Majoraa

Symphony of Espers

Yo, so it says that people generate more mana when they're feeling negative emotions right? Do still they have to die to release it in that case, or?

And can monster detect mana?

Symphony of Espers

Don’t be pressured to pick based off what others have, Majora. Could totally be fun if everyone’s a Freelancer.

@ERode

Eh, just wanted to make sure things were balanced. If anyone's crazy enough to try and hire a kid, by all means!

I do have an idea for what im goin' for, but he is a bit mundane-looking atm.

Symphony of Espers

Hm.

May take me a bit to figure some theme out for my boi, but if we keep getting freelancers, I'm willing to switch.

Symphony of Espers

Symphony of Espers

Waluigi tiem.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

BAYONETTA 3 IS FINALLY REAL I CAN FINALLY BE HAPPY

@Fabricant451

:> Just gunna put this here.

_{SHE HAS BRAIDS}

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

Can this be called an intermission? Hecc if I know at this point.

Seems after the tournament was announced, everyone went back into work mode. Amanda did concider entering the tournament, but what could her dream magic do? She wasn't really built for physical fighting, as per her gift giving her some extra help with that. Even now she idly twirled the dagger in her hand. With a bored huff, she glance to Valerie.

"Val?"

"Hm?"

"I'm bored."

Valerie looked back with a risen brow. "Why don't you go find MDP?"

"She's on a date with Penny." The magician shrugged. Both Valerie's eyebrows rose. Penny had a girlfriend?

"Eliza?"

"I don't think she wants to be bothered right now. Besides," Amanda motioned to the mentioned witch. "Girl's got a growth spurt to get used to."

"Oh damn. What about Cerise- Er, Other Cerise?"

"Saw her leave with Tetrad. Can't blame them."

"Maribel? And those other ladies?"

"They're kinda scattered now, it'd take too long to find them.

At this rate Valerie was flabbergasted. "Maura?? Connie and Mia?? ANYONE???"

Amanda was about to say something about volume control when it dawned on her. "Actually, I don't think Connie and Mia are doing anything right now. Come on, let's go look for them!"

"Finally!!" The two got up from their seats, prepared to head out. But before they could, Amanda felt an unwanted presence rest on her hip. She didn't even need to look to know who it is.

"Hey Amanda, is everything o- ....Well shit." Valerie turned around to check up on Amanda, only to catch a glimpse of the magician's current expression. It was enough to convince her not to intervene.

After Oros was done talking, Amanda ever so slowly turned her head towards her. A murderous glare, a warning in itself.

"I will give you 'till the count of 10 to get your goddamn ass off me, and out of my sight, or I will be throwing it to the next fucking island. You hear me loud and clear, you little shit?" Amanda's voice was but a whisper, loud enough for Oros alone to hear it, but it still seethed with rage. She began counting. "1...2....3..."

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

Throughout the annals of war, information has always played a major part in deciding the victor. Knowing when your opponent might make a certain move, what they are capable of, and how you might be able to nullify or turn it to your advantage can be even more decisive than skill or strength alone. This Samantha Howard knew, so she chose to learn as much as she could before the beginning of the tournament.

She took to the shadows, disappearing into them as she skittered around. Sam avoided being bold or careless with her movements as she couldn't be entirely certain which people had a third eye, so she took paths that kept her out of line of sight entirely. Her snooping led her to watching over Rachel as she was being taught the basics. It was no surprise the girl hadn't participated in Keijo, so she didn't exactly make the most precise movements on the ring. But Samantha could feel the speed and power behind Rachel's behind, and that simply reinforced the fact Samantha would be at a disadvantage even with experience.

Hmm...wait...

Samantha realized she was going about this all wrong! Here she was, tunnel-visioned on Rachel when in reality, the tournament had been won if she reached Rachel! The opportunity to publicly embarrass Rachel, snatch away something she wanted, and best her in a form of combat was all the reward she could ever want! She could worry about actually beating Rachel when she got there. These other people think they need to win the tournament, though. But I refuse to allow them to halt my march, to deny me what is rightfully mine! And... well, Emily likes this place, so it wouldn't hurt to gaurantee its existence, too.

