FamishedPants

Symphony on High

J u s t i n

"They do say justice is blind..."

— Justin

Status

19 | Male | Freelancer | The Noble Spark
Shock, Awe(some) | Fist, Fist | Arcane | Crosstalk
Resistor | Pretty lit
Voltaic Knight | Lightning | Reroute
EMPTY | Grounded
[Paralysis (4)] [Speedster (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Pull (2), Blink (4), Transplace (8), shield (4), trail (0), Enhance (2), Bounce (0)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: B | SENTINEL: D | Max Mana 750

[Silver Projectile (9)][Blink (4)] = -60

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: D | Current Mana 390

Noble Spark hoped that his ally wasn't making any crazy assumptions, like a mint-condition Golden Age comic or something. He didn't intend to part with anything particularly old or valuable, which is exactly what those were. Specifically, the first edition of Wonder Woman's newest series was what he had in mind, and while he had certainly lucked out by getting one in mint condition, her expectation should be a few hundred in the best scenario.

Granted that was still a lot of potential dollars to be spending on some random Freelancer he just met, especially to be encouraging her to do her job, but he wasn't too worried about it. The lives they could potentially save with that water were worth the future hassle of finding another comic of the same quality. Probably. Hopefully.

Noble Spark looked back after dealing with the pale guard only to find that Sovereign had been claimed by the shopping cart the undead bum had been shoving toward him. It didn't seem to get very far before it slowed down to a snail's pace, and though understandably embarrassed, Sovereign was well enough to get composed and utterly annihilate the two remaining foes in their immediate area.

Gone, reduced to atoms...

Despite how obviously overkill the melody was, or really because of it, Noble Spark grinned. "Bold AND just, as is ideal!" He gave an entertained and hearty laugh, turning to face his merc-natured companion but catching the commotion coming from cultists and the truck as he did.

There was quite a bit happening all at once. One of the cultists was using his fellow cultists as human shields to avoid melodies, while another, pink-haired one was spouting lines too far away from Noble Spark for him to hear, probably for the best. His most trusted GPS ally of the fight, Bard, was... learning to fly right after slaughtering the wheels on the truck full of the water Noble Spark was concerned about. It wasn't until he noticed the boy slowing his descent with pages that he even considered the airtime wasn't intentional. Still, Bard stuck the landing, or at least the monster that was with him when he landed.

A good first edition so far!

But his appreciation of Bard and the backstory of the grunt was short-lived, as around that time, a higher-pitched scream of pain erupted from the female Esper on top of the truck, snatching his attention away.

"Accursed villains! She's been disarmed!" Noble Spark cried, outraged by the bad guys landing a solid blow. They weren't supposed to do that! Eager to pay them back for this impropriety, he acknowledged Sovereign's worry about compensation with a quick nod, then immediately burst into a sprint towards the semi.

Those bastards, haven't they ever read a comic? If you're gonna take a hero's limbs, you gotta have a name and be a credible threat! And even then, you're usually tolerated for the catharsis that comes when you get beaten!

The air in an moderate-sized area around Noble Spark surged with electricity as his righteous anger became manifest. One could only wonder how much more pronounced the effect would be if he witnessed what happened to Finn, but that was sadly not the case as he was far too focused on catching that truck.

The aspiring Winter Soldier without the cool prosthetic was holding their own it seemed, managing to force two of her opponents off the truck, or maybe that was just the truck having difficulty driving straight. Whatever caused their sudden departure from the top of the truck, he watched as they hit the ground hard, yet did not die. He hadn't intended to stop for them, but he might've been tempted had he known they were going to turn into zombie-bum-mantis chimeria hybrid things.

As he looked back to the truck he was chasing, he could no longer spot the Esper that used to be atop it. He could deduce that they likely hadn't fallen off like the Mighty Morphin' Zombie Bums, but that was about it. From his perspective, the truck was still trying to make a getaway and that wasn't gonna stop without intervention, so he prepared a melody.

Noble Spark wasn't exactly the most humble Esper, but he also didn't fancy himself Deadshot, either. He launched his blink-bolt towards the door of the semi, the intention being to teleport and either grab onto the lip of the window or the large mirror on the truck, and then see about yanking the driver out of the cab.

Symphony on High

J u s t i n

"Justice, no matter what the price is!"

— Justin

Status

19 | Male | Freelancer | The Noble Spark
Shock, Awe(some) | Fist, Fist | Arcane | Crosstalk
Resistor | Pretty lit
Voltaic Knight | Lightning | Reroute
EMPTY | Grounded
[Paralysis (4)] [Speedster (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Pull (2), Blink (4), Transplace (8), shield (4), trail (0), Enhance (2), Bounce (0)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: B | SENTINEL: D | Max Mana 750

[Silver Self(6)][Shield(4)][Speedster(4)] = -120

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: D | Current Mana 450

Seems I was at Odin level when I should be at Thor for these guys.

After witnessing these hulking hobos no-sell his gunslinging ally's attacks, Noble Spark had decided it was safer to put a bit more 'oomph' into his initial melody than he might normally have. The result was a bit stronger than he intended, but beyond mild surprise at how they didn't seem to resist the melody at all, he didn't mind so much since they were zombies and he knew even Batman didn't mind killing those.

Noble Spark gave an earnest nod to his companion as she suggested not having a lengthy talk mid-fight. "How very right you are!" he agreed, having already learned talking wasn't quite the free action it was in comics in his first experience as a Freelancer.

Still, Sovereign? I wonder if she's a Wonder Woman fan?

With one foe down temporarily and two left, that meant, of course, they would split into two separate one-on-one fights. This was standard practice for any comic, so he obliged without question, focusing his attention on the one rushing him with a shopping cart.

I feel a weird sense of irony, for some reason....

But while the unDead was Rising to the challenge of facing an Esper with a very unique weapon, Noble Spark wasn't about to underestimate it. He'd heard of stranger things being used in murder cases from his father, and these guys were built like tanks. Though his will could easily withstand the weight of anything they could hit him with, his skull had a limit of about a thousand pounds.

The air around Noble Spark began to pop and crackle with a building aura of sparks as he gathered power in his hand similarly to last time. However, instead of pointing his hand at the incoming foe, he pressed his palm into his chest causing a surge while the the aura of lighting becoming far more discernible around his immediate person, as if forming some sort of barrier.

With the bolt on his attire now glowing, Noble Spark attempted to use his newfound speed and durability to juke the oncoming shopping cart and let loose a punch aimed towards the head as the hobo passed by.

"Price? How very mercenary," he replied with a netural tone. "I need..." momentarily, his eyes moved over to the rest of the larger battlefield they inhabited. The commotion from the newly-arrived cultists and the truck attempting to flee hadn't exactly escaped his notice. The truck appeared to be where the water was being stored. As much as he wanted to fight the actual robed cultists that appeared for the sake of satisfying his desire for cool comic moments in real life, he wasn't about to ignore his real reason for being here:

I need to make sure that water isn't lost!

But it was like Sovereign said: they had to beat these guys first before they could worry about that. "Need to stop that truck if our fellow Espers can't. Guns typically beat tires, so there's a mint condition Wonder Woman comic with your name in it should it come to that!" he offered, mentally patting himself on the back for finding a way to sate both his curiosity and his desire to serve the public in one moment.

Symphony on High

J u s t i n

"Stylishly late, as a hero often is!"

