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Hey, welcome back to the mad house Hero
















I haven't forgotten it, and I still have his write up on hand if he does show up, but you must admit that it would be odd to have tossed it in when there is no current magical girl that follows him out and about.

Also, I get the feeling that Penny's wealth will vanish quite quickly once the shop opens up with its new goods.
Yeah he would be willing to help since the curse had been going on for a while. I was tempted to add his profile to my post, but I wasn't sure if he would be showing up again.









both of them once again up for approval, though I don't know if Kyle will see much play just yet. Not the best and dual wielding characters.


.:⋮Ending with a Bang⋮:.


“Called it” Penny would say aloud, even if she was mostly talking to herself in regards to having been right about thinking that Dan had been trying to keep them here forever. She couldn’t say that she disliked this little enforced vacation, but that had a lot to do with Chloe. Everything else was either alright or a detriment.

With that in mind, Penny walked over towards the Twins on the Stage “Anything I can do to help?” She would ask them. Not seeing any reason to keep piling on the aggression towards Dan. Plus the chance to destroy a miniature world wasn't something she wanted to pass on, she might not need to break things anymore but that didn't mean the action didn't have appeal anymore.





-=Ǝ Heart of the matter E=-


Aurelio was a bit torn if he was to be honest. This Beach had been one of the better surprises that he had encountered in his time as a magic boy, and while the air tended to filled with friction when the various cliques started to bump into each, for the most part it had been a place of Joy and Comfort.

That said, “I must say that I’ve enjoyed the break you’ve been able to give us” Aurelio would say smiling “But, it would be a remiss if, we stayed here forever. The outside world is filled with danger and terror, yes. That’s why Beacon needs to be there. To help those that are in danger and the shield those that are afraid.” He would explain as he strode towards Dan “I would enjoy the opportunity to return, however, as you have quite the gift when it comes to making an atmosphere of fun.”

He would extend a hand for the Dolphin to shake “Until then, it has been a pleasure”


&
Cindy


.:⋮Offers and Projects⋮:.


Cindy had watched the recent match of Penny versus Kimble on a television fitted to the cafe, and thus knew of the outcome by the time it was time for the next match. She spent some time talking with Sylvia, and happened to notice that Penny was looking at her after her previous conversation. “Ah, hello there Penny. Would you care to join us for a drink or two?” She offered with a friendly smile while sitting by the counter. “I can pay for you if you don’t have enough magical coins.” Sylvia nodded. “Oh, this is excellent timing; I need to go talk with Kimble, so Penny here can keep you company. Until we meet again.” And with that, the silver-haired girl left the bar, leaving the two in a cozy corner of the establishment. “So, what would you like to have?”

Penny pondered over the invite for a moment, she had been looking at the two of them out of surprise more than anything, not expecting anyone from Beacon to have a chat with Cindy. Regardless she shrugged before moving to to join Cindy in her corner.

Penny had no reason to turn down the offer, and she had been wanting a chance to apologize to the lightning based monster girl for how rude she had been when they first meet. Still the day was proving itself to be an interesting one for the robotic monster girl, as she had just spent a fair bit of time chatting with an Assassin and now it seemed she was going to be doing the same with a Queen.

Quite the turn of events so far.

“I’m just taking ice” Penny would reply, holding up her pitcher of mostly crushed, and mostly melted, ice for emphasis. “So don’t worry paying for mine” After turning down the offer for a drink she’d reach in and grab up one of the larger pieces of ice that still remained and start to grind it down slowly with her fingers.

“Before we move on I wanted to say sorry. I was kinda short with you last time we met, it had been a rough morning but that’s no excuse.” Penny said with sincerity, as she did feel bad about it, but one could tell her heart wasn’t fully in it as she was still drained from forcing her emotions down earlier.

Cindy nodded, and gestured for Valerie, a couple of coins extending between her fingers.. “She will be having a pitcher of ice.” Valerie sighed, rolling her eyes in mild irritation, but then conjured a bright smile. “Coming right up! Whatever our customer wants...even if it’s ice...” she muttered to herself as she went to the back. Cindy turned back to listen to Penny’s apology, and lifted an eyebrow in slight doubt. “Your apology...Is accepted. I admit, I understand how such feelings, as passionate as they can be, can lead one to act rashly.” She circled her index finger around the ring of her cup. “But it seems you have moved on, so we will leave it at that.” She smiled courteously. “So, have you considered my offer?” She would ask as she sipped on a straw. “We could use a strong fighter like you among our people.”

Penny let out a slight chuckle. It seems that no matter the time or place politics was always going to be just around the corner for her. “I’ll admit; not really, but to be fair it’s not because I’m uninterested. I just think it’s rude to accept help from someone just to bail right afterwards. Beacon helped me get out from under my prior Patron, bastard that he was, and membership with them was one of the conditions, something that I wasn’t opposed to.” Absently she picked out another cube of ice to crush as she spoke “I’m more than willing if it comes to helping you and yours out, but I can’t say I know you well enough that I would be willing to just abandon Beacon after they helped me out like they have” To say nothing about the ever growing tangle of deal’s, affiliations, and groups Penny was wrapped up in.

Cindy nodded, and took a sip of her drink. “So it is a matter of trust,” she stated, and happened to glance at Valerie who returned, a big bowl full of small ice cubes in one hand, and a glass of juice in the other. “Here you go; ice, and a free drink on the house. Please give it a try,” she added, before bowing courteously and heading back to work. Cindy made an amused giggle. “That poor girl thinks the problem is with the selection, when clearly you just want something to sublimate with your bare hands.” Her smile seemed to be genuine, though it changed to a frown as she looked at the cup before her.