And so, Samantha decided to spy on other people.

...which brought her to the warmer side of Dan's dimension, after she noticed Maura's presence being so far away. Sam originally desired to avoid Maura for the duration of the event, but that was before she got involved in Keijo. And Odin, too? Honestly, this particular tournament was far from normal, but such is expected nowadays. It didn't change the fact she intended to boot each other player, patron or not, off the stage if they stood in her way. Would Maura be one of them? That was her question as she observed, opting to hear them from her mouth instead of contacting her through the admittedly more convenient, secretive way the Cradle could.

Oh...

It should not have come as a surprise, but alongside Maura was Justine, as well as a fair amount of others. She recognized her fellow time-spec, and Alex. She wasn't sure who the other person was, but had seen them a few times today in passing. The problem here was how irritatingly gushy everyone was being. Samantha was... not particularly fond of such an environment typically, but seeing Justine as part of it rubbed her the wrong way. Disgust, anger, and contempt all tugged at Sam, but even were she not part of the shadows, she wouldn't let that show.

"Maura."

Samantha remained out of the way until she saw an opportunity to speak with her patron while the others were distracted. She was still hidden in a nearby shadow on the ground from a tree.

"What do you intend on doing?"

Of course, Samantha's sudden appearance caused Maura to tense up. Like the assassin, the witch prefered them not to encounter eachother again, due to not wanting a round two of a verbal beatdown. She planned on shutting that down quick regardless, but what now? Sam appeared calm at the moment, but that could change depending on how she responded.

So much for ignoring.

Without moving, Maura glanced at Sam. Her expression remained neutral. "Well I am planning on entering. The form you see here is to blend in with the opponents." She calmly explained. Her brows then furrowed. "Of course if someone wants to try and be an ass about it; Not directed at you, honest, I might as well forget about it. Don't wanna enter if it makes it unfair for everyone else." Sure, there was a genuine reason why she wanted to join. But she couldn't say, especially not to her.

Samantha might've frowned if she wasn't currently just a shadow on the ground. She probably didn't believe Maura's claim that the statement wasn't directed at her. "It would be a lie to say that wouldn't be a preferable outcome for me. I need to win this tournament, and the less competition the more likely that outcome." The shadow almost trembled as if to emphasize the importance this was to Sam. "But whether you participate or not, that's your choice and I do not intend to ask you to withdraw. Rather, I am curious to know what drives you to participate."

Maura relaxed back into her chair. "It'd be too bold to say a temporary control of the dimension could let us ambush the Ascendancy here and now, but my main interest is the mirror." She looked back forwards. "I know Mariette is an ally of ours, but I want to see what this Black Mirror is capable of. If there's a chance to...negotiate...with Asengav over his influence on her, I might as well take that chance too. Something like that may prove useful to us." She explained.

"Though if it's connected to that Interdimentional Home we, or really, you all last fought at, may have to expect some damages. Guess you have your reasons too?"

"While I would like to think your intentions are noble, I am not sure it is a wise decision. I believe someone tried to help her similarly during our battle against Justine and she did not care for it, to put it lightly. But, honestly, I think even joining this tournament is bound to put someone on her bad side, so I guess it doesn't matter, and would be hypocritical of me to act like I am not doing something to draw her ire either. Ultimately, in that regard, I don't care." Maura could almost feel the shadow shrug in indifference to the potential consequences. But her mood shifted, indicated by an almost feral tone of voice when Maura inquired about her goals.

"I only have one reason: I want to defeat Rachel -- need to. It's not a hope or a dream, it's like a hunger... a thirst I can't quench until her defeat. It is for this reason alone that I have joined, I'll admit. The Mirror and the fate of Dan's dimension don't interest me nearly as much."