— Justin

Status

19 | Male | Freelancer | The Noble Spark
Shock, Awe(some) | Fist, Fist | Arcane | Crosstalk
Resistor | Pretty lit
Voltaic Knight | Lightning | Reroute
EMPTY | Grounded
[Paralysis (4)] [Speedster (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Pull (2), Blink (4), Transplace (8), shield (4), trail (0), Enhance (2), Bounce (0)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: B | SENTINEL: D | Max Mana 750

[Silver Projectile(9)[Damage X(6)][Paraylsis(4) = -180

PHYSICAL: E | ARCANE: D | CHAOS: D | Current Mana 570

As the front of the proper convenience store finally came into view for both Noble Spark and his new Freelancer buddy, he picked up the pace, finally confident that the gunshots they were hearing were actually related to their mission and not just the natural ambience of the poorer section of Pax Septimus. In this chaotically dangerous city you never could be too sure.

Noble Spark scrutinized the scene before him as he tried to get his bearings, eye straining to ensure he was absolutely confident in what he was seeing. And... yeah, it seemed like a few unique individuals were currently engaging a large gathering of bums armed with improvised weaponry. This, he hoped, was not typical behavior of the homeless in this area. So it seemed safe to make an assumption.

Ah... man these homeless must be the 'cult' then, huh? I was hoping for the cool kind that wears robes and chants latin and then tries to summon some crazy strong demon or evil god... but I guess it wouldn't happen again so soon after the Diver...

But before he could get too disappointed at the mundane foe he was to confront, he centered his attention on the floating Esper and the girl with guns, spotting the pale guards attacking them. His eyes lit up with excitement.

Wait, are those jacked zombie bums? Now that's more like it!

While he didn't have a view of the Esper herself, Noble Spark noticed the mob of homeless seemed to have surrounded something or someone, and were raining blows down on them. He noticed another brollic bum, who began approaching the crowd wielding a fence post, clearly intending on using it on whomever was subject to that pile on.

Initially, his expression tensed and he nearly bolted straight towards for the group, but he noticed at the last second before sprinting off that a red-clad boy with goggles was preparing a melody and his attention seemed focused on that group. The fact was they were in a better position to help than Noble Spark was. There were others he could lend a hand to, like the girl with the expensive-looking guns that look like she stole them from some warlord in Africa, or the floating girl who had three people beelining for her. One of them had a design that screamed he was more important than the rest, even considering the two pale guards running beside him.

"I think we've lost enough time as is so lets just focus on making sure the others don't get overwhelmed!" and that was about all the guidance Noble Spark gave before darting off towards the sight of the pistol-wielding girl, who had just taken a piece of rebar to the back like a champ.

As he rushed to try to catch up with them, Noble Spark readied a melody as the gun-wielding girl attempted to put distance between the pale guards rushing her. A blue electricity gathered in his left hand as he squeezed it shut, and after he extended his right arm forward, towards the pale guard, it crackled as it quickly crawled to his outstretched arm and escaped from his palm as a typical bolt that would hopefully nail the leg of the one closest to this gun-toting Esper.

"Talk about being bum-rushed! But worry not, for Noble Spark has descended!" he gave a hearty and confident laugh.

Symphony on High

The Noble Spark! And uhh...Bard?

_{(Hoping to be stylishly late instead of too late.)}

@brokenpromise

---

There wasn't much need for an aspiring hero like Justin to ponder if the job posting on Shimir was worth it. He was there when the Holy Diver had caused much destruction in the short time it was manifested, leaving many dead or injured in its wake and countless without the means to survive without some form of aid. Now, that aid was being stolen by cultists. Even if there was no monetary incentive, Justin would not dare turn his back on such a perfect chance to prove his worth as a hero!

To say he was eager for the job would be an understatement. He was determined to be the first to arrive at their meeting place in front of the convenience store, hoping to get there about half an hour before they were supposed to meet. Given his experience with other Freelancers up to this point, that was more than early enough. That would be enough time to give him the chance to find a cool place to pose for when the others arrived.

Unfortunately, in his rush to get out the door, he made two mistakes, one of which wouldn't reveal itself until later. His first mistake, however, was that he had forgotten to charge his phone. By the time he realized this, he couldn't justify turning around. Unfortunately, as he had only been in Pax Septimus for a few months, he was not familiar with the area. So as he tried, poorly, to recall the directions he had last seen on his phone, he made a mistake and took a wrong turn.

...twenty minutes before their scheduled start, Noble Spark finally arrived in at the convenience store he had been seeking out. His unintentional detour cost him ten minutes off his ride and had him approach from the side, but as he looked around, seeing nobody, he grinned at the fact it hadn't cost him his spot as first to arrive or blown their surprise. That said, there was something off about the store, but he couldn't immediately place a finger on it. Deciding it was probably nothing, he shrugged and started to look for a cool place to pose in front of the store, like he had intended from the start.

It took about two minutes of searching before his second mistake began to dawn on him. Occasionally casting a glance up towards the convenience store in the hopes of maybe catching movement from the cultists, he thought it strange how the posting emphasized the poor condition the store was in, yet this one only had a few broken windows that were boarded up. There was nothing on the outside he could see that would suggest it couldn't be cleaned up in a productive weekend, and what little he could see of the interior betrayed no signs of life inside.

Strange. The posting made it sound like you could blow the store down if you really tried. I wonder if they got the right sto-

Noble Spark's eyes moved up from the sides of the store to the sign that sat atop it. His confident expression slowly faded. Though it had seen better days, the sign clearly read,

T-Tiny Mart? Wasn't there some alliteration going on with the name of the store? Oh... no.

As he started to pace, he reached into his pocket and immediately retrieved his phone, briefly forgetting it died earlier. He was reminded as soon as he tried to turn it on and was greeted with nothing but a black screen.

Ah! That's not good! I can't look cool if I'm too late to the operation!

Somewhat panicked, Noble Spark was too busy contemplating whether he could get a charge from using a lightning melody and if it would be worth the risk to pay attention to where he was going.

Bardo’s life had never been in a greater state of upheaval than it was now, and Bardo could barely summon the energy to deal with it. Slowly he walked along the sidewalk without any real care for what lay before him with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his eyes half glazed over, and his mind miles away. With a deep sigh he cast his eyes to the sky and watched as the clouds lazily passed by overhead. Things were rough right now, and he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it, let alone able to fully wrap his head around it.

Two months ago Bardo’s life was relatively standard. He was just a local college student whose family had been in Pax Septimus for generations living with his grandmother and helping her while attending school. He was always going to the roller rink after school, watching Tobikatte Kira videos and shows when possible, and really anything a normal college kid would do. Then, around a month and a half ago, his life was changed forever. Bardo came into possession of a grimiore, a dark tome which almost seemed to eat the surrounding light, while exploring a haunted library on a dare.

Ever since that day things had started getting a little bit out of control. Apparently he was now something called an ‘Esper’ and that came with a whole bag of crazy that he still hadn’t quite wrapped his head around. A weird app he’d found suddenly on his phone, shimir, was somewhat helpful in figuring out what crazy course his life had taken, but not completely. A sigh welled up out from deep in Bardo’s chest as his gaze came level once more with the street. There, a few blocks further down, a convenience mart stood which Bardo was pretty sure was where he was supposed to be going. But these days he wasn’t really sure of anything.

With another sigh he cast his eyes back towards the sky and tried to get a handle on what was going on. After all that craziness that had gone down a few weeks ago Bardo hadn’t really been out much. Beyond the fact that it was terrifying to experience on its own, Bardo’s elderly grandmother hadn’t been doing too well prior and was certainly doing much worse after. As a result most of Bardo’s free time was taken caring for her and trying to ensure she was comfortable, which led to him eventually having to get more water for her, which of course led him to realizing there was an issue with the supply.

