Ponn

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

I don't mind lengthening the time. How long do you think it should take?

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

@Punished GN Well, the shield isn't actually impenetrable. A powerful attack/offensive Super Move would punch right through it, but if you still think it's too much, I'll happily remove it from the move's description.

Nomadic Odyssey: Find Your Heart

For your consideration-

Olivia and Xolys

“Maiden and Marvel ready for action!”

“Gosh! Is this like an interview?! Oh, wow! This is so exciting!” _____________________________________________________ NAME: Olivia Rose Bell, Xolys _______________________________________________ EPITHET: The Maiden and The Marvel // The Nerd and The Nightmare _______________________________________________ AGE: 18 (Olivia), ??? (Xolys) _______________________________________________ PRONOUNS: She/Her (Olivia), He/Him (Xolys) _______________________________________________ HEIGHT: 4’11” (Olivia) 12’7” (Xolys) 9.5” (Xolys travel mode) _______________________________________________ WEIGHT: 97lbs (Olivia) 3000lbs (Xolys) 12lbs (Xolys travel mode) _______________________________________________ NATIONALITY: USA _______________________________________________ LIKES: Gearmantic Hearts, Xolys, being a Nomad (Olivia) / Olivia (Xolys) _______________________________________________ DISLIKES: Bullies (Both)

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OVERVIEW

“We may not look like much now, but just wait until we get to the arena!”
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APPEARANCE

“I dyed my hair myself! Now it matches Xolys’s eyes, wings, and scythes! Pretty cool, huh?!
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Olivia is a plain, somewhat underdeveloped young woman, with vibrant blue (originally black) hair, which is often worn in two braided ponytails that reach just past the center of her back. Her vision is pretty terrible, so she wears a pair of corrective lenses over her intense blue eyes. Since becoming a Nomad, she typically dresses in comfortable, if a bit oversized, traveling clothes, usually in shades of blue or black. On average, this is a simple ensemble consisting of cargo pants, t-shirt, and hoodie. She’s also never without her extra large traveler’s backpack, which contains all her worldly possessions, most importantly, her custom controller and Xolys, whose head can often be seen peeking out of it.

Xolys himself usually takes the form of a small robot, which was obviously cobbled together from various sources, and fairly crudely at that. However, when Olivia activates Xolys’s combat form, he becomes a frighteningly perfect recreation of the towering technomantic nightmare of the same name from Gearmantic Hearts.

PERSONALITY TRAITS

“Um, why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something weird again?
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Olivia is a friendly, if socially awkward girl, who is always happy to make new friends and chat with them about her many interests. The problem is, those interests tend to be rather bizarre, and the talkative, overzealous, and highly energetic Olivia is almost always completely oblivious to that fact. Because of the near consent rejection and ridicule she’s experienced, she has started to become a bit more hesitant to open up to people, but showing even the slightest interest in one of her obsessions will open the proverbial floodgates once more, with Olivia happily babbling away for hours on end. Due to her exceptionally poor social skills, she often inadvertently invades others’ personal space and, especially when excited about the topic of discussion, speaks in an incredibly rapid and louder-than-necessary voice, which most find both difficult to understand and highly annoying. She’s also a hopeless romantic, which, coupled with her afore mentioned bizarre interests and lack of social skills, presents its own share of problems… Still, if one can look past all her quirks and eccentricities, they will find a loyal and caring friend. Indeed, Olivia doesn’t seem to have a single mean bone in her body, and all of her various bothersome mannerisms are completely unintentional on her part, leading the poor girl to frequently apologize for her offensive behavior.

On the other hand, despite his appearance (in both forms), Xolys is an unfailingly polite and respectful being, often complimenting other Nomads’ abilities and techniques. Strangely coming across as the grounded voice of reason, in contrast to Olivia’s somewhat unhinged exuberance, he attempts to guide her through social interactions in much the same way as she guides him in combat.

BACKSTORY

“Oh gosh! You really want me to tell you my origin story?! I’d love to!”
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Growing up in the suburbs of Geopolis as the youngest and weakest of her parent’s five children, Olivia was always viewed as a freak and a failure. Her father was the proud owner of Bell Bionics, the best place in Geopolis for visiting Nomads to acquire mechanical augmentations and replacement limbs. However, while her talented older siblings served as his frequently-praised assistants, after one accident too many, it was clear that Olivia was nothing but a hinderance, and she was soon banned from entering the workshop. Things weren’t any easier for her at school, either. Her scrawny and bespectacled appearance was bad enough, but when combined with her strange interests, grating voice, and virtually non-existent social skills, it made her a prime target for bullying. Thus, despised, mocked, and shunned by her family and classmates alike, Olivia turned to the only place of refuge she possessed in her sad and lonely world- the local arcade.

From the moment she had first set foot in the neon-covered edifice, Olivia had been enthralled. Its myriad otherworldly lights and sounds drew her in like a moth to a flame, its array of games promising a longed-for escape from her depressing reality. Yet, there was one game that surpassed all the others- Gearmantic Hearts. A renowned fighting game from Covington Arts, it was one of the most popular games at the arcade, so much so, that Olivia hadn’t even been able to play it on her first visit. Or her second. Or her third… The lines were so long, she would spend hours waiting, only to go home disappointed when the arcade closed, just as she was about to take her turn. At the very least, she was able to watch the game being played while she waited, and she eventually memorized all the moves of each fighter. All, that was, save one…

Xolys.

He was a bizarre, eldritch machine that was simply captivating in his strangeness, and, to someone like Olivia, who had eagerly devoured all the works of H.P. Lovecraft, it was love at first sight. According to the one sentence description on his profile, which appeared along with those of the other fighters on the side of the game’s arcade cabinet, he was a robot that housed the soul of an extradimensional horror, but to Olivia, he was so much more than that. He was a kindred spirit, someone who could understand the pain of being unwanted by anyone. Despite, or more likely, because of his strange appearance, everyone seemed to avoid playing as Xolys. The boys either played as a burly badass, like ATLAS, the Aggronaught, or a sexy robo babe, like Penny Pinnacle, while what few other girls took an interest in the game inevitably fixated on the brooding bishonen bioroid, Finnegan Fabricant. No one wanted to play as a freakish cybermantic abomination. No one, except Olivia. For her, there could be no other champion. When she finally got her chance, she would show poor Xolys that someone did care. Until then, she spent her long hours waiting in line mentally filling in the blanks of the technohorror’s meager backstory, before setting them to paper when she finally returned home. He was fighting, Olivia had decided, in order to be reunited with his lost love, a young girl (and blatant self insert) who was the only person to treat him with kindness. Yet, she had been captured, and only by defeating all the other fighters would he be able to rescue her. Indeed, such feverish imaginings were Olivia’s only way of interacting with her cherished Xolys, until, at long last, the seemingly impossible finally happened.

She got to play Gearmantic Hearts for the first time.

At first, it was just another typical day of waiting in line, with Olivia one spot away from her goal, and mere minutes left before the arcade would close, depriving her of her chance yet again. But this time, something different happened. This time fate intervened on her behalf. She was holding her quarter in her hand, when someone bumped into her from behind, causing the coin to fall and begin rolling away. Leaving the line to chase after it, she was led on quite the chase, until she found herself in a darkened corner of the arcade. When the coin finally came to rest between Lunar Lander and Mad Planets, the arcade had begun to close down and disgruntled gamers were reluctantly filing out the doors. Ordinarily, Olivia would have been one of them, but suddenly, an idea occurred to her. If she hid herself in this darkened alcove and waited for everyone else to leave, she would have the entire arcade, and, most importantly, Gearmantic Hearts, all to herself! Of course, she would be locked in for the night, but her family never cared where she was, and the arcade’s two security cameras only monitored the entrance and exit, in case of a break in. They wouldn’t know if someone remained in the building after it had closed. So that’s exactly what she did.

Once she was certain the arcade’s owner had left, Olivia’s trembling body made its cautious way over to Gearmantic Hearts. The machine’s glowing lights and screen were even more pronounced in the darkness of the closed arcade, like a beacon, calling her forward, calling her to her destiny. Gripping her recaptured quarter tightly, her heart pounded as she inserted the small silver disc into the machine’s coin slot. Then, it was time. Carefully placing her delicate hand around the joystick with a reverence normally reserved for a holy relic, Olivia moved the flashing selector box until it had reached her precious Xolys and tapped the bright blue button to confirm her choice. It was like a match made in eldritch heaven, with Olivia leading the technohorror to victory in the game’s campaign mode at normal difficulty, and then at expert difficulty. When she returned home the following morning, she was the happiest she’d been in years, and no one was any the wiser. Thus, the following night, she again remained in the arcade after closing and beat the campaign on ultimate difficulty, an achievement no one else had managed. Her synergy with her beloved Xolys was simply unparalleled. But then, that wasn’t really surprising. Indeed, during the seeming eternity she had waited to play Gearmantic Hearts, she had even gone so far as to sneak into her father’s workshop and scavenge enough parts to cobble together a miniature approximation of the technohorror, along with a makeshift controller, which crudely mimicked G.H.’s own control configuration, in an attempt to practice for the day she got a chance at the real thing.

These overnight visits continued for several weeks, ensuring that her initials, ORB, were firmly ensconced at the top of G.H.’s score board, much to the immense puzzlement and frustration of the game’s army of patrons. Olivia silently watched from the sidelines as animated discussions broke out over the identity of the mysterious “Orb”, even as those discussions turned to debates over how they would fare against a human opponent. Still, while she was confident that she could lead Xolys to victory against any potential challenger, Olivia was reluctant to reveal her secret. After all, the ensuing questions could very well jeopardize her after-hours activities. Even so, a small part of her wanted to prove that she was as good a player as she believed herself to be. The game’s AI was strong, true enough, but it was still no match for a skilled human player. Thus, after a few more weeks of thinking it over, Olivia made the fateful decision to come forward.

At first, she was met with a mixture of mockery and incredulity (along with several accusations that this was nothing more than a pitiful attempt to get to the front of the line with a story that was clearly bullshit), but, eventually, enough patrons took pity on her to grant a demonstration. She would be going up against Kevin King, the player with the second highest score in campaign mode, and undefeated champion of PvP. Nevertheless, Olivia was undaunted, and when she stepped up to the controls for what many believed to be her first time, she was ready for anything Kevin could throw at her. Or so she thought…

Just as the match was about to start, someone grabbed her glasses and chucked them across the room. She was so shocked and disoriented by this unprecedented turn of events that Penny Pinnacle, under the command of Kevin’s skilled hand, was able to soundly demolish poor Xolys in record time. Cruelly mocked and pelted with spitballs, an utterly dejected Olivia retrieved her cracked glasses and trudged home under increasingly overcast skies, where she collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep, her practice model of Xolys clutched tightly in her arms. This was the end, the distraught girl told herself as she sobbed into her sheets. She could never go back to the arcade again. She had failed her beloved Xolys, and now her dreams were well and truly dead. However, Olivia would soon discover that she was only half right.

That night, a mighty tempest rocked her small neighborhood to its foundations. The rain and hail pelted buildings and vehicles, while wind howled like tormented souls, and jagged bolts of lightning split trees amidst deafening peals of thunder. Yet, the slumbering Olivia was aware of none of it, nor did she perceive the swirling rent in the fabric of reality which opened above her bed, allowing a single ethereal flower petal to fall upon and phase inside her lovingly cobbled together recreation of Xolys. It would not be until the following evening that she fully realized what had occurred, when “Xolys” spoke to her. To Olivia’s astonishment and joy, she was told that her glorified remote control toy now housed the spirit of an extradimensional being known as Xolys, who had come to her universe to find and rescue his lost love, just like in her fanfiction! But, he needed Olivia’s help. Without her, he was nothing more than an inert toy, yet, guided by her controller and her boundless faith in him, he would be able to achieve the same incredible feats as his namesake from Gearmantic Hearts!

Needless to say, Olivia couldn’t believe her luck! Now she would be able to lead the real Xolys to victory in his quest, this time by battling actual villains and monsters, while entering Nomad fighting competitions on the side! It was like a dream come true! And so, a few days later, on her eighteenth birthday, Olivia packed up her most prized possessions and set off with Xolys on her new life as a Nomad. Recently, she’s heard of a massive fighting competition in Brazil that’s offering an honest to goodness Power Stone as a grand prize. Xolys has informed her that, with its power, he would almost certainly be able to locate his missing love, and so Olivia has made it her goal to not only enter the contest, but emerge as the grand champion.

Piece of cake, right?

FIGHTING STYLE & ABILIES

“Ready or not, here we come!”
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SKILLS & ABILITIES

“Let’s show ‘em what you can do, Xolys!”
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Whenever it’s time to fight, Olivia whips out her custom controller and activates Xolys’s combat mode, which she guides through each fight with the rapid implementation of intricate button and joystick combinations. In addition, several small holographic displays flash to life in an arc around the controller, tracking Xolys’s health, power levels, and other related stats.

An imposing eldritch technomantic monstrosity, Xolys’s towering, supernaturally resilient combat form is covered in a plethora of Trans-Phasic Energy Scythe-tipped appendages, as well as a dizzying mass of spiked tentacular mechadendrites, leaving little doubt that he is an utter nightmare to face in melee combat. Although Xolys’s ranged capabilities are far more limited, consisting of just his head-mounted Unreality Beam, this attack is profoundly powerful. In addition, Xolys can also rapidly extend his tentacular technomantic mechadendrites out to fifteen feet, an ability sure to come as quite the unpleasant surprise for first-time opponents, who erroneously believe themselves to be safely out of range of any melee attacks. Although Xolys boasts an impressive pair of energy wings, he is incapable of flight, the wings being simply cosmetic.

For her part, Olivia herself has zero combat abilities whatsoever, and is actually quite a bit frailer than the average young woman her age.

SIGNATURE MOVES

“Check this out!”
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■ Technomantic Tentacle Whip

Olivia instructs Xolys to lash out with one of his techno-tentacles at lighting speed. This attack can be chained for several strikes in quick succession.

■ Technomantic Tentacle Whirlwind

Using only a handful of tendrils for support, all of Xolys’s other techno-tentacles splay out and begin rapidly spinning around his towering form like an eldritch buzzsaw.

■ Eldritch Ensnarement

Olivia instructs Xolys to shoot one of his techno-tentacles out to wrap around his opponent and then reel the unfortunate fighter into close range.

■ Eldritch Electro-Constriction

After tightly coiling a techno-tendril around an opponent, Xolys energizes the eldritch appendage, causing arcs of actinic lightning to shoot into his helpless foe.

■ Trans-Phasic Energy Scythe Power Sweep

Charging up one of his Trans-Phasic Energy Scythes with greatly increased technomystic power, Xolys sweeps it in a large arc, smashing against an opponent with considerable force, and likely sending them hurtling backwards. This move is often used in conjunction with his unreality beam.

■ Trans-Phasic Energy Scythe Barrage

Olivia instructs Xolys to attack an opponent at close range with a rapid-fire barrage of strikes from his myriad Trans-Phasic Energy Scythes.

■ Unreality Beam Blast

Xolys employs his only true ranged weapon, firing a concentrated beam of unreality from his head’s central eye at an opponent.

SUPER MOVES

“Wanna see something really awesome?!”
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■ APEX Unreality Beam Blast

A vastly more powerful version of his normal Unreality Beam attack. It takes significantly more time (about five seconds) to charge up.

■ Regenerative Restoration Mode

Raising an energy shield around himself, Xolys curls up into an armored ball, while a swarm of restorative nanites repair his injuries. This process takes about two minutes to complete. However, while the energy shield is quite strong, it can still be worn down by repeated attacks, and pierced completely by a single Super Move-level strike. In addition, as soon as the shield is breached, the repair process is immediately halted.

■ Tesseractic Teleportation

Xolys’s most energy-intensive move, this allows him to somewhat mitigate his lack of speed and mobility, by teleporting himself to any point on the battlefield. However, it takes about five seconds to charge up, and after arriving at his new location, he is limited to using only basic attacks for a full ten seconds, while his technomystic power is replenished.

WEAKNESSES & LIMITS

“Xolys may not be good at everything, but I’m gonna do my best to make sure his strengths always outweigh his weaknesses!”
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Despite boasting impressive strength and toughness, Xolys is quite slow, preferring to remain in a single position and draw his opponent into the range of his multiple melee weapons. This, coupled with the fact that he possesses only a single ranged attack (albeit at two power levels), means that he seriously struggles against fast moving opponents with considerable long-ranged firepower. In addition, all his Signature and Super Moves have an obvious tell, in the form of the increasingly brilliant glow of his energy wings, which grows even more pronounced when he’s preparing to employ a Super Move. In fact, before each Super Move, the various wing segments split apart and begin spinning around in a different configuration, unique to each move. Thus, a perceptive opponent can easily foresee what’s about to happen and take appropriate action, at least, if they’re fast enough. Finally, incapacitating Olivia renders Xolys completely harmless, something a truly unscrupulous foe can easily capitalize upon.

OTHER

“Oh! Do do you wanna read my fanfiction?!”
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Trust me, you really don’t.

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

To the North: Run for the Hills

(part 1)

It's not often the coin broker of New York comes out of hiding, but she always has time to punish defectors. And not only is Nuncio former Mint, but he's traveling with two people of interest. That's just too irresistible for the "Beast of the north" to ignore. Slay the Beast and her vanguard or drive them out of New York. She will go back into hiding if she captures/kills all of her prey.

Challenge Rating: SS
Notes: The Beast can use her Killing Blow with near impunity, but is vulnerable for a brief time after using it. Be careful.
This hunt can only be undertaken by a party that contains Connie and/or Mia.

…

…

…

Bionic Bonnie was on the CAPRICORN. She always was. If someone saw her outside the CAPRICORN, she wouldn’t be Bonnie.

She was sitting in a lobby reading a newspaper. Her surroundings were mundane even by non-magical standards. It looked like an american dinner, only smaller and devoid of people. The windows also looked out at different areas. Some showed bustling cities while others arid countrysides. Perhaps this place wasn’t as normal as one might think at first glance.

But Bonnie wasn’t here to read the paper or enjoy the view. She had invited some mercenaries to come aboard for one of her jobs. Any moment now, they should have followed her instructions and located a portal to board her “ship.”

…

…

…

This is bad… Mia thought to herself as she looked over the glimmer post displayed on her phone, a nervous Connie peeking over her shoulder. It was the details of a new hunt, one personally addressed to the two of them. That alone would be concerning enough, but then there were the details themselves…

“N-Nuncio’s o-one of F-Faith’s friends!” Connie gasped in horrified realization. “T-T-That m-means F-Faith’s in d-danger, t-too!”

“It sure does sound that way,” Mia agreed. “But it also sounds pretty fucking suspicious. I mean, it mentions both of us by name. Plus, even if it isn’t some kinda trap, look at the challenge rating. This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything as high as SS, and you’ve never been on anything higher than B rank,” she added, turning to Connie with a concerned frown.

“I-I k-know…” her timid friend replied, while tightly hugging a frog plush that was almost as large as she was. “B-B-But i-if s-she’s in t-trouble, t-then we h-have to h-help her!” the kind-hearted girl added, tears beginning to well up. “A-And m-maybe t-that’s why she d-didn’t c-come to the C-Christmas P-Party, b-because she was h-hiding f-from this B-B-Beast p-person!”

“Y’know, when you put it like that, it does kinda make sense,” Mia conceded with a sigh. “Still, are ya sure you’re up for this, little sis?” she asked. “I mean, I know we’ve done some crazy stuff before, but we did those missions with a group. This’ll just be the two of us.”

Connie swallowed and hugged her plush even tighter, clearly doing her best to keep from having a panic attack. “I-I’m n-not j-just g-gonna a-abandon them!” she said after a moment and with as much conviction as she could muster. “B-Besides, F-Faith's a m-magical g-girl, t-too, a-and I-I’m s-sure her f-friends c-can f-fight as w-well, s-so, we w-won’t b-be c-completely alone!”

Although she considered herself fairly tough, Mia could feel her heart breaking more and more with each passing second she looked at her closest friend. Connie was obviously terrified by what this mission entailed, but the meek girl cared so much for her friends that she was willing to take any risk if that meant she could help them in some way. Still, even though Mia hated seeing her friend in so much pain, the tomboy couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride at Connie’s efforts to overcome her many weaknesses. It was really quite inspiring.

“Okay, if you’re set on doing this, I’m not gonna try an’ talk ya out if it,” Mia replied. “But this sounds like it’s gonna be the hardest thing we’ve ever done, so just promise me you’ll be careful,” she added.

“I-I p-promise,” Connie whispered.

“Now, let’s save our friend.”

…

…

…

Twenty minutes later, and the pair found themselves standing in what looked like a diner.

“I take it you are the one who posted the bounty?” Gaia inquired of the room’s only other occupant.

If Bonnie were to look up from her paper, which she did, she would see a nymph-like young woman with green skin and verdant hair, which cascaded down to her feet. From behind her peeked out a masked girl, who, in stark contrast to her serene and focused companion, was nervously looking in every direction, as if she expected a jump scare at any moment.

”Yes, that was me.” Bonnie folded her paper in half, stood up, and cast it on one of the counters. ”In a way, at least. I’m just a bounty broker. The request itself was put through by Nuncio. Though most people who get in touch with me aren’t able to request help themselves. That is why they make use of my services.” Bonnie looked out one of the windows, one that showed a bustling intersection. It was mid day, but the skies were overcast enough that the street lamps had turned on. ”No threats yet. Seems you still have time.” She folded her arms behind her back. Her weapon swung like a pendulum behind her back. ”Anything you’d like to know?”

“If it was Nuncio that made the request, then am I to assume you will be depositing us at his current location?” Gaia inquired, while taking note of the unique properties of the establishment’s windows. “Or are we being sent directly into battle against this so-called ‘Beast’?”

”The Beast of the North has yet to make an appearance, at least, not near her mark.” Bonnie pointed at the window. ”You will be deployed here, at this intersection. Nuncio, Faith, and Sammy are hiding out at Susana Inn right on the street corner.” She retracted her hand. ”I believe that the mint has caught wind of my interference, and likely expect me to bring reinforcements. I suspect after the mission commences, the Beast will reveal herself. I suppose what I’m saying is that I wouldn’t plan on a long reunion with your friends.”

“I see…” Gaia noted, frowning thoughtfully. “Would it not be more advantageous to simply transport us directly into their hotel room? Not only would it serve to conceal our arrival, but it would provide additional time to compose a battle plan.”

”I could, but they are not held up there at the moment.” The window changed. Now they could see their friends walking up a flight of stairs. Likely located in the inn. ”The issue is that the Mint will likely know where I teleport you in. If I put you some distance away, they could follow you, sure. But if I place a portal right in front of them, I may give away their location.” Bonnie leaned against the counter. ”But it’s your call in the end. The mint are a hard organization to hide anything from.”

“You make a good point,” Gaia conceded. “If they haven’t been discovered yet, we don’t want to give away their location. Of course, that’s all meaningless if the Mint already knows where they are and is preparing an ambush as we speak,” she added, even as Connie’s grip on her shoulders tightened. “Did Nuncio give you any additional instructions to impart?”

”He did not.“

“In that case, perhaps it would be best to arrive in the alleyway next to that restaurant on the corner opposite the inn,” Gaia observed, pointing to the location in question. “If we revert to our mundane forms, we can enter the restaurant, blend in with the patrons, and observe the situation from there.”

”Very well, let me lock in the coordinates...“

…

…

…

The CAPRICORN, with freakish speed, fell out of the clouds and descended to the city streets. It was there just long enough to boot Connie and Mia out the front portal before flying into the clouds. If you blinked or looked away, you’d have assumed two girls just appeared out of thin air. If you didn’t, you’d look at the sky and assume you had too much to drink.

They knew where Nuncio and the crew was, but there was no sign of any mint agents. At least, no obvious ones. The swaying crowds could hide anyone, even a powerful coin broker.

On the upside, the food from the restaurant smelled really good.

Connie held Mia’s arm in an almost vice-like grip as the pair emerged from the alley and into the crowded street.

“So, this is New York, huh?” Mia noted as she took a look around, not sounding particularly impressed.

“T-There’s s-so m-many p-people…” Connie added. “W-Way m-more t-than in P-Penrose…”

“Yeah…” Mia agreed. She could see that being either a benefit or a hindrance, depending on how things played out. “Definitely makes hiding a hell of a lot easier.”

Thankfully for Connie’s sake, they soon left the bustling streets and entered the restaurant, a medium-sized pizzeria.

“Let’s order a couple of slices while we wait,” Mia suggested as she headed for the front counter.

“O-Okay,” Connie whispered back, while giving a small nod.

As it happened there were already cheese and veggie slices warming in the counter display, and the two friends were soon seated at a window table with a slice apiece.

“H-How l-long do y-you t-think i-it’ll be b-before s-something h-happens?” Connie asked in a quiet voice after taking a few nervous gulps of her lemonade.

“Hard to say,” Mia replied in an equally low tone, before taking a bite of her veggie pizza. “Still, at least we get to try some genuine New York pizza while we wait,” she added with a grin.

“Yeah,” Connie agreed, trying to muster a smile of her own. “T-This p-pizza is r-really delicious!”

The duo would have a few minutes to converse and enjoy their pizza when their ears were assaulted by a scraping sound. Something akin to a teacher dragging their nails across a chalkboard. A teenage girl was dragging a cast iron chair down the narrow walkways of the pizzeria. It was hard to tell if it was the chair that weighed so much, or the woman’s hand. Her delicate fingers were lined with rings, and the bulge in her sleeve suggested she might be wearing a bangle as well. Her silver pendant swung with every tug. It was impossible to see the girl’s face. Her head was downcast, and the beret on her head hid everything above her nose.

Once she got to their table, she pointed the back of the chair towards the window. She sat down and rested both of her hands on the back of the chair.

”You know.“ She started. ”’Vegetables are kind of inexpensive. It’s not like you’re saving that many calories by skipping out on meat.“

Just when Connie was starting to feel a little more relaxed, her ears were assaulted by a cacophonous screeching sound, which steadily increased in volume with each passing second as if it were the harbinger of approaching doom. Looking up in an attempt to find its source, she stifled a gasp when she noticed that it was a girl dragging a chair their way. Sure enough, the girl stopped next to their table and promptly took a seat.

Who was this girl? Was she a Mint agent? Was she The Beast?! Or was she just a normal girl? All these questions raced through Connie’s frantic mind, even as the mystery girl began talking.

“Well, I don’t really like meat on my pizza,” Mia casually replied to the girl’s comment, while Connie tried her best to keep from hyperventilating. “So it isn’t a weight-loss thing, just a personal preference.”

”Really now?“ Two more girls in similar outfits stepped out from booths on either end of the isle. ”You know, it really bothers me how ‘on brand’ you are. Of course someone who fancied themselves as ‘Gaia’ would be a vegetarian. Your favorite video game is plants versus zombies too, isn’t it? You see what I mean?“ A fourth one sat up from a bench just outside the pizzeria. They all looked directly at Connie, which likely made her feel even more insecure. With a huff, the girl seated before them folded one leg over the other. Despite wearing a sweatshirt that was a size too big, she wasn’t wearing much for pants. Her shorts didn’t really have legs. ”That was a pretty flashy landing though. Not at all the sort of transport I’d expect you to use.“ She raised the brim of her hat and peeked at Connie with her sapphire eyes. ”Are you waiting for Nuncio to show up?“

​​As the strange girl gave her increasingly alarming reply, Connie felt her eyes going wider with each syllable spoken. Her pulse was also starting to race, and her breathing was now coming in a rapid string of short, sharp gasps. The poor girl’s condition only worsened a moment later, when several more young women stood up and began staring directly at her. Indeed, before the mystery girl had even finished speaking, Connie’s heart was pounding like a jackhammer, and she was beginning to hyperventilate. However, in stark contrast to her own panic attack, she saw that Mia remained surprisingly at ease.

“Okay, first, my choice of pizza is just coincidence,” the tomboy told their uninvited guest. “Second, I’m not a vegetarian. Third, PvZ isn’t my favorite game. Fourth, I didn’t choose that name, my Patron did. And finally, I couldn’t care less about Nuncio. My friend and I just took the stupid job so we could get a free trip to New York. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we’re only here because I heard this place had some good pizza.”

”Really now?“ She fished a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and stuck one of them in her mouth. None of the other patrons or waiting staff seemed to care. She tucked it into her mouth before pushing her hands into her pocket. ”The CAPRICORN selects the most diligent people for a job. You’re not here just to eat pizza.“ the cigarette lit up without her doing anything, and she furrowed her brow. ”I don’t know how the Mint is back in Penrose, but we’re not stupid. We’re well informed, efficient, and don’t like to waste time.“ Then she gave a signal.

A simple snap of her fingers.

One of the girls transformed almost instantly and rushed up behind Mia. Were Mia transformed she might have been able to stop the agent. But no human could react as swiftly as a magical girl,. She slid a knife out of her sleeve and held it to the girl’s throat, drawing just a bit of blood.The girl who had been talking did not look at Mia. She almost seemed more concerned with keeping her cigarette lit.

”We haven’t been able to find Nuncio. No doubt Sammy’s clairvoyance is keeping him one step ahead of us. But I think I know how to lure him out.“ She looked at Connie. ”If Nuncio is headed here, we can all sit tight and wait for him. If he’s not coming, I want you to bring him here. We’ll hold onto your friend for collateral.“

“Mia…!” Connie cried, a look of pure horror on her face. “P-P-Please!” she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “P-Please d-don’t h-hurt her!”

“I-It’s okay, little sis,” Mia reassured her hysterical friend through gritted teeth. “If these assholes want Nuncio so fuckin’ bad, then they can have him.”

“B-B-B-But…!” Connie whimpered.

“You can do this, Connie,” the tomboy told her with a warm smile, even though a blade was pressed against her throat. “Just try to calm down,” she instructed. “Deep breaths, like we practiced, alright?”

The panicking girl swallowed and gave a nod of acknowledgment. Her body was shaking so violently that it was causing her chair to rattle and she felt as if she might pass out at any moment, but with all her remaining strength, she forced herself to close her eyes and take a single deep breath. In… And then out. In… And then out. This continued for several seconds as, slowly but surely, Connie began to feel her anxiety drain away. She wasn't anywhere close to being as relaxed as Mia seemed to be, but at least she was no longer in danger of having a heart attack.

“There, feeling better?” Mia asked.

Connie gave another nod, although her trembling hands were still pressed tight against her chest.

“Now, go find that dumbass Nuncio and bring ‘em back here, okay?”

“O-O-Okay…” Connie acknowledged, her voice a meek whisper.

While Connie struggled to stand up on trembling legs, Mia’s eyes shifted to glare at their table guest. “So, are you the infamous ‘Beast’?” she asked with a mocking sneer. “Gotta say, I’m not all that impressed. Ya look more like a cheap hooker than a great and powerful coin broker.”

”Really now?“ She raised an eyebrow as her gaze shifted back to Mia. ”As amusing as it would be to continue sparring words with you, I think I know a better way to pass the time.“ She pressed her lit cigarette into the back of Mia’s palm.

To her credit, the tomboy barely flinched when the hot cigaret was pressed against her skin, but she couldn’t keep a hiss of pain from escaping through her grit teeth. She was just thankful that Connie had her back turned by that point.

“I once fought a flame behemoth inside a fuckin’ volcano,” Mia informed her would-be tormentor with a fierce grin once Connie was safely out of earshot. “This shit’s just plain pathetic.”

That’s it jackass, just keep tryin’ to torture me. You’re gonna seriously fuckin’ regret it when Connie gets back here…

---

Connie didn’t have a lot to go off of, but she did remember seeing Nuncio, Faith, and Sammy walking up a flight of stairs inside the Inn. The only issue was that she had to get inside. That wouldn’t be an issue for most, but this meant that Connie had to speak with people.

The marble walls and red carpet funneled down a massive corridor to the reception desk. The main lobby may have been empty, but the walls were filled to the brim with portraits. Lords and ladies of millenia past watched Connie. But at the end of the lobby was the receptionist. In the sea of old, thin, white faces, the younger, rotund, black man with half an afro stood out. But there was no mistaking it. His name tag was a gold plate that read “Irvine, Receptionist” After all.

”Oh hey there!“ He waved his hand like it was made of jello. ”What’s happenin’ girl?“

After a staggeringly stressful trip across the street, Connie finally found herself within the hotel’s lobby, yet even that accomplishment granted precious little reprieve. She could feel dozens of eyes boring into her, even if only from portraits rather than actual people, but still she pressed on. After all, Mia was counting on her. Everyone was counting on her. So she would do this. She had to.

“O-Oh!” Connie gasped when the receptionist greeted her. He seemed an amiable sort, but then, looks could be deceiving, as Connie knew only too well. “U-Ummm… H-H-Hello…” she replied between nervous inhalations, her voice barely rising above a faint whisper. “I-I-I’m… h-here to m-meet… m-my f-friend,” she explained. “S-She’s… s-staying h-here w-with… s-someone n-named N-N-Nuncio. D-Do y-you… h-happen t-to k-know w-what… r-r-room t-they’re s-staying in?”

”Nuncio? Don’t think we have too many of those here“ He turned to a computer and started typing. His pace was quite relaxed. It wasn’t like he understood the gravity of the situation. ”He’s staying in room fourteen-o-eight. Should be right by the staircase on the fourteenth floor.“

“O-Okay,” Connie acknowledged, while nervously gripping the strap of her handbag. “T-Thank you v-very m-much!” she added, before making her way to the elevator. However, once inside, she didn’t press the button for the fourteenth floor, but rather, the floor above it, and when the elevator finally arrived there, it would not be the visibly nervous Connie Williams that emerged, but the still visibly nervous Empress of Nightmares. After cautiously looking both ways, the masked girl hurried out of the elevator and over to the stairway door. Slipping inside the stairwell, she crouched down with her back to the wall, waited ten seconds, and then sent out a localized nightmare pulse. It was only big enough to affect the immediate area, but it would hopefully deal with any invisible Mint agents that might have been trailing her.

”SAMMY!“ Nuncio cried out.

”What?!”

”Oh!“ Nuncio cleared his throat. ”Thought somethin’ happened to ya.”

The tiny detective pouted. ”As if anything could happen to me! I assure you that if there were any mint in the area, I would deduce their location immediately. But that was strange, wasn’t it? If I had to make a deduction…” Sammy hummed ”Yes! You were affected by a spell originating from the fifteenth floor! Maybe the Mint is onto us.”

Then a third voice spoke up, this one more familiar to Connie. ”I’m not so sure. That magic seemed awfully specific, didn’t it? I don’t think one of those dreadful agents would give themselves away like that.”

At the sound of familiar voices, Connie gave a startled gasp and leapt to her feet. “I-I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!” she cried as she hurried down the stairs. “I-I j-just w-wanted to m-make s-sure t-there w-weren’t a-any M-M-Mint agents f-following me! I-I’m s-sorry!” she added again when she finally reached the trio, clasping her hands together and bowing her head.

Connie didn’t have to go far before seeing all of her old acquaintances, as they were all on the stairs. Sammy moved ahead of everyone and folded her arms. ”Those dullards will have to try a lot harder than that if they think I can’t deduce their every move!”

Before Sammy could get anything else in, Faith raced past her allies and gave Connie a big bear hug. She lifted the girl off of her feet and spun on her heels. ”Connie! It’s been so long since we sa-aaah!”

She lost her footing on the narrow steps, but Nuncio’s hand prevented the duo from falling down the stairs. ”Whatcha doin’ here anyway? Where’s Gaia?”

“I-I’m s-so g-glad to s-see you, t-too, F-Faith!” Connie replied in happy relief as she returned her friend’s hug with equal force, black tears streaming down the cheeks of her mask. “M-Mia’s in t-trouble!” she added, before further explaining the situation in a rapid flow of words. “W-We c-came h-here to h-help you, b-b-but w-we d-didn’t want to s-show the M-M-Mint w-where you w-were, s-so w-we d-decided to w-wait in the r-restaurant across t-the street until s-something h-happened, b-but t-then this M-M-Mint girl who m-might be the B-B-Beast s-showed up at our t-table and t-then another girl h-held a k-k-knife to Mia’s t-t-throat and t-then the f-first girl t-threatened to d-do something t-t-terrible to her unless I b-brought N-Nuncio b-back with me, s-so I c-came over h-here, a-and I t-tried to be c-careful, b-but they s-still might know w-where you are now a-and I’m s-so sorry!”

It took Connie’s friends a moment to process what she was trying to say.

”You need to stutter less.” Sammy put her hands on her hips.

“I-I’m s-sorry!” Connie apologized again, this time sounding even more distraught.

”They found a way to get to us.” Nuncio rubbed the back of his neck. ”Guess we ain’t got a choice. We back out now, Mia’s dead.”

Sammy was waving her magnifying glass around in the air. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but they opened soon enough. ”It’s that chav, Lexi. The one with the shape changing duplicates. I don’t sense the beast, but according to my deductions, she can’t be far away.”

”It’s a shame we couldn’t have met again under better circumstances.” Faith sighed. ”Do you have any way of communicating with Mia?”

“U-Um, y-yes,” Connie confirmed, retrieving her incongruously cute phone from the dark folds of her voluminous robe and holding it in her badly shaking hands. “I-I can c-call or t-text her, b-but I d-don’t know i-if she’ll a-answer, s-since…” Her voice trailed off and the eyes of her mask drooped downward, before suddenly opening wide as something occurred to her. “U-Ummm, N-Nuncio…?” the timid girl inquired hesitantly. “W-We were t-told that y-you were the p-person who r-requested our h-help. I-Is t-that not t-true?”

All eyes fell on Nuncio. He looked at each of them before correcting his posture. ”I did make use of an old connection ta ask for help. Wasn’t expecting to fight a coin broker myself. Certainly not with you two.”

”This is why I was against contacting Bonnie!” Sammy shook her head. ”She targeted these two for your job exclusively! Now we’re really in a pickle!”

”Well, they did come to help us. All we can do is make the best of it.” Faith kneeled in front of Connie so that she was eye level. ”It doesn’t sound like we can contact her discreetly then. We do need to rescue her, but in such a way no harm comes to us or you. What do you remember seeing? Is there anything we could use to our advantage?”

Connie frowned and took a moment to think. The memory was far from a pleasant one, but if she was going to help Mia, then she knew she had to push through her discomfort.

“U-Um, w-well, t-the f-first girl was w-wearing a l-lot of j-jewelry, a-and a b-beret,” Connie began. “I-I d-don’t t-think she w-was t-transformed… O-Oh, b-but she had a c-cigaret that s-she lit w-without a l-lighter o-or a m-match, s-so m-maybe she w-was transformed… A-Anyway, I t-think t-there were f-four other g-girls w-who looked s-similar to the f-first one. T-Three of t-them were i-inside the r-restaurant, and o-one was s-sitting on a b-bench j-just outside it. O-One of the f-first three t-transformed really f-fast a-and h-held a k-k-knife t-to M-Mia’s t-throat b-before I even k-knew what was h-happening! T-That’s when s-she said I n-needed to b-bring N-Nuncio to her, o-or else s-she’d h-hurt Mia… I-I d-don’t know i-if any of t-that h-helps,” she added. “B-But b-before we a-arrived, Mia s-said that if a-anything h-happened to her, I-I should g-get away, t-transform, a-and t-then use my n-nightmare m-magic, s-so, u-um, m-maybe I c-could just b-blast the r-restaurant f-from up h-here,” she suggested. “T-That would t-take c-care of all t-those h-horrible M-Mint girls, a-and I-I’ve been w-working o-on b-better c-controlling my m-magic, s-so I t-think I s-should be able to k-keep it f-from affecting M-Mia.”

The escapees took turns exchanging glances before Faith smiled. ”Your magic did a number on Lotus! That sounds like just the distraction we need to rescue Mia~! Just, you know, watch the poor pedestrians too. I wouldn’t want to drag them into this.”

“O-Oh! U-Um, of c-course!” Connie agreed. “I-I’ll do m-my b-best t-to m-make s-sure o-only the M-Mint girls g-get hit, b-but, um, h-how will w-we know for s-sure w-who isn’t s-secretly an e-enemy?” she asked with a frown.

”I have no idea.” Faith placed a hand on Connie’s shoulder. ”But if you think it’s a good idea to use your nightmare magic, I think you should go for it!”

“O-Okay!” Connie declared, raising a clenched (but still badly shaking) fist with all the determination she could muster. “T-Then l-let’s do it! L-Let’s go s-save Mia!”

Normally the magical girls would make their way over to the roof of the adjacent pizza joint before commencing their operation. However, few of the buildings in the heart of the big apple made that viable. The pizza joint was a proverbial wall of steel and concrete. Standing on the roof of such a building would put them too far away from the ground floor. They were able to look out of the inn however. Connie could see the mint “guard” was still standing in front of a window, but it looked like the other girls had taken Mia deeper inside.

“I-I, um, I-I t-think I m-might h-have a w-way to t-tell w-who the M-Mint a-agents are,” Connie told her friends, although she seemed hesitant. “M-My m-mystic a-artifact l-let’s me s-see what p-people are a-afraid of, s-so m-maybe that will w-work?”

She knew it was far from ideal, and she hated using it, but she also knew it was the best option they had. Retrieving a dark crystal pendant from the folds of her robe, Connie gripped the eye of fear, her mystic artifact, in her hand. It seemed that the agent standing out front had a fear of drowning. They had attempted to commit suicide by driving into the harbor. In the cold depths of the sea, they discovered how horrible the water could be and realized they wanted to live. An observing Puchuu offered them salvation as a magical girl.

Connie gasped as she watched the shocking scene play out on a mystic window above her pendent. Seeing someone try to drown themselves would be traumatic for most people, but for someone like Connie, it was a thousand times worse. Yet, the timid girl resolved herself to press on. Charging the artifact with more power, she attempted to probe deeper into the building, looking for any other fears of a supernatural nature, and, of course, any that dealt specifically with the Ebon Mint.

It seemed like everyone in the building had a deep fear of drowning. It wasn’t an uncommon fear, but for it to be shared with nearly everyone inside was unusual. But Connie's probing would prove a few smaller fears that she could work with. The disguised magical girl out front was also afraid of being “discovered.” Likely a fear that most mint agents possessed, though no one possessed a fear of supernatural entities specifically. Could the Empress of Nightmares do anything?

Well, if the Empress of Nightmares was a cruel and heartless being befitting such a title, then she would simply envelop the entire restaurant and the sidewalk outside it in a bubble of nightmare energy, uncaring of guilt or innocence. As it was, however, the Empress was a gentle and kind-hearted girl who hated the thought of causing harm to anyone, and although she knew it was preferable to strike fully and indiscriminately, she simply couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she decided to work with what she knew for certain. The Mint agent out front was also scared of discovery, so she crafted a focused nightmare that would prey upon that fear. With any luck, it would cause the disguised girl to call her partners for help, and maybe even get them to vacate the building completely, making them easy targets for a followup attack.

“O-Okay,” Connie said after taking a deep breath. “H-Here g-goes…”

It did not take long for the nightmare to manifest. Spectral magical girls that only Connie and the agent could see approached the pizzaria. The pointed at the mint agent as they drew closer.

”That’s her! It’s Lexi!”

”She’s the one who tried to kill herself, right?”

”And now she’s part of the mint!”

”How low can you go?”

Even though the girls comments would feel right at home in some B grade TV show, “Lexi” was visibly agitated by the heckling. She was holding her breath. Her heart was racing. But she didn’t move from her spot. She looked at the ground and pulled out her phone.

”Boss? I think we’ve been discovered. Some girls-” She flinched as someone on the other end yelled at her. ”That makes sense, yea. You’re right. Do you know her number?” She wiped some sweat off of her head while her boss continued to speak with her. ”I’d rather do it myself actually, can I- Okay, yea, thank you. It won’t happen again. Bye.” As soon as she hung up, she dialed another number and held the phone to her head.

Connie’s phone rang.

”Do you think this is a game?” Her voice was cold. ”Well while you’re out there having fun, so are we. We’ve decided to start eating Mia’s fingers while you fuck around out there!” Not only could Connie hear her growl into the phone, Lexi was starting to lose her composure. ”If you still want your friend to have a few opposing digits, you’ll bring that god damn traitor and his friends right now!” She cocked back her arm and launched the phone through the spectral magical girls.

Connie jumped when she heard her phone ring. Pulling it out of her robe with trembling hands, she almost dropped the device when she heard the voice on the other end. “M-M-Mia’s h-h-hands…?” she whimpered incredulously, the dark eyes of her mask going wide.

They thought that was having fun? They thought any of this was fun? Her breaths were once again coming in short, sharp gasps, but this time, it wasn’t due to steadily growing fear, but anger… In that moment, she realized with soul-crushing certainty that she couldn’t hold back. For Mia’s sake, for her friends’ sake, she had to end this now…

“I-I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, the eyes of her mask closing as mystic power began to build.

A moment later, and the entire restaurant, along with the sidewalk around it, was encapsulated in a crackling nightmare bubble. Significantly stronger than the small pulse Connie had employed against the agent on the sidewalk, everyone within its confines (except for Mia) would feel as though they were being plunged deeper and deeper into a watery abyss from which there was no escape.

“O-Okay!” Connie told her friends, her voice filled with urgency. “L-Let’s get d-down there and s-save Mia!”

Faith strummed her harp, causing musical note to make an impromptu slide. The escapees and Connie slid down and ran into the pizzeria. All of the occupants were trying to “swim” above the “water” that filled the establishment. Everyone was gasping and crying for help, but they just had to tune that out and venture further inside.

They wouldn’t spot Mia until they pushed into the back of the restaurant. In the kitchen, all of the chefs were behaving much like the patrons in the lobby. But Lexi was seated towards the back of the room with Mia. The mint agent was clutching the side of her head while shooting dagger eyes at Connie, and Mia…

Mia didn’t look so good. She was still in human form and covered head to toe in bruises. They must have started beating her shortly after Connie left to get the others. It was hard to tell how she was doing as she was curled up in the fetal position with her back to connie. But the table Lexi was seated at had its white tablecloth stained with blood. Among the plastic cutlery before her was a blood soaked cleaver, which Lexi grabbed before standing up from the table.

As the quartet made their way through the restaurant, Connie hugged herself tightly and tried her best to block out the sounds of suffering around her, suffering she had caused. “I-I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, unable to bring herself to look at any of the frantic patrons. Instead, she focused on the floor, on simply putting one foot in front of the other, at least until she reached the kitchen…

“M-M-Mia…?” Connie asked in a quivering voice, the sight of her best friend’s bruised and battered body causing her to freeze in her tracks. “W-W-What… W-WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!!” she screamed, her voice filled with fury and pain as she sent several midnight-black tentacles darting out to coil around Lexi’s wrists and throat. Even as they began rapidly constricting, an enraged Connie sent a massive blast of nightmare energy surging into the Mint agent, like a spike being driven into her brain. The girl would feel her fears of drowning amplified a hundredfold, with water filling her lungs as thorny tendrils pulled her deeper even as they dug their spines into her flesh. The Mint agent suffering serious injuries, or even a heart attack, as a result of this was a very real possibility, but Connie was far too infuriated to care. This piece of trash had hurt her dearest friend, and now, she would make them pay…

Before any of Connie’s allies could even respond, Lexi collapsed into the tentacles. The cleaver skid across the floor as the agent struggled to remain conscious. Without so much as a whisper, she went limp.

”Yeeesh!” Nuncio looked between Mia and Lexi. ”No idea who got it worse. Can’t imagine the beast is gunna take this sitting down though, let's grab Mia and scram!” He was about to go pick her up, but he took one look at Connie and hesitated.

Sammy was at a loss for words. She was frozen in place, still processing what was happening in front of her.

But it was Faith that set a hand on Connie and Sammy’s shoulders. She looked to the empress of nightmares. ”Connie, I couldn’t possibly understand how you feel right now. But you need to set your emotions aside for a moment.” She gave her a light squeeze. ”As much pain as Mia must be in, she’s a magical girl. All of her wounds will heal so long as she draws breath~!”

At first, Connie was so fixated on making Lexi suffer that she didn’t even notice her friends’ reactions. It was only at the touch of Faith’s hand upon her shoulder that the enraged Empress of Nightmares snapped out of her frenzied trance, the aura of dark energy which surrounded her now swiftly dissipating. Releasing her tentacles’ grip on the passed out Mint agent, Connie gave a tired exhale. “Y-You’re right…” she conceded softly. “I-I’m s-sorry I l-lost c-control,” she added in a sullen voice as she knelt down to check on Mia’s unconscious form. “I-It’s j-just… s-seeing M-Mia like t-this… i-it just… h-hurts s-so much…”

Thankfully, Mia was still breathing and, holding the injured tomboy close, Connie gently lifted her up off the floor.

“W-We need to g-get Mia s-someplace safe, b-before a-any of t-these M-Mint agents r-recover!” Connie declared, even as black tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

As soon as Connie felt the warmth of Mia in her hands, something was off. She felt heavier than she should have. Not only that, but her unconscious form seemed to move in Connie’s arms. When Mia turned to look at Connie, she could taste it.

The copper flavor of blood in her mouth.

She winced as something heavy struck the side of her face. The world spun, and she collapsed onto her back. “Mia” stood up, now holding an iron pipe in her hand. Connie was on the verge of consciousness. She could feel Faith’s magic coil around her shoulders and drag her back to them.

”Connie!” She reached for her fix-it-bandaids and started placing them along the side of her head. Nuncio had summoned his tiger Rosa to stand between Mia and Connie.

”You ain’t Mia.” Nuncio folded his arms.

”That’s obvious now, isn’t it?” The illusion magic faded away, and Lexi stood in Mia’s place. The true Lexi one might assume. She was wearing gym clothes and held a silver pipe. Though her outfit was noticeably more over the top than her disguise. Not only had she retained all of her jewelry, but now she had a hoodie that was spiked like some goth accessory, and her fingernails appeared to be made out of silver. ”We were expecting you to retaliate, so of course I set things up to prepare for it.” The false Lexi that was laying on the floor also had her illusion dispelled. It had been Mia the entire time. Her wrists and ankles had been bound together. Aside from a few missing fingers, most of the damage that had been done to her was a result of Connie’s nightmare magic. ”You’re losing your edge, ‘Vermin Killer.’ Was it Penrose or finding Sammy that made you so soft?”

Before Nuncio could respond, Sammy’s eyes shot open. ”A-according to my deductions, everyone in the building is one of her duplicates!”

While Connie still had a bit of vertigo, Faith had just enough time to place a bandage on Connie’s head. This was enough to close the wound on her head just as hemorrhagic shock set in. She only had three more bandages that size, so hopefully this wouldn’t happen again. ”If we can rescue Mia, maybe I can get her in fighting condition.”

But the door they had come through was knocked off its hinges. A hoard of angry Lexi clones was spilling into the room. Connie’s lapse in consciousness was just enough to allow them to shake off the effects of her nightmares and start a counterattack. The escapees immediately turned towards the hoard and started fighting them back.

Even with Rosa poised to strike, Lexi had her eyes set on Connie, and moved towards her with her pipe resting on her shoulder. Or at least, that was what it looked like she was doing.

”Go ahead.” Lexi’s voice reached Connie’s ears despite the sound of combat erupting behind her. ”Run amok.”

It all happened so fast.

Before Connie knew it, her head was swimming, her vision spinning. She was vaguely aware of Faith pulling her back, and then applying a bandage to the side of her head, but mostly, everything was just an incoherent, confused jumble of movements, sensations, and sounds. However, it wasn’t long before her vision cleared enough for her to see what had happened. What she had thought was Mia, was, in fact, Lexi. And Mia… Mia was…

“N-No…” Connie whispered as full, dreadful understanding dawned.

She had seen Mia get hurt before, while protecting her from bullies, and she had always blamed herself, had always felt that her friend’s injuries had been her fault. But this time… This time, she was directly responsible for Mia’s suffering. She had used her nightmare magic on her best friend… Seeing Mia in pain was bad enough, but knowing that she had caused it? That was far too much for Connie to bear. Far, far too much…

“Y-You…” Connie hissed, her voice raw and ragged, the visage of her mask contorting into one of utter fury. “Y-You m-made me…

With a wordless scream of anguish and rage, a crackling aura of dark amethyst energy surged from Connie’s shuddering form to encapsulate the entire room in a terrifying nightmare barrier. Shadowy, twisted tendrils writhed at the edges of that horrific space, sprouting wicked, scythed spines, segmented insectoid legs, and monstrous, bulging eyes in a frenzy of chittering, churning movement. This was the dominion of the Empress of Nightmares, and all of its myriad aspects were focused on one target…

Descending upon Lexi in a hellish deluge, dozens of dark tendrils wrapped around the Mint agent to hold her in place, the fully unleashed power of Connie’s nightmare magic allowing them to supersede their normal limitations and spawn hundreds of secondary and tertiary needle-tipped tentacles, which swiftly wormed their way under Lexi’s fingernails and behind her eyeballs… Simultaneously, a much larger tendril forced it’s way down her throat, knocking out her teeth and shattering her jaw. No sooner had it done so, than it disgorged an ocean’s worth of water with the force of ten pressure washers, while additional tendrils that had worked their way up her nostrils and into her ears did the same…

The Empress of Nightmares screeched, her voice warped and inhuman.

Lexi’s body twitched and shook as Connie’s magic tore into it. She didn’t scream or flinch, much like one would expect a doll to do.

”That looks like it hurt.” Again, Lexi’s voice seemed to come from right beside Connie. ”Almost what Mia had to put up with. She’s a strong one, but she couldn’t bear to watch as the meat was sucked off her fingers. All that fire and brimstone turned to ash pretty quick.”

Rosa had just narrowly dodged the tendrils meant for Lexi and joined Nuncio in his fight. It was difficult for the escapees to focus, but fortunately the duplicates were equally unnerved. Sammy turned to look past Connie. ”According to my deduct-”

Sammy’s body burst into flames. She ran past Connie screaming, trying to reach the water at all costs. But she was struck by an invisible force and fell beside Mia. There was nearly an inch of water on the floor now.

”Come on.” Lexi phased through the tentacles and barbs before stopping in front of Connie. ”You can do better.”

The eyes of Connie’s mask widened when she heard Lexi’s condescending and all-too-calm voice coming from beside her. Then she saw the girl’s “body” effortlessly phase through her various tentacles. Clearly, she was dealing with yet another illusion… Giving voice to an enraged snarl, the Empress of Nightmares swung her hand at the spot where the voice emanated, her fingers tipped with wicked claws of pure nightmare magic. However, they found only empty space, and now Sammy was on fire? Almost on instinct, Connie directed her water-spewing tendrils to douse the diminutive detective, even as she frantically sought out the real Lexi.

And the smug bitch still kept talking…

Even in her frenzied state, Connie quickly realized that the only way to truly find the illusive agent was to suffuse everyone and everything in the entire restaurant with nightmare magic. Only then would the true target of her ire be found…

Giving voice to yet another agonized shriek, the Empress of Nightmares unleashed the full fury of her horrific power…

Nuncio fell to one knee, Rosa whimpered, even Sammy and Mia seemed to twist and turn in torment. The clones ceased their advance, shrieking as the nightmares overtook their minds.

”Connie!” Faith shouted. Her eyes were squinted shut, and she had a hand on either side of her head. ”I can’t take it, we need to-” She suddenly combust into flames. Though unlike Sammy, she had the wherewithal to throw herself into the water. ”Connie! Connie-Con=” She inhaled. ”Mother! Mother!”

The ground shook with thunderous applause, and dryad wasps began pouring in from every entrance. Minions of horrors were normally no match for a magical girl, but the unthinking, unfeeling wasps were impervious to Connie’s nightmare magic. They also didn’t discriminate between the escapees and the clones. Their champion was in trouble, and they had been dispatched to eradicate anything that might be a threat.

Lexi groaned. ”How bothersome.” Her form waved and vanished just as a dryad wasp drove its stinger into Connie’s shoulder.

Despite Connie’s greatest efforts, despite all her sacrifices, which even now were tearing a gaping hole in her aching heart, things still hadn’t improved. Her friends were still in pain, Faith had still erupted into flames, and Lexi was still talking in that calm, almost disinterested voice that made Connie want to rip the girl’s tongue out and shove it down her throat. Yet, that wasn’t the only voice Connie heard. Faith was calling out, calling for her…

Mother…?!

The next thing Connie knew, a swarm of monstrous wasps had poured into the room, one of them even managing to drive a stinger into her shoulder. Crying out in a mixture of frustration and pain, she lashed out at the creature with a spiked tendril, pinning it to the wall like some twisted insect display case. But there were dozens of additional creatures remaining, making the entire situation more untenable by the second.

Faith… Connie realized. Faith called them because she was in danger, which means…

She had made yet another mistake. Indeed, that seemed all she was truly good at… Roaring with fury, the Empress of Nightmares sent several tentacles shooting out with lightning speed to wrap around Mia, Faith, Sammy, Nuncio, and Rosa. Then, with a mighty heave, she flung them all through a just-opened door in the dimensional fabric, before slamming said door shut with great force.

“O-Okay…” Connie seethed, her spiked tentacles spinning around her like a buzzsaw as her nightmare energy built to even greater levels. “Now it’s just you…

Perhaps if Connie was fighting a group of normal mint agents, things may have played out like that. Opening the gate to an interdimensional home had always been a time consuming and risky endeavor, one that few would attempt in live combat. But there was no reason to think things wouldn’t play out differently. Lexi obviously wasn’t here. Between the dryad wasps and her nightmare magic, there were no clones to oppose her. She was winding up for her friend toss, the gate was opening…

A throne phased through the wall.

The golden comet was adorned with plush red pillows and a gaudy amount of gemstones. It crashed into Connie before the portal could open all the way up. She had been saved by her barbed tentacles, but their sudden rending flung her friends everywhere. They slammed into the walls and fell about the floor. When Connie turned her hate filled gaze towards the throne, she could see the one holding it.

A regal looking magical girl with fur shoulders.

This had to be the beast.

Who else would dress like a literal english king?

”Afraid I can’t let you run off with my prey.” She grinned.

The entire wall of the kitchen waved out of existence. Just beyond was an empty street that had been sectioned off. There in the distance was Lexi, and another girl. One who was dressed similarly to the Djinn twins. Unlike Lexi, her emotions were plain on her face. She was enjoying this far too much. The fires in her hands were bright enough to cast shadows all the way down the street.

”I’d let you and your other leave.” The beast hoisted her throne over her shoulder. ”But you’re going to continue this fruitless pursuit, aren’t you?”

Connie was momentarily stunned when a gilded throne, of all things, slammed into her, just as she was about to fling her friends to safety. If there was a bright side to this unexpected turn of events, at least now she could clearly see Lexi’s accomplice, as well as what had to be the infamous Beast of the North herself. Yet, where once the sight of this foe would have brought Connie to her knees in terror, now it only augmented the Empress of Nightmare’s seemingly unquenchable rage…

The Empress screeched, her tortured voice like sounding like a thousand nails scraping across a chalkboard.

She ranted, even as she unleashed an unrestrained torrent of raw, roiling nightmare magic upon the three Mint agents, the dark energy surging from her hands, as well as from the mouth, eyes, and glowing amethyst diadem of her mask.

She declared, her voice suffused with unbridled hatred and malice as she sent wave upon wave of her tormentors’ greatest fears made manifest crashing against them over and over again in an unrelenting tide.

An ocean filled with school boys surged towards the mint agents on the street. Lexi grit her teeth as the tidalwave threatened to wash over them. But her companion’s grin didn’t drop for a second. She raised her hands and the pavement cracked open. A red glow shined out before a roaring fire reached out towards the heavens. Such volume of water should have extinguished the flames, but instead it slammed up against it. The water, and the boys floating inside it, flowed off to either side.

”Keep tryin’!” The pyromancer taunted.

But this did nothing for the beast, who was right beside Connie as she shrieked and threw her magic around. She had been totally submerged in the nightmare sea. The undertow was especially strong given her proximity to connie. The beast gripped her throne tight and sneered. Without such a heavy anchor, she might have been blown away. But as it were, she had little difficulty lifting her knee up to her chest.

The water did nothing to slow the beast’s kick, nor did it slow Connie as she soared backwards through the kitchen. She flew through a pair of double doors and fell onto her back. Something inside her chest had broken, and she couldn’t breathe.

”Fear magic? really?” The beast scoffed. ”I am untethered by such things. Fear belongs to prey, not the predator.” She cracked a smile. ”I long for the day I can feel something so exhilarating! I had thought today might be that day, but what are the lot of you but weaklings and cowards?”

By this point, Sammy, Nuncio, Rosa, and Faith all had ample time to get to their feet. Faith had finished bandaging up Mia and helped her to a sitting position before rushing off to help Connie. But she was cut off when the Beast stepped in front of her.

”I run a tight ship, and we’re all on the clock. And when something needs to get done fast, well, I need to do it myself.” The beast didn’t flinch when the ground shook. Somewhere, three pillar druids had just descended into New York. ”But if you insist on calling for reinforcements, maybe I’ll call some of my own.” With a snap of her fingers, several giant chess pieces fell from the sky. Eight pawns, followed by a pair of rooks, knights, and bishops. There was even a queen that stood just a bit taller than the beast did. But there was no king piece. ”Now, let’s get this started properly…”

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

A Meeting of the Mindxjs

_{(the "x" and "j" are silent)}

At the heart of a labyrinthian latticework of super-scientific ultramagitech megastructures, one can find a soaring spire of transcendent omni-technological perfection, crafted from the refined polyphasic biomechanical manifestation of progress itself. And at the very pinnacle of this apex of achievement, one can find a chamber, and at the center of that chamber, a circular table, a dark purple disc of polished, crystalized unreality, a flame stolen from the birth pangs of the first Edoric Nega-Sun, ten trillion years after its home plenum’s last star was snuffed out, now frozen for all time. And at that table, surrounded by arching, panoramic windows, through which can be viewed the full, spell-binding splendor of the vast, seemingly endless technoscape beyond, and bathed in the yellowy-green glow generated by myriad crackling arcs of actinic lightning, can be found Doctor Nykannis, the greatest mad scientist of them all.

But she would not be found in a good mood...

“What’s taking them so long?” the Monarch of Mad Science muttered as she fiddled with a transdimensional tesseractic paradox projector, while simultaneously running her one hundred and eleventh omni-spectrum analysis scan on her wounded arm, which had since been detached and placed in a supranumious soultech stasis pod. After all, it was easy enough to regrow a new one, even if the reason she had needed to take such action in the first place was highly alarming, to say the least.

Indeed, she had begun to assemble this “meeting of the minds” as soon as her encounter with the Queen of Hearts had concluded. In light of what she had learned of the Wonderland Monarch’s nature, she knew she would need to confer with intellects approaching her own level, ones who had transcended (or were on the verge of transcending) the fourth stratum of omnidimensional confinement. Such individuals were, unsurprisingly, few and far between, but she still had knowledge of more than enough to hold a proper confabulation.

There was Jennifer, of course, the so-called “False Witch of Time”. Then there was Aria, aka Sharr, aka the original Vermilion Veronica, aka the annoyingly smug bitch. Still, for all her smugness, she held vast quantities of knowledge (even if she’d needed Nykannis herself to help restore most of it), and was even beginning to breach the fourth stratum, if she hadn’t completely broken through it already. Thus, her attendance would be a valuable asset, no matter how much the Mad Scientist Supreme hated to admit it. Of course, even more insufferable by far was Oros, for whom the fourth stratum might as well not even exist. It was a pity such an astounding wealth of insight was coupled with such an astoundingly nauseating personality, but Nykannis had happily struck upon a wonderful solution to the problem the pink-haired pervert posed. It appeared that one of Oros’s extra-plenumic analogs (or perhaps a future/past iteration) had recently visited the local reality plenum, if only briefly, meaning that she might be open to a possible collaboration. Nykannis certainly hoped so, since she was basically the best of both worlds, being just as wise (if not wiser) than Oros when it came to polyplenumic matters, while also being nowhere near as annoying. There were others as well, like that dimension hopping squirrel girl and that Konata cosplayer, but the former hadn’t stopped by the local multiversal cluster in quite some time and the later was a member of Beacon, so fuck that noise.

Yet, while the invitations had all been sent, they had all gone unanswered…

I can sorta understand the others, but where the fuck is Jen?! I would have detected if Queenie gave her the Finn treatment, so what’s the fucking hold up?!

"Behind you, Doc."

Jen called out to Nykannis, walking up to her. Her usual smile was absent. "Sorry for the hold up, wanted to prod the Queen for more info and it kiiiinda took a while!"

“Finally!” Nykannis replied, turning to face the false witch. “So, learn anything useful?”

"Which one do ya wanna hear first? Her weak point, me convincing her to work together with me, or the whole her being aware of the magistrates deal?" Jen tilted her head.

“I already know she has knowledge of the Magistrate,” Nykannis replied. “For all the good it’ll do her, and while I’d love to hear about this deal you’ve made, if you’ve really discovered an exploitable weakness, then that takes precedence.”

Knew it. "Alice."

Eugh. She had to jinx herself.

"For how much the Queen may insist she's doing what she does for the sake of everyone, me mentioning her kid provoked quite the reaction from her." The corner of Jen's mouth quirked up. "As much as she believes Mariette is her Alice, the real one must still be somewhere, right? Find out what became of her, and we can use that as leverage against Queenie. A little bargaining chip, if you will."

“I figured as much…” Nykannis muttered. “Although locating her might be something of a challenge, especially if Queenie herself has no idea who she is and just latches onto anyone who vaguely resembles her…” she added with an annoyed scowl. “Then again, there’s still the, admittedly slim, possibility that Mariette really is her daughter. Regardless, it sounds like a job for Kate. I’ll set her to work on it as soon as she gets back from her current assignment. Now, tell me about this deal you made. Gotta say, I was actually planning on striking up a little deal of my own, have her fake her death, lull the Penrose Pack into a false sense of security, and then set her up in a nice cozy adjacent reality layer on top of Bolorton, but she obviously had her heart set on showing off her toys from the Magistrate, proving to all and sundry just how unbelievably scary she is. That’s fine by me, though, since the more of her power she demonstrates, the more knowledge of it I have for round two! Nyahahahaha!”

"Maybe it was less that she was showing off her toys, and more that she was marking her presence as a threat." Wisdom was filing her nails while leaning against one of the windows. "I got your invitation, and while I could have been here first, I get distracted easily, and it’s simply impossible to walk past the germanium quantum shift replicator or the neogenic converter without gawking at them like old flames." She tucked her file in her blouse before approaching the duo. "Even if this is the first time we met, I feel like we can probably skip introductions, right?" She smiled. "I’m actually quite interested in her psychological makeup. Why does she want to rebel against the system so badly? It’s dealt her a pretty nice hand all things considered.”

"A puppet wishing to be free from her strings takes on the role of the villain, all to steal my job- I mean draw the story into its conclusion." Jennifer hypothesized, looking towards Wisdom first. She then looked back at Nykannis. "I basically brought up that getting rid of Penny could cause enough of a cataclysm to draw the Nexus she's looking for out of hiding."

“That would definitely do the trick,” Nykannis confirmed. “And someone with her level of Magistrate-granted power could probably even be able to accomplish such a feat, but like the aptly-named ‘Wisdom’ here pointed out,” she added, gesturing to the new arrival. “The real question is why? Although as far as I’m concerned, it’s not so much a question of ‘why does she want to destroy the Magistrate?’, as opposed to ‘why does she even think she can?’ Aside from being completely batshit, obviously,” the mad scientist clarified with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh, and apology accepted,” she told the cat-eared brunette. “After all, admiring the fruits of my incomparable super-scientific genius is always an acceptable reason for being late, though something tells me Aria won’t have nearly as convincing an excuse, if she even bothers to show up in the first place…”

”I was just waiting for the perfect time to show myself!” Aria curtsied in Nykannis’s direction before reaching into the portal behind herself. ”If I was going to be honest, most of what you people talk about goes over my head. So I thought I’d take the extra time to grab someone who understands the situation better than all of us.” Aria winced. ”Come on now, you can at least act like an adult. I know you want to see everyone.” With one final tug, Oros toppled out of the portal and landed on the floor. Her pink hair obscured her face.

”Humph!” Oros folded her arms.

”Sup?”

Aria raised an eyebrow when she saw Wisdom standing beside Nykannis and Jen. ”You invited a Mint agent?”

At the sight of Oros, Nykannis’s visage turned completely livid, her eyes narrowing into an intense glare behind her glowing goggles. “I invited someone who has all of Oros’s knowledge and almost none of her infuriating personality traits,” the mad scientist replied. “So you can toss Pinky’s perverted ass back through that portal, ‘cause she’s clearly surplus to requirements.”

Wisdom folded her arms behind her back. "I haven’t met Oros yet, but I’m sure we’re all here because we have one contribution to make or another. Regardless of who our employers are or how much we enjoy pleasures of the flesh. I for one would love to hear-”

”I knew you all despised me!” Oros rose to her feet while swinging her finger around. But when it stopped, she was pointing at Nykannis. ”And trying to replace me with Oros the Wise is just sad and pathetic. I thought you had more pride than that.”

Aria placed a hand on Oros’s arm and pushed it down by her side. ”You can call Nykannis names later, as ill-advised as it is. Why don’t you show them what you showed me?”

A shark-like grin crossed Oros’s face. ”Fine. I’ll just prove I deserve to be here.” She turned her head to Jen. ”I think of everyone here, you probably see the world the closest to the way I do. But don’t you think it’s weird? The Grand Magistrate creates this entity that wants to destroy its makers? It doesn’t make sense. Unless…” Oros pulled two sheets of paper out of her kimono and handed them to Jen. The first one Showed the Grand Magistrate making a request for someone to take over the Reality Plenum about seven years ago. The second one showed the Grand Magistrate offering to take up the mantle just a day later. But Oros said nothing else.

"Ground Zero!" Jen grinned once she recognized the information she was given. "Back when things were simple, and not running on power creeping and meta narratives. The original Grand Magistrate disappeared without a word TWO DAYS after things got into motion, and hasn't been seen since! Our current one had to pick up where they left off." She went into detail.

“So that’s it, huh?” Nykannis muttered, even as she sent an optic-tipped mechadendrite to peer over Jen’s shoulder as the (false) Witch read over the Omniscient Observer Chronicle transcripts Oros had provided. “The Grand Magistrate’s finally gotten fed up with presiding over the complete clusterfuck his reality plenum’s turned into, so he just decides to orchestrate a way to end it all. Pretty pathetic, but not all that surprising,” the mad scientist noted with dull disinterest. “And even if he does pull the metaphorical plug, the energy generated by such a cataclysmic event will be more than enough to serve my purposes. After that, I’ll be on my way to greener pastures, and I’m pretty sure the rest of you have no great attachment to this place, either.”

“Indeed,_{(italics employed to denote an otherworldly voice)}” an otherworldly voice concurred. “Although I believe the most intriguing pair of potentialities to ponder are whether the Grand Magistrate shall actually allow his creation to claim victory in a climactic confrontation, thus annihilating this plenum in its entirety, or, as has previously been the case, shall he instead once again bestow his munificent favor upon his chosen champion, thus allowing this plenum to persist, even if its further tales go unchronicled.” As the voice went on, a prismatic polyhedron, covered in glowing technoglyphs, would waver and warp into being over the table, where it would continue to hover in midair. “Please pardon the intrusion,” the new arrival requested. “I simply could not help but overhear.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Nykannis told the strange being with a nonchalant wave of her hand. “I actually considered inviting you to join us, but then I remembered that you usually couldn’t care less about this crap.”

“Quite true,” the bizarre entity agreed. “Yet, as it transpired, I was deeply immersed in my contemplations of the Micro and Macrocosmic ALL, when, suddenly, your conversation became the dominant aspect of my perception. Thus, unable to proceed until this pressing matter was addressed, I resolved to make my presence known among you. Ah, but I am once again getting ahead of myself,” the being added with a chuckle. “We nonlinear entities tend to do that from time to time. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xozooth the Xorcerer, Paragonarch of Polymathamagicians and former Master of Xhar’doth. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

“Technically that’s just his brain,” Nykannis clarified, before looking up at polymathamagician. “And I see your sense of humor is as awful as ever…”

“I am pleased you noticed.”

”Yea…” Oros’s eyes shifted around the room. ”But the possibility that the bad guys might win is pretty cool. It would be fitting revenge from someone who spent the last six or so years doing the thankless work keeping the world running. From my understanding they didn’t do the best job. I mean in particular why let Penny be so OP? I just think I’m a lot more interesting and a huge crowd favorite.”

”Please don’t respond to that.” Aria encouraged the others.

”I was gunna do an epic monologue but it just doesn’t suit the mood, you know?” She approached the rift she had walked out of moments earlier. ”Anyway, there’s too many people here. I guess I’ll leave you girls and brains to gush about the queen. Can’t say I find her that interesting. Do keep an eye on me Nykannis, I think you’re gunna love what I do next!” And with that, she stepped out.

Aria raised her eyebrows. ”This conversation is already way over my head. I’ll take my leave. It was nice to meet you all again, as well as you, Xozooth.” Aria bowed one last time before following Oros. This time the rift snapped closed.

Jen comically blinked, then glanced towards Xozooth. ”I think you spooked ‘em off.” She casually commented. ”... Nah. They’ll be back.”

"What a charming couple! I hope to meet them again!” She walked over to the table where the brain hovered and sat in one of the chairs. "So what will you all do with this information? As Xozooth the Xorcerer pointed out, we don’t know what the magistrate’s exact plan is. I feel like this queen might actually just be another pawn in their plans.”

”There is no might. But you make a good point. I do have a plan in the works, but it’s rather barebones. Hopefully my deal can coax her into giving me more information.” Jennifer spoke up again. ”BUT the Queen isn’t the only concern we gotta talk about, is it?”

“Correct,” Nykannis confirmed, not seeming overly perturbed by the pair of departures. “Though patching up our favorite perpetual failure shouldn’t be particularly difficult, especially since Queenie was kind enough to provide me with a researchable (and thus replicable) sample of her power,” she added with a maniacal grin as she gestured to where her wounded appendage floated in its stasis field, the stream of thick black ink gushing from it frozen in midair. “The real question is, does any of this new information affect our plans for him? Like I said, I don’t much care one way or another how this all ends, although seeing Penny actually fail for once would be an interesting novelty.”

Wisdom let out a lighthearted chuckle. "I’ve honestly given up on Penny. I don’t even know why Mint is interested in her. We have her genetic makeup and can more or less clone her if we want, and she seems poised to load her sanctuary up and leave Penrose should anything happen. Almost feels like she cares as little about the place as you two do.” Wisdom spun to face the other magical girls. "I’m sure Mint would love to collaborate on an operation with you. I’d understand if you were apprehensive about trusting a cut throat like Al, but word on the street is that Chloe is trying to become a coin broker, and I think she’s smart enough to not betray potential business partners.”

“Great, another sex-obsessed pervert…” Nykannis sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it, although I don’t really see what help the Mint can be. I mean, it’d be laughably easy for Penny to take control of those stupid knock offs they made of her, and from what I hear they’re just as terrified of Wonderland as Beacon is.”

“Perhaps Miss Irving brings additional resources of her own into the equation?” Xozooth suggested. “And even if she does not, I believe her mere presence alone will prove considerably disruptive as far as Miss Asimov’s stability is concerned.”

"Chloe is a walking, talking, ball of entropy.” Wisdom nodded at the brain’s projection. "It would be giving her too much credit to call her a mastermind, but she is primarily responsible for the rave. She also had the salt to steal Divina right out from under Beacon and continues to work with a mysterious patron on a plan in the shadows. She’s no Veronica, but is even Veronica Veronica these days?” Wisdom held her chin while rapping her fingers on the table. "How do I put it? Chloe is a rare and beautiful type of plant, but she’s just a seedling. If she’s nurtured, something good will surely come of it. As for the Penny knockoffs, I think a certain scientist might be mad enough to fix them in such a way that even her highness couldn’t hope to hack them.”

“Okay, first off, the rave was a complete clusterfuck,” Nykannis replied flatly. “I mean, what did it even achieve? Secondly, fucking over Beacon is as easy as stealing candy from a blind, deaf, and paralyzed child, so I wouldn’t consider that a major accomplishment. And finally, while I could easily prevent the Brave Little Toaster from hacking into her dumbed-down doppelgängers (or, better yet, allow her to succeed, but install a hidden override to take back control at an opportune moment), would doing so even be worth it? This is the Grand Magistrate’s pet we’re talking about here. Just like Queenie, she gets special treatment, so not only would it probably fail to work, but she’d also find out who did it, and the last thing I want is to get on her bad side. That said,” the mad scientist added after a moment. “As long as I ensured nothing could be traced back to me, it could serve as an excellent test to see if her Protagonist Power is as strong as it used to be, especially in light of Queenie’s recent revelations…”

Wisdom raised an eyebrow at Nykannis. "I hadn’t realized Penny was a risk to your plans.” She folded her hands in her lap. "And my point was not that Chloe had done anything spectacular. I said myself she wasn’t a mastermind. It’s her legacy that makes her interesting. There are few magical girls around that have been around as long as she has. Penny, Alicia, and Mariette are the only ones that come to mind. Granted, she’s changed patrons since the rave. Old Lesud got what was coming to him in the end. Maybe the rave was more beneficial to Chloe than I originally anticipated.” She chuckled. "Do realize that Chloe has been working on a few machinations and I’m not liable to talk about them at this time. Let’s just say she’s gotten a bit of practice since her days of unleashing spirits on the street.” Wisdom stood up and strut towards Jen. "I understand you’ve decided to make Cradle your pawn. They weren’t my first choice, but they certainly aren’t a bad one.” She placed a hand on Jen’s shoulder. "I guess that makes us enemies for the time being. I doubt it will last forever, being as whimsical as Mint’s alliances are. But should our pawns come in contact with one another, let’s agree to let the children fight it out. Because if you help your pawns, I’m going to have to help mine.”

The false witch, having quietly been listening along to their conversation, grinned. "Undoubtedly! Would be less interesting if we didn't let them bicker amongst themselves!" For what Wisdom implied, she didn't seem to care much. "Someone's gotta salvage what they can from Cradle. Unless we somehow make it to where our little 'project' becomes the new leader?"

“Our ‘little project’ has a long way to go before he can even hope to do that,” Nykannis replied. “In particular, he needs to cultivate more Protagonist Power, a LOT more. And you can bet your ass Penny’s a risk to my plans, and anyone else’s for that matter! She has the favor of the Grand Magistrate himself, so naturally her Protagonist Power is off the fucking charts! The only way we can hope to get the one-eyed-reject anywhere close to her level is to ensure that he appears in more of the Incident Chronicle’s Patron Observable Event Transcripts than her mechanical majesty, which is why Jen and I have been arranging so many ‘tutoring sessions’ for him. It’s less about the training and knowledge he’s gaining and more about the Protagonist Power he’ll build up, since, when it comes down to it, that’s the only statistic that really matters,” the Monarch of Mad Science went on. “Physical and magical ability are essentially meaningless when going up against the magistrate’s chosen! Hell, even superior strategy and clever tactics count for jack shit, as what’s-her-tits illustrated so nicely during that ass shoving contest last month! No, Protagonist Power is where it’s at, and even then, I doubt he’ll stand much of a chance… ‘A’ is ‘a’, after all, and it seems like no matter what plenumic iteration you’re dealing with, Finnegan Vanhorn is always going to be a failure.”

"I couldn’t agree more, at least in regards to ‘protagonist power’ as you call it.” Wisdom ran her hand through her hair. "Like all the legacy magical girls, Mariette and Alicia have been showered with gifts from the divine, but they squander them on selfish ends. Alicia is unable to care about anything outside of Beacon, and Mariette is a brutal reminder that you can scheme for months and not have it go anywhere. Penny’s only advantage is that while her aims are no less selfish, she involves as many people as possible. Until very recently, she had allies all over the magical girl spectrum.” She shrugged her shoulders. "This is where Cradle as a whole fails. They change members faster than I change underwear, and their leader is a timid mouse that needs to take suggestions from a false witch to make any interesting plays. There’s no reason anyone would want to interact with them.”

Jen allowed the two to say their pieces, essentially coming to the same conclusion as last time: That there's no point in this hopeless endeavor. Her grin slowly dissipated, and a drawn-out groan slipped from her lips. "Dunno what the hell you want me to do then, not my fault she's been flanderized. I was hoping to knock some sense into her soon, but it ain't like we've been seeing any hooks for her to, y'know, actually be able to do shit! Bad-luck magnet or not, at least Finn put some effort in communicating to the other agents and all that crap. _{Until he got beheaded.}" Well, she suddenly wished she brought some whiskey now.

"Unfortunate I can't exactly skip to putting a bullet between Maura's eyes, apparently that's frowned upon. Kinda have to play nice." Jen shook her head in disdain.

"Yes, because sudden, unexpected shifts in leadership have been historically good for Cradle.” Wisdom giggled before glancing down at her wrist. "Well, it was fun to take in the sights and hear about how utterly screwed Penrose is, but I do have a little one to look after. So if you excuse me, I think I’ll take my leave.”

“Fine…” Nykannis grumbled. “I guess we’ve gone over everything that’s needed to be said, although I will note that an intelligent person doesn’t just wait for shit to happen to them, they make shit happen to other people. You need to be proactive, which is why ‘Wisdom’ here is doing all the legwork of visiting multiple reality plenums to cultivate potential agents,” she added with a smirk. “Yeah, I’ve been keeping up with your recent exploits,” the mad scientist confirmed with a smug nod. “And while I still don’t know what your ultimate goal is, I trust it’ll be suitably entertaining.”

“Fair travels, Miss Fang,” Xozooth bade the departing young woman. “If you happen to cross paths with my former apprentice, do pass on my regards.”

"Will do!” Wisdom walked backwards as she spoke to Xozooth. "He enjoyed your letter, if I recall. He’s grown accustomed to your sense of humor.” And with that, the agent faded from view.

Jen had held a finger up and opened her mouth to speak after Nykannis, but frankly? How was she supposed to argue with that. Soon as Wisdom took her leave, she soon deflated with grace. _{"Fuckin' hell..."} She mumbled.

“So, I guess that’s that,” Nykannis muttered. “You gonna be okay?” she added, turning to Jen.

"Eh?" Jen glanced back at her. "I mean, yeah? Can't exactly afford not to be."

“Just checking,” Nykannis replied. “And don’t worry,” she added. “Even if this reality plenum gets totally fucked, I’m sure you’ll still make out just fine. Like me and Xozooth here, you’re a survivor.”

Survivor. Right. Jen nodded in response, a more genuine smile on her face this time.

“Speaking of survival,” Xozooth spoke up. “It has come to my attention that your acquaintance, Miss Natalie, has attracted the attention of no small number of ill-intentioned and considerably powerful parties,” the eldritch brain added. “I trust that you and Doctor Kannis have formulated suitable protective measures for her, yes? Or would it better serve your interests if she were removed from the equation?”

"Oh, that." Jennifer blinked. "Weeeeeell as much as I can pull a few strings behind the scenes, I doubt any of her agents (or the other witches) would be happy if they had to go a damn month without access to the Cradle, asides from any emotional attachment they may have to their boss." She shrugged. "Besides! I heard the pay's gonna be quite handsome! If they play their cards right, they can swindle some coin from whoever-the-hell decided to send the hit out!"

“You really think they’re gonna be so dense as to not know they’re hiring her own agents?” an incredulous Nykannis sneered. “Then again, both the Mint and Beacon have proven themselves to be run by a bunch of complete morons, so I guess it actually could work…” she added, thoughtfully tapping a finger against her chin.

The false witch merely shrugged again.

"So now what?"

“Well, since it looks like our little meeting is over, I’m gonna get back to discovering all the secrets this thing has to share,” Nykannis replied, gesturing to where her amputated, mystical ink-leaking appendage floated in its stasis field. “But you can stick around and watch, if you want.”

"Hm... Eh, got nothing better to do."

“I believe I shall take my leave of you now,” Xozooth announced. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jennifer,” the polygonal polymathamagician added, before wavering out of existence.

“Yeah, whatever,” Nykannis muttered as she got back to work, an arc of holographic display screens and multi-spheroid meta-molecular models winking into place around her. “Just you watch, Jen,” she told the false witch. “Soon I’ll learn everything there is to know about Queenie’s precious Storyslayer. Then I’ll reverse engineer it, improve upon it. I’ll show that cocky bitch just how big a mistake she made when she decided to mess with the Monarch of Mad Science! Nyahahaha! Yes, she’ll learn…” the mad scientist added, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. “It’s simply a matter of time…”

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

MDP Stats

Magical Dream Princess

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
4 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 9

Oddball: Sweet Dreams | Barrage

Wealth and Resources (not while tf'd) | Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Dual Weapon | Natural Aging | Money | Intuition

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

Despite multiple calls for her to retreat, MDP continued to blast the Wonderlanders with barrage after barrage of whimsical objects and prismatic beams. She was far too enraged to hear her friends’ concerned voices, and even if she had, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Like a child in the midst of a temper tantrum, all one could really do was wait for them to finally calm down, or somehow resolve whatever situation had upset them in the first place.

“GO AWAY!!! GO AWAY!!! GO AWAAAAY!!!” she screamed as the endless tide of Wonderlanders drew ever-nearer, in spite of her best efforts to force them back.

Although her mystical powers were vast, her enemies were just far too numerous. Yet, even if some small, still-rational portion of her brain knew that it would only be a matter of time before she was completely overwhelmed, MDP stubbornly refused to listen to it.

Like, the bad people weple can’t win… she told herself as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. T-They just can’t…

And yet, they had. The town was as good as demolished, her friends had been forced to flee, and Mister Wister Pillow Willow was… Returning to life before her eyes…? MDP’s flurry of attacks ceased as her full attention was drawn to where her pillowy pal was reforming himself amidst a swirl of lavender energy. In fact, she was so focused on his wondrous resurrection that she didn’t even notice the shadowy void beneath her until it had completely swallowed her, Mister Wister Pillow Willow, and all his fellow pillow pals up. The next instant, MDP found herself in a strange, though admittedly far more peaceful, place. And she wasn’t alone…

“PASTEL CHAAAAAAN~!!!” she cried in unbridled joy, before rushing over to give her best friend and Mister Wister Pillow Willow a big group hug. “You saved him~! You saved him~! (giggle!) Thankie wankies~! Thankie wankies~! Thankie wankies~!”

Amanda tightly wrapped her arms around MDP in relief. She was okay. Thank god she was okay... "I'm so so sorry I wasn't here sooner! I came back as quick as I could and wanted to surprise you and then Valerie told me what was happening and apparently we have a new recruit a-and-!" She quickly spoke. Maura stood a small distance away from them, wanting to give the two a moment to themselves.

“I-It’s okie dokie, Pastel-chan~!” MDP hastily reassured her friend. “You saved Magical Dream Princess and Mister Wister Pillow Willow and, like, Magical Dream Princess missed you sooo muchy wuchy and, like, she’s sooo happy wappy to see you againsie wensie~! (giggle!) Like, if anybodywody should be sorry worry, it’s Magical Dream Princess, ‘cause it was her dummy wummy mistakey wakey that made you have to go bye bye in the first placey wacey…” she added with a frown.

"Nonono, you didn't do anything wrong! We didn't expect the Mint to try and target me and Connie like that, it's okay!" The magician reassured her in return.

“Like, Magical Dream Princess knows thatsie watsie, but still…” the whimsical girl pouted. “She’s the one who started everythingie wingie…” A moment later, however, and her infamously short attention span was drawn to the intriguing features of the space the pair were currently standing in, as well as the other young lady present. “Like, what is this placey wacey, Pastel-chan~?” MDP inquired as she looked around in wonderment. “And, like, who’s that lady wady over theresie~?”

At that, Maura finally spoke up. "My name is Maura, I am the head of the Crimson Cradle, and Amanda's patron." She introduced herself, walking over to the two. "And this is the Cradle, an integral part of our organization."

"We didn't know how else to get you out of there, so Maura opened the cradle up from under you."

“Wowie zowie~!” MDP exclaimed, her eyes widening at Maura’s introduction. “Like, you’re Amanda Wanda’s patron watron person werson~?! But, you look like a normal wormal person werson~! And, like, what’s the Cradle Wadle~?” she asked, tilting her head, before she smiled brightly as an idea came to her. “Oh~! Is that like your super duper secret wecret headquarters placey wacey~?! Is it~?! Is it~?! Is it~?!”

Maura chuckled. "Not quite, but you're on the right mark. My mansion is in here, if you wish to move to somewhere more comfortable." She offered.

“Maura Waura has a mansion wansion~?!” MDP asked excitedly, her eyes seeming to sparkle. “Like, Magical Dream Princess would wuv to go theresie weresie~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl told her happily. “Like, can Pastel-chan and Magical Dream Princess’s pillow willow pally wallies come, too~?!” she asked. “Can they~?! Can they~?! Can they~?!”

"Like I wouldn't let one of my own into our headquarters." The witch smiled, stepping aside to open a door to her interdimentional lair. "Right this way!" She beckoned her guests to enter first.

“Wowie zowie~!” MDP exclaimed as she skipped through the door, her pile of pillow pals floating behind her on a glittery pink cloud. “This placey wacey is super duper fancy wancy~!” she marveled as she took in the mansion’s extravagant interior.

Walking behind MDP and her pillow friends, Amanda glanced back at Maura. "Thank you for helping her, Ma'am."

"I know how much she means to you." Maura nodded. "The others should be returning soon, best you two catch up before then, hm?"

“So, like, what have you been doing lately wately, Pastel-chan~?” MDP asked as she wandered around the mansion’s main hall, her attention briskly moving from one interesting sight to another. “Like, have you had any super duper exciting witing adventure wenturs~?!”

Amanda shrugged. "Not exactly. I did spend some time catching up with Aiden though."

“Awww~!” MDP squealed in delight. “That must have been super duper nicey wicey~! (giggle!) Thingy wingies in Penrose Wenrose have mostly wostly been normal wormal~” the whimsical girl explained. “Well, excepty wepty for when those meanie weanies attacked that poor towny wowny, just nowie…” she added with a petulant frown.

The magician furrowed her brows. "Like we needed MORE nim-broads making things more complicated in this town." She sighed. "Unfortunate they technically won that fight, from what I gathered. Just hope everyone else is okay."

“Like, Magical Dream Princess thinky winkies she saw Connie Wonnie and Gaia Waia escapy wapey through a teleporter worter thingy wingie,” MDP replied. “And, like, all the towny wowny people weple were rescue wescued, too,” she added. “But, like, now they don’t have homey womeies anymorsie…” the whimsical girl noted sullenly, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes.

"Just means there's more residents of Penrose now." Amanda walked up next to MDP, gently rubbing her back to comfort her. "At least until they can find somewhere more permanent to stay at. Maybe somewhere less likely to get hit with a magical terrorist attack."

MDP definitely thought that was a good idea, but where could such a place even be found? After all, Bolorton didn’t appear to be anywhere special, and it had been invaded and burnt to the ground… Thankfully, conversation soon turned to more pleasant topics as the pair wandered around the mansion, MDP eagerly exploring every nook and cranny, while Amanda did her best to keep up. Eventually, however, even the hyperactive Princess of Dreams began to grow tired, and the two friends decided to say their farewells for the time being. “Like, it was super duper nicey wicey to see you againsie wensie, Pastel-chan~!” MDP told the dream magician once the pair had returned to the mansion’s main entrance. “Hopefully wopefully, we can have lots more funsie wunsie together wether super duper soony woony~! (giggle!)” she added with a cheerful smile as she gave her best friend a big farewell hug.

Amanda returned the hug in full. "Be careful out there, Dreamy. And make sure Penny's treating you right!" She grinned.

“Okie dokie~!” MDP replied with a peace sign and a playful wink. “And, like, don’t worry, Pastel-chan~!” she added. “Penny Wenny is, like, the super duper nicey wiciest~! (giggle!) Oh~! And Magical Dream Princess thinkie winkies her pillow willow friendy wendies should stay heresie weresie so you won't get lonely wonely when Magical Dream Princess isn't aroundy woundy~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl informed her friend with a gleeful giggle. “Like, bye bye for nowie~!”

With that, the Princess of Dreams skipped out of The Cradle and onto the rooftops of Penrose, as if she had never even left them.

---

What a night… a weary Violet Covington thought to herself after arriving back at her private office and returning to her mundane form. It had been a veritable roller coaster of events, that was for sure, and the tired heiress was very much looking forward to a good night’s sleep. However, before she could enter her bed chambers, the sound of an unexpected voice completely stopped the young woman in her tracks…

"...Mustard was close to winning, but Sparkler caught up just at the finish. Didn't think he had it in him, but what can ya do?" She heard Al's voice in the chamber, and realized he was speaking to someone else: a magical girl with jet-black hair. 

"I’m not surprised." the black haired girl said with a grin. "You’re a horrible judge of character. Look how long it took you to see my potential?"

He turned to Violet. "Oh, excuse me, Miss Covington. Thought we'd drop by. First of all, I'd like to introduce you to Chloe. She's going to be helping me run things."

The bikini-clad magical girl pushed a red scarf around her neck before setting a hand on her hip. "Oh my, aren’t you fair?" Chloe’s eyebrows bobbed up and down on her head. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Covington. You’ll have to pencil a date with me into your schedule later." 

W-What is he doing here?! Violet’s mind raced. D-Did he see me transform?! Does he know…?! The heiress’s head spun. And did he just say Chloe?! Violet had heard about this girl from Penny, enough to know that she was dangerous in the extreme. But she had also supposedly left Penrose. To encounter her here, now… No, calm down, she ordered herself. This is no time for hysterics. No matter what is going on, you are still Violet Covington. So act like it!

Despite her shock, Violet quickly composed herself. “I see,” the heiress replied curtly. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” she added, turning her attention to Al’s new ‘assistant’. “And I while I currently have no time for romantic engagements, I can certainly see the benefits of becoming better acquainted with one another, and it should be fairly simple to arrange a business meeting to facilitate such,” she conceded, her calm demeanor betraying none of the tempestuous emotions she felt. “However, I would ask that you attend said meeting dressed in more…. modest attire.”  

"Oh this old thing? It’s just my work uniform. But I don’t mind getting dressed up for you." She winked at Violet. 

Al coughed into hist fist while giving a quick glance at Chloe. "Excuse my associate's…unprofessional mannerisms. She's new, you see.”

"New and fun." Chloe added.

“Now, let's get to brass tacks: I have some good news to share." He pulled out a paper from his jacket and handed it over to Violet with a smile. "Your daddy dearest is finally free from the curse. As for how that happened, my best guess is that the caster who hexed him ended up on the wrong side of the tracks and took up early retirement. I'll still have people checking up if they can find anything, of course. Anyway, might take some time for him to recover, but he's no longer in danger."

Despite her considerable willpower, Violet couldn’t keep her eyes from widening upon hearing this latest revelation. Honestly, it was the last thing she would have expected, and it was more than a little coincidental, in light of recent events. Indeed, only a day earlier, Ruby, the djinn girl, had presented her with a pair of mystic items, which would hopefully cure her father, and now the Mint were here, saying they had done it themselves? It begged the question: why? Yet, Violet knew she couldn’t ask that. After all, she wasn’t supposed to know that the Mint were behind the curse in the first place. Thus, she would continue to play her part and hope that an answer would eventually present itself.

“T-That’s wonderful news,” Violet said after a moment. “I am so glad to know that my father will finally be free of that dreadful affliction.”

"Indeed, and just at the right time, it seems." Al's positive demeanour turned cold. "Now for the bad news. Our intelligence department has confirmed that Penrose will soon be invaded by a magical monarchy called Wonderland." He gave a photograph to Violet. "The Queen of Hearts runs that dictatorship. Comely lass, but not one I would suggest trying to be amicable with. Even for you," he added, once again glancing at Chloe.



Chloe folded her arms and looked away from Al. “I would never befriend a buzzkill  who struts around and pretends to be part of some ‘nobility’” She placed a hand over her mouth. “Well, maybe one, but it’s not her.” 

Al resumed speaking to Violet. "It might be a month, a week, or maybe even only days before she rolls the red carpet. However, we at the Ebon Mint put the safety of our clients at top priority, and so we have developed a new weapon."
He snapped his fingers, and a shadow extended out from his feet, taking the shape of a girl familiar to both Violet and Chloe. Soon the silhouette rose up and took three-dimensional shape: it was Penny, or at least, looked like her, though it differed in having a black-and red color scheme. The android had an unnerving neutral expression as it stood still. Al, however, grinned.

"Powered and Enhanced Near-Needless cYbot, or P.E.N.N.Y for short. Based on a local robot girl's design, these magitek machines are capable of autonomous patrols, security detail, and even combat against magically potent adversaries." He tapped the android's forehead, eliciting only audible beeps and whirrs. "They are linked to a network, allowing them to share and utilize combat data gathered by all units. They are also equipped with both close-combat and ranged armaments, capable of engaging at practically any situation." He offered a winning smile at Violet. "We have developed a prototype set and produced promising results from field tests, including data against multiple Mahou. Though they are a bit expensive, we assure you that they are worth the cost. So, what do you think?"

Before Violet could say anything, Chloe had approached the P.E.N.N.Y. unit and stroked its cheek. “And speaking of!” Her grin widened. “All that power bending to your will.” One of her eyes flared up as she examined it.  “Oh it is powerful too. I can hardly tell the difference between the real thing.” She spun around and leaned against the P.E.N.N.Y. unit, reaching behind her head to stroke its face. “If you aren’t impressed by just looking at it, rest assured that your father could never build something like this. I think anyone could sleep soundly with a few of these around, well, maybe not your enemies.”

Violet was silent for a moment as she studied the Mint’s new war machine, while doing her best to ignore Chloe’s antics. “I think,” she said, fixing Al with a hard stare. “That you are trying to sell me improved versions of the automaton you had my company construct for you several weeks ago. Or did you forget about all the work your people did retooling one of our largest factories so that it would be able to manufacture them? In any case,” she added before the broker could reply. “I thank you for the warning, and I would be only too happy to employ this fascinating design in the defense of Penrose. But I am curious, if what you say is true, how large do you anticipate this invasion being?”

Though Al hid his own reaction, Violet could tell based on subtle hints that he didn't expect her reaction. "Based on what we know, it's not going to be pretty. Wonderland supposedly holds the kind of threat that even Beacon, one of the major players in the magical community, is averse to direct conflict with them. There is a real risk that Penrose could become a giant pile of rubble. Or maybe they'll simply capture the city intact." He then produced a binder with papers inside. "In any case, you can view details for the product and purchase proposal in these documents before giving your final say. Please notice the special discount included, for your company's contribution in the production and materials." He handed the binder to her. "If you change your mind, the Ebon Mint is available to contact any time. Goodbye for now, Miss Covington." He then opened a shadowy black portal, and disappeared through it, leaving the portal behind for Chloe.

She approached the portal, placing a single foot inside before turning to look at Violet. “I’ll call you later. We can discuss a time and what you’d like me to wear then.” She tossed her scarf over her shoulder. “I can assure you, you won’t regret it.” She didn’t look away from Violet as her form disappeared inside the portal’s murky surface, at which point it vanished.

Now that she was finally alone, Violet allowed a shudder of disgust to run down her spine. Keeping up this charade when it was just Al was unpleasant enough, but now having to deal with this “Chloe” as well? The heiress could see why Penny had such a low opinion of her, and she dreaded the idea of having to endure her flirtatious advances during a (hopefully short) business meeting. Still, these developments weren’t entirely bereft of benefits. With Wonderland planning to invade the city, Violet would take all the help she could get defending it, especially when the odds were good that Penny could hack into these new knockoffs as easily as she’d done with the first series. Yes, the heiress reflected, she’d need to discuss these matters with her girlfriend as soon as possible…

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

Connie and Mia Stats

Connie

3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3
5 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 5

Oddball: Nightmares | Tentacles

Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Mystic Artifact | Ally | Interdimensional Home

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

---

Mia

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 5

Wood | Barrage

Enhanced Weapon | Dual Weapon | Purification Artifact | Big Red Button

Blessing | Divine Competence | Gifted Item | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Rites| Arrogance | Big Brother | Clueless

Angel of Hope Stats

Angel of Hope

3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3
5 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 5

Reinforcement | Third Eye

Enhanced Outfit | Enhanced Weapon | Enhanced Sustenance | Wings | Gifted

Job Satisfaction | Chatty | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Cagey | Expendable | Big Brother

Even as Gaia guided her to the teleporter, Connie couldn’t hep but worry about MDP. “A-Are y-you s-sure s-she’ll be o-okay?!” she asked the verdant maiden, her voice a blend of panic and concern.

“I have every confidence in her,” Gaia reassured her emotional friend. “Besides, there are others here who are far better suited to the task of keeping her safe.”

Indeed, one such individual was the Angel of Hope, who gave the pair an encouraging smile as they raced past her and onto the teleportation pad, before turning her attention to the besieged Princess of Dreams. However, in the brief moment she had turned away, the whimsical girl had vanished, along with her nearby pile of pillows.

“W-Wherever could the poor thing have gone…?” she wondered aloud.

Ah, fuck it… One less moron for me to worry about…

By this point, only she and the Paladin Seraph remained. Yet, before an argument could begin about who would be the last to leave, the sound of a tank opening fire decided the issue for them, the two winged magical girls leaping into the teleporter mere seconds before it was completely obliterated.

On the other side, a well-lit padded room was waiting for them.

How appropriate…

“W-W-Where a-are w-we?” Connie asked, her head rapidly looking every-which-way as she tried to make sense of her new surroundings.

“It would appear we have arrived at Beacon’s Penrose HQ,” Gaia observed, while still keeping a firm grip on her frightened friend’s shoulder.

This was confirmed a moment later, when a small army of medical personnel rushed into the room, before swiftly fanning out to attend to whatever injuries the new arrivals had sustained in the battle. These were followed by the seemingly perpetually-annoyed Rachel, with Violette in tow. After exchanging a few words with Alicia, the bespectacled Inquisitor turned her attention to the other new arrivals, “requesting” that they remain for a debriefing.

Although Connie was still fairly shaken up, and wanted nothing more than to just go home, she was pretty sure none of them had much choice in the matter. Thus, the timid girl reluctantly followed along as they were led to a series of small rooms, each containing a table with a chair on either side.

“This way, please,” a blonde girl with a star-covered cape and witch’s hat instructed with a friendly smile. “You can wait in this room here,” she told Connie, gesturing to the room in question.

“A-Alone…?” Connie asked, hugging her trembling body as she hesitantly peered inside the small chamber.

“Yes, it’s much easier to get an accurate picture of events if you relate your experiences individually,” the blonde young woman explained. “But please be assured, you’re perfectly safe,” she added, upon noticing how frightened the masked girl seemed to be. “Nothing bad will happen to you, and you’ll be reunited with your friends in no time!”

“It’ll be okay, Connie,” Gaia added, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You can do this. And remember, I’ll be just on the other side of this wall.”

“O-Okay…” she conceded with a reluctant gulp, before cautiously making her way into the room and sitting down on the indicated chair.

“Just try to relax,” the blonde instructed gently. “The examiner will be here soon.”

With that, the door slid shut, and Connie found herself alone in the small room. At first, her eyes darted to each facet of the meager chamber, as if some horrible, hidden thing was mere moments from leaping out at her. Then she noticed just how tiny the room was, and her breathing began to quicken as her claustrophobia began to assert itself. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to slow her breathing and think of happy, calming things, but her anxiety was just too strong… Just as she was about to suffer a full-blown panic attack, the door finally slid open to reveal a serious-looking young woman in somewhat skimpy armor, whose visage displayed a severity which rivaled that of Rachel’s…

I will now be asking you a series of questions.
-Dawn “worst asmrtist ever” Astraea

“Good evening, my name is Dawn Astraea,” the young woman introduced herself in a stoic tone as she took a seat on the opposite side of the table. “I will be conducting your debriefing. If you do not have any questions, then let us begin. First and foremost, I am obligated to inform you that this debriefing is being recorded, and that your answers will be reviewed by a light magic specialist for verification. If any falsehoods are detected, or we are given reason to believe that you pose a danger to The Beacon, you will be retained for additional investigation. Is that understood?”

“U-U-Ummm… Y-Y-Yes…”

***

“Understood.”

***

“Of course! This humble servant would never wish to deceive or threaten anyone!”

Not like I have a fucking choice…

***

“What is your name and magical girl title?”

“C-C-Connie W-Williams. A-A-And m-my m-magical g-girl t-title i-is T-The E-Empress o-of N-N-Nightmares, b-but I d-don’t r-really u-use it c-cause it s-sounds s-so s-s-scary…”

***

“My magical girl title is Gaia, the Daughter of Mother Earth. I would prefer to keep my mundane identity confidential, if that is all right with you.”

***

“You may call this humble servant The Angel of Hope, for that is what she wishes to bring to all in need!”

And don’t forget about rainbows and sparkles and sunshine and holy fucking shit I’m about to puke…

***

“What is your magical specialization?”

“N-N-Nightmares…”

***

“Plant life, although I believe the official designation is Wood.”

***

“Reinforcement.”

***

“Are you a dark magical girl or monster girl?”

“N-No… A-At l-least, I-I d-don’t t-think s-so…”

***

“No to both.”

***

“No, I am not, but, even so, I do not feel it is my place to judge, or heaven forbid, discriminate against them!”

They all deserve love and kindness like every other fucking thing…

“Am I to assume your wings are a result of the wings perk, then?”

“Yes, that is most correct.”

What? You’ve seriously never seen a girl with wings before? Didn’t you notice the pair of flappers Miss Joan of Arc has, or are you just fucking blind?

***

“Is your Patron classified as a horror?”

“U-Umm… I-I d-don’t t-think s-so… I-I m-mean, h-he’s r-really s-s-scary, b-but I-I t-think h-he’s j-just a L-Lesser F-Force… A-At l-least, t-that’s w-what M-Mia s-said…”

“Mia?”

“O-Oh! S-She’s m-my b-best f-friend, a-and s-she h-helps m-me a l-lot w-with m-magical g-girl s-stuff…”

***

“No, of course not. Mother Earth is classified as a Deity.”

***

“Heavens no! Master Chiichuu is a most kind and noble Puchuu! It was only because of his great generosity that this humble servant was granted the power to aid the oppressed and despairing!”

Stupid fucking flea-ridden fuzzball…

***

“Have you ever worked alongside a dark magical girl/boy, monster girl/boy, and/or servant of a horror?”

“U-Umm… Y-Yes, d-during t-the b-battle j-just n-now…”

***

“I have, but always in the pursuit of helping those in need, and twice when members of Beacon were doing likewise.”

***

“Yes, it is this humble servant’s great joy and honor to work beside any who seek to aid the helpless, no matter what form they may take!”

And no matter how much I might hate it…

***

“Have you ever opposed the glorious and righteous will of The Beacon Ascendancy?”

“U-Um… I-I d-don’t t-think s-so…”

***

“No, not to my knowledge.”

***

“Regrettably, yes, but only when you made an unprovoked attack upon the innocent.”

And completely against my will…

***

“Why have you yet to renounce your Patron and embrace the radiant light of The Beacon?”

“U-Umm… W-Well… L-Like I s-said b-before, h-h-he’s r-really s-s-scary, a-and h-he w-w-won’t l-let me l-leave, a-and w-w-when I-I a-asked o-o-once, h-h-he g-got r-really a-a-angry…”

***

“I could never leave Mother. I am her beloved daughter, after all, and it is my great honor and pleasure to serve her for as long as there is life within me.”

***

“Oh, this humble servant could never abandon kind Master Chiichuu! He was so very lost and despondent when our paths first crossed, and it would simply bring me to endless tears if I were to see him in such a wretched state once more!”

Yeah, tears of fucking joy…

***

“How did you learn that Bolorton was under attack?”

“M-My f-friend, L-Lily, t-texted e-everyone.”

***
“Lily Lightning, a valued friend and fellow magical girl, alerted us to the situation.”

***

“As he often does, Master Chiichuu told me of the horrific events occurring in that poor town! He is always so attentive to the plight of the helpless, and it brings this humble servant such great joy to aid them on his behalf!”

Annoying little ball of shit…

***

“How did you reach Bolorton in time to assist with its evacuation?”

“O-Oh, w-well, um, o-one o-of m-my f-friends was a-able t-to m-make a p-portal f-for us.”

***

“Via a portal.”

***

“A brave and noble draconic champion generously established a great portal with which to facilitate our swift passage to the besieged town.”

And was annoying as all fucking shit…

***

“What was the approximate strength of the Wonderland forces attacking the town?”

“W-Wonderland f-forces…? Y-You m-mean the p-playing c-card s-soldiers?”

“Correct.”

“U-Umm, I-I don’t r-really r-remember t-too much… T-There were a lot of s-soldiers on the g-ground, a-and s-some o-others i-in t-the a-air, a-and s-some t-tanks… I-I’m s-sorry I c-can’t b-be m-more h-helpful…”

***

“There were several dozen squads of infantry, numbering over a hundred individual soldiers, as well as multiple tank formations, and at least one airborne special forces unit equipped with heavy weapons. There was also a quartet of monsters themed on the Wizard of Oz.”

***

“Oh goodness! There were so very many, and they were doing such horrible things! Oh, that poor town! Whatever did it do to deserve being subjected to such atrocities?!”

I mean, I have some ideas…

***

“Via what method or methods were the Wonderland forces deployed?”

“I-I n-never r-really s-saw… I-I was m-mostly j-just h-helping t-to e-evacuate the t-town, s-since m-my m-magic d-didn’t w-work o-on the s-soldiers…”

***

“From what little I could ascertain, the first wave appeared to have arrived via a portal on the far side of the hills, just beyond the town’s agricultural fields. Later in the battle, several additional portals appeared around and inside the town, deploying significant reinforcements, which completely overwhelmed our defenses.”

***

“This humble servant is afraid she cannot say. She was far too focused on helping the injured and imperiled to concern herself with those awful brutes’ point of origin.”

Maybe if I could actually fight any of them it’d be a different story…

***

“Did you witness any member of Beacon engaging the Wonderland forces in combat?”

“U-Umm… I-I’m n-not r-really s-sure… I-I’m s-sorry…”

***

“Yes, but only after the Wonderlanders had attacked them first.”

***

“Indeed I did, and how brave and noble they were! Putting their own lives in mortal peril so that defenseless innocents might be protected! Truly, it was a most sublimely inspiring sight!”

Yeah, it inspired me to nearly vomit…

***

“Did the Wonderlanders communicate with you in any way?”

“N-No…”

***

“They did not. Although some of the Oz-themed monsters made various in-character observations, I do not believe that any of them were attempts at communication.”

***

“Oh, how I only wish they did! Then we might have been able to resolve our differences without resorting to such awful violence!”

Did I really just fucking say that?

***

“Did you communicate with the Wonderlanders in any way?”

“N-No…”

“Have you ever gone to speech therapy?”

“N-N-No…”

“Disgraceful. Such a meek and indecisive voice is utterly unbecoming of a magical girl, and should therefore be remedied at the earliest opportunity.”

“I-I-I’m s-sorry! I-I’m s-sorry! I-I’m s-sorry! I-I’m s-sorry! I-I-I’m j-just r-really n-n-nervous… I-I’ll t-try t-to d-do b-better…”

“See that you do.”

***

“Only to inform them in no uncertain terms that their despoilment of both field and town would not be tolerated.”

***

“No, this humble servant had nothing to say to such unrepentant warmongers!”

At least, nothing I was allowed to say…

***

“If I was to tell you that this was the last question, would you believe me?”

“Um, I g-guess…?”

***

“I do not know you well enough to say, although I do wonder why such a question needs to be asked in the first place.”

***

“Yes. This humble servant makes every effort to give her full trust to all she meets, until such time as that trust is betrayed.”

Like a complete fucking moron…

***

“Last question. If I was to tell you that this was the last question, would you believe me?”

“Um, y-yes…? I-Is this s-some k-kind of t-trick q-question…?”

***

“I suppose so. After all, you did say it was the last question this time.”

***

“I would very much like to say yes, but I have become so dreadfully unsure… That previous question was a very deceitful trick, and it has made this humble servant quite distraught!”

And now you get to see me ugly cry… Serves you right you pompous bitch…

***

“That concludes the debriefing,” Dawn announced as she rose to her feet. “The Beacon thanks you for your cooperation in this matter. Someone will be with you shortly to escort you off the premisses.”

With that, Dawn exited the room, the door sliding shut behind her.

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

Doctor Nykannis Stats

Doctor Nykannis

4 | 4 | 6 | 21²³ | 10
28²³ | 28²³ | 32²³ | 42²³ | 20

Oddball: Mad Science! Oddball: Weird Science! | MAXIMUM OVERLOAD!!! (Nyahahaha!), Advanced Hypermagitech Target Acquisition Array, Rapid Restorative Nanites, Hypertechnoarcane Omnidimensional Defensive Array, Multi-Phasic Magitech Mechadendrites

Dual Weapon | Enhanced Outfit | Enhanced Weapon | Gifted | Size and Scale | Techno Thralls | Interdimensional Lab

Free Agent | Ultratechnomystic Power Accumulator Pocket Dimension | Mad Scientist Supreme | Magical Overload | Super-Scientific Ultramagitech Army | Superscientific Ultramagitech Armada

Alone | Monstrous Form | Centaur Layout | Nonstandard Limbs | Mental Mutation (Builder) | Second Specialization

Good thing you edited that post, Card. I know how much Flame hates reading torture porn.
-Doctor “I may have spliced the DNA of 75 different animals into myself, but a fucking cat wasn’t one of them” Nykannis

Nykannis cackled maniacally as her creations pummeled the Queen of Hearts with destructive forces beyond comprehension. However, her deranged laughter trailed off a moment later, as she watched the Wonderland Monarch use her reality-breaking blade to slice through each of the first four Killing Blows in turn, before the fifth finally managed to blow her arm off. But not, it appeared, before the Storybook Sovereign flung her wondrous weapon directly at the Monarch of Mad Science herself…

Spinning through the air like a buzzsaw, the Storyslayer seemed to slice through the dimensional fabric itself, warping the space around it as if it were mere paper. Not wasting a second, and without a single thought for her own safety, Pentius-04, the greatest bodyguard and defender that Nykannis’s mastery of The Artifact’s Create Your Own Avatar system could devise, teleported to interpose herself between her Super-Scientific Sovereign and the very manifestation of the Grand Magistrate’s own indomitable will. Anchoring herself with a trio of overlapping gravity wells, and charging her mighty Super-Numinous Sanctum Singularity Shield to maximum, while simultaneously reinforcing it with a plethora of multi-manifold polyphasic omni-dimensional ecto-esoteric energy barriers, the protective paragon of Team Pentius braced for the Storyslayer’s impact.

She never stood a chance.

Slicing through her barriers, and then her body, the terminator of tales homed in on its true target. Yet, even as Pentius-04’s two halves fell to the ground, Nykannis was swiftly raising her own defenses. Multi-layered Infinity Reflector Screens, Nth-Space Negation Shells, Omni-Phasic Hyperion Veils, Polymorphic Protective Portal Clusters, Numinospheric Neo-Neutrino Ultra-Aetheric Transposition Fields, and Chronometric Retroactive Reversion Quantum Singularity Shields, all were deployed and overcharged to their very limits, and then, pushed even further beyond. But it still wasn’t enough… Her many glowing eyes widening in horrific realization as she watched each defensive line shatter in turn, the Mad Scientist Supreme raised a massive clawed appendage in a desperate, last-ditch effort to at least partially deflect the inexorable instrument of her impending doom…

On the spinning, reality-piercing pinwheel came, slicing through the appendage’s multi-layered, interlocking energy sheathes and then the ultramagitech nano-fluidic hyperalloy armor beneath like a lightsaber through tissue paper. But even so, by some transcendent burst of preternatural agility, sublime stroke of luck, or (she hated to admit) Magisterial magnanimity, the Storyslayer managed to merely graze her arm, before spinning away and back into the Queen of Heart’s sole remaining hand. Nykannis hissed in pain as an ink-stained crevice was gouged into the appendage, one, which no amount of restorative nanite infusion or chronometric reversal seemed capable of restoring. This was unprecedented. Long indeed had it been since anyone had been able to inflict such a blow upon her, and the fact that this weapon had told the Queen of the Mad Scientists all she needed to know.

Linked as they were to her personal ultratechnomystic power accumulator pocket dimension, the remaining members of Team Pentius were already preparing to fire another volley of Killing Blows at the ruler of Wonderland, but Nykannis already knew it would be utterly pointless to even attempt to continue this farce. Indeed, she wasn’t surprised in the slightest when even more portals opened and a deluge of phantasmal specters, rabid wendigos, and top hat-wearing bombs descended upon them with the force of an avalanche. Even the other ridiculous members of the Queen’s royal court had appeared on the field. Now, Nykannis was well aware she could counter this, of course. There were more teams of Phase Two on standby, hundreds more (not to mention her own, personal, forces), but what would deploying them here really accomplish? The Queen of Hearts had won this battle. Such had the Grand Magistrate intended, thus had it occurred, which made the Storybook Sovereign’s next words vastly more hilarious than they already were…

“NYAHAHAHAHA!!!” Nykannis cackled in deranged amusement. “You really think you can oppose the guy who gave you your special snowflake powers to BEGIN WITH?!! Nyahahahaha! You’re just a puppet on a fucking STRING!!! You won this round, Queenie,” she added with cruel smirk. “But only because he let you. Just keep that in mind whenever you wanna start round two.”

With that, there was a colossal burst of crackling, yellowy-green actinic lightning, and when it faded, Nykannis, along with every member of all five of the Phase Two teams she’d brought with her, had vanished without a trace.

However, while the various members of Phase Two would arrive at the Demiris Defense Systems R&D complex immediately, the Monarch of Mad Science would be making a short side trip…

It was time to arrange a meeting of the minds…

Synphony on Highschool

A Character

“H-Hello…?” a nasally voice asked as a bespectacled young woman awkwardly poked her head into the room. “Um, i-is this where I apply for admission?”

“Yes, indeed!” the admissions officer said with a jovial smile. “Please have a seat and we can get started!”

Well, she seems nice and normal enough, the admissions officer reflected. Then again, appearances could be deceiving…

“So, what’s your name?” he asked once she’d sat down.

“Olivia Bell,” the girl replied. “Although my Magical Girl title is Magical Maiden Ethereal Rose,” she added. “And in Pax Septimus, I just went by The Ethereal Rose, since they don’t really have Magical Girls there. Instead, they have these people called ‘Espers,’ whose powers, contrary to their name, are more mystical than psionic in nature, so I guess they are somewhat like Magical Girls in a way, except for some of them being male, of course,” she explained with a giggle that sounded more like a snort. “Oh, gosh!” she exclaimed a moment later. “Am I rambling again? I’m sorry… People say I tend to do that a lot…”

“No, no…” the now wide-eyed admissions officer told her with a calming hand motion. “It’s fine. Um, shall we continue? The next thing I need is your age.”

“I’m sixteen,” Olivia replied.

“Okay, and am I to assume your gender is female?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” she confirmed with a nod.

"And your nationality?"

"American."

“All right, let me just make a quick note of your appearance…” Applicant is a fairly plain, somewhat underdeveloped young woman in a school uniform, standing 4’11” with blue eyes and dark hair, which is worn in two braided ponytails that reach just past her shoulders. Her vision appears to be impaired, as she wears a pair of corrective lenses, although this may simply be a fashion choice. “Um, what race do you identify as?”

“Human,” she replied. “Or maybe Magical Girl…?” she added after a moment, while tilting her head in thought. “Is that considered a separate race here?”

“No, human will do just fine,” the admissions officer reassured her. “Moving on, how do you use your magic?”

“Well, I can’t use any magic right now,” Olivia replied with another giggle/snort. “I have to transform for that,” she explained. “And even then, I can’t really do much more than distract people and make them not want to harm me. It’s my darling Xolys who does most of the fighting.”

“Xolys…?”

“Yes!” Olivia replied with an eager grin. “He’s my soulmate! He’s so handsome and wise and powerful…” she gushed, her visage taking on a dreamy, lovestruck expression. “And his tentacles! They’re just so warm, and comforting, and…”

“I… see…” the admissions officer said slowly, becoming increasingly more unnerved by the seemingly innocuous girl in front of him with each new word she spoke. “So you… summon this Xolys whenever you’re in trouble?”

“Well, I don’t really summon him,” Olivia corrected, adjusting her glasses. “He appears whenever I transform. Do you wanna see?!” she asked eagerly.

“O-Oh, u-um, t-that’s quite all right, Miss Bell!” he replied hastily. “I-I’ll just take your word for it! Now, uh, why did you choose to enroll here?”

“To find a way back home,” Olivia replied. “And I suppose to make some new friends as well!”

“Your way back home?” the officer echoed with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh! Well, you see, it all began when I was attending Marrywell academy. About a month after my first semester there began, our guidance councilor, Miss Fang, told me that I had been selected to go on a super special single-student field trip to another universe! It was so very exciting! I had always wanted to travel to another universe, so of course I said yes! The very next day, I found myself in a city called Pax Septimus. It doesn’t even exist in my universe, and it was a truly fascinating place, filled with all sorts of interesting people and creatures! But after what seemed like hardly any time at all, I was told it was time for me to return to my original universe, or else the "Bovines" would get me. It was all very strange... Unfortunately, there was some sort of problem with the transfer, and instead of arriving back at Marrywell, I found myself here!”

“Well, I'm a bit new here myself, but from what I gather, this place used to be named—”

“Yes, I’ve already been told that by several other people!” Olivia confirmed with a few excited nods. “But despite that knowledge, it’s still difficult for me to believe that this is actually my home… I mean, there are so many inconsistencies!” she added as she leaned forward, her eyes filled with intensity. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if, instead of returning to my original universe, I wound up in one that was similar to it, but not entirely the same?!”

“Well, uh, that’s certainly possible…” the admissions officer conceded. And way above my pay grade… “Now, then, final two questions. First, how would you describe yourself? Personality, interests, that sort of thing.”

“Um, I’d like to think I’m friendly and kind… I mean, I certainly try to be, but, um, not many people seem to like being around me… They say I’m annoying, or that my interests are too strange…” she frowned, before quickly brightening up again. “That’s why I loved being at Marrywell! I made so many wonderful friends during my time there! Friends who liked me for who I am! Up until then, I didn’t think I’d ever make any friends, well, aside from darling Xolys, of course!” she added with yet another giggle/snort.

“I see…” the officer muttered. I’m sure I’ll regret asking this, but it is necessary information for dorm assignments… “What are your interests, if I may ask?”

“I love learning about and investigating all sorts of paranormal and eldritch matters!” Olivia was quick to answer. “My two favorite authors are H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, so I’ve always been fascinated with mysteries, ghosts, indescribable creatures from other worlds, and the possibility of visiting those worlds myself! Oh! And I also really enjoy studying insects, arachnids, and various other arthropods,” she added, her eyes taking on a passionate gleam. “For example, did you know that the trans-phasic Khrylopede Beatle actually lays its eggs inside—”

“Last question,” the admissions officer announced, cutting her off. “Hmmm… You’ve already told me your background, so I don’t think we need to add anything more for your life story,” he noted.

“Oh! But there’s so much more I could tell you!” Olivia objected. “Like how I first met darling Xolys and became a Magical Girl! Or when I attended my first slumber party! Or about all the books I read at my hometown’s library, or that time my family pretended I didn’t exist, or—”

“No, no, I think we already have quite enough,” the officer assured her. “Thank you for your time, Miss Bell,” he added, while rising to his feet and giving her a reluctant handshake. “We should have you settled into a dorm soon enough. Until then, uh, I suppose you can just take an unguided tour around the campus,” he suggested as he ushered her out the door. “You know, get acquainted with it various… peculiarities…”

“Oh gosh! That sounds wonderful!” Olivia replied with a gleeful smile. “I can’t wait to see what's changed! Oh! And maybe I’ll even get to meet alternate versions of some of my friends, or even an alternate version of myself!”

“M-Maybe…” the officer agreed, before closing the door with a weary sigh. A second version of her? That really would be just his luck…

A Waifu

Synphony on Highschool

Roger that, GM Person!