"Denisova tried to with Beacon, right? Seems reckless in the midst of battle. As much as I don't want to, I can only assume she was looking out for herself. And besides, I'm not saying I wouldn't give the mirror back to Mariette, but it wouldn't hurt to look." The corner of her mouth quirked up.

Though it did fade, her uttering a silent "Oh." at Samantha's explanation. Didn't she have a Warrior mental mutation? Seeing Rachel again must've irritated it somehow. Understandable. Maura thought for a moment. "The participants are grouped in teams aren't they?" She asked.

"I do not believe this one is supposed to be," she answered, perhaps insinuating that this might not be a rule people would go out of their way to follow. "I imagine a large part of the tournament is going to be people who want to assist Mariette in recovering her mirror, had I a guess."

"Sounds irritating." Maura sighed. "Here I was hoping we could team up. Yknow, reach both our goals? I'm aware I'm not that popular at the moment, but you're still my agents." She explained with furrowed brows, shifting over to sit across from Sil. "While you're here, I'd like your thoughts on something."

The deepest part of the shadow swirled until it almost seemed to form a question mark. "And that 'something' is?"

Maura looked around them, then back to Sam. "We'll have to discuss it through magicoms, can't risk anyone overhearing. Justine recently came into contact; Albeit unwillingly from what I can tell, with a mint agent she once collaborated with. Sanngridr, aka Reaver. I'm not sure if you ran into them yet, but apparently they know the whereabouts of Justine's missing sister, Caroline." She glanced away, arms crossed. "I'll be honest with you, even a scarecrow can tell it's suspicious, Caroline dissapeared into nothingness months ago, how could they have found her now? It reeks of a trap to recorrupt Justine. We can't afford that to happen." Be it at death or purification, Maura did care not to let their efforts be wasted.

Samantha scoffed, displeased at where this had headed. "I can't imagine you wouldn't already know what I would suggest, so you're not asking for advice, I see. So what do you intend to do, then?"

Disregarding Sam's obvious response, Maura continued. "Whether they're truthful or not, I wanna plan an ambush, and perhaps snatch little Caroline away from under their noses. Yes, she could still be connected to Father, that's why I can have Eliza get a purification potion from Penny just in case. I know, you might be skeptical concidering who's involved. But done right, we could pull a fast one on our dear competitors. ....Are you in?"

There was a long pause of close to twenty seconds before the shadow seemed to shiver and Maura could hear a sigh through coms. "Since the obvious, simple solution to this problem is out of the question, I can't really decline. If the worst-case scenario happens and she becomes like she was, it would probably be better to be around."

With a smile, Maura breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. It may take longer to convince everyone else, but I'm glad I asked you first."

"Don't be relieved until we find out if that plan is even going to succeed. Plans have a nasty habit of falling apart completely around Penrose," she warned, her shadow suddenly beginning to move away. "Anyway, I would rather not speak any more about her and plans involving her more than I have to presently. There are plenty of other people attending this tournament, so until then, I'll focus on the immediate future."

And with these words, Maura was relieved of Sam.

...

...

"...Well?"

After the talk between Samantha and Maura, Finn finally spoke up to the latter. He did notice her talking with...something. But it seemed important, so he waited.

In response, Maura flopped back into her seat with a groan. "Somehow it went better than I expected. But now I'm worried about how Betty will react." There was a mix of hope and dread in her voice.

"Uhuh...should I be concerned over any of this?"

Maura quickly shook her head. "Nono- No. This is my problem to solve, I don't want you getting vilified cause you wanted to help. Already explained to you that things, everything's tense right now. We'll worry later, Okay?" With that, she continued watching Lily and Justine practice.

Though Finn was in thought. How bad was Justine before any of this? As bad as some of the stuff he witnessed, or worse? He didn't see the point in grudges, they often proved unfruitful. And yet the concept of redemption's been challenged. He'll have to catch Betty and this Samantha at some point, ask them about it.

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

"S-So, like this?"

"Yeah, like that, but remember to keep your knees bent and posture straight! Hiyah!"

Justine yelped as Lily came in with a spinning tackle, and with a single slam knocked the girl into the water...Or she would have, before she unfurled her wings and flipped up into the air with a sigh.
"This is...Harder than I expected."

"At least you don't have a dolphin here to heckle you Alexander said from the sides "Also, I realize I don't have the right to complain, but flying feels like cheating"

"Yeah, Keijo is...Unusual with its rules," Justine added, and landed back on the platform.
The three of them, Alex included, were at the tropical islands for their training period before the Keijo tournament. At Lily's request, Dan had provided them a small swimming pool, like the type you'd see at the back yard of an estate, as well as a square-shaped floating platform.

After a couple more ringouts, Lily decided for them to take a small break. They were now sitting around a table with a parasol set to provide shade and cold beverages placed there by the Lesser Force's kindness.

Justine took a sip, a red towel draped around her shoulders like a cloak.
"So coach, how does it look?"
Lily pouted as she thought about the question.
"Well...Fortunately your flying allows you some valuable maneoverability," Lily stated, "but you need to get the landing and dives worked out. Also, some footwork is necessary in case you get grounded. You'll need to-Oh!"
She looked past Justine, and when the latter turned to look she noticed a certain pair of guys approaching them from the distance.

"...Oli."

"Hm?"

"You look stupid."

Of course after the conundrum that was the announcement of a keijo tournament, moreso their run in with Sann and Dina, Finn and Oliver took a moment of respite to themselves. With nothing else going on, most of the latter's clones regrouped with him save for two. And that was cause one of them met up with Maura, who was concidering joining the tournament. So the two decided to meet up with her on the sunny side of the dimension.

Even if Oliver was offended by Finn's comment, he snorted in response. "Says you! You're too chicken to even show some skin!" He playfully retorted, lightly elbowing the other boy's arm.

"I know, I know. I just didn't want my scars to be showing." Finn explained, scratching at the side of his face, the side where his festive eyepatch was replaced by his normal bandages. "Maura should be here soon right? Guess we got here fir- Oh." Before his sentence was finished, the two noticed the trio nearby.

"Oh hey, didn't know this place was already occupied!" The ghost grinned, waving at them.

Lily waved enthusiastically back at them, to the point she was leaning on the table, and shouted to them:
"Hii! Did you also come here for training? We're on a break right now, so you can use the pool!"

Justine was not as excited about their arrival, however.
"Wait, I think I've seen you two before...Were you at Dan's feast over at the winter island?"

"N-No thank you. We're just waiting on our patron to swing by." Finn quickly shook his head, not wanting any part of the sport. Too indecent. "Not even sure they'll allow her to join. But, eh, she'll probably figure something out..."

Then Justine asked if they were at the feast. "Yep, but it got a bit nuts for us. So hey, why not explore the place?" Oliver explained, then held a hand out for them to shake. "Name's Oliver, and this is my friend Finn!" He introduced the two of them.

"'Nuts' is a rather tame way to say 'hijacked by a crazy person', but it's not wrong" Alexander commented "Alexander" He then introduced himself.

"Hah! Ya ain't wrong either, fuckin' nerd managed to piss even Finn off!" The ghost laughed, shaking Alex's hand.

"She better have heed my warning..." Finn muttered, appearing unsatisfied at how his talk with Rachel ended.

"Oh, okay then! I don't know about Patrons playing, but I suppose Dan might let her if she asks nicely enough," Lily spoke, and nodded in agreement with Alex.
"Let's just hope that whoever gets to the finals is strong enough to beat her too. Otherwise it's gonna be bad!"
She then blinked, having realized what she'd forgotten.

"Oh yeah! My name's Lily Lightning, but you can call me Lily for short!" The green-haired girl cheerfully introduced herself. She then looked over to Justine; she reluctantly followed up with her own.
"...I'm Justine."

"Nice to meet ya both!" Oliver grinned.

"Keijo is already a fucking mess, with magic being as varied as it is. Someone as powerful as a Patron playing might break what few rules there are." Alexander said, before thinking on it some more "...well...unless she's one of those small animal type Patrons. But that would mean that her body shape would just complicate things even more...probably. I don't fucking know, Keijo is bullshit."

After a second, Finn looked back at the three. "Though it might be good to deal some karma against that woman, assuming other nasties aren't participating- Er, besides that Sann lady, but she's a different case all together. I agree with Alexander though, I dunno if it's considered fair game or not." He explained. "Dunno what Maura would want with that mirror anyways, much less this place."

Lily giggled at Alex' outburst.
"Oh, now I can't help but imagine Umu playing, that would be soo cuuute!"

Justine, seemingly uninterested in the conversation up to that point, blinked upon hearing their Patron's name.
"Are you speaking of Maura, the Witch of Death?" She asked, having stood up to face the boys.
"I recently formed a pact with her. Does she know the two of you are here?"

"'Witch of Death'? That sounds pretty fucking ominous" Alexander flinched "It also sounds like she might not have magic that's okay to use in Keijo. So I hope for her sake that that nickname is some kind of exaggeration."

"Do not worry, Mistress Maura is a kind Patron," Justine explained.
"In fact, she was the one who gave me a new chance at life, and promised not to let Father get to me again. Getting to be here, having fun with my friends...I owe everything to her."
Lily smiled, and hugged Justine.
"Aww, thanks!"

Both boys' eyebrows rose. "She did meet one of my clones so- Wait wait wait, Witch of Death? I thought she already ditched that title back in yester-year!"

Finn shrugged. "She did. Or atleast, I think she still did. Apparently there's been changes we weren't informed about. Some new faction she inherited that probably doesn't even like her." His brows furrowed at the last part, taking note of Betty's reactions when he first met her. But he shook it off and looked back to Justine. He smiled slightly. "Of course we know Maura. I was her first magical- Er, accidentally. She wanted me kept alive and ended up making me a magical boy. Oliver got resurrected as a monster boy few years later. But that was centuries ago. Or was it few millennia?" He asked, resting a hand under his chin for a second. He shook his head.

"Regardless, I'm glad she decided to take you in. She's a kind one, yes, but I'm worried someone will take advantage of that kindness one day." He frowned, glancing downwards. "...Just like people took advantage of mine..." Finn uttered under his breath, a quiet hope that no one heard.

Justine nodded, a solemn expression on her face.
"That may be true, but I believe Mistress Maura has learned by now to be more cautious," she said, having remembered the less than pleasant response from the Cradle.
Lily didn't seem to know what they were talking about, so she quietly sipped on her drink.

"Yeah, yeah. I've been meaning to talk with her. And possibly try and remedy whatever's going on." Finn's frown then turned comical, scratching the back of his head.

"Speak of the devil! Hey Maura, over here!!" Having idly looked away for a moment, Oliver spotted Maura emerging from a nearby shadow. Though she looked somewhat different. More youthful, yet her eyes remained their usual shade of red. Was she in her disguised form?

Maura looked over to their direction. Her eyes widened. Then without any warning, she ran over and tackled Finn and Oliver into a hug, earning a startled yelp from the former. "Boys! How long has it been?! You look great!" She asked in excitement.

"Hello Ma'am!"

"Er, too long, didn't get any memos. Hi Ma'am." They both hugged her back, before the witch released them. "You're using your disguise for the match??"

Maura smiled. "Would be weird otherwise, might as well try and fit in. Don't worry, it doesn't hinder me the slightest!" She then waved to Lily and Alex, then her smile softened at Justine. "Have you been alright, dear?"

Lily seemed impressed by Maura.
"Ooh, so this is your Patron, Justy? For a witch, she's really cute!"

"Please keep it down,"
Justine placed a hand over Lily's mouth, blushing in embarrassment as Maura came up to her.
"I've been fine, Mistress. Spending time with Lily has been, well, fun."
She averted her eyes.
"Umm, I know you're busy with this Keijo business, but, um...When it's okay for you, could we have a private talk? I...met an old acquaintance of mine, and she told me something you should know about too."

Maura's smile faded. "Of course, sounds important." Though she would've talked further through magicoms, she felt it might be more private through a temporary mental link. "If you want, we can talk through here."

Lily's mouth curled into a circle in surprise.
"Oh? Was it the girl in the feast hall?"

Justine nodded without saying a word, and Lily gave a reassuring smile. She then turned to Maura, and began speaking through the mind.
I met with Reaver, a contact I had with the Ebon Mint and a servant of Odin. They have now taken on a new persona named Sanngridr. But what really surprised me was that she mentioned...My sister, Caroline.
Justine paused, looking pained.
She is most likely lying about being able to locate her. But the fact she knows about her...It worries me. What do you think I should do?

Maura internally sighed. "Here I was hoping we could take a break from their lot." Though a part of her was glad Justine trusted her to tell her this. She gave a reassuring smile. "Mayhaps it is a trap to corrupt you again. You know their type, tricky bastards." She crossed her arms, resting her chin against her fist. Then, her smile turned into a mischievous grin that crossed her features. "Though there might be a way to turn it back onto them. And if they're true to their word, get your sister back."

Justine listened, her spirit soothed by Maura's wisdom.
So I should play along with accepting her offer for now?

"That is up to you, dear. If so, allow me to accompany you as your shadow. May take some convincing for the others to help with a possible ambush. But rest assured, they won't lay a hand on any of you and get away with it."

Justine, moved by her Patron's care and affection for her, something she had experienced little of, stood up from her seat, went over to Maura, and hugged her.
"Thank you, Mistress," she spoke quietly, causing Lily to d'aww in the background.

The temporary mental link closed for now, and Maura warmly returned the hug. "It's no problem at all, I strive to treat all of you with the same kindness, even if some say otherwise." She smirked. "Now then! Would anyone care to spar with me for a few rounds?"

"Oh, now you're gonna start?"
While Maura and Justine were talking, Oliver was stacking different sunglasses on Finn's head, while the latter talked with Lily and Alex.

Suddenly, Lily lifted her hand enthusiastically.
"Oh, I do! I'm not going to participate in the tournament, but I'd like to spar regardless!"
She winked at Justine.
"You can also watch and learn from a Keijo pro, Justy!"

"Pro?" Alexander raised an eyebrow "I don't think you have enough experience to be called a pro. In fact, I think you've at least doubled your Keijo playtime today" He then patted her on the head "Still, at least all that energy and optimism has to count for something."

Lily pouted and showed her tongue at Alex.
"Geez, thanks for the confidence, Alex!"

Maura snapped her fingers with a grin. "Excellent! Right this way!" With that, she went over to the platform.

"Well this should be interesting regardless." Finn mumbled, knocking down one of the sunglasses onto his face with a tap. Nearly knocked them all over, a cause to his ghostly friend's dismay.

"I'm not sure if 'interesting' is the right word. I still have trouble believe Keijo is an actual thing sometimes." Alexander grumbled "Like, what kind of nutjob thought this up?"

Lily smiled confidently.
"Alright, you're on!"
However, Justine stopped Lily on her way to the platform.
"Be careful, Lily. Mistress Maura may seem like a regular magical girl, but she possesses great power. You shouldn't underestimate her."

"Aww, thanks for worrying about me, Justy, but I can handle it!"
She gave a thumbs up, and jumped over to the platform. She took a balanced pose, ready to brawl.
"Ready!"

"Good." While with Maura, her stance remained calm, relaxed. Her grin turned determined, as she motioned for Lily to act first.

"Now come! Show me what you're made of!"

"Dont have to ask me twice!"

Lily's eyes glowed a brilliant golden color as she powered herself up, enhancing her reaction times and agility, sparks of electricity emanating from her body.
Then, she disappeared...Only to appear right behind Maura, her hips having twisted to perform a turning slam with her butt. Justine gasped.
"Whoah!"

Magic already, hm? One would think Maura would be concerned, but she was watching her opponent closely. Once she felt Lily's presence behind her, Maura's grin turned into a serious look. Powering up her dark magic, she braced herself to counter the other's attack with her hips. Upon impact, she slid a distance away from Lily.

"Alright, my turn." Turning to stand on her side, she launched herself forward, making sure her rear stuck out for the attack.

As soon as Lily's initial strike was repelled, she had already landed on the platform.
"Ooh, nice move!" She complimented her opponent, and performed a Megaman 3-style sliding dodge, passing under Maura by removing the friction-inducing electrons under her. She followed up the move by performing a handstand-style rising uppercut.
"Haa!"

"Tch!" Lily's uppercut managed to send Maura up into the air, but the witch quickly reoriented herself. Taking the opportunity, she performed a ground-pound, with a bit of psychic magic to disorient Lily back.

Lily rolled out of the way, though only barely due to Maura's spell, and she held her head, looking dizzy.
"Oof..."
However, before Maura could go in for another attack, someone blew a whistle: it was Dan himself.

"Foul! No use of offensive magic allowed!" He had appeared in a puff of smoke between Lily and Maura, and handed a red card to the black-haired Patron; a sign of disqualification in Keijo.
Lily stood up with a pout.
"What? It was an attack? To be honest, I couldn't tell what she did. I was busy enough keeping up with her~"

"When in the green hills of fucks did he get here???" Both Finn and Oliver's eyes widened at Dan's appearance. And Maura only groaned.

"Psychic magic. Was trying to keep it contained into the right impact, but I guess it slipped out. Sorry..." The witch explained, not bothering to get up from where she sat as she rest her arm on her knee, and her head in her hand. She looked rather dissapointed in herself.

"Wherever there's Keijo, I'll be there!" Dan bombastically replied to the boys, his fins at his sides.

"Better not let people assume your intentions, Phindol!" Oliver called back to Dan.

Lily went over to the dolphin and pet him.
"Aww, thanks for looking out for us, Danny! Anyway, you want to go another round, Mrs. Maura?"
"If you do, I'd like to give a reminder of the use of magic," Dan added.
"Applying a magical effect to your physical attacks is acceptable in certain cases, but not utilizing it directly as a weapon, either by projectiles or spreading effects. Magic to change yourself or the environment is an exception."

"Myself or the enviroment, huh?" Maura thought outloud. Her psychic magic seemed too unstable to use, and she didn't know how her spirit magic could help. So that left ice magic and darkness. Though she was surprised Lily didn't yell at her or something. After thinking a moment, she got back up. "Alright, I'll humor you. But we have got to do one round without our powers, I wanna see something."

Lily jumped to the platform once more, and hopped in place a couple of times.
"No powers? That's going to be interesting. Let's do it!"

"This may be awhile." Finn said, having taken a seat to watch the two practice. He then took off the sunglasses he was wearing and furrowed his brows. Did he really need them if only one eye was visible? Oliver on the other hand put the rest of the sunglasses back.

Justine continued observing as Lily and Maura went for a second round, and turned her attention to the boys.
"So, are you two going to stay long in Penrose? I assume you're aware of the...volatile situation we have here?"

The two looked at each other, then back to Justine. "Well, we're getting a clear idea of what's been going on. Ascendancy's bothering Penrose, I'm assuming?" Finn asked.

Justine sighed, and twirled the tiny umbrella in her drink.
"That's putting it lightly. They've been locked in conflict with the local collection of monster girls, also called Sanctuary. They are led by their queen, Penny. You might have noticed her at the feast as the robot girl."

"Hm. Think I did see someone like that at the snowball fight earlier, or atleast multiple. She wouldn't happen to be working with Miss Denisova, would she?"

"Yes, she is. Do you know her?"

Finn shrugged. "Made her aquaintance few moments back. Her and that strange Sanngridr. We planned on visiting the Sanctuary and see if it needs any assistance."

"Frankly I am not above skinning that bird." Oliver spoke up behind him.

Justine nodded at the mention of Sanngridr, biting her lip.
"Yes...In any case, I'm glad you're here to lend your assistance."

"A bunch of us were away for a few months" Alexander chimed in "We were in the dolphin's beach dimension for a few days, only to find that a few months had passed while we were there. In that time, Penrose completed it's transformation into magical Detroit. I don't remember if I ever heard anyone confirm it, but I'm pretty sure that's why they came here in the first place."

Both their eyes widened at the mention of Dan, and his dimension being the cause of such trouble.

"Christ, if that's why thing are tense, then can we even trust that guy??" Oliver asked, now skeptical of their current location.

"I honestly can't tell," Justine answered.
"But it seems a lot of others trust it, including Penny. Take that how you want."

"For all the crap I give the dolphin, I don't think the time dilation was meant to fuck us over. I think it was meant to be reversed, but he just fucked up somehow. He sketchy, but not outright evil" Alexander explained "Besides, this time he has other Patrons watching him, and I don't think he's strong enough to defend himself if he pissed them all off. So I think he'll behave, if only for his own sake."

Finn nodded. "Makes sense. Dunno if my magic can work on patrons, but I could probably use it to chuck him into the water."

Justine found herself giggling before composing herself.
"That would be funny to see."
She turned her attention back to the pool, only to see Lily get knocked into the water by Maura. However, the cheery girl didn't seem upset by her loss.
"That was amazing! Patrons really are on a whole other level!"

"Yeah..." Alexander agreed "So much so that it feels unfair, even in a crazy sport like Keijo. I just can't see her in the tournament. Did she mention if she tried to register yet, or has she just not gotten around to it?"

The duo looked back to see that Maura actually won the round. "Wait, you actually won that!? Nice one, Ma'am!" Oliver congratulated the witch, who was genuinely surprised.

"I did? I mean- I did??"

"...You didn't play this sport before did you?" Finn would ask her, Maura shaking her head in response. Though at Alex's imput he gave the other boy a quizzical look. The ramblings did irritate him a bit. "That would be up to the dolphin to let her compete. No more, no less. And frankly, anything works to put those zealots in their place." He would calmly explain. Maura stepped off the platform and helped Lily back up on her feet.

"Eh, can't argue with that." Alexander shrugged "The sooner they leave, the better."

"That was a lot of fun! Thank you for letting me spar with you!"
Lily hugged the red-eyed witch, causing Justine to take a sharp breath.
"L-Lily!"
She quickly walked over to remove her, with Lily struggling cutely.
"Noo~!"
"I-I'm sorry Mistress. My friend here can get a little, um, overly affectionate. I hope you don't mind too much."

Maura did flinch at the sudden hug first, though between the little struggle between Lily and Justine, she ended up laughing it off. "Quite alright! Oh you two are so adorable, hahah!!" She grinned, hugging both Lily and Justine back.

Justine blushed, but graciously accepted the gesture.
"Alright, I think it's about time me and Justy get back to training!" Lily spoke up, and patted Justine on the shoulder. The latter looked back at Maura.
"Um, would that be fine with you, Mistress?"

Maura smiled, ruffling Justine's hair. "Of course. We'll be off to the side if you need anything."

"It feels kind of weird seeing someone rub your head like a little kid" Alexander told Justine "It's such a sharp contrast from what you were like when we first met."

Justine averted her eyes.
"I suppose it would be..."

Lily took Justine's hand, snapping her sudden spell of contemplation.
"Let's go, Justy? Now show me what you learned, ok?"
Justine couldn't help but smile back at Lily's overwhelming energy, and nodded.
"A-Alright then."

Character Files (Transfered or Otherwise)

[DATA EXPUNGED]

...Huh. That's odd.