Of course luck would have it that checking shimir revealed a job related to the sudden water crisis, and Bardo felt like it might have been some sorta sick joke that he’d have to participate rather than care for his grandmother. Things had become very very complicated in Bardo’s life over these last few weeks and mentally Bardo wasn’t dealing too well. Regardless though grandma needed water and the only way to get that water was to get back the truck that had been stolen. So even though Bardo really didn’t want to do much of anything right now he still found himself pulling closer and closer to the store.

Bardo was so wrapped up in his own head with his eyes lost to the clouds, it almost seemed like he was fated to experience a head on collision with another equally distracted fellow who was walking along Bardo’s path.

While the collision wasn't enough to knock either man off their feet, Noble Spark was essentially power walking by the time they met quite literally head-to-head. It likely felt like running into a wall for both parties.

Noble Spark grunted in surprise as he stumbled backward a couple of steps. Rubbing his head, he shot an irritated look at the person. "Hey, I'm walking here!" Initially expecting a cultist despite his suspicion he wasn't in the right area, his tone was fairly aggressive, but it softened when he noticed the blindfold. "What are you doing all the way out here? Don't suppose you're looking for water?"

Bardo stumbled back as well, taking the brunt of the collision to his jaw as he struggled to maintain balance. With a slight grunt of frustration, mostly at himself, Bardo shrugged his shoulders in response and tried to maintain a level tone in his response, “What of it? Who are you? My bad, by the way, I was a tad distracted.”

In response to being asked his name, the blonde-haired Esper laughed heartily and stowed his dead phone in his pocket. "Trouble yourself not, I must share the blame for my attention was also not on the path I was walking. Noble Spark, at your service, my blind friend! The Jolt of Justice that Pax Septimus needs, now more than ever! And how might I address you?"

Bardo was taken aback at first, reaching towards his face, “Oh I’m not bl…well, it’s complicated.” He said, catching himself from trying to launch into a long explanation. He didn’t even quite fully understand it himself yet anyways. “I’m…uhhh that’s not your real name is it? I guess I shouldn’t share mine either… listen I’m kind of new at this whole thing, just call me Bard for now, I guess. Work in progress. Umm didn’t you say something about water? I was actually looking for that, is this the place?”

"Ah, I see! Your eyes have only recently opened to the truth of the world, huh? Or, well, I am sure you catch my meaning even if I suppose my wording could be better," Noble Spark awkwardly shifted his posture a bit, apparently still under the impression Bard was blind. "...Anyway, it sounds like we're both here for the same reason: getting that water back from the cultists and into the hands of the people who genuinely need it!" his loud voice deflated a bit as Bard asked if they were in the right place. "...unfortunately, I fear we may have ended up at the wrong abandoned convenience store...I curse my unfamiliarity with the area, this spark of justice is not native to Pax Septimus. And although my heart is unyielding in the pursuit of what is right, my phone, regrettably, does not have quite the unbreakable will or battery."

Bardo laughed awkwardly, a little thrown off by Noble Spark’s demeanor. Regardless, Bardo didn’t really have much of a plan B since he was in the wrong place and perhaps this fellow could help him figure out this shimir app a tad bit better as well. A few other tips and tricks might not hurt either, with a shrug Bardo decided to go with his gut. “Yeah, I’m relatively new. Still learning the ropes so to say, anyways your phone’s dead, right? Is that what you meant? Mine’s not, I have it right here, think you can get us pointed in the right direction?” Bardo asked, casually tossing his phone over to Noble Spark.

"And at the darkest moment, a guiding light appears!" Noble Spark caught the phone with a laugh, and then immediately opened the Shimir app. After confirming that it was, in fact, MicroMart they were supposed to head to, he set the phone to give them directions to it before tossing it back to its owner. "You're a lifesaver, maybe even literally! It's there. The place we were meant to be at. As unfortunate as it is to say, even if we hurry we will likely be a few minutes late. But thanks to you, it won't be by much! I owe you a favor for the save once we've dealt with the cultists, Bard."

Bardo caught the phone and shrugged once more, trying not to seem too eager to get back on the road, “It’s okay, I’m not in a huge hurry…I mean I am! I am just nervous, I haven’t taken any jobs before, I’m only doing this one because I need to. I need some of the water for someone else. Anyways actually that reminds me, we really should probably get a move on. Phone says this way!” Seeming to renew his vigor upon remembering why he was originally here, Bardo turned in the direction they were supposed to be going in and gestured along to Noble Spark.

“Would you like to team up? Or travel together? I uhhh, ya know I don’t really know what I’m doing, wouldn’t mind the assistance. If that’s cool with you I mean.” Bardo did his best to remain casual, waiting to see what Noble Spark would say before heading out.

Noble Spark strode up to his side and gave him an affirming nod, ready to follow. "Of course! It need not even be said. I understand your plight. The earliest days are the most intense and disorienting, and these grimoires don't come with much in the way of an instruction manual to make it any better. Together, we'll knock some sense into those cultists and get the water back, easy."

Wanting to waste no more time than they already had, Noble Spark urged Bard to lead the way as the two finally made their way towards the right abandoned convenience store this time. Hopefully they'd be there in time to do something next cycle.

Symphony on High

Noble Spark

_{❤️ Ponn for recolor}

N o b l e S p a r k

_{19 y/o | Male | 5'10 | 130 lbs | Freelancer}
⚡

SEX:

Male

APPEARANCE:

Justin stands at a height of 5'10 and is somewhat thin, with almost no muscles to be seen on him. He has a messy head of short blonde hair he rarely decides to style and brown eyes people rarely get to see since his gaze is hard to lock down. Justin's attire often consists of loose-fitting clothes that rep his favorite heroes, shows, or bands. He doesn't smile too much.

Justin

Noble Spark, his Esper form, seems to age him up a few years and gives him a more athletic build, while also growing him a few inches. His Style appears to be a leather jacket with various items adorning it such as resistors, a motor as a belt buckle, a stylized lightning bolt that runs along the length of his limbs, and some fur lining. He has to clarify he's not Maverick on occasion. And, of course, he has sunglasses.

Noble Spark

GRIMIORE:

A pair of gaudy fingerless gloves.

INSTRUMENT: Shock, Awe(some)

A pair of garish knuckledusters with spikes at the end. The spikes seem to crackle with electricity and shock foes they hit.
GRADE: Gold
KEYWORD: Hands, Hands
DAMAGE TYPE: Arcane
DAMAGE: B
SPEED: B
SENTINEL: D
SPECIAL: Crosstalk - Getting zapped by these knuckledusters doesn't just hurt! The shocks received seem to interfere with the ability to cast melodies temporarily. Starting the turn after receiving an attack, the next damaging melody cast by a foe is converted into the lightning element and has its damage rank reduced by 1.

STYLE: Resistor

A delinquent's getup but with, well, resistors adorning the belt, with a belt buckle that looks like a motor. Doesn't seem to do a whole lot of resistin' yet.

GRADE: Bronze
PHYSICAL: E
ARCANE: D
CHAOS: D
SPECIAL: Pretty lit - The stylized lightning bolt on his attire glows when he's under the effect of a beneficial note.

GENRE: Voltaic Knight

An aggressive genre focused on damage, mobility, and stickiness.

GRADE: Silver
ELEMENT: Lightning
NOTES: [Paralysis (4)] [Speedster (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Pull (2), Blink (4), Transplace (8), shield (4), trail (0), Enhance (2), Bounce (0)
SPECIAL: Reroute - When receiving lightning damage, gain the effect of a Speedster note.

LEITMOTIF: The Noble Spark

A different kind of spark than your average hot-blooded hero, but no less intense.

GRADE: Bronze
SPECIAL: Heroic hue - Noble Spark's passion for justice causes the surrounding area to charge with electrical energy. Not enough to do any damage or anything, but it looks cool. His lightning is always blue in color.

PR: Grounded

Out of form means out of the fight entirely for Justin. Unless someone stops him, he'll flee every time.

GRADE: Silver
GEAR: Clip light (20c), Kevlar Coat (60c), Disguise (30c), Flashbang (40c)
SPECIAL: Strikes twice - After following some shady guide he read online, Justin's clip light has been tampered with so that it can emit a bright flash of light similar to a flashbang, albeit only effective against those right in front of him. The process blows the bulb out, rendering the light useless afterwards. Also, his PR equipment tends to have stickers of his favorite heroes somewhere on them.

BACKUP:

Hasn't made enough connections to receive one yet.

FACTION:

Freelancer

TRIVIA:

Biography

Justin Rufina's life has always been plagued by his lack of confidence. Incredibly introverted and shy by nature, he found talking to others to be difficult and could not do so without stumbling over his words and panicking. Misunderstandings ruined potential friendships, while his inability to stand up for himself made him a very easy target for bullies, which in turn made him even less confident in himself. After moving numerous times either due to wanting a fresh start in a school or because his parents' jobs demanded it, he's given up on trying to make friends entirely.

Justin's parents were always supportive of him. His father was a respectable cop who had a strong sense of justice, something he passed down to Justin even though the boy was unlikely to ever act upon it. His mother is a vet who dotes on and spoils him, so he filled the void of friendship with various games, movies, cartoons, anime, and toys. His obsession has always been with superheroes, particularly those brimming with confidence. His sole desire has for a long time now been to become a hero who was far stronger, better, and cooler than he ever could hope to be. Someone who could look villains, monsters, and even people in the eyes without an ounce of hesitation and fight even when things looked bleak.

It was less than a year ago that he had finally gotten his chance. He was attending a convention with his parents when suddenly everyone started panicking. He ended up getting separated from them and lost, hiding behind an abandoned stall he had bought something from only an hour prior as he finally caught sight of what was causing people to flee in terror -- some monsters, just like out of some comic or something! Of course, this had to be his moment! But even though he dreamed of a day where he could be a hero for many years, he could not just summon courage from thin air. He froze up and watched as his powerlessness cost a few people their lives.

Just as he began to despair at his cowardice, he felt felt a zap on his leg. Looking down, he noticed a pair of fingerless gloves had fallen from a shelf. There was something about them, besides how cool they looked, that compelled him to put them on.

The form he took was... perfect. Bigger, stronger, faster than him and it even had cool sunglasses. The surge of energy he felt completely washed away the fear that had been holding him back for so long. Without delay, he vaulted the stand and made a beeline to the monsters, something he'd never thought he could do. Now this was his moment!

Obviously, he came out on top. The monsters were dealt with and though he had been too late to save everyone, he did save a few lives. It was the first time he'd ever honestly felt great about himself. He figured now was his chance to leave a mark on the world and do what his heart had always wanted him to!

...but his new form didn't last forever. The moment his form reverted, so too did his personality. The terror of looking people in the eye, the terror of saying something wrong, the terror of sounding stupid. These and all of his fears only seem to temporarily vanish when he's transformed. But now that he had this ability, he had to use it for good. He knew that much, and so not too long after the incident, he found himself moonlighting as a hero.

Noble Spark is a (in his opinion) cool hero who fights for justice when others could not or would not. Moving out to Pax Septimus was surely the right decision for someone like Justin to make, right...?

Personality

Justin Rufina is characterized by his lack of confidence. Speaking to him can be a chore as he is almost physically incapable of keeping eye contact for more than a second at a time, constantly stammering out responses, and often speaks too quiet to hear. He is a pushover who won't argue with people when they belittle or insult him and always tries to remove himself from stressful situations the second they appear. Needless to say, if a fight broke out, he'd never once consider fighting himself and would flee. He is far from what his ideal of a hero should be, a fact that has always caused him to feel depressed. On top of that, he's very much childish and dense for his age, likely a result of not having friends. He adores stories about good prevailing over evil, is very much a fan of rule of cool, and likes rock music.

Noble Spark, his heroic persona, has absolutely none of his cowardice or self-esteem issues. So long as he is in Esper form, he takes things as they come, often with a cocky smile on his face and is not known to let anything get to him. He has a fondness for doing things or saying things that he thinks makes him look cool. He is very much still childish, but at least his heart always seems to be in the right place. He is pretty easy to approach in form, affable to other Espers even if they're rude to him so long as they aren't blatant criminals. Despite his obnoxious behavior, he will always do what he believes is right over anything else.

Symphony on High

I have added a PR special. Let me know what you think. :)

Symphony on High

Noble Spark

_{❤️ Ponn for recolor}

N o b e l S p a r k

_{19 y/o | Male | 5'10 | 130 lbs | Freelancer}
⚡

SEX:

Male

APPEARANCE:

Justin stands at a height of 5'10 and is somewhat thin, with almost no muscles to be seen on him. He has a messy head of short blonde hair he rarely decides to style and brown eyes people rarely get to see since his gaze is hard to lock down. Justin's attire often consists of loose-fitting clothes that rep his favorite heroes, shows, or bands. He doesn't smile too much.

Justin

Noble Spark, his Esper form, seems to age him up a few years and gives him a more athletic build, while also growing him a few inches. His Style appears to be a leather jacket with various items adorning it such as resistors, a motor as a belt buckle, a stylized lightning bolt that runs along the length of his limbs, and some fur lining. He has to clarify he's not Maverick on occasion. And, of course, he has sunglasses.

Noble Spark

GRIMIORE:

A pair of gaudy fingerless gloves.

INSTRUMENT: Shock, Awe(some)

A pair of garish knuckledusters with spikes at the end. The spikes seem to crackle with electricity and shock foes they hit.
GRADE: Gold
KEYWORD: Hands, Hands
DAMAGE TYPE: Arcane
DAMAGE: B
SPEED: B
SENTINEL: D
SPECIAL: Crosstalk - Getting zapped by these knuckledusters doesn't just hurt! The shocks received seem to interfere with the ability to cast melodies temporarily. Starting the turn after receiving an attack, the next damaging melody cast by a foe is converted into the lightning element and has its damage rank reduced by 1.

STYLE: Resistor

A delinquent's getup but with, well, resistors adorning the belt, with a belt buckle that looks like a motor. Doesn't seem to do a whole lot of resistin' yet.

GRADE: Bronze
PHYSICAL: E
ARCANE: D
CHAOS: D
SPECIAL: Pretty lit - The stylized lightning bolt on his attire glows when he's under the effect of a beneficial note.

GENRE: Voltaic Knight

An aggressive genre focused on damage, mobility, and stickiness.

GRADE: Silver
ELEMENT: Lightning
NOTES: [Paralysis (4)] [Speedster (4)], Damage (2), Damage X (6), Pull (2), Blink (4), Transplace (8), shield (4), trail (0), Enhance (2), Bounce (0)
SPECIAL: Reroute - When receiving lightning damage, gain the effect of a Speedster note.

LEITMOTIF: The Noble Spark

A different kind of spark than your average hot-blooded hero, but no less intense.

GRADE: Bronze
SPECIAL: Heroic hue - Noble Spark's passion for justice causes the surrounding area to charge with electrical energy. Not enough to do any damage or anything, but it looks cool. His lightning is always blue in color.

PR: Grounded

Out of form means out of the fight entirely for Justin. Unless someone stops him, he'll flee every time.