“From what I have gathered, the Beacon has changed it’s stance on hunting corrupted girls, but have not eliminated the activity completely. They have a history of committing genocide on innocent people, and will do so as soon as they run out of scapegoats to blame. However, unlike the Puchuu who would cower behind their slaves, I am willing to take action against injustice, and ensure peace within Penrose. That is my duty, as leader of Penrose. Penny, are you truly happy with those people?” She then asked, having place a hand on the table. “Do they respect you, and treat you as an equal? Or do they actually see anything else but an abomination or freak, sent to die first on the frontlines so that proper magical girls have a better chance of survival?”

Penny was quiet as she considered Cindy’s word and despite her face remaining calm a red glow would start to emanate from her eyes until she let out a sigh and dropped her head into her hands. “It’s not just wanting to break something, but also the fact that I just don't trust the Dolphin” She would stall before lifting her head to look at Cindy as she spoke.

“Happy?” She would echo before bobbing her head side to side “With the work, mostly. With the people? A few are good people and some are good friends, their tech department even helped me improve my legs” She added with a small smile, which hardly lasted before she had a frown of her own “But respect and equal? Something tells me you already know the answer to that one. The really sad thing is that I’ve been on the receiving end of a pitch like this one before” She let out a sigh as she grabbed a handful of ice crushing it easily “It still rings just as true now, as it did then. Back then I made a stupid mistake and I’m not feeling up to doing so again” The Black Coin deal was still the most idiotic thing Penny had felt she had done.

“So” She would add before Cindy could reply “Rather then jump head first in to it, I’m kinda curious as to what exactly you’d be having me do.”

Cindy clasped her fingers together, and leaned back on her seat. “As a matter of fact, I do have a job that would require your help. However, as you have stated, I would first like for us to get to know each other better. Not just in social terms, but also in how we operate.” She took a sip. “There are many monster girls in Penrose who are, by all intents, homeless. They are afraid of settling in to any single spot due to the threat of Beacon looming over the populated districts. One of my first imperatives has been in the building of safe and comfortable shelters. Unfortunately we don’t have many Metal specialists in our forces.” She then smiled. “But you are a Metal specialist, yes? I hear you have even constructed a walking fortress.”

At this revelation Penny couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh softly. “Yeah I’m a Metal girl, also have Lightning Spec.” She would confirm “But I haven't built a walking fortress, but I did earn a rolling one. Earth Bastion, it’s the titanic battle ship you might have seen off the shore. It’s mine, and I mean mine. Not sure how but it’s bonded to me, not loaned out through a patron.” She would say as she leaned back into her chair a smile starting to form for the first time since she entered the bar “And if you want to set up shelters you’re going to want to start near the abandoned factory district on the west side. Most full monsters have learned to avoid the area, and it’s far outside of Beacon’s normal patrol paths. Plus a lot of the building there share piping between them, old oil pipes I think, so some of them have built in bolt holes if needed or an easy way to move around between the buildings”

“I know all of this” She would continue her smile just widening even as she snagged a few more cubes of ice to grind away at absently “Because it’s where my Lair is. Which I just so happened to have spent the last week and a half renovating to turn it into a Sanctuary for destitute Dark Magical girls and Monster girls.” Penny's smile was nearly smug as she explained, but the earnest look in her spoke to her joy at this turn of events “So as I said, I might not be up to joining you just yet. But I am more than willing to work alongside you, especially for this.”

Cindy clapped her palms together; a radiant smile was on her lip, and a warm, crackling glow colored her cheeks. “Oh, that was yours? I assumed it was a battleship Dan had made to prevent escape over the seas. I any case, this news is most excellent.” She leaned towards Penny, having offered her a hand. “I look forward to you working for us, but…” She seemed to be in thought.”Do you accept a Red Coin as payment?” She happened to ask, and took one of the ice cubes from her bowl and put it in her drink. “I would like to show my appreciation for what would be a contracting job in the human world.”

Penny accepted the offered hand still smiling “I haven't bothered trying escaping with it, something tells me all I’d find is endless water or would just wrap around back to the other side” She’d explain before sitting back to ponder the payment. It wouldn’t take long before she shrugged “Sure, I’ve seen the results of a Red before sounds like a decent payment.” It was something that Penny had wanted to get a hold of before her encounter with the White Coin. At the moment there was still something that the Red Coin might be able to help her with but all together it wasn’t something that Penny wanted as strongly as before. Still never know when one might need an Ace up their sleeve.

Cindy stood up, and offered a hand to Penny. “Wonderful. Then we are in agreement. Once we are back in Penrose, I will send workers to the location you have specified and begin working. Now, I must be off; the next Keijo match is about to begin, and I must admit, I am intrigued to see more of this ludicrous sport.” She then left the cafe, having paid for their drinks to Valerie on her way out.

“See ya round” Penny would call out as Cindy left before settling in. Letting out a quiet sigh as she let her thoughts drift back to why she had wanted to come here in the first place. Unsure for how long she would have her solitude she started to try and work through her internal issues.

But first “Could I get some more Ice please?”


&

Kimble


.:⋮Rough Waters⋮:.


It was early into the second day of the Vacation and Penny was bored. The mood of the island was mostly excited, most of the others seemed to have gotten caught up in the hype for Keijo, but even with the success of her new outfit Penny wasn’t really interested.

Instead she was browsing the shop again, looking at the non-magical things while she contemplated how to spend the day. Currently she was eyeing one of the surfboards, wondering if it would be worth the effort of trying if she was just going to sink when she fell off.

It was there when she noticed Kimble also browsing the wares; she seemed to walk along the borders of the shop, passing by the doll shelf more than once or twice. Penny noticed that even if she tried to hide it, Kimble’s attention was focused on the Alicia doll. “Nnyeh...” She whimpered quietly, and opened her palm; she had a single Gold Coin, and not much else.
“It’s so expensive...”

At first Penny didn’t pay too much attention to the wandering cat girl. But as she noticed Kimble lap the shop, yet again, she stopped to watch, curious as to what it could be that was on the other girls mind. Learning that it was the doll of Alicia that had the normally chipper monster girl down was confusing, at least until she heard the quiet complaint Kimble had.

Penny just stayed back and processed what that meant, but after a bit she would give a small shrug and short shake of her head before she start walking over to the other Monstergirl “You’ve got it bad, don’t ya” she’d say as she came up next to Kimble an understanding smile on her face.

Kimble looked a bit surprised upon hearing Penny speak to her, having not immediately recognized her due to her change in bikinis, and tried to quickly hide her hands behind her. “N-Nyah? I was just...browsing...” She averted her eyes, her cheeks puffed like a child who made a weak attempt at lying. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll never get the Mistress doll.” She pointed towards the item, a pair of puppy dog eyes, or in this case, kitten eyes, on her face.
“It’s so many Gold Coins. I usually stay at home, so I don’t get many opportunities to earn money, nyah.”

“Well…” Penny would start as she turned her attention to the small plush of Alicia. “Can’t fault you for taste.” She continued as an idea popped into her head. “And I might be able to help you get closer to the five gold you need for it.” Penny would offer turning back to Kimble as she did.

“The dolphin mentioned that Gold Coins were a participation prize for Keijo,” Penny would explain. “I honestly don’t see the appeal playing it, but If you want however we could set up an exhibition match between us.” And if along the way to the arena, the two of them talked about their mutual friend all the better.

Kimble’s mouth opened as she briefly processed the suggestion Penny gave to her, followed by a gasp. “Thank you so much, Penny!” She hugged the busty girl, causing one of her fluffy ears to tickle the crevice of her chest. “I was hesitant to participate because nobody else didn’t seem to want to try it, but this is perfect! Let’s go, nyah!” She removed herself from her, and waggled her tails as a sign of utter joy, taking her hand and pulling her towards the domed building like a kid in Disneyland. “So you are Mistress’ friend, right? How long have you known her?” She asked numerous questions about Alicia, including what kind of person she was, her hobbies, and even the type of food she likes. “Also also, is she allergic to anything? I am allergic to catnip, nyeh.”

Penny was caught off guard by the sudden affection, but other than a small cry of surprise didn’t really react other than to tentatively return the hug, during which Kimble might have noticed that Penny was notably colder than yesterday. Internally she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, glad that her modification to the swimsuit was working.

“Yeah, Alicia was one of the first people I met in Penrose in fact,” she would explain as she allowed herself to be pulled along by the joyous catgirl. “And while that was only a few months ago feel like it has been a lot longer.” Penny did her best to answer every question thrown at her, something she guessed at, which she was up front about, but having spent a fair bit of time hanging with Alicia felt she had reasonable answers.

“No allergies that I am aware of. Yours sounds like it come up a lot unfortunately,” she sympathized with Kimble, being allergic to catnip while being a cat girl likely ended up poorly. “And before you ask her favorite color is Orange” Penny would preempt the other girl, shaking her head at the enthusiasm Kimble had towards learning more about Alicia. “Reminds her of the fall season.”

“I don’t mind it,” Kimble answered. “Catnip isn’t that common, and I can smell it from far away.” Kimble kept nodding at the various answers, skipping on the yellow brick road like Dorothy in the land of Oz. “Orange, nya! Thanks for letting me know, Penny. You’re a good friend!”

“I take it you’ve had a thing for her since she helped you out?” Penny slipped in the gap of questions being tossed her way. “And is calling her Mistress a holdover or just a personal thing?” she would add on, honestly curious about that particular verbal tic.

They were now at the gates of the arena when Penny gave her a set of questions. Kimble hopped on top of one of the statues’ heads, crouching on it and resembling a cat about to pounce.
“Mistress is Mistress,” she answered, as if that was obvious. “She means a lot to me, nyah!”

She hopped off the statue, and continued her way to the counter, where Dan was accepting applications to the tournament. “Welcome, welcome! Will you two participate in the competition?” He asked, and Kimble nodded enthusiastically. “Nyes! I want my first round to be against Penny, too!” Dan hesitantly nodded. “O-Ok, but are you sure? Penny here would be more suited for fighting someone like Amaryllis or Ronja...” Kimble reached her arms down the desk, pouting. “No, I want to fight her. It is fine, nhh.” Dan sighed. “Sure kid, but, don’t push yourself too much,” he warned, giving a look at Penny especially.

Oddly enough Kimble’s assessment of Alicia did make sense to Penny, or at least she thought she understood it. Some people were just important, and defied normal explanations. Idly she wondered if that situation was a monster girl thing.

Her musings were interrupted by Dan, and she returned his look with one of her own, one that was thoroughly unimpressed. “Shouldn’t judge by looks alone” Penny would say as she filled out the registration information “Kimble’s more than capable of surprising you otherwise.”

Handing over the paper Penny would ask “Any other rules we should know about, other than what you said the other day?

Dan took the paper with two fins, and sent it fluttering away in the shape of a butterfly. “Nothing much, really. The match has a time limit of five minutes, and if neither side has won before the end, the match is considered a defeat for both sides. Other than that, what I’ve stated applies.” Dan next clapped his fins together, and a portal began glowing. “Now, off you go. I’ll announce the fight to begin, and then you can start!” He then hovered up into the air, and flew right through a portal. “I’m so excited, nya!” Kimble enthusiastically meowed, and leapt through the portal.

With a sigh Penny followed after “Here goes nothing” She’s mutter to herself as she did.

When Penny followed her through the misty archway, she found herself in a coliseum, the middle of it sunk into a water-filled pool. She was standing on one corner of a circular platform that floated slightly above the surface of the water; it was made of stainless steel on the bottom and sturdy but pleasant polystyrene on the top, and resembled a gigantic coin with Dan’s face on the bottom side. Kimble was crouched down on the opposite side, peering down at the water-filled pool and the ring of seats; she waved at somebody in the audience.
“Mistress! Look, I’m gonna do Keijo, nya!”

Dan popped up in the center, dressed like a wrestling referee. “And now, the moment you’ve waited for; a match of the century, right here at Isla Paradiso!” A spotlight appeared over him as he pointed towards Kimble. “Here in the west corner, we have the Dust Devil, the Fanged Speedster, a genuine animal of a contender who can land a slam faster than the blink of an eye! It’s KIIIII-MBLEEEE!” He shouted, adding a rumble to his voice. Kimble bounced around to the noise of clapping that could be heard in the audience, happy as can be for the attention.

“And in the east, we have the heaviest of heavyweights with kilograms in the triple digits, may I present to you the Titaness, the Juggernaut with power to crack diamonds with her buttcheeks, PEEEEE-NYYY” Once again clapping could be heard, including Kimble who smiled as she hopped in place, immersed in the hype. “Woo, Penny!”

Dan waited for the noise to settle down, and continued. “These two good friends are now about to butt heads, and settle things in a showdown for the ages. Contestants, at the count of ten! One, tw-TEN!” He shot up in a blast of sparkling water, and Kimble’s cute cat-smile turned feral, with fangs bared on her lips. “Nya-ha! Prepare yourself!” She launched forward, carried by green winds as she aimed to slam her butt right at Penny’s collarbone. “I’ll prove myself to Mistress, and earn her love! And then, we’ll be together at last, nyah!”

Almost from the moment she had stepped out onto the arena Penny had her head in her hands. Yes, it had been her idea, and yes she was here willingly, but did it have to be so cringy? Her own introduction doing nothing to diminish that belief. Shaking her head she focused on her opposition, after all she had an idea of what was coming next and even with the skipped countdown Kimble’s feral assault was what Penny had been expecting. Having already seen the normally docile cat girl very quickly turn savage during the volleyball match.

Penny dropped to the floor to avoid the incoming attack, but just as quickly as she was out of danger launched herself back up ready to hip check Kimble out of the air if her repost landed. “That’s a nice dream and all” She’d remark mid-counter “But without talking to her are you sure it’ll lead anywhere?”

Kimble bit her lip, and managed to make just enough of a curve in her trajectory to only take a glancing hit from Penny’s hip check that nonetheless created distance between the two. “Nyah! I have!” She answered, and the green winds intensified around her, forming small whirlpools of wind around her limbs. “Last night, I confessed my love to Mistress!”
She dove down to the middle of the platform facing away from Penny; having landed with all four of her limbs. “She is going through a lot, but she was still so kind and understanding! That is why I will win, nya! I’ll show Mistress I’m dependable!”
She then launched much like a leaping feline but in reverse, aiming to strike at Penny’s lower body; now she moved even faster than before, as she had eliminated some of the air resistance slowing her down.
“Cat Pounce Special!”

Penny had to hand it to Kimble, she knew how to go after what she wanted. Granted a lot of these heartfelt declarations lost their impact due to the ridiculous nature of Keijo, but hey credit where credit is due.

Diving over Kimble’s attack, Penny rolled to a stop a few feet from the edge. She had learned what she wanted to, said what she wanted to, it was time to end this. “That sounds like her alright, but you are going to need more than what you’ve shown so far.” Penny taunted lightly as she opened her arms showing that she was both wide open and untouched “Give me your best shot.”

Kimble hissed as her high-speed slam was once again dodged with a jump. She flew in a circle around, causing a miniature storm wind to pick up. “I’ll give it my everything! Because Mistress...She told me she wants to do lots of fun things with me, nyah! She even brought me to her cottage when I fell asleep!” Her hair was now flowing behind her, picked up by magical winds. “But enough is enough! Even if it’s impossible, as long as Mistress is there to cheer me onnyah, I won’t give up!”

She charged forward, her sharp teeth grit and pupils turned slitted like a cat’s. And then, she and quickly spun around and began performing attacking faster than the eye can follow, dealing out a rapid onslaught of bullet-speed slams.



“BUTT GATLING!”

To those in the crowd it likely looked as if Penny was being overwhelmed by the ferocious attack, as her body jerked this way and that due to the rapid fire rush, a look of shock on her features as she was pushed closer and closer to the edge of the arena. Near a fitting end for a Heel that seemed to look down upon the feisty feline.

But the truth of it was that Penny hardly noticed the assault raining down on her.

She was stuck on what Kimble had said, and about what it meant. Kimble had confessed, Alicia had been kind and understanding, and now Alicia wanted to spend time with Kimble.

Her quiet realization would be lost under Kimble’s battle cry. “Oh...”

Between one hit and the next Penny did what she had been planning since the start, and subtlety hopped backwards, allowing Kimble’s attack to knock her off the platform and into the water with a mighty splash. No one would notice the look of heartbreak that would cross her face as she quickly sank to the bottom.

Kimble grimaced as her rear clanged against Penny’s metallic frame; much like repeatedly punching an iron sheet would lead to bruised knuckles, so did her attack quickly leave her pained in the behind. Deep inside, she knew it was hopeless; Penny was the strongest and sturdiest fighter she ever knew, and would likely brush off her slams. However, she did seem to slightly move, so Kimble did not let up, and eventually she tipped over, causing a wave of water to erupt from the pool under the platform. The catgirl fell to her knees and elbows, panting heavily from the strain; she pushed herself to the very limit with the last attack. “Nhh...Nhh...I...wonhh...”
Dan’s eyes widened in cartoony fashion, and he floated down to the stage. “I...I can’t believe it. Against all odds, Kimble has scored a miraculous victory!” He lifted Kimble’s arm up. “Congratulations! You are now one step closer to becoming the Keijo champion, and may proceed to the next round.” Kimble nodded, making a low purring sound, and slowly crawled over to peer over the edge. “Pennyah...Are you okay?”



At the bottom of the pool Penny would let out a tired sigh, yet no bubbles came out. The action was ingrained, most of her mannerisms were, but the act of breathing had long since stopped being a requirement for the robotic girl.

‘I should have expected something like this’

She was very, very tempted to just stay down here for a while. She couldn’t do that though, not only was there going to be other matches, but it wouldn’t surprise her if there were cameras in the water, and she didn’t want someone watching as she came to terms this latest surprise.

With another breathless sigh, she pushed herself to stand, hardly noticing the added pressure from being at the bottom of the pool, and began climbing up a ladder built to the side of the pool that reached the bottom. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to swim, and more to do with that she couldn’t. Too heavy, too dense, for her human frame to support itself in water.

Kimble’s lips wavered as she waited for a short moment for a response, and then saw what looked like Penny moving in the bottom. “Pennyah! You’re safe! Oh, thank Beacon! I was worried!” Dan smiled. “She’s all right folks! Because she is a robot, even if she can’t swim, she is in no risk of drowning. By now she has reached the ladder, and will soon join us.” Even if Kimble had no obligation to wait for Penny to come back, she still waited, her tails waggling erratically to show her worried state. Finally, as the beautiful girl surfaced, the crowd clapped, and Kimble went over to help her get back up. “Penny! I was really worried, you know!” Kimble hugged her, even as a towel was given for her to dry up; she flicked her ears in reflex upon having cold water on her, but nonetheless she kept to her familiar antics. “Looks like I caught you by surprise, right?” She asked, a cute cat-smile on her face, only to turn into lip-biting one as she crouched down and placed her hand behind her. “I practiced that move a lot, nya, and I succeeded in making my butt move super fast. But it hurts to use, nyeh.. Maybe I’ll need to get a stronger butt too.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m fine. Learned yesterday that I sink like a stone” Penny apologised as she half returned the hug before accepting the towel that was offered to her “Didn’t mean to worry you. You definitely caught me by surprise at the end though” She would agree with a sheepish smile. Though her smile was just a touch brittle and she was referring to something rather different than what Kimble was. “I don’t really have any advice for using that technique in Keijo, though I think I might have been one of the worst matchups for it, so you should be good for the rest of the tournament” came her explanation before giving a tired shrug.

“Anyway congrats on your win, but I think I’m going to take a break from all of Keijo and head to the juice bar” Penny would say, giving a small wave with her fingers before turning towards the exit. “I’ll try and swing by later to spectate some of your matches though” she say over her shoulder as she walked away, carefully measuring her step so it didn’t seem like she was running away.

Because Penny wanted to break something, anything almost, just render whatever she could get her hands on into rubble due to the hurt, but it wasn’t Kimble’s fault. Penny knew that cat girl hadn’t meant anything hurtful by what she said, likely didn’t even know that Penny had confessed her own feelings to Alicia once before as well, so she was going to step away as quickly as was polite.

“Thanks for cheering me on, Penny! I promise to make you and Mistress both proud of me, nyah.” Kimble spoke with a purr-like sound to it, and nodded as Penny turned to leave. “Okay then! See you later, Penny!” She waved at her, ignorant of the events that she had put in motion with her innocent, yet painful revelation.




.:⋮Mending Bridges⋮:.


Penny took a fortifying breath as she once again scanned the surrounding area. It was while into this vacation and as much as she would like to avoid it, now would be the best time to handle this latest snag.

Hovering just on the edge of her vision was a picture that she had gotten from Chloe. It was sent the same day it had been snapped and it promised to make things difficult if she didn’t come to terms with it soon.

It was the picture of Chloe and Veronica.

What troubled the hidden cyborg was that it meant she was likely going to have to deal with Veronica again, because Chloe was going to be dealing with her. Meanwhile Penny was very undecided on the Ex-broker, as she simply didn’t have as much information as she would have liked.

That had all lead to this, Penny actively searching for the wayward shadow witch, as she needed to get an answer or two.

Fortunately, tracking down Veronica was not hard. She was moving all over the place, and it was just a matter of time before Penny and her bumped into each other. She was reclining in a chaie by one of the island’s many beaches. Her swimsuit had changed again, it seemed.



Her middle and index finger were pressed against the side of her head, eyes staring intently at something in the distance. But it wasn’t long before she looked at Penny out of the corner of her eye and pulled her hand away from her head. “Yes?” She used her other hand to pick up a drink

“You have a moment?” Penny would ask “Figure we need to have a talk. To clear the air between us.” It was obvious that the mechanical girl wasn’t looking forward to this. She still felt as if she had been betrayed by Veronica, as she had given her ‘tainted’ metal, but the truth was that she didn’t know if it was intentional or not.

The internal strife was momentarily forgotten however when a different fact made itself known. “Did… did you really change swimsuits again?” she would ask with a notable amount of incredulity in her voice.

Veronica nodded. “Of course, you sound surprised that someone like myself would-” She suddenly raised an eyebrow.. “Wait, again? That implies I changed it more than once.”

“Yes, again. That’s not what you were wearing when you were talking to Amaryllis, nor was it what you were wearing when you were with Chloe.” Penny would explain as she took a seat in one of the lounging chairs next to Veronica her eyes towards the ocean.

Veronica stroked her chin “I see.” She placed her hand on the arm of her chair. “It doesn’t really matter I suppose. Regardless, what exactly needs clearing?”

She was quiet for a moment as she worked to order her thoughts, when she spoke again her voice was quieter than normal but was otherwise neutral “Did you know that Elroy was an enemy of mine when you bought the Metal from him?”

“I knew that Elroy and you had fought once. But I was not aware of any long standing rivalry between the two of you.” She placed her hands together. “It’s not like I hand selected the person who made the supplies you called for. The bates were in Penrose and capable of crafting the materials you requested, so they were commissioned for the work. It was probably an oversight on my part to tell them who the metal was for, but I needed to make sure that they weren’t going to attack you down the road. And they didn’t the entire time they were employed for the mint. It was only because they decided to start a world ending ritual that Elroy was able to take advantage of you There was time to warn you about this, but between avoiding mint assassins and managing my own faction, I was unable to recall the fight you two had a month a go. I did not foresee the possibility that you two might be squaring off against each other in a sea of other magical girls.” She held the glass to her lips. ”It certainly wasn’t a ploy to eliminate you. I would dispatch Silhouette instead of some rambunctious punk if that was the case.”

Penny nodded at the explanation given. She didn’t like it, her white knuckled fists was proof enough of that, but she understood it at least. Especially since her hate towards Elroy was mixed up in her emotional issues.

“How confident were you that Thalia was Vixen?” She would ask next, her voice still steady and quiet

"After our discovery in the cave, and your confirmation that the flute belonged in the Thalia, it is only reasonable to assume she was a victim or the perpetrator." She took a sip from her glass. "But given how the vixen was described, the chances of her being the latter were fairly high."

Another nod and a repressed sigh. Penny’s thoughts had been along the same lines as Veronica’s when she had first learned about it. Hence why she had been cautious about giving up any information about Thalia back when she had been searching for her.

“Why, Chloe?” She asked, her voice wavering as she did. For at the heart of it all that was what Penny was most worried about.

Veronica looked at Penny out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not sure I follow. We're not an item, if that is what has you concerned."

Penny scoffed lightly, that wasn’t her worry “Why did you seek her out?” She would clarify “I don’t believe that she’s only one that you’ve been talking with, but considering our track record she’s the one I’m worried for. After all every time we meet something bad tends to follow.”

With a deep sigh, Veronica placed her glass in the sand, where a shadow promptly swallowed it. "Penny." She spoke without making eye contact. "You`re talking to me the same way a brat might talk to their older sister. Do you feel our relationship is that intimate?" She turned her head. "Because it's not. What we had was a simple employer/employee relationship that should have been terminated as soon as I left the Mint." Veronica looked away from Penny again, her eyes were soft. "I`m not sure why I decided to keep helping you afterwards, but it clearly wasn't appreciated." With a blink, her expression hardened. "My meeting with Chloe was supposed to be secret. We were the only ones who knew, so the only way you could know is if she told you." She reclined in her seat. "If she didn't tell you, she probably doesn't want you to know. Regardless, I have no intention of speaking about our encounter." Her glass appeared in her hand again. "You`re Beacon now anyway. It wouldn't be very good form to share too much about Chloe with you."

“I agree that our relationship should have ended with Mint” Penny would agree still looking out towards the ocean “And my lack of appreciation has a lot to do with the outcomes of things that you helped put in place, getting one’s back ripped open tends to do that.” Anger bled into her voice and Penny stopped to take a calming breath. Veronica was good at getting under Penny’s skin and the robotic girl wasn’t sure why.

“And while true she didn’t tell me, but a picture of you two sitting on a throne of shot glasses speaks loud enough. Besides” Penny would finally turn to look at Veronica “I’m living with Chloe.That means that we are going to be running into each other more often regardless of how we feel about each other.” She would explain, the tension draining away from her leaving only weary resignation. “I’d prefer that it those encounters at least be amicable”

"Amicable..." Veronica's hands slid over Penny`s shoulders, at some point during their conversation, she must have teleported behind her. But Penny hadn't noticed when. "So let me see if I understand this correctly. You have done nothing but take from me. The metal was cursed gift, sure, but it did work without a hitch up until that point. The other items you asked for worked perfectly, not to mention that I helped you figure out a few things about the vixen despite having no obligation to do so. Since then, you have complained tirelessly about my most minute failings and allied yourself with one, possibly two organizations that wish to kill me. And you have the audacity to approach me during my vacation for an interrogation. Telling me how little my help is appreciated, that you don't trust me, and hate me for events that were beyond my control." Veronica's tone held little emotion, but Penny might have been able to feel her grip tighten on her shoulders. "But you want me to be nice to you regardless. Am I understanding that correctly?"

“Considering that you have lied to me, demeaned me, and are even now making assumptions of me. it seemed like the best place to start.” Penny’s voice had gone near completely flat, with only a whisper of anger noticeable as under Veronica’s hands she would feel razor sharp spikes starting to grow as electricity openly crackled along Penny’s arms. “After all, You were the one to first start hostilities. You invaded my lair, my space and my past. Yet even now, the only person who knows that we know each other is you. I have complained tirelessly about the Mint, never you specifically, yet you seemed to take them as personal attacks regardless.” Slowly Penny’s body started to shift and rotate around in decidedly inhuman ways, till all but her head was now facing towards Veronica, the illusion glitching out due to the unnatural movements. “I have also thanked you for your help and not complained about the tasks you have delegated to me, but you seemed to not care about that either, so I guess that I shouldn’t be surprised that when I asked to talk you took it as a command, rather than a request that went both ways.” At last Penny's head world rotate around to once again face her conversation partner her eyes a blazing crimson “I came here to try and understand what was circumstance what was poor judgment and what was malicious, but if I am just wasting our time I can leave, because no I don’t trust you, and you have given me little reason to do so.”

Penny`s interesting way of turning to face Veronica did not seem to rattle her much. But she did notice the coin broker`s face was noticeably more red than normal. "I see." She nodded. "The way you describe me, I don't sound like a trustworthy person at all. I would regard someone like that as an enemy. A threat at the very least. I'm surprised you haven’t attacked me yet." She looked away from Penny. "And it is that you haven't done so yet that I am intrigued. I can`t think of a single reason why you would keep giving me more chances. Unless… Unless..." Her hands slid up Penny's shoulders and onto her head. When Veronica's head snapped back towards her, she was wearing a vicious smile. "You want to get closer to me?"

The spikes under Veronica’s hands would roll and flow with her changing grip, and there was a moment of stunned silence from the mechanical girl, but it didn’t take long for Penny to slowly reach up and take hold of Veronica’s hands and firmly remove them. “You left the Mint of your own volition” Penny would state as she stood and stepped away. The glow of her eyes dimming as she did. “And then you helped me learn the truth about Thalia. Those actions are why I’m giving you a pass, because as I said we are going to be seeing more of each other due to Chloe.”

"Of course." Veronica pulled her hands free and walked back over to her chair. By this point her smile had become a distant memory. "My interests and Chloe’s appear to align for the time being, and she is someone I’d like to keep as an ally. Naturally I will need to cooperate with her allies if we are to make any headway together, which includes you." She sloshed her drink in her glass before looking at Penny. "Any other concerns?"

Penny just stared at Veronica for a moment before letting out a frustrated huff “I’m never going to understand you, am I?” she asked rhetorically pinching the bridge of her nose, the electricity and spikes retracting as she did so.

“None more on my end” She would add as she returned to her own chair, choosing to recline in it this time “I’ll admit I’m not fully sure what you or Chloe are planning, but I’ve been working on starting up a… Sanctuary I guess you could call it. A place where Monster girls and Dark magicals who don’t have any real support can find some help. That’s my goal in all of this right now.”

"It sounds like a mess and something that is going to create a lot of drama in the magical world." Veronica downed the rest of her glass before tossing it into a shadow. "I’m intrigued. I’ll need some time to think about it however. Between waging war on the mint and keeping my faction together, I don’t have a lot set aside to donate to charities."

“There is always drama in the community” Penny would reply with a shrug “I hardly think my Sanctuary will cause all that much more. Regardless I only just recently got the refits done anyway, so you’ve got plenty of time to think.”

“Any other grievances you want to air out or situations you want to get straightened?” Penny would ask after a bit of silence.

"If I had any to begin with, I’d have approached you first." She reclined in her chair. "Be careful who you tell about Chloe and I. The mint is trying to kill me, and it would be a shame if they decided to kill her too, you know?"

“I know” Penny would reply simply. She was accustomed to keeping secrets, she had plenty of them at the moment, after all, one more wasn’t going to be difficult.


&


.:⋮Beach Bonding⋮:.


Penny was wondering near the pools looking for at the various jacuzzi that were littered around. She had learned that she was unfortunately unable to swim, not due to lack of skill, but due to her weight in her true form.

She suspected that if she donned her disguise she could go for a swim, but that would open up various questions about things that she didn’t want to have to explain. The fact that it would leave her vulnerable when surrounded by in-costume magicals also had a lot to do with her reluctance.

So Instead she was looking for a hot tub to lounge around in for a bit. She eventually found one that was a fair bit more secluded then most of them, but still gave a decent view of the beach front.

“Ah, Hey Penny watch-oof.” Penny would suddenly feel something slam into her, not hard, but just enough to possibly knock her off balance. Chloe had successfully managed to prevent herself from knocking over Penny, instead giving her an impromptu hug. She'd be vaguely aware of Chloe's chest smooshing into hers before the dark magical girl managed to pull herself away.

“Whew, friendly piece of advice? Don't drink and fly, heh.” She grinned, cheeks a bit red from the alcohol still.

Her current luck of people running into her had Penny ready to react to the moment she heard her name called out. Still the pseudo-dive bombing hadn’t been what she had been expecting, so she stumbled a bit regardless. A part of her relished the contact and was sad that it ended once they detangled from each other.

“Not sure I’d have to worry about that” Penny would say with a smile at the realization for the collision “Found out recently that normal alcohol has basically zero effect on me.” She continued as she sat down on the edge of the hot tub and dangled her legs in the warmer waters.

“Mind if I ask the reason for the drinking?”

“Oh you know, summer time and the festivities, heh.” Chloe giggled, climbing into the hot tub next to Penny. “Had a date with a new friend. She made some drinks and I wasn't about to say no.” She swam to the other side of the hot tub, leaning against the edge and letting her arms rest on the ground as she lounged. “After getting dunked in the pool and covered in alcohol, this hot tub feels great. How's the beach treating you?”

Penny just rolled her eyes at Chloe but still had an indulgent smile, in all likelihood Penny knew who it was Chloe had made friends with, she knew most of the people on the island after all. “Poorly” Came her reply as she slid more fully into the water “Whoever dragged us all here put a dual layered illusion on me so it feels like I’m not in my true form and people keep running into me. It’s the reason I chose this tub, It’s out of the way. Also learned that I can’t swim I just end up sinking” She explained with a shrug. The last bit sucked, but the upside to it was that she could just walk along the ocean floor if she wanted to go exploring, or the bottom of the pool if she wanted to freak someone out.

“I’m hoping the activities are more enjoyable. Got an idea for who I could team up with for the sporting events and I’m planning on going solo for the squirt gun fight, but I’m not sure yet about anything else.” Penny went on, as not all was all bad as there was still hope on the horizon.

“You have any plans for later?” She would ask wading over to the same side as Chloe as she did.

“Sporting events, huh?” Chloe tilted her head to the side. She wasn't really into sports herself, so honestly she wasn't sure what else she would do here. Well, aside from Keijo. “Ah, not much. I'm just gonna socialize, mostly. Might go say hi to Beacon later. Gonna go give Keijo a try, though.” She giggled. “You should join, too. It'll be great!”

“Hah. I doubt that” Penny shuddered slightly at the thought of playing Keijo turning a sharp look at Chloe “I don’t like people touching me as it is, why would I want to enter something that is solely that?” She shook her head again at the thought “No, only reason I can think of joining would be to get the Gold and then taking a dive”

“Well, that's about what I expected.” Chloe pouted a bit. “Guess I'll just have to join so you can watch me sweep the competition.” She cast an impish smirk over to Penny. “You will come watch me at least, hmm? Cheer me on from the sidelines?”

“Of.. course I will” Penny narrowed her eyes for a moment. She had been expecting Chloe to try harder to convince her to join Keijo and was a bit caught out that hadn’t happened. With an internal shrug she put it out of her mind, assuming it was because the other girl was tipsy, and turned her attention towards the ocean view.

She wondered briefly what the others were doing, but just generally just let herself relax and enjoy the moment. A thought slowly emerged as she sat and she acted on it before she could think differently “You look really cute in that by the way”

“Heh, thanks. You look good in yours, too.” Chloe giggled, cozying up next to Penny. Cute, was she? Penny was right to wonder why Chloe hadn't tried harder to get her into Keijo. Its because there was a very specific other reason she was about to ask about. “...but am I cute enough to do a small teensy tiny favor for me?~”

“What’s the Favor?” Came the quick reply. Penny knew better then to agree outright to anything. Not that there was a whole lot that Chloe could ask that Penny wouldn’t help out with, but it was always better to know what one was agreeing to before they agreed to it.

“Hmm...hows your dancing?” Chloe asked innocently. “How about your singing?”

“I’m… Not sure” Penny would reply as she stopped to actually think about the questions. Neither of those were things that she had done since she had joined the community. “My dancing should be pretty decent. I’ve got the physicality for it but I don’t know any steps.” She would answer cautiously after a moment “As for singing…” she just shrugged, “I’ve got no idea, never done much before or after my introduction to the community, though I should be at least passible. Why?”

“Oh you know,” Chloe grinned, coyly toying with a strand of her hair as she leaned on Penny. “I was thinking about putting on a stage show.”

“And you wanted me to join in I take it?” Penny would preempt, resisting the urge to wrap an arm over Chloe's shoulders. “Wouldn’t that out us to Beacon?”

“Haa, you're seriously concerned about that?” Chloe shrugged dismissively. Did she care? Not one bit. Eventually, Penny would need to make a choice anyways.

“Look,” Chloe huffed, folding her arms. “You moved in with me, but I hardly ever see you. You're always off doing things with Beacon, aren't you? Or doing whatever it is you've been working on with your lair. We hardly ever do anything together.” Chloe frowned, waving a hand. “If you want, just tell them I forced you to or whatever. They'd probably believe it.”

“Hey you’re the one who said I should keep it a secret” Penny said defensively before she let out a sigh as Chloe had a point. They did hardly see much of each other, and It was only because Penny moved in that they had seen each other at all.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. Rebuilding a Lair from the ground up wasn’t as easy as I thought it was going to be and I’m still not the most well received at Beacon, so I’ve been obsessing a bit over making sure those are taken care of.” She explained, this time acting on her impulse to give Chloe a side hug “But if you want me up there with you. I’ll be there. Promise. Not sure how I’ll explain it to Alicia or the rest of Beacon, as lying won’t work, but I can deal with that later. You just let me know when I need to show up kay?”

“Aha, really!?” Chloe grinned, latching onto Penny, aggressively hugging the other girl. Did she feel slightly bad about using the best friend card? Nope, not one little bit. “Excellent! I still gotta talk to some other girls, but I'll make sure you're there!” Maybe Xi or Delta once she found them would be willing to help. 'Chloe and the Archive girls' had an excellent ring to it.

“Well, now that that's out of the way.” Chloe released Penny from the hug, but decided to instead lean on the other girl. “Hey...” She began quietly, looking up at Penny. “...we're pretty alone right now.” She giggled quietly “...wanna...do something?~”

“Looking forward to it” Penny returned the hug, though not with as much enthusiasm as it was being given. She wondered what kind of song Chloe was wanting to put on and how she would explain it to Beacon, but in the end she was just glad to have made Chloe happy.

She also recognized the look in the petite spirit mages eye. Which caused the thoughts she had forced away earlier to start creeping back in, leading to a light blush forming. “Wha.. What kind of something?” Penny would ask, failing at her attempt of nonchalance.

“Oh, I think you know my pretty little Penny.” Chloe teased, smirking playfully. “Something involving something hot, maybe a bit rough and that could make quite a bit of a mess.”

Penny resembled a deer in the headlights as she struggled to keep her thoughts from racing away from her. Her blush growing a few shades darker proving that she hadn't been completely successful. With a forced breath she pried her thoughts back and forced herself to think. Chloe couldn’t be talking about what she thought she was right? Not when who knows could show up, right?

“I.. I’m not sure.” She swallowed nervously “Not sure. That I do know what you mean” Penny stammered out, her eyes darting everywhere but Chloe as she fought to contain her nerves.

“Hahaha, why so nervous?” Chloe giggled, climbing onto Penny's lap. “Afraid of who'd see us? Wouldn't that be the entire point? We'd have to make it noticeable otherwise it'd just be the two of us all by our lonesome. A little showing off never hurts anyone.”

Penny eyes snapped back to Chloe and she found herself unable to tear her gaze away from the girl in her lap. Her thoughts and emotions had become a giant conflicting jumble of contradictory wants and feelings. Slowly panic would start to rise up with her bringing with it a sense of focus. “Chloe” Penny would say softly a warning as much as a plea.

“So you don't want to help me build a sand castle?” She pouted.

There was a long pause as Penny processed what it was Chloe had said, and for what that had meant for the past few moments. In that time the first emotion to surface from the confusion was relief. It was quickly supplanted by annoyance.

“God damn it Chloe!” With a huff Penny would shove Chloe into the hot tub, none too gently, but also nowhere near full power. