Shifter_Master

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{- Contact-}

As Penny had figured her travel had been uninterrupted and before too long she found herself atop a building across the street from The Golden Trove. She took a moment to examine the hotel in case there happened to be anything of interest about it before looking around the roof top she was on seeking the right spot to start the next part of her search.

Most people have little idea of how most building are wired, for unless they worked in IT there was no real need to know. Penny did know, both because of a life time ago she had earned a college degree in the field and because her sensitivity to Metal and Electricity made it impossible to miss if she went looking for it. Thus after a moment of looking Penny found the nearest bundle of cords tucked away in the walls of the building she was on. Positioning as close to the cords as she could while staying on the rooftop the Cyborg begin using a skill that she hadn’t really told anyone about, and hacked in to the network of the building she was standing on. From there she jumped over to the network of The Golden Trove.

‘Still find it weird to do it this way’ she though as she worked her way through the security systems that stood in her way with nothing more than her unique physiology, her weak magic and her old know how. ‘Guess that’s just the perk of being made of the future’ it took her barely three minutes to slip in to the systems of the hotel and start searching for Mika.

By a quirk of chance, Mika ended up find Penny first. Turning to face the Beast spec’d girl it would be plain as day that Penny’s left eye was ‘off’ as it wasn’t glowing and was a flat dull gray. The reason was that was because she was feeding all the incoming data to her left eye for processing thus it was currently hooked up to the cameras in the Golden Trove.

Still Penny was notably confused at Mika’s introduction. “Hey Mika I’m Penny” was the given reply before Penny shook off her confusion “And no idea who the Terrible one is, so I’m going to go with no to the first question and I assume the first and second questions are connected so I’m going to assume no for the second question. I mean Laat is an asshole but he’s not one who goes about causing genocide if he can avoid it” She continued as a knot formed in her gut. While Penny was speaking truthfully, Laat was infuriatingly tight lipped about the things he has done or the things she would have to look out for. So it was possible that Laat had caused a genocide and Penny was about to find out there was a grudge about that the hard way.

Hoping that it was just a case of wrong place wrong time Penny moved forward with trying to find Thalia. “I was actually wondering if I could ask you something Mika. I’ve trying to find someone and I was told you might have had a run in with them. They are a Foxgirl with Beast and Fire magic, does that sound familiar?”

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{- Lone Wanderer-}

If any other Magicals were to see Penny as she slowly made her way over the roof tops of Penrose, they might wonder what had her so distracted. Her half glazed eyes glowing a dull blue-green, the sluggish movements and a general lack of awareness of what was around the cyborg, all gave off the image that she wasn’t fully there at the moment.

She was heading roughly in the direction of the Golden Trove Apartment buildings, but at her speed wouldn’t be there anytime soon, and Penny was okay with that. She was using this time to think. In front of her, nonexistent to everyone else, were dozens of text windows filled with lists upon lists. Some of them were lists of the people she knew what their affiliations were and who their patrons were. Others were of the Patrons she was aware of, and others still were dossiers of the various organizations that were known to the magical world.

As she looked over all this information Penny pondered the same question that had been bugging her as of late. ‘Where do I fit in this?’ In a little under five months she will have been a Monstergirl for a year and she still felt lost and clueless when confronted by the realities of the magical world. The fact that Laat seemed more than willing to place her in the middle of every mess he could find didn’t make anything easier for her either.

With a sigh Penny saved and closed the various files she had opened. She had no better answer now then she did last time she tried to figure this out. Checking her phone app, she sighed again, there was still no reply. She figured she would have gotten something back from the texts she sent earlier but figured the Trial would have started by now. It made sense that Janet didn’t reply; they didn’t know each other all that well but being brushed off by Alicia stung, especially as it wasn’t the first time.

Looking skyward Penny could say she honestly never felt as alone as she did right now. She didn’t feel like she could trust anyone at the moment, she blamed Veronica for that. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind for the moment Penny focused on her current task; Finding Mika. As she leapt to the next building Penny hoped that these apartments had decent security cameras, as it would make finding her target easier.

Now that she was focused on the here and now it wouldn’t take Penny more than a few minutes to get to her destination, so long as nothing interrupted her that is.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{.:Heart of the People:.}

The Hall of Judgment, a grand center piece that if everything went well most in Beacon would never see, even though everyone knew of it, one could gather a fair bit of understanding from the various different HQ’s by how they themed their Hall.

Due to his silent appraisal of the hall Aurelio lost his chance to make it to the defenders platform alongside Alicia, but that was fine. He didn’t know enough about everyone here to be of much help up there anyway. Down in the crowd, surrounded by people while transformed he held vast potential to help, It would all depend on how he went about it.

The opening statements hit hard, not because of what was being said but due to all the emotions floating around the room, it felt like he was in a tumble dryer filled with bricks. ‘No matter‘ he thought to himself ‘Still gives me plenty to work with.’ Silently he moved toward the pit in the center of the room and stood near the edge with his cane placed in front of him in plain view of the Beckoners and Jury. He wasn’t planning on hiding his actions from them, because he wasn’t planning on anything that would, in his opinion, violate the ruling.

Taking a deep breath he started to draw on the ambient feelings around him. Never taking more then what was considered spare; he started to spin the emotions in to different ones. Determination and Confidence, he wove and sent towards Alicia. She wasn’t as alone in this as she felt. Understanding and Peace, he wove and sent towards Janet, even the best have cracks in their armor and she wasn’t going to be abandoned for being controlled.

Towards the Jury he sent Calm and Focus, the truth was their goal, not revenge, he would make sure they stayed on track to find it and for the crowd around him. He wove Patience, they would still comment, still whisper about what was happening but they would wait to act, he would dull the Tension they felt so that no one would do something rash.

For those who sat as witnesses he did not weave anything. For that would be seen as trying to influence their testimony. Thus he left their raw emotions speak for themselves. Plus he was multitasking enough as it was, trying for anymore would cause everything to break down. He cane was glowing with the colors of the rainbow as he wove his magic throughout the room. Hoping that it would be enough to allow sounds minds to prevail.

He also didn’t bother sending any of his magic at the Beckoners present; he knew well enough that it wouldn’t actually do anything other then get him in trouble if he tried.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Veronica

_{-The Hunt Begins-}

Despite having the capability of heading straight to the park, Penny took something of a meandering route to her meeting with Veronica, even taking out the odd monster along the way to delay a bit longer. It was partly because she really would have rather not talked with the Coinbroker if she could and partly because she was still mad from watching her friends get accosted by the people they worked with. But mostly it was because she wasn’t looking forward to the topic of discussion.

Still, even with her roundabout path, she made it to the park within the time frame she had given earlier and set about wandering the park. She kept away from the main paths, too much risk of being seen by a normal person, but otherwise didn’t have any real destination in mind, figuring that Veronica would see Penny long before Penny saw Veronica.

Veronica looked like she had been waiting in the park for some time. She had her briefcase opened on her lap and was typing out something on a keyboard. Though if Penny cared to look, it would appear Veronica was writing part of a novel. Something about a monk entering a cave.
“I suppose it was too much to expect you to come disguised as something.” Veronica closed the briefcase and looked up at Penny. “Anyway, I have some information that points to the whereabouts of Thalia. Unfortunately, this information is owned by the mint. As such, I cannot freely pass it along to whoever I choose.” She folded her hands together on top of her briefcase, which was still in her lap. “That is to say that I can give you this information, but it will increase the size of your debt. Your operations will get noticeably harder, and the Mint will expect results.” Veronica gave the cyborg a sideways glance. “I can understand if you don't trust the mint. But I verified the sources myself. I have no doubt this will lead you directly to her.”

”The only ‘disguise’ I have would require more trust than I have for you at the moment Broker” Penny replied calmly as she stepped closer to the bench but remained standing. She held herself in a loose stance and there was a thin line of red rimming her, currently green, eyes. She did glance at the novel but only for a moment before returning her attention to the woman on the bench.

Upon hearing that it would cost more debt to find Thalia, Penny clenched her jaw and sound akin to a metal latch being locked and unlocked could be heard coming from the cyborg for a moment as she forced her instinctive reaction down ”And how much debt am I under at the moment? And how exactly do I pay off that debt?” Penny would ask “Because I would much rather work off what I own before adding more to it first”

“Debt is difficult to quantify.” Veronica didn't take her eyes off of penny. “However, your starting debt was rather low to start with. Which is largely why I've just been using you to collect information about Laat and Beacon. Relatively small, low risk operations. Laat seemed interesting in having you on board with us, so it's important that you always retain a small amount of debt to remain inside our organization.You've been completing enough missions that the interest isn't compounding too badly. We could say in a roundabout way you have no debt.” she patted the suitcase. “This will be a bit more substantial. I would like to just give it to you, I think it would be a great way to build trust between us. But unfortunately, it's not mine to give. Should you choose to accept it though, I will be able to help you if you need to make heads or tales of anything. Missing people are my specialty.”

“You make it sounds like there is no way to be part of the Mint and be debt free at the same time” Penny resisted the urge the start pacing, she didn’t like this. The fact that her debt was negligible was good to hear, the reminder that she couldn’t completely sever ties from the Mint until Laat said something was not.

This whole situation made Penny realize how trapped she was. The Mint had something that she obviously wanted, but it would add more chains to Penny if she accepted. She couldn’t directly deny it Laat didn’t want her to drift away from Mint, nor could she embrace it as she still had ties to Beacon that Laat was wanting as well. Even though most of the girls in the Beacon despised her on principle.

Gods how she hated Laat’AlOfan right now.

”What kind of Operations could I expect if I accepted this information?” A fresh spike of anger seeped in to Penny as she asked, her voice remaining calm even as more red bled into her eyes. She was stuck and knew it and there wasn't any options to free herself at the moment. ”And what do you expect me to do once I find Thalia?”

Veronica raised an eyebrow. “I'm not sure what you're going to do once you find Thalia. She is of no interest to the mint, and by extension, me. You are free to do what you please. I believe I've already spoken to you previously about the matter. I told you what I would do if I was in such a situation, but you are free to do as you please.” Penny was able to recall a discussion Veronica had with her about love and trust. Veronica made up a very convincing story about being a beacon girl in love with a monster on the spot. While Penny couldn't clearly remember Veronica's answer, she did remember saying that she would personally want to hurt that girl. But that was before Veronica revealed it to be a fabrication. Unless that too was a lie. “You would have to be a bit more active in Mint activities if you wanted to keep your debt down. I do not know what sort of missions I will receive to delegate to you, but I won't ever order you to kill your friends. We are primarily interested in the gathering of intelligence. The horror stories you've heard about girls being forced to kill people are tales from desperate girls who drew on the coin's power.” She adjusted her tie. “I've never ordered the death of a magical girl who didn’t deserve it.”

”You might not order such things, but that doesn’t mean other Brokers are the same way. The Mint likes it’s secrets after all.” Penny replied sarcastically before shaking her head. She was angry, angry at herself, at Laat, at Thalia, but venting at Veronica wouldn’t solve anything “But maybe that’s why Laat’s been watching you.”

Penny let loose a sigh as she thought about what was next. ”Regardless, I’ll take the info” she said moving to sit on the bench as she did “And your help if your offering it freely”

“For the record, I do not enjoy our secretive nature any more than you do.” Veronica popped open the briefcase. “I have actually started to notify my operatives of each other's missions, which isn't something I've done since I started my time as a coin broker.” She shifted her eyes over to Penny. “Speaking of which, I understand you met one of them. We'll talk about that shortly if you'd like.” Veronica pulled a file out of her briefcase and handed it to Penny. It was a dossier that contained two photos of a young girl and some notes. The pictures were presumably her magical girl form and normal form. “She calls herself 'Mika,' and is a fairly new magical girl. She's been taking refuge at the golden trove apartment complex. She was attacked by a girl who closely fits Thalia's description. Talking to Mika is your first step to finding her.” She closed her briefcase. “If you need help, you may contact me over coms. Now, was there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Penny leafed through the files while Veronica explained the basics. She wondered about the attack, as that didn’t sound like Thalia, but neither did her running away and that happened. So maybe Penny didn’t know Thalia as well as she had thought. “Not really” She would reply as she handed the dossier back. She had been copying it with her eyepiece as she read it over and didn’t need a physical copy as well. “But your statement does answer whether or not Silhouette recognized me”

Rather then standing up to leave, Penny slumped in her seat. Her anger was still simmering just below the surface, but at the moment the girl just felt drained. Once again she was at risk of losing everything due to Laat’s intervention and her only real option was to go along with it and hope for the best.

Veronica stood up. “We might be mint, but we take care of our own, Penny.” She eyed the cyborg before turning around to leave. “I’ll be in touch if you need me.”

A few minutes later, Penny would stand up and start her trek to the Golden Trove Apartments. After all she bought the information, might as well track Thalia down to get her pound of flesh. Who knows it might even make her feel better.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{Sticking close}

Kyle, or as he referred to himself while in costume, Aurelio was just a bit out of his depths. This Beacon group seemed to be having some internal strife if this scene was anything to go by, but he couldn’t in good conciseness stay out of it. Mainly because he was a nosy person by nature, but also because of the emotions floating around, frustration from those denied, resignation from the one bound, conviction of all for their actions.

It was bound to get messy with such an emotional cocktail floating around but with a bit of luck he might be able to keep everyone’s heads on mostly straight. With that thought Aurelio fell in step with Alicia “Need any help? Granted I’ve got little to no cluse what’s going on but I’ve got the feeling your friend is getting the short end here” He asked softly as they walked, hardly noticing his habit of spinning his cane as he did such.

If he wasn’t in the middle of so many flowing emotions he might have noticed the vibrant anger of the other witness to the encounter at the front doors.

---

_{Backing off}

Penny stayed right where she was as she took deep breaths and quietly pushed aside her anger, while it was true that she tended to have a short fuse It was always a bit more frayed right after she transformed. She wanted to be right there helping out Janet and Alicia she knew she was going to be more harm than help at the moment and knowing that just made her angry again.

After a few more moents to calm down Penny shot off a text to Alicia and Janet

Hey. Happened to get a bird’s eye view of what happened at the entrance. Got to say that Slyvia was a bit quick to jump down your throat for smacking them, though to be fair I’m not sure I would have been as kind as you were. I’d like to be there to help you two out but I’m more likely to cause a indecent of my own at the moment, so I’m off to do some renovating. Keep me in the loop.

Penny

Letting out a sigh Penny resisted the urge to punch the railing and instead took off towards the park. She had another appointment to get to, and unfortunately no longer had an excuse to avoid it.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{In to the Fray}

”Ooh, fancy Rec Room is fancy” was the impressed response Kyle gave as he took in the room that they had been lead too. He spent a small bit of time taking a look at the various games and posters that were scattered around the room getting a feeling for how it was this division of Beacon operated.

”I am always up for a game of poker” He answered as he turned back to face Sally. As he did he caught a commotion happening out in the hall and could tell form the voices it wasn’t a good one.

Heaving a sigh Kyle snapped his fingers and in a grand puff of smoke…

He had transformed, and could much more easily tell the feeling of the crowd. “Sorry ladies, card game is going to have to wait. Trouble is afoot.” He stated as he rushed off to get a better vantage point to assess what was going on.

---

_{-Steel sentinel-}

Meanwhile Penny was already at a perfect vantage point to witness the events happening outside. Rather than go down in to the HQ, she had been planning on hopping off the roof and walking inside through the front door.

She put a stop to that plan when she looked over the edge and saw Alicia already transformed confronting the girls guarding the front doors, along side Janet who was tied by a golden rope.

Currently she was just waiting, but the red in her eyes and the cracked railing in her hands made it easy to tell it was a near thing and she would be down there the moment Alicia was attacked.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{-Out of the Parlor-}

Upon hearing the front door swing shut behind Sam, and having made sure she was no longer in danger of choking on her tea Penny couldn’t help but remark sarcastically ”Cheery that one. Figures she would be Mint” Shaking her head she drained the rest of her tea “Wonder if she recognized me as well”

"You know her?" Chloe asked curiously. "She could certainly stand to be less rude. At least she accepted my coffee without a complaint. Hmph. I had half a mind to smack her, but as generous and merciful as I am I overlooked her bratty behavior." Chloe stood, taking the mug and placing it back on the countertop.

"That aside though..." Quickly, Chloe took a seat next to Penny. Her body was pressed gently against the other girl's arm as she continued. "Who's been messing with my adorable little Penny? And what's this about you joining beacon?"

“Wouldn’t say that I know her, we tried to kill each other about a month ago” Penny leaned back in to the couch as she spoke, her exhaustion starting to come to the forefront due to feeling safe here in this apartment. “They were trying to destroy a flying pirate ship for some reason, I needed the ship intact to help assault a Dark Magicals castle in the Overcity. I was something of a mess at the time.” her eyes had a distant quality as Penny pulled up the memories that felt like they had happened so long ago, but in truth was only a month and a half ago.

“There was this girl, Thalia” Her voice cracked slightly at saying the girls name and a slight shine could be seen in her eyes. Penny forced herself to swallow before continuing “She’s a Foxgirl, I keep running into her. Have since I got dragged in to this crazy world. Kinda like you and Laat and Alicia, the only solid points of reference I have anymore.” her voice wavered at that declaration “I ran in to her at a fight at a hospital, and we just stuck around each other for the next couple weeks. I didn’t know where you had vanished off too and the key wasn’t working so I welcomed the company” Penny just shrugged helplessly, she knew how it sounded, but that didn’t make it any less true.

“Then the day prior to the ship fight I had been out doing some patrols, Laat had made a deal with the Beckoners so I’ve been working alongside the Beacon since a day or two after the meeting in the park.” She gave a soft, wistful chuckle at remembering that deal being forged. Not much good had really come from it, outside of meeting Alicia, granted nothing all that bad had come from it either.

“A fight broke out and I got winged by a few makeshift metal lances right after someone cursed me to compromise my durability.” Faded anger and frustration colored her tone as she continued her tale and for the moment her sadness seemed to be forgotten “Thalia Redlined and hauled me out of there and back to my Lair, ‘cause I guess I looked like hell. I was in the process of rewriting my regen to incorporate the lances into my chassis, which always takes an annoying amount of time, but I had back up and the fight was pretty much done with so I was going to be alright.”

“Guess I shut down at some point, so my regen could do its thing, because the next thing I remember is waking up next to a sleeping Thalia. She had just Redlined to get me to safety in full view of Beacon members and the only goal she had was to get me to safe. What can I say, I fell hard right then.” Penny’s voice had a touch of awe as she recalled that moment, but the hurt of what came next was unmistakable “Only to have her bolt when she woke up.” she curled in to herself as she finished her voice straining to not waver as she kept herself from crying over it again “I tried to chase after her, but every time I thought I was getting closer she seemed to freak out and would get faster. I tried calling her for hours afterwards. Voicemail every time. I’ve yet to see or hear from her since”

“To make my situation even worse I had been approached by a Coin Broker while Thalia was still sleeping. Felt like such an idiot, still do.” she finished weakly rocking softly as she did. It still felt raw to think about it, still hurt to remember. But she was feeling better, and now that she had been able to tell someone she felt a weight lift from her. She had wanted to tell Alicia, but fear had kept her silent, she always felt she was on shaky ground due to being a Monstergirl, a Black coin would have been too much.

As Penny recounted the past few months of her absence, Chloe could only frown. It was painful to hear it, really. Penny had a rough time of it, it seemed. Ditched by someone who was involved with her. Twice if she included herself in that that. Being alone without someone to care for you was always a difficult thing. At least now though, she had been caught up and she was never going to leave her little Penny again.

"Ah…I should never have left." Chloe replied quietly when Penny finished. "My dear little Penny has had a rough time of it, and for that I apologize. I should have told that crotchety old dragon to stuff it, but it's difficult to ignore direct orders. I also was busy ensuring that should he be killed, we have an insurance policy for that." Chloe continued, releasing Penny from the hug. Leaning back on the couch, she sighed. "And the Beacon! I'm surprised they even tolerate your presence. Humph, perhaps they're not entirely bad…best not to tell them about the black coin or the fact I'm your best friend. I doubt they'd take kindly to such things." Smiling over to Penny in a friendly, if mildly suggestive manner.

"But enough of that. You look tired, Penny. If you're not busy…take a rest? I have missed you quite a bit, you know." She pointed to her open lap, her suggestion of a lap pillow fairly obvious.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like I can ignore direct orders from Laat when he gives them, so I get it.” Penny said with a weak smile, truth of it was she was just glad to have her friend back regardless of the reason. Checking her phone Penny set a quick alarm for twenty minutes from now “I’ve got a bit before I need to head out and some rest sounds great” she answered before indulging in the offered ‘pillow’ not caring about what it could mean, just glad for comfort that was offered.

“Most of Beacon are more or less how the stories portray them, rigidly adhering to their rules and ignore me on principle even though It was one of their Beckoners who sought me and Laat out, but there are a few who aren't so bad.” Penny explained as she got comfortable, yawning softly as she did “Even made a friends with one, her name is Alicia, she wouldn’t get on my case for being your friend I think she knew about me hanging out with the fox, but you're probably right about the coin, only you and Laat don’t care about me having it.”

Closing her eyes Penny just set aside everything and just enjoyed the comforting presence of the apartment, something that had been lacking in her lair since Thalia had left. “Feel free to wake me if I start drifting too far, not sure how much I weigh when I’m unsealed but I’m doubt it will be comfortable”

"Heh, don't worry my pretty little Penny." Chloe replied with a chuckle. "Just rest your head."

Quietly time would pass. Penny would never reach a point where she was fully asleep but would fade in and out always hovering just near the edge of sleep. Then the soft quiet would be broken by the loud rumbling of thunder that was Penny’s phone alarm. At which point the tattooed teen would sigh and open her eyes once again “Thanks” she would say with a smile before sitting back up “But I’ve got to get going before they wonder where I wondered off too and start looking for me”

With a sigh Penny stood and stepped away from the couch she didn’t go too far before the sound of an engine started to hum out from the girl. A few moments later there was a brilliant flash of light accompanied with the sound of tearing metal and once again Penny stood in her true form. Turning to face Chloe Penny fished a small piece of paper from one of her compartments “Here, it’s my number since I actually have one now” she explained handing it over as she did.

Chloe mostly had contented herself with just making sure Penny got some rest, as well as painting her fingernails a lovely shade of purple. For the most part, she was happy to assist her so-called friend in getting some much needed rest. When she finally awoke, Chloe sighed, seemingly a little disappointed.

"Tsk, I was hoping to get you to stay longer, but fine." Chloe grumbled lightly as the mecha girl handed over her phone number. "I'll try not to bother you too much - oh, and, one thing from me." Reaching into her dress, Chloe pulled out a small necklace. The silver colored pendant was beautifully designed in the shape of several interlocking diamond shapes. In the center of it was a small amethyst. "If you ever get into trouble, I'll come running, okay?"

“I’ll likely spend the night here so I’ll be back” Penny replied “And feel free to call anytime, not much going on at the moment”

At the gift of a rather elegant looking necklace Penny was momentarily stunned and openly confused until she took a closer look at it and could feel the simmering magic just below the surface running her thumb over the gem in the center Penny gave a heartfelt smile to Chloe her eyes glowing a soft indigo “Thank you” she said earnestly as she slipped the gift on her plating shifting around it so that it would not get damaged but it could still be seen.

Reaching back for one last hug Penny turned and walked out the apartment door and back to Beacon HQ.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

&

The Beckoners

.:The Bussness of Change:.

Far from the mortal plane a lone deity sat working on one of countless plans he had in motion, some big, some small but all important to the destructive god. Many would wonder how it was Laat'AlOfan was able to take care of his task with such little assistance, few would ever learn.

After putting the finishing touches in place for the small occurrence he had been working on he would turn to the side and double check the letter he had written up. It was a simple message a request to meet when the recipient had ample time to spare, it would go on to explain that the letter it's self would grant the bearer access to his domain and that the invitation had no expiration.

With a nod to himself Laat would place the letter in a blank envelope and with a simple flick send it off to its intended recipient; one of the Beckoners of Beacon. The one who wore an angelic visage and had originally offered to deal with Laat and his chosen. With that matter taken care of all that there was to do in regards to that matter was wait, and in the meantime continue his endless task.

A great light shone upon Laat's domain as a heavenly parade of Beckoners arrived, blowing trumpets of glory and plucking strings of harmony on their harps. The angelic Beckoner floated up from among them.
"God of Cycles, we have answered your calling. Those who seek it shall find it; the light of Beacon reaches all, even those lost in the darkness." Two other Beckoners lifted up the envelope. "The holy pact we have together bound to the chosen has further brought benevolence and prosperity to mankind, as we have preordained."

The destructive god paid little attention to the holy congregation that appeared within his realm at first, his attention focused upon a small pale blue speck, but turned to face them as his intended guest began singing praise of the deal that had been made only a short time ago.

"Indeed, Your Seraph And My Champion Have Done Fair Work In the Short Time That Has Passed"

Came Laat’s amicable reply his domain shifting as he spoke, changing its self so that when he stood from his task he could stand eye to eye with the one he invited here

“But It Is Your Other Goals, Beckoner, That I Sought To Speak With You About”

Turning to stand his seat and work bench sublimated away

“You Are Seeking A Goal I Have Been Working Towards For A Long Time, If My Champion Heard True, Change Within Beacon. If You Would Permit Me Asking I Would Like To Know What Changes You Are Seeking To Bring Forth.”

"As expected of one embodying metamorphosis, you understand the importance of the ability to see things in a new light," the Beckoner answered, and played a somber tune on a harp. "Since ages past, we of Beacon have kept watch over mankind, and stood vigilant against the encroaching darkness that would consume it, entrusting our chosen to be shields of peace, and swords of mercy." The Beckoner then struck a sharp chord.

"But a shield cannot protect peace if it is pierced, and a sword cannot give mercy to those who ask for it. Mankind no longer has the faith in Beacon it once had. Their belief has weakened, and so has our power. If we stay to the old ways, mankind's fate will be one of perdition."

The Beckoner then played a hopeful tune. "But there is hope, for Beacon shall have a reformation. For the longest time, we were ignorant of the plight of unfortunate souls who have lost their way. They are different, but they can open their hearts, and accept Beacon's light. Those who realize they are monsters, who want to be saved...They are not monsters, but stray sheep. As shepherds of mankind, we shall also accept them into our flock. Thus we will save mankind; not with hate, but with love."

"More Than You Might Suspect Beckoner"

Laat chuckled briefly at the Beckoners words

“After All There Is A Reason I Have Kept My Station For As Long As I Have”

He added before casting his gaze off to one of the vast nebula’s that covered the horizons of his plane contemplating the Beckoner’s words as he did so.

“Your Order“

Laat Started after several moments of silence

“Many Within It Shall Not Easily Be swayed From their Current Positions. Stagnation Has Settled Within The Foundation of Beacon And It Has Been There Since Your Order First Encountered Me. The Changes You Are Hoping For Will Result In Beacon Splintering Long Before Your Reformations Can Take Place.”

The god held up a hand as he spoke to forestall any potential arguments the Beckoners might have levied at him

“I Have Seen It Happen Countless Times, That Is The Price Of Such A Change After Such A Time,”

AlOfan’s gaze returned to the small gathering of Beckoners that had answered his invitation, the weight of his scrutiny unmistakable as it slid across them all

“I Would Ask How I Can Be Of Assistance, For A Change Such As This Is One I Would Be Willing To Give My Blessing, For I Would Vastly Prefer To Help This Change Prosper Than Let It Fall To The Wayside.”

The Beckoners nodded at Laat's words, fully aware of the consequences. "A schism will form, and the faith of many shall be tested, but in the end, justice and virtue shall prevail over the sinful indulgences in hypocrisy and pride." Then, the brilliant-winged congregation looked at Laat, then each other, and in unison they nodded before turning back to the god. "We would be honored to have the God of Cycles stand with us when we nail our theses on the door to the future," one of the other Beckoners, a winged bear cub, said reverently.

"We ask you to keep your holy pact with only us, the pure-hearted, and to forsake the sinners who would keep to the path of ruination. To that end, we shall also request that your chosen lends their strength, and protect our chosen if the sinners were to resist reformation."

“Your Seraph Is Already Under My Champions Protection And I Shall Have No issue Striking At those Who Seek To Deny Change Its Due. It Is, However, Anathema To My Task To Help Much Beyond That, To Help Stabilize, But I Shall Lend What Aid I Can To Make Sure You Can Reach That Stage Of Your Goal. After Which, Your Order Shall Have No Issues From Me Unless Stagnation Begins To Seep In Once Again.”

The God Replied, satisfaction evident in his voice as he spoke, his domain slowly swirling at the grand change that they were discussing.

“In Return I Must Ask That If My Champion Seeks Purification From You She Is Turned Away, Her Status And Both Human And Monster Is A Necessary Sacrifice Of My Station, Thus I Must Interfere With Any Attempt To Upset That Facet Of Her. I Can Pledge To You That If She Ever Truly Losses Her Humanity Completely I Shall Strike Her Down Myself, But Until That Point I Shall Protect What is Mine.”

He added firmly his true size echoing out for a moment as he spoke, emphasizing the seriousness of his request.

He stayed Silent for a moment, to let his guests think over his request before he continued

“So Long As You Accept That, Then We Have An Accord. Mine and My Champions Assistance Towards Your Change And In Return My Champion Shall Be Exempt From Your Purification's”

He summarized, before tilting his head to the side

“Unless There Is More You Wish To Add”

The Beckoners did not think long on their reply. "So shall it be willed. Your chosen shall be the knight who rides us to the Promised Land." A mass of Beckoners offered a giant golden grail filled with wine to Laat. "Let us join together in communion, and pray for the souls of those who would oppose change. Let their darkened eyes be illuminated by Beacon's new light." The Beckoners all took a sip of their own, smaller grails, and then disappeared, their rite having ended.

Laat raised his glass in toast but did not drink from the cup, not out of disrespect, it's simply impossible to drink when doesn’t have a mouth. It would be a few moments after the Beckoners left before Laat would once again move. Pouring the wine from the goblet he would place it on the far corner of his workstation.

"Now, Let's See If I Can Make Any Head Way On Them As Well..."

He would say softly to himself as he returned to his never ending Task.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{-Downs and Ups-}

It didn’t take Penny long to learn that the apartment was empty, that fact wasn’t too surprising, though the mechanical girl was a bit curious as to where Isana was currently. Choosing not to dwell on that question, Penny sent about getting a kettle boiling. She had never been much of a tea drinker before her change, but it was something she had come to enjoy as she could make it strong enough to taste normal regardless of her form.

It wasn’t long after setting the kettle on the stove that Penny got a call, granted it wasn’t coming in from Penny’s coms device but that alone told the cyborg exactly who it was that was trying to get in contact with her, moving over to the couch Penny patched the call though to her eyepiece. “I hear you” Penny replied to the vague introduction wondering if Veronica always went about things in this cloak and dagger way.

Silently Penny was glad she was already sitting down, thinking about Thalia still hurt, especially when she was blindsided by thoughts concerning the runaway foxgirl. Gritting her Teeth Penny forced herself to breathe as she tried to keep too much red from bleeding in to her eyes “I’m going to be delayed in getting there” She said after a moment, the anger in her tone soft but noticeable “I’m currently at a friend’s place, and afterwards I’m going to need to check in with Alicia” Penny wanted to race off to Veronica right away, but beyond that everything jumbled together. She needed time to try and prepare for whatever it was Veronica was going to tell her.

“I can be there in two hours; I assume that you’ll find me when I show up” Penny added after a moment of thought, the line going dead was the only response that Penny received. She stayed seated there for a bit just starting at the ceiling as various thought swirled about her mind. Closing her eyes Penny pulled at her magic dragging everything inside and pushing it as deep as she could.

A few moments later there was a dull flash of light encompassed her and when it passed Penny was left in her sealed state. Her white hair had grown a few inches and had taken on a neon blue color that slowly faded to a neon yellow as it neared the tips. Her eyes were a bright gold and she was dressed in simple casual street wear, a light jacket, a tight fitting shirt and loose fit jeans along with a pair of sneakers to finish the ensemble. She found it ironic that ever since joining up with Beacon she had found herself staying in her monstrous state more often then she preferred, but figured that it was due to paranoia towards most of the organizations members.

With a shrug Penny took of her jacket and tossed it on to one of the chairs before leaning back in to the couch. She was fully prepared to stay seated as she worked through the jumble of emotions that Thalia was capable of evoking in her when she heard the Kettle start to whistle. With a sigh Penny pushed herself up and went about fixing herself a cup of Earl Gray.

Penny had just set her mug down to let it steep when she heard the front door open up and the tail end of a conversation. Turning to look she was greeted with the sight her friend Chloe running towards her moments before the other girl tackled her with a hug, one that Penny was happy to return.

“Should never have told you it was named that” Penny snorted but smiled all the same “But I’m having one of my better days at the moment, been kind of a rough month.” Penny would answer with a half-smile “how about you how have you been?” she would ask before noticing the rather nondescript girl that Chloe had brought in with her.

“Who’s the new friend?”

---

_Curiosity

”Nice to meet you Kimble” Kyle would reply with an easy smile as he watched bemused as Sally proceeded to pet the catgirl, it was working in calming the feline down so he figured that it was a common enough situation for the people here. Kimble’s answer to the question about her story just brought up more questions than it did answers really, but it told him something about Alicia if nothing else. He pondered for a moment about why it was the Beckoners were okay with this, before shrugging the thought away.

“I’m also curious about the robot, is her story similar to yours? And is it just the two of you?” He would ask as he dropped to sit across form Kimble “I just arrived here, so sorry if you’ve gone over this a thousand times already, it’s not something I’ve encountered before.” He explains with a shrug “And how about you two?” He would continue looking between Summer and Sally as he did “How did you gals come to be working with Beacon? I’d be willing to bet my story is the most ridiculous of the bunch.” He would add with a chuckle at the prospect of being able to explain his origin story once again.

Inside the Hidden Leaf Village. |Shifter_Master & EasilyAmused|

Sorry if it feels a bit bland, haven't been in a very writing mood this week due to all the DnD that is happening