GRADE: Silver
GEAR: Clip light (20c), Kevlar Coat (60c), Disguise (30c), Flashbang (40c)
SPECIAL: Strikes twice - After following some shady guide he read online, Justin's clip light has been tampered with so that it can emit a bright flash of light similar to a flashbang, albeit only effective against those right in front of him. The process blows the bulb out, rendering the light useless afterwards. Also, his PR equipment tends to have stickers of his favorite heroes somewhere on them.

BACKUP:

Hasn't made enough connections to receive one yet.

FACTION:

Freelancer

TRIVIA:

Biography

Justin Rufina's life has always been plagued by his lack of confidence. Incredibly introverted and shy by nature, he found talking to others to be difficult and could not do so without stumbling over his words and panicking. Misunderstandings ruined potential friendships, while his inability to stand up for himself made him a very easy target for bullies, which in turn made him even less confident in himself. After moving numerous times either due to wanting a fresh start in a school or because his parents' jobs demanded it, he's given up on trying to make friends entirely.

Justin's parents were always supportive of him. His father was a respectable cop who had a strong sense of justice, something he passed down to Justin even though the boy was unlikely to ever act upon it. His mother is a vet who dotes on and spoils him, so he filled the void of friendship with various games, movies, cartoons, anime, and toys. His obsession has always been with superheroes, particularly those brimming with confidence. His sole desire has for a long time now been to become a hero who was far stronger, better, and cooler than he ever could hope to be. Someone who could look villains, monsters, and even people in the eyes without an ounce of hesitation and fight even when things looked bleak.

It was less than a year ago that he had finally gotten his chance. He was attending a convention with his parents when suddenly everyone started panicking. He ended up getting separated from them and lost, hiding behind an abandoned stall he had bought something from only an hour prior as he finally caught sight of what was causing people to flee in terror -- some monsters, just like out of some comic or something! Of course, this had to be his moment! But even though he dreamed of a day where he could be a hero for many years, he could not just summon courage from thin air. He froze up and watched as his powerlessness cost a few people their lives.

Just as he began to despair at his cowardice, he felt felt a zap on his leg. Looking down, he noticed a pair of fingerless gloves had fallen from a shelf. There was something about them, besides how cool they looked, that compelled him to put them on.

The form he took was... perfect. Bigger, stronger, faster than him and it even had cool sunglasses. The surge of energy he felt completely washed away the fear that had been holding him back for so long. Without delay, he vaulted the stand and made a beeline to the monsters, something he'd never thought he could do. Now this was his moment!

Obviously, he came out on top. The monsters were dealt with and though he had been too late to save everyone, he did save a few lives. It was the first time he'd ever honestly felt great about himself. He figured now was his chance to leave a mark on the world and do what his heart had always wanted him to!

...but his new form didn't last forever. The moment his form reverted, so too did his personality. The terror of looking people in the eye, the terror of saying something wrong, the terror of sounding stupid. These and all of his fears only seem to temporarily vanish when he's transformed. But now that he had this ability, he had to use it for good. He knew that much, and so not too long after the incident, he found himself moonlighting as a hero.

Noble Spark is a (in his opinion) cool hero who fights for justice when others could not or would not. Moving out to Pax Septimus was surely the right decision for someone like Justin to make, right...?

Personality

Justin Rufina is characterized by his lack of confidence. Speaking to him can be a chore as he is almost physically incapable of keeping eye contact for more than a second at a time, constantly stammering out responses, and often speaks too quiet to hear. He is a pushover who won't argue with people when they belittle or insult him and always tries to remove himself from stressful situations the second they appear. Needless to say, if a fight broke out, he'd never once consider fighting himself and would flee. He is far from what his ideal of a hero should be, a fact that has always caused him to feel depressed. On top of that, he's very much childish and dense for his age, likely a result of not having friends. He adores stories about good prevailing over evil, is very much a fan of rule of cool, and likes rock music.

Noble Spark, his heroic persona, has absolutely none of his cowardice or self-esteem issues. So long as he is in Esper form, he takes things as they come, often with a cocky smile on his face and is not known to let anything get to him. He has a fondness for doing things or saying things that he thinks makes him look cool. He is very much still childish, but at least his heart always seems to be in the right place. He is pretty easy to approach in form, affable to other Espers even if they're rude to him so long as they aren't blatant criminals. Despite his obnoxious behavior, he will always do what he believes is right over anything else.

Symphony on High

That Junko avatar is gonna throw me for a loop just about every time I see it.

I'll be throwing up a sheet within the next 3 years, keep an eye out.

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

S a m a n t h a

V i r i d i a n

E m i l y

"You better watch out (for this lazy header)"

— FamishedPants

Cradle was down, but not out. Vestiges of its forces remained here and there. Binky attended the meeting, Sam went with Emily to her home. But even its members' continued existence did not mean that they had a patron. But they were oblivious to what happened to Maura. They were still tied to the cradle, and their powers continued to work. There was no reason to assume something was amiss.

Except there was.

Sam could see shapeless red halos moving around in the distance. Normally Sam noticed these around other cradle agents, but now it seemed like they were alerting her to something out of sight. Something in the walls or just under foot.

Emily was in the middle of recounting an earlier event when she noticed Samantha giving her walls strange looks. She hoped something wasn't on them. "Is there something wrong?" she asked a bit hesitantly.

"..."

Sam only moved her eyes from one halo to the next, slowly standing up from the table she and Emily had been eating at, and her hand dropped to her side. There was a noticeable pause before she answered. "...There might be," she bluntly replied, making a quick pass around the apartment with her Third Eye, particularly the walls and floor, where she was getting the feeling.

All the sudden inspecting was only making Emily more nervous. She vainly tried to help, but since Samantha was being mostly quiet and not explaining anything, she wasn't even on the same search. But she did notice where Sam was looking, and absolute dread filled her expression as she came to a conclusion.

Oh, please tell me there's no rodents or vermin! This place isn't that bad...

And it really wasn't, as far as Sam could tell. But the nebulous shapes coalesced just outside the front door. A hazy smoke soon became a familiar woman. Without an invitation, she opened the front door and stepped inside.

???

”Howdy y’all!” Viridian waved before closing the door behind herself. ”Glad to see yer back on your feet. Gotta say though, I was kinda hopin’ you’d come check on us once you woke up.” She looked to Emily. ”Mind if I speak with yer friend for a moment?”

Emily had made a simple assumption that the person entering her apartment without prior notice was the same now as it had been the last few times, so she was halfway through greeting Hilaria when she turned around and realized she had been wrong, letting out a cute shriek as her face turned pink in embarrassment shortly after she realized this wasn't a normal home invader. "Um," she looked between Sam and Viridian. "I-if you two know each other and she wants to?" she tried her best to answer despite being nonplussed.

"We've known each other for some time now, Emily, and I could go for a pleasant chat," Samantha stepped forward as she reassured Emily, giving Viridian her undivided attention. "Sorry to worry you, and hello, Viridian. I wasn't entirely lucid when I woke up, and I was hoping to clear my head," while her words ended there for Emily, they continued via magicoms. I'll be fine, of course. But... I admit I wasn't eager to learn why Maura isn't responding.

Though she would normally introduce herself, Emily took a moment to calm herself down after the startle while the two talked.

”Doncha worry, pumpkin! I’m just excited to see my friend is all!” The green magical girl tried to reassure Emily. ”Afraid the city life hasn’t rubbed off on me yet. Getin’ unexpected guests was par the course in the south.”

Emily accepted the answer without any distrust, a warm smile directed at Viridian, "Oh, that's okay, honestly! I think it would be nice if Penrose was like that," she motioned for Viridian to come in. "Feel free to take a seat wherever you like. Can I grab you a glass of water? Oh, I also have some soda, too, if you would prefer?"

”A soda would be fine, darlin’!” When Emily left to get her beverage, Viridian reached out towards Sam. ”Maura and her agents were sent to another dimension. They appear to be safe, but it will be some time before they return. Others fled this reality. There are some non-combat personnel that hang around, but you’re the only active agent left in Penrose.” She tapped the cylinder Sam had hidden under her clothes. ”It might be related to that.”

While Emily was trying to be a good host, Samantha was taking in the situation report Viridian had described to her. She blinked twice. Sorry? You said 'only'? Did the dolphin get angry, or have dimensional problems become more commonplace?

”Wish I knew more, darlin’. Mint was transporting an artifact designed to harm Veronica, but it seems it blew up in transit while we were goin’ after it. My shadow magic allowed me to escape the blast, but the others? They ain’t in this world anymore. I can feel ‘em, but they ain’t in kansas anymore.”

She clearly hadn't hid her surprise very well as Emily began to worry about the look on her face. "Sam, is everything alright?"

"...It will be. Just seem to be having a small headache, is all," she looked at Emily. "It occurs to me that I haven't had a drink since I woke up, I could use that glass of water."

"I'll just be one moment," she hurried into the kitchen and began grabbing cups for the three of them.

Samantha reached into her coat, producing the cylinder containing the hunt Veridian was poking at. She read it all the way through for the first time, raising her eyebrow in confusion, then her expression turned to one of disdain. Slay or drive off the Scarlet Stranger...? Veronica? What is this? Mint propaganda? She looked up from the hunt, to Viridian. "Whatever is going on, I'm not so out of it that I can't do my job. If she needs me, I'm there."

”That ain’t mint propaganda, hun. Veronica left Cradle in Maura’s care so that she could avoid the Mint long enough to enact her plan. She didn’t tell me what that was until recently. You know that Su was a familiar turned magical girl? You know that Veronica has a radio tower that lets her broadcast her magic a great distance? She put that intel together and raised herself a magical girl army. Not that she needs one, since anyone who uses a red coin can be brainwashed by her if they come in range of the tower.” Viridian pursed her lips. ”She’s going to cripple Penrose before the wonderland invasion. She needs to be stopped.”

It wasn't hard to see what Samantha was thinking. As Viridian spoke, Sam's expression darkened and her body tensed up. By the time they had mentioned stopping Veronica, Sam was grinding her teeth in unmistakable anger. No. I don’t believe that! She was concerned about that power falling into the wrong hands. That is something the Mint would do, but she wouldn’t. You have to be making some sort of mistake!

”Afraid I ain’t, hun.” Viridian folded her arms. Her smile had disappeared from her face. ”I don’t understand your relationship with her, but if you believe in Veronica so strongly, this might be a good thing.” She placed a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. ”Now now, no need to make a face. How ‘bout you find someone you trust and meet up with her? See how things are and talk it out. If I’m wrong, you can come back to Penrose with her. If I’m right…” She closed her eyes. ”You’ll do what needs to be done.”

Despite her intense glare, Samantha softly placed her hand atop Viridian's. After she had a few moments to ponder Viridian's suggestion, Samantha began to slowly nod her head as the intensity seemed to partially drain away. She didn't exactly look friendly, but then again, when did she? "...Fine. Fine," She peeled the hand off her shoulder in a deliberately slow manner. That sounds like it would be for the best, and I can't imagine you being so confident in it if you didn't believe it. And if you do, then of course Penrose would, which could be problematic. I hate to leave while we have nobody to substitute so I will return as soon as possible. "But if I'm the only active one left... who would I even take...?" she wondered aloud, just in time to notice Emily return with their drinks.

Emily presented the two girls with their cups wearing a concerned expression. "Um," she looked between the two, noticing the tension in Samantha and the lack of smile on Viridian. "...is something the matter? You guys have been kinda quiet, mostly. Is it something I can help with?"

Sam denied her with a shake of her head. "No. I just need to think..." she dismissed the friendly girl's offer, but only momentarily. Her mind raced through all her possibilities and she found...

Almost none

She was beginning to lament her poor people skills as it left her with few options. Veronica and Veridian were both, obviously, not choices, and Trixie was already with Veronica. Even if she completely disbelieved Viridian, she had to account for the slim possibility it was true, which meant assuming Trixie was probably...

Samantha had never felt a sense of dread quite as strong as the one that passed through her at that moment. "...A-actually," She quickly cleared her throat. "You might be able to. How would you feel about leaving Penrose for a short time?"

Emily blinked twice, surprised by the sudden change. "O-oh, um, I don't mind as long as we can be back before rent is due! What is it that you need help with, though?"

Sam looked at Viridian, the woman's words on her mind. If she had to trust someone, nobody made more sense than Emily. She remembered their talk at their park during their first meeting, and how it had helped her

"I just need to squash a nasty rumor going around about my... boss," Samantha said, turning back to Emily. "While I don't believe it, Viridian does, which means I can't ignore it. I expect us to meet with them, speak for a bit, and then come back home. It shouldn't take too long, you definitely shouldn't be missing out on rent." Sam rubbed the back of her neck as she continued. "That said, in the unlikely case that the rumor is true... things will get extremely dangerous."

Emily seemed determined. "Rumors can be harmful, I know that very well. Of course, I'll help, danger or not! I'm sure your boss is a very lovely person!" She gave Sam a curious look. "So what kind of rumors have been spread?"

"Uh... the rumors involve mind control and a potential invasion of Penrose with said people under mind control."

In response to hearing this, Emily blinked. "T-that's certainly a nasty rumor..." She looked over to Viridian, her eyes pleading for help to make sense of what Sam just said.

Viridian let out a long, tired sigh before forcing a smile. ”If you’re goin’ into this with Sam, I guess you need to hear it all. From the beginning’ then!” She popped her soda open. ”I’m Viridian, twin soul to Veronica. When I was created, Veronica left her faction in Maura’s hands. Her faction was Crimson Cradle in case you’re not in the know. The faction’s mission was to liberate Penrose from tyrannical forces. That was primarily the Mint, but Beacon earned her ire as well. I think we can all agree the Ascendancy was not one of the better things Beacon brought to Penrose.” She shook her head. ”But Veronica hadn’t planned for this exchange of power to last forever. She’d been workin’ on ‘Project Wukong’ for a while. She didn’t tell me a lot of the details. Just that it was sure to shake up the power structure around here. So while all ‘yall been hustlin’ in Penrose, distracting the power structure, Veronica was working on her magnum opus. The red coins, the magicom network, it was all a prototype to make an indomitable magical girl army. Anyone who’s used a red coin can’t resist her army, which is all the important folks in Penrose. Even Penny couldn’t stop the invasion.” She took a sip of her soda, which made her smile again. ”The timin’ of the darn thing isn’t ideal, but are we so far gone that we need Veronica to just hijack everyone’s minds? If she were to get a hold of the nexus, free will as we know it may cease to exist!” She sloshed her soda around. ”But if it’s a rumor, no harm no foul.”

The recap had seen Emily's eyes widen as the severity of the situation had likely escalated far beyond what she was expecting. She had her free hand over her heart, her soda had barely been touched. "Y-you're saying all this about your twinned soul?" she sounded concerned. "I'm sure that's not something you would just do..." She went to look at Sam, but the girl wasn't there.

Sam had slipped into the kitchen at some point while Viridian was speaking to drop off her now-empty cup and had been hurrying back to them when she noticed Emily's lost look. "Hmm? You having second thoughts?" she questioned.

"A-absolutely not!" she denied with a shake of her head.

"That is good to hear," Samantha replied. "We should leave right away. I'll be outside," Sam abruptly said, acknowledging Viridian with a nod before leaving out the door without any further words.

Emily stared at the door for a few seconds, taking a big drink from her soda. "I don't think I've seen her this... motivated before," she admitted while turning to Viridian and offering to take her can. "Sorry things are like this. I'm sure it's hard."

”Darlin’? Livin’ in Penrose is hard. No need to throw me a pity party, I feel a lot worse for you.” She crushed her soda can flat and pitched it into the recycling bin. ”As for Sam, yea. She and Veronica have an interesting relationship. It ain’t love, but it ain’t your regular ol’ respect either. It almost transcends all that.” She placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder. ”I can’t pretend to know what will happen, but I do hope things come to a satisfactory conclusion. I’d prefer it if Veronica doesn’t have to die. Partially because I’d stop living, but…” She trailed off. Viridian looked at the door. Sam was right on the other side. She leaned over to Emily and whispered something into her ear before. Standing back up. ”...It would probably be best if she was unconscious, so that I could properly deal with her. Only if it’s necessary, of course.”

"Um, I guess it's at least clear that Sam cares for Veronica. But you're sure it's not love?" she seemed surprised. But she was even more surprised to hear Viridian speaking about Veronica's death so openly. "It won't happen!" she promised. "...I wouldn't be Emily if I killed a sister, let alone two!"

Listening to Viridian whisper to her, she stared at her front door. She nodded when the girl finished telling her something, and her response was just as furtive as Viridian's. "Well... I don't think Sam wants to, either. I can feel she's scared about something, and I think it must be that." she conveyed, returning to a normal speaking voice afterward. "Well, if things turn out poorly, we'll just have to make her come around."

She walked over to her sink and tossed the cup beside Sam's. "But you'll see as much when we get back. For now, um, I think I should probably get going." She held the door open for Viridian.

Samantha was waiting just outside, pushing off of the wall she had chosen to lean against when she saw the door open.

”Don’t need a house sitter?” Viridian laughed at her own joke as she hurried outside. ”Ah, if only the mood was a li’l lighter.” She folded her hands behind her back and looked at Sam. ”I can sense some of the other agents have returned to Cradle’s HQ. I’ll let ‘em know what’s going on. Otherwise, I think I’ve prolonged my stay enough.” She waved to Emily. ”Keep Samantha safe, ya hear?” And with that, she sunk into the shadows.

"Of course!" Emily waved back as Viridian disappeared, noticing Sam had begun to walk away. She hurriedly followed behind her friend, matching her quickened pace. "Wait up, Sam!"

...

...

...

Some minutes after they had separated from Veridian, Samantha hadn't slowed down one bit. Her eyes were focused forward and she hadn't said a word, leaving Emily to follow behind in awkward silence. Even though her expression was neutral, Emily could feel the increasing worry clouding Sam's heart. It only seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"S-Sam?" Emily called out, finally.

She received no answer as her friend continued on.

Emily tried again. "Sam! Hello?"

Evidently lost in thought, Samantha finally moved her eyes away from the way forward, to Emily. "...yes? Is something the matter? Did you forget something?"

Shaking her head, Emily mustered up the courage to pry. "Oh, um, no! I don't need to get anything. It's just... are you okay?" she placed a hand over her heart. "I can sense when people are feeling sad," she explained. "...So, um, I can tell you're thinking about something that is making you even more sad."

Samantha stopped walking. "Is that so?" she remained silent for a moment. "Oh, I suppose it makes sense you would have that..." Samantha looked at Emily and pondered something. She hesitated to speak again at first, but eventually did. "I don't believe in Veronica's betrayal, I really don't. But... I have never been a glass half full sort of person. I am always considering the worst-case scenario for anything, and this is no different."

Emily nodded in understanding. "Even if... what was said about Veronica is true, I'm sure we can make her see reason! She's not just your boss, right? She's important to you. I'm sure that counts for something."

"Maybe. It would be nice if I could believe that. I am her number one agent, after all," there was genuine pride in that statement. It clearly meant something to her. "But if she's doing this, she's doing this for a reason she's mulled over and considered alternatives to," Samantha sighed, then turned and kept walking, motioning for Emily to follow. "Which would mean she probably isn't going to just stop because we tell her mind controlling Penrose is bad."

Emily frowned behind her. "If you mean as much to her as she means to you, I think your words might have more impact than you might think! Sometimes, people tunnel vision when focusing on something they feel really strongly about. I can't say I know why she might want to do all of that, but maybe she just needs someone she knows to talk some sense into her? Sometimes it's more about who the words come from than what the words are."

Emily could see Sam shake her head. "If that were the case, Veridian would have been enough," Sam dismissed the idea.

"Um... I think it's still worth a try, at least. Wouldn't it be best to do everything you can before assuming she's not gonna listen? If you give up before you've even tried that'll only leave one option..."

"...I suppose," Sam replied, keeping her eyes forward again. "But we're only speaking hypothetically right now. Veronica is probably not doing any of that. When we reach her and meet up, I expect her to be irritated. She'll wonder why I went out of my way to meet up with her instead of just asking over magicoms, and then she'll peer into my mind and chide me for being having such unwarranted thoughts. Maybe that's downplaying how upset she'll be..." she shrugged her shoulders. "But at least Trixie will probably be happy to see me."

Emily couldn't follow the conversation entirely. "Um, so what exactly are magicoms? And Veronica can just peer into your mind?" if Sam had turned around she would have seen the confusion on Emily's face. "And Trixie? Is she a friend of yours?"

Stopping again, Sam turned to Emily. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know that. To put it shortly, Veronica's powers allow us, the Crimson Cradle, or whomever she decides to share the power with, to speak to each others nonverbally from wherever we are. I could speak to her right now, but I... have decided it's best to wait until we're in person. Anyway, she's also able to read my thoughts due to a contract I signed with her a bit back," Sam broke eye contact momentarily. "...but as far as I'm aware she's only able to read my own. You don't need to worry about your own thoughts. Instead, you should worry about Trixie."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Emily asked.

Sam shook her head and Emily could swear she saw a smile trying to creep onto Sam's face. "That she is... uh, what is the term people on Glimmr use? 'Thirsty'? Well, she's really open about her attraction to people, and she has way too much energy most of the time. She might be a bit overbearing, but if that ends up being the case, one good strike to the solar plexus should work," Sam said nonchalantly suggested. "I don't honestly expect her to flirt in front of her girlfriend though. We haven't seen each other since she left, so I am hoping she'll direct most of her energy towards me."

"Girlf-- OH" Emily suddenly realized it. "I-is she the one you were talking about at the park when we first met?"

Samantha nodded. "Y-yeah," she rubbed the back of her neck and turned a bit pink. "She's a handful to say the least. But... she's also very hardworking when she's motivated, and... really patient, despite her appearances. You two will get along fine, I know it. Just... don't give her your glimmr if you have one. You will live to regret it," as she said this, Samantha once again turned back and continued to walk, her smile fading immediately.

Emily followed behind, mostly silent after the uncharacteristic show of emotion from Samantha. On one hand, she was happy because he saw a side of her friend she didn't get to see much of and it was proof, as far as she was concerned, that there was genunine trust between them. On the other hand, however, was the realization that Samantha might have had everything to lose here. It made too much sense, now, why she was giving off such negative feelings.

Emily became determined more than ever.

That smile... if I'm really her friend, I'll protect it!

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

E m i l y

"Feeling down but not quite out."

— Emily

Penrose was a city that never slept and neither did the monsters that prowled in it, meaning that even when the big players were making their moves, a lot of monsters simply didn't care to wait their turn, or maybe even used it as an opportunity. But Emily was vigilant, especially now that most of Penrose had returned.

Besides that, she would find herself occasionally joining Jonald and his pomegranate-hating 'friend', Laughable-Laura, as they continued their investigation into the whereabouts of the monster that took the lives of the people they loved. But she was no detective and felt rather useless most of the time, with the two others doing their own thing more often than not.

Today was just like many others had been since the party, with her finishing a job against a forgettable monster or two and now heading home. Jonald had left by this point, and Hilaria had not mentioned stopping by her apartment today, so there was no need to rush home. So Emily didn't. She decided to walk, but maybe that wasn't for the best.

Jonald had been assuring her that it was only a matter of time before they could take revenge, but Emily's mind wasn't really on vengeance. It was this weight that sat on her chest that grew heavier each day, ever since that Christmas party.

She had lost two friends that day. Tragically, Samantha had seemingly passed away due to her injuries during the intense Keijo match with Penny. And while that was heartbreaking, while it did cause her grief, it sadly didn't compare to the pain she felt when thinking about Sakura, whom she felt responsible for.

Oh, Sakura... I am so sorry...

How many times had she apologized by now? She felt like a broken record by this point. Each time she thought of the girl, guilt ate at her and she couldn't help it. What else could she do, now?

Needless to say, Emily's flame had begun to dim lately. She could not justify bothering her other friends, like Connie, when she was so disgusted with how she treated Sakura. She wasn't sure she deserved friends if she was going to treat them so poorly over a misunderstanding.

She couldn't even apologize. Sakura was gone. And by the time she came back in about a decade, she would probably hate Emily for not even having the decency to be there as her guardian. For failing her. After all, that's what happened last time she waited for someone. It would be no different now. As long as she kept failing her friends when they needed her, it would always be like that.

But by chance, Emily was brought back to more tangible concerns when she noticed something falling from the sky out of the corner of her eye. "Is that a tombstone?" It was a lot bigger than necessary, but yeah that was. As it neared the ground, it disappeared from view behind buildings separating Emily from where it was going to land. Figuring this could be a fight between magical girls, and naturally wanting to break it up, Emily rushed to the scene.

What she was met with was confusion. No tombstone was anywhere to be seen and nobody was there. It was a vacant street on Penrose, as far as looks were concerned. No, something was off...

And as she thought that, she saw a blurred streak of crimson dart down a nearby alleyway. "Hey, wait up!" Emily cried out, boosting her way over as quickly as she could, reaching it a few seconds after losing track of the person.

When she turned down the alley, she became aware of just how dark it was compared to the street, but even still, she could make out the silhouette of a dark figure in the back of it. She hurriedly entered the alleyway, attempting to grab its attention. "S-sorry if I startled you, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay! I saw this gia-" as Emily took a step, a chill ran down her spine as she noticed there was no heat coming from the figure and she realized that whatever that meant, it probably wasn't good.

Confirming her suspicions was the sudden pain in her back as she was grabbed and slammed against the wall, having been ambushed from behind, despite her not seeing anywhere to hide. But how they got behind Emily wasn't as important as what they were going to do. Emily assumed the worst as she felt something press against her neck, and attempted to bring her gauntlets up in defense, only to notice just how familiar the two red orbs she was now looking into were. "S-Sam, is that you?"

The figure who until now had been strongly pressing Emily into the wall of the alley, and an object into her neck, let up a little bit in response, and the intense shine of her eyes seemed to lessen within seconds. "Sam?" she... questioned. "Yes. You're right, that's right. And you're... Emily?" her eyes widen a smidge as she recognizes the girl. And then a second or two later, she realized she still had something pressed to Emily's throat and backed away, giving her a bit of space.

"Oh!..." Emily sniffled, before breaking out into tears. "I thought you were dead!" Wasting no time getting rid of that space Sam gave her, she gave the assassin a strong hug, which Sam reluctantly accepted. "What happened to you?" she asked between joyous sobs. Pulling away due to a discomfort in her side, Emily realized she just impaled herself on whatever Sam was holding... or would have, if it was sharp. "*sniffle* and what is that...?"

"Dead... no, not quite," she answered. "Closer than I'd like over a stupid game though..." she bit her lip in frustration as Emily brought up what was poking her. It wasn't her knife, obviously, but instead, it was the canister that Bonnie had left her. "Oh, this? It's..." Sam seemed to struggle to come up with an explanation. In fact, she seemed a lot less... 'sure' of anything at the moment, she sounded like she wasn't entirely there yet. "...a problem, I think. You don't need to worry about it."

When she could finally calm herself enough to let Samantha out of the hug, Emily took a step back and apologized for the outburst. "Um... sorry, it's just that after the party, and after what happened to Sakura, I'm just so glad to see you're okay!"

"Sakura?" she repeated, but the look on Emily's face seemingly told Sam all she needed to know. "She's...? I see... It seems I've missed more than a few things in my absence."

Emily tried to smile as best she could. "...a lot goes on in Penrose. Sometimes it feels like you can't blink without something big happening here. Were you... sleeping this whole time, then?"

"I think that's the best way to put it," she nodded. "And... I haven't been awake for too long." Sam rubbed her temples, then looked around the streets. Spotting nobody nearby, she sighed. "...Would you mind catching me up on anything important that's happened recently? Nobody is returning my calls right now."

"Um, I don't mind at all! But... well, I haven't been social recently so a lot of stuff I know is just what I've heard," she pushed her two index fingers together sheepishly.

"...I would take even gossip at this point over being left in the dark," Sam admitted, raising an eyebrow at Emily's words. "Guess I'm not an expert at it... but what is rushing into an alleyway after some stranger if not social?"

"O-oh, umm! See, there was this really big tombstone falling from the sky and I didn't get a good look at you, so I was wondering if you needed help!" she explained.

Sam shrugged. "Well, it's gone. That's all that matters. You do-"

"Sam?" Samantha seemed to suddenly pause mid-sentence, causing Emily to worry. "Hello?"

"Oh, my apologies... Just a bit of deja vu. Don't worry about it..." she glanced around the alley one final time before looking at Emily. "Mind if we move this somewhere more... pleasant?" she pinched her nose and looked at a nearby trashcan.

Emily nodded. "Yeah, we definitely can. Um, I was headed home, so do you want to stop by my place? I can make quite the mean lasagna if you're hungry."

*GROWL*
"-I."

It seemed Samantha's stomach was quicker than she was with its response. Emily could swear she saw a shade of pink cross Sam's features for a moment. "...if you're offering. I don't think I realized how terribly famished I am." she said, turn away from Emily and exiting the alleyway.

Emily stifled a happy giggle, wiping away the last remains of the happy tears she had cried earlier. "Anything I can do to help!"

Samantha's head tilted downwards, and though Emily couldn't exactly what she was looking at, she felt like it might've been that canister she was holding. As her curiosity led her to wonder what was inside, she just barely caught the end of something Samantha said quietly.

"...-lp, huh."

It was so difficult to hear Emily wasn't sure if Sam even meant to speak at all. Emily was no mind reader, even if sometimes her power of friendship could look like such. Was there something Samantha wanted to say? Well, whatever the case was, Samantha didn't look like she wanted to wait in this alley any longer once she turned around to see why Emily had quieted down.

"Oh, sorry! Yeah, lets go!"