'em over here and we'll have a chat.”

After a brief moment of thought, Valerie shrugged again. "Alright then. Hang tight for a bit," She moved over to where her shadow hit the surface of a vehicle beyond repair, then messaged Maura through Magicoms.

Soon enough, the Cradle Mother in black emerged from Valerie's shadow, stepping around the android to look over Iron Mouse with curiosity. Looks like she wasn't just pulling her leg after all. Then again, why should she? Her mouth quirked up into a polite smile. "Greetings! You must be Iron Mouse, yes?" She held a hand over her chest. "I am Maura, current head of the Crimson Cradle. Valerie told me you were looking for a new patron."

Oh, boss lady is coming out here? Not quite what Mac expected, or desired.

"That's me!” Iron Mouse saluted. "I'd love to join your ranks! But um, I would like to speak to you in a place that's a bit more private. It's a bit too open out here. Too many eyes and ears.”

"Ah, by all means!" Maura dismissed Valerie with a nod and walked up next to the new girl. "Anywhere you have in mind?"

"She's fine. What I meant-” The mouse huffed. "I guess the Mint already knows. And if they don't, go ahead guys, feat your eyes on this!"

Iron Mouse's form shattered into fragmented starlight. As did Mac's invisibility spell. The wolf herself, hidden for years inside Penrose, finally revealed herself out in the open.

"Sorry about the cheap parlor trick, Maura. I had encountered Oliver in disguise and figured it was best to reintroduce myself the same way before revealing myself.” She grabbed the brim of her hat and nodded. "Everyone, well, the few who know me call me Mac. You'll know a lot more about me once you get inside my head. In addition to that, you'll see that there's some trouble brewing. But before I disclose that, I suggest we gather somewhere a bit more private. This war with Wonderland might be a precursor to something far bigger.”

The reaper's eyes widened once Mac finally revealed herself. Illusion magic. She couldn't have guessed! Lauren maybe, but she didn't have a third eye of her own. As the wolf girl explained what she had already suspected beforehand, Maura glanced around, before subtly casting a quick mental link between the two. Just until she can properly set up a magicom connection for her. Valerie meanwhile checked the traffic cams just in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"We could go ahead and talk in my mansion, but at the suggestion of a...buisness partner, I'll have to set up anti-scrying measures while we talk. Or I can find somewhere more abandoned, somewhere Covington Industries hasn't hit yet. Should be more quiet that way. Me and my sisters are actively trying to prevent hell from spilling out of it's teapot, so any intel on that would be great." She went on to explain, holding an arm out to her opaque shadow, but waiting to see what Mac thought before doing anything.

"First, can I just say that this is a lot different than I thought it would be? I mean, woah! I'm hearing your thoughts. I imagine it's pretty easy to send messages you don't want to. Gunna have to be aware of that next time I'm in the shower.” Mac grinned. "I don't think what I'm going to tell you is going to be a surprise for very long. But out of principle, I think it would be wise to continue our conversation out of earshot of the locals. Your mansion or a remote location would work fine. Afterwards, I'll let you decide who to share this information with.” She stepped into the shadow. "Wow! That's cold! I forgot how chilly it was when Veronica shoved me in here.”

"Noted. Besides, wouldn't hurt to show you around the place." With a smile, Maura opened up a portal to HQ, allowing Mac and Valerie (Once she gathered enough parts) to enter first before walking through herself.

"And here we are! The others should be busy enough not to disturb us." She said, walking aside to perform the aformentioned spell. "...Alright. Should be free to talk as normal now. Something else crop up besides Wonderland's hijinks I take it?" She asked Mac.

Mac did not answer right away. She was observing Veronica’s interdimensional mansion. She had never seen the inside of this place with her own eyes, but she knew that it had been redecorated to meet its new owner’s tastes. "Right. I hate to keep delaying the big news, but your organization doesn’t allow for secrets. So let me tell you a bit more about who I am. You’ll have to forgive me for not using my illusion magic to make the story more interesting.” Mac took a seat in a nearby chair. "Make yourselves comfortable.”

"Just let me be there when you say hi to Oliver. I wanna see his reaction, heheh." Valerie spoke up, the two of them then taking their own seats.

...

"You can call me Mac, but that's not my real name. I'm Tonya Murphy, and I am not from this world.

I use to be a police officer. I won’t bore you with the details, but my wold and the billions of people who inhabited it were dealt a bad hand. Something happened in Penrose and then the end of the world started. Portals to nightmarish hellscapes opened everywhere, and patrons were turning people into magical girls like mad to hold back armageddon long enough to relocate everyone. I was one of the few that was turned into a magical girl. No, that’s not true. If I was a magical girl I would have died. I was turned into a monster. They chose to fight fire with fire, and they turned me into an inferno.

I was rewarded for my service by being dropped off here a decade ago. My patron continued to guide me to ensure that such a tragedy would not also befall this world. Most of that time was not special, and I don’t even think it’s worth mentioning. I survived, that’s all there really is to say. But over the years I was able to witness the cruelty of both the Mint and Beacon, and I cannot say I stand for either of them. Regardless, my grievances aren’t important. I served my patron well in the end, and I think it’s important that you know that I had quite a hand in things in recent months.

I was there on the rooftop after Lily slew Helga.

I was there when the Bate Twins were attacked by all those Beacon girls. I sheltered them from harm and helped them escape. I doubt they would have survived otherwise. In fact, I was the reason Veronica was able to hook up with them later. She was one of the few people that knew I even existed. It made hiding from the rest of the mint much easier.

I was there for the siege on Justine’s castle. This was one of the few times I helped Beacon claim victory, but I do recall casting a spell on Alicia to make her think she had less mana than she really did. I only did it so that she didn’t hit me with her light barrages. I helped bring down Justine.

I was there when Chloe’s ghouls attacked.

I was there when Binky tried to escape. You may hold it against me, but the red coin mess was partially my doing. I put the escapees up to it. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, but who wouldn’t follow the orders of their patron?

I was there when Katelyn and Eliza fought against the Bates and the Beacon Buddies. I owed it to Veronica to pass some good will her way after ruining her coin operation. That much wasn’t ordained by my patron and was all me. I ensured Eliza was harmed minimally during the encounter, and nearly ran out of mana doing so.

I was there when the Bate Twins tried to summon Soth. I helped defeat them, and I helped them escape. They weren’t bad kids, they just never got a chance to do the right thing.

I was there when Dan took everyone to the beach dimension.

I was there when the necromancers attacked.

I was there for the Rave. That… That is not an event I wish to recall. But I helped save the Cardinal, and doomed Cindy. It was no one’s shining moment, least of all mine. But I had yet to realize that I could defy my patron with impunity.

I was there when Justine fell… Again. I like to think I made up for my past by fighting against Beacon’s forces like I’m supposed to. I also had the opportunity to wipe out the Archives girls and took a shot at them. I’ve never enjoyed killing magical girls, but this felt more like scrubbing a stain off of the floor.

I was there when Dan had a christmas party. That was when I learned that I didn’t have to accept my fate, that I could forge my own destiny. I was finally there… in the present.” Mac closed her eyes and sighed. ”Not everything I did was good, and blaming it all on your patron isn’t a good excuse. We all have the power to make our own choices, and that’s why I’ve chosen you, Maura. Out of every Patron I’ve ever seen, you seem to care the most about your girls. You might not make the best choices, but you have the best intent. That’s why I want to give you this information. But if I may be so bold…” She kneeled. ”Sign me up first. Give me a contract to sign, bite me, do whatever you need to do to get me into Cradle. So long as you want me, I’m yours.”

Maura listened intently to Tonya's words, in awe almost. Someone like this, who once had the power to change fate and possibly still can, turned to her. Despite how things were going so far, she held no ill will towards her. How she described the apocalypse she had suffered was concerning, but the fact that Mac had actively worked with them, with Veronica from the shadows and even helped Eliza once?

"Damn. And I thought the Exodus' presence was a concern enough. But to hear our fears may be true from a live witness proves we have to keep going. Or at the very least prepare for the worst." She sighed. Despite this, she bore a smile. "But I feel honored to be approached by a magical girl of your caliber. Things may be a bit rocky at the moment, but I'd be happy to have you as one of us." With that, the Cradle Mother formed a contract in her hand and held it to Mac, ink-dipped quill and all. "One thing though, blood-signed contracts are optional with me. Don't have any fangs like she did." She mentioned with a chuckle.

The wolf girl lifted her head and looked at the ink pot. "...Really? Well, you won’t hear me complain.” She picked up the quill. "I don’t think Veronica had fangs either, but her jaw strength was on another level.” With a shiver, she wrote her name on the contract. "I’m feeling it now. Wow, it’s good to have a patron again.” It only took Mac a moment to collect herself. "It’s a pleasure to be in your service, Maura. Now for the information I have for you.” Mac reached for her back and pulled Endless Eclipse, scabbard and all, out from behind her back. "I’m sure you’re at least vaguely aware of what this is? It’s a replica of Oros’s sword. It’s not good enough to act as a weapon, but its divining powers are the real deal. Kind of a long story how I got this, but you have my memories now so it shouldn’t be hard for you to find out on your own time. But what I want to show you right now is what this thing showed me. It’s a bit unsettling.” She kneeled again and pulled the blade part way out of its sheath. "I’ll use my illusion magic to give you a high resolution image. And please, don’t get too excited. I don’t know how likely this vision or visions are to happen, but I feel they are at least worth discussing.”

What appeared before Maura and Val was a bit hazy for a “high quality” image, but they could make out what was going on. First was an image of Penny replicating herself a seemingly infinite number of times. These clones then attacked major cities followed by Penny taking a seat in every major throne and office around the world. This was followed by Lily attempting to use her time magic to travel through time, and imploding the world as a result. In addition to being hazy, both visions were surrounded by a great flow of magic. Mac said nothing and observed her allies' faces for their responses.

Yeah. That wasn't pretty at all. Both their eyes widened in a faint sense of dread.

"Oh christ..." Valerie repositioned herself in her seat and leaned closer to analyze the vision. "Penny's dating someone who's working with the Mint. I'd guess they'd of all people want to clone her, but if it's her doing so in her own free will? That's... pretty bad." She frowned. "But Lily? Isn't attempting time travel taboo??" The android turned to ask Maura, who nodded.

"There's a reason we don't have an official Witch of Time anymore. Or Space for that matter. That sort of power is too unstable in the wrong hands, not to mention drawbacks like that can be catastropic, as you can see." She explained, motioning to the Lily in the vision.

"Those traces of magic though... Where is it coming from?"

"As mentioned, these images are not guaranteed to happen. Furthermore, I can’t tell if they are two different futures or both part of the same approaching doomsday.” She let the sword slide into its sheath, and the images disappeared. "As for the magic, I don’t really know. I just inherited this a few weeks ago and I haven’t had it react like that on anything else. I’ve shown you the extent of what I know, now we’re moving into the domain of theories.” Mac stood up and strapped the sword to her back. "Eden did extensive research on Penny and sold that reaserch to the Mint. Our queen of Penrose is not mentally sound either. I think it’s safe to say that Mint will either try to build a new Penny, or will try to brainwash the one that exists right now. I seem to recall Penny leaving Beacon, which may leave her vulnerable to such attacks if she no longer has the shine spark. So I think you know which option my money is on.” Mac lifted a finger to her chin to her lower lip. "Lily is a strange one though. I have looked into her past and saw that she used up all of her Ixion’s mana by trying to reverse time in the past, effectively killing him. That just goes to show you how much mana is needed to do something like reverse time. You would need something considerably stronger than a lesser force in order to cast a spell like that. Same with using duplication magic to make a bajillion clones of yourself, that needs a lot of mana. That could be why these images are surrounded by such strong magic.” After furrowing her brow, Mac turned to Maura. "I’m not too caught up on recent events, but was Penrose’s nexus of magical power ever discovered? That’s what all the patrons are trying to get their hands on right? Could it be…?”

At what Tonya was suggesting, Maura pushed her bangs back with a huff. "We have to find the Nexus first. With Wonderland catching wind of it according to Finn's findings, everyones going to be scrambling to find were it lies in this forsaken town." She shook her head. "Didn't know Penny left Beacon though. Unfortunate I no longer wish to associate with that circus. Not after what happened to Samantha. Something tells me we should take the opportunity while both Wonderland and Penrose are busy fighting to get a head start."

"Wait, but Finn, Oliver, and Justine are going to Bolorton to stop them. Should I tell them to fall back?" Valerie asked her. Maura's brows rose.

"Justine's joined them? Never mind that, they can handle themselves. If it gets too crowded up there, I can have them fall back to the Cradle. Meanwhile I'll have our remaining agents on look out just in case." She said, standing up from her seat.

"But how would we even find this Nexus?” The former police officer folded her arms. "If someone could just divine its location I'm sure it would have been located already. Do you have any leads I could follow? For all we know, it's already been found. Maybe that's the secret behind the Mint's black coins...”

"Hah. If that's the case we could easily hit 'em where it hurts."

"Again. Drawbacks. Damn thing could explode if we're not careful." Maura reminded Valerie, then looked back to Mac. "Both Lauren and Jennifer have Third Eyes. If they're strong enough, either of them can look for traces of the Nexus and hopefully narrow down it's location." She suggested.

"Again, the Nexus has been unfound for decades. I doubt a third eye would be enough to uncover it. Having said that, I’m not about to make insubordination my first action as a Cradle agent. I would like to go on the record saying Penny and Lily are both targets that we know the location of. While powerful, we can at least keep an eye on them and ensure the Mint doesn’t meddle with them too much. Provided you’re against killing them outright.” The corners of Mac’s lips curled into a smile. "I jest of course. Where would you like me to start?”

The reaper sighed, a hand on her hip. "It's probably somewhere stupid like in city hall or deep underground then. Anyways, both of them should be heading to Bolorton soon. If you want, I can give you a shortcut once the others arrive there. Finn'll give you the rundown of the situation."

"Then I am going to Bolorton instead? Very well, maybe the witches can learn something while I'm away.”

"Knowing them? Something'll pop up eventually."

Mac clapped her hands together, and she transformed into Iron Mouse. "I can't wait to tell Oliver the good news! We're comrades in arms now! He's gunna be so happy he gets to bask in my excelence!”

Valerie snorted. "Just let me know how that turns out! I'm gonna head back to my post." She got up herself and walked back to her room. While stepping over to the nearest wall, Maura opened another portal.

"Whenever you're ready, Iron Mouse."

"Yes ma’am!” Iron mouse charged through the portal. Oliver and Finn had been riding under a bridge, and Iron mouse was able to land on the motorcycle right behind Oliver. Normally Mac wouldn’t be able to fit, but she was using her gravity magic to ensure that her weight didn’t negatively affect the bike. Otherwise, three fully grown adults likely would have been really hard on their mode of transportation. "Hey Oliver! Remember me?” Iron Mouse leaned into his back. Her arms curled around his waist as the “small” girl laid her head on his shoulder. "Guess who just joined Cradle and is now on a mission with you?”

The spirit in question flinched in surprise, but made sure not to cause Finn to accidentally swerve off the road. With widened eyes he glanced over to the girl resting against him. "Oh hey! It really is a small world, huh?"

"Wait, new recruit? Oliver, you know this chick??" He asked, quickly looking behind him at the source of the new voice before focusing back on the road.

"Something like that! Clones had a snowball fight with her back at Christmas. My condolences for their behavior, by the way, they can be quite mischevious." Oliver apologized to her. "Iron Mouse, this is Finn, Finn, Iron Mouse. And flying next to us is Justine."

Symphony of Espers

@The World Looks fine. Remember, you can always talk to somebody if you want ideas. But I do like the idea of a headless zombie making a bracelet for Marrie. It wouldn't make sense if it was anyone but Stacy.

Symphony of Espers

@FamishedPants Uncle Erode had this to say.

Just have it be specified as triggering within non-magical darkness and it’ll be fine, probs.

Aaaand Luna's assist stuff!

BACKUP: Fly Away

Trixy can hook a sister up with some interesting drugs. They can get you high, make you feel light headed, AND are well suited for combat.

GRADE: Bronze
BACKUP MELODY: [Bronze Self][Flight][Weightless]
SPECIAL: Surgen's General Warning: May give the esper a headache after combat concludes.

PR: Snake Eyes

Hiding in plain site is important for Maverick Espers. As much as Tetrad likes to stand out, Luna knows enough to keep her head down when she's out of the esper state.

GRADE: Silver
GEAR: Tazer, Disguise, Kevlar Coat, Kevlar Padding
SPECIAL: Luna's disguise comes with a face covering, wig, colored contacts, and a makeup kit. She is considered to have identity protection even out of the esper state. People who are familiar with Luna may recognize her from attributes that are not related to her appearance, such as her voice, handwriting, specific gestures, etc.

Symphony of Espers

@FamishedPants Seems reasonable, I'll get Erode's imput, and don't forget your new assist glamors.

Speaking of which, these are going to be Su's. I'll probably get Luna's done later. Ran out of time this morning.

BACKUP: Affection Confection

Mika is just a regular teenage girl, but there seems to be something magical in the cookies she makes. Or maybe this is just a mother talking up their child's cooking. Regardless, the effects it bestows on Su are very real.

GRADE: Bronze
BACKUP MELODY: [Bronze Self][Shield][Reflect][Powerful]
SPECIAL: Good taste: The treat has a sweet taste.

PR: Dragon's Hoard

Despite the name, it's really just a bunch of fairly normal items you would expect a member of SWAT to be packing.

GRADE: Silver
GEAR: Clip light, Kevlar vest, Kevlar padding, 3X Handcuffs, Tazer
SPECIAL: The clip light has a black light function, allowing it to show blood stains, urine, etc that have been cleaned up. This can also reveal hidden messages and the like that someone might have left for a black light to find.

Symphony of Espers

It's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing. flowers are blooming. on days like these kids like Mary...... should be in school. But Mary was not enrolled in a public school. Zir tuition started and ended at odd hours and odd days. Sometimes ze would spend all day Sunday bouncing from one teacher to the next, and other times ze would have an entire Wednesday blocked off just for zerself. It all depended on what zer parents wanted for zer.

And that's how Cthulhya the portal witch was able to investigate some back allies on a school day.

As for the why, well, why not? Pax Septimus was peppered with abandoned warehouses that made excellent hideouts. Shimr was always lit up with requests to exterminate goblins, cultists, or other such paranormal threats. Monster locations were worth money, and both GEMINI and Maverick paid a premium for them.

But Mary wasn’t the only one walking around back here. A purple haired girl surrounded with butterflies peaked out from behind a wall. ”Well hello there little girl. What might you-”

"Cthulhya is actually a demi-boy, and uses ze and zir pronouns. At least on days where ze dresses in purple." Danny inhaled, or at least it sounded like he did. "I apologize for cutting you off! You were saying?"

Sharr hummed, but kept her smile up. ”Right, of course.” she placed her hands on her hips. ”Just so happens I have the power to make sure something like that never happens again.”

“What do you mean?” Mary inquired.

”Interested? I’m an artificer by trade, and I can make adjustments to magical equipment like your grimoire.” She pointed at her. ”My services do cost a fair bit, but I’m sure you’ll find them affordable. I could add any feature you like. Maybe you’re not happy with your outfit? You can’t seem to decide what you are, but I could make it so that you could be whatever you wished with a snap of your fingers.”

“Really?” Mary started to get excited when the puppet popped up again.

"Now hold on a second! This almost sounds too good to be true! Who are you even?"

”Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?” The lavender haired girl stepped out from behind the wall and placed her hands on her hips. ”I’m Sharr Webber, an artificer for GEMINI. Long story short, I’ve escaped my captor and am going to join up with GEMINI’s PAx Septimus branch shortly. But I’m not against taking requests for freelancers.”

“So I can just contact you on Shimr if I want to make an appointment?”

”Well, I’m not really supposed to help just anyone, and I don’t presently have an account of my own. But I suppose once I get settle in, you can shoot me a private message.” Mary seemed to consider the offer, but Sharr had one last thing to add. ”Does Monarch Artificing sound like a nice name for a glamor shop?”

“Um, wha?”

---

Fritzi was in her office, which wasn’t an uncommon place to find her She was pushing papers around on her desk. Normally she would delegate this to someone else, but the only person wshe trusted to do it right wasn’t available. Everything her agents did needed to be well documented. On top of that, she was also head of GEMINI’s research. Everything pertaining to the Holy Diver and the mysterious “Hand” group wound up on her desk. She had no secretary. The closest thing she had to that right now was a chime that let her know when someone had entered the premises. And sure enough, that chime sounded. It wasn’t a polite sound either. It was course, and never let her know who was coming into her office. With a sigh, she adjusted her coat and waited for them to walk through the door. But she would hear them before she could see them.

”It’s just me!” Before long, Binky walked past the threshold of the door and saluted Fritzi. She still looked a little banged up, but the swelling had gone down, and she just had a few bandages on the bottom of her chin. ”It kind of hurts to talk, but I think I can return to service.”

"Cereza and Cerise were able to patch you up pretty good then?" Fritzi was referring to two GEMINI espers outside of the Pax Septimus branch. They had fought together in the past, but their stations had been shifted around quite a bit. Fritzi and MBinky became researchers while Cereza and Cerise supported GEMINI efforts by managing equipment distribution. They were also revered healers, not that melodies were especially effective on humans.

”The real reason they wanted to see us was because top brass decided to give us a little extra help. Apparently they didn’t realize just how bad things were here.”

"Why am I not surprised." She placed her hands together. "Let me guess, we got access to assist glamors finally?"

”I’ve been putting through requests since we arrived here.” Binky smiled. ”I don’t know if it was the growing vampire problem, Pac-A-Fist’s capture, or what, but they decided to listen. The lab is all fitted up with them so we can begin distribution among the agents as soon as possible.”

"And I would have been content just getting my secretary back."

---

‘Why is it always so hot?’

The person speaking was someone dressed up as a witch. A cat witch. Only they weren’t really dressed up as a witch. They were wearing their hat, but their robe had been cast over a nearby chair. This left them in their underwear, which was probably only a sensible option if you were working over a giant cauldron and weren’t expecting any customers. There was nothing to sell yet, and there was a closed sign on the door.

After hearing about Pac-A-Fist’s disappearance, Brittany Todd decided to fly to Pax Septimus as fast as she could to capitalize on what she suspected would be a monster hunting hot spot. Nobody just kidnaps the number one freelancer’s girlfriend and expects him to take it laying down. No, there would be more espers. Freelancers galore, and she didn’t doubt that GEMINI and Maverick Alternative would be trying to get on the Bate’s good side either. But the smartest people in this situation didn’t aim for being the one hero standing above all the losers, they aimed to profit off the lot of them.

‘There’s a lot of mana here. Two Izu souls have already appeared on my cauldron. ’ It was going to be a good place for business. Even if she didn’t sell them all, Pax Septimus was the perfect place for brewing assist glamors. She couldn’t help but smile thinking about the immense amount of wealth she was going to acquire. It would be simply-

The front door swung open, and Elroy stepped in. “Bikini Cat?”

‘Kiyah!’ Brittany hugged her ladle against her chest. ‘What are you doing in here myshopisnotopenyeatyouneedtogetoutofhererightnow!’ She inhaled. ‘And this is not a bikini!”

“... Lingerie Cat?”

Brittany blinked. ‘Im, sorry. I was just startled. You’re right. This is a bikini. Definitely not underwear. Nope.” She lowered her ladle back into the cauldron. ‘The door does say closed for a reason. I have nothing to sell presently. But um, you’re Elroy right?”

“All day every day!”

”Good good! You’re actually the main reason I’m here!” She smiled. ”I heard what happened to Patricia, and I just knew-”

Elroy squinted his eyes. “You gettin’ rich off my suffering?”

”N-no! What gave you that idea? God, that’s horrible!” Brittany blushed, but it wasn’t because she felt exposed. Well, not because of her current outfit. ”I mean I am here to run a business, but I’m not doing anything more than providing a service! Uhhh! Do you know what assist glamorous are?”

Elroy didn’t say anything. Asking the number one freelancer if they knew what assist glamorous were was like asking an esper if they knew what a monster was. They were special glamorous that acted as companions to an esper’s grimoire and did not have to be attached directly to it. The caveat was that these special glamors did need to be “tuned” to a grimoire to work, and needed a bit of help to do anything. As an example, Elroy had a glamor that let him use an arcane artifact that Pac-A-Fist made for him. But the glamor was just there to help facilitate his ability to use magic that didn’t belong to him. Others gave espers the ability to keep mundane items on their esper and mundane form, and even trade them between the two. But again, those items had to be acquired elsewhere and were not granted by the glamor itself.

”...Well I make those! And if you come back tomorrow, I’ll have some wares out!”

With a shrug, Elroy grabbed a hold of the door knob. “ I’ll tell the others you’re here. Thought you were a monster, sorry for barging in.”

Brittany nodded, and Elroy closed the door. As awkward as that exchange was, she was just happy that Regina wasn’t with him. It was a shame he was so blue, but that made sense considering what had happened. But none of that mattered! Elroy was going to personally promote her shop! ‘Grand Opening of Brittany’s Boutique! Here we come!’

Grimoiric Heart

I doubt Silvia would want to bunk with Olivia and Xolys, so dumpster bunking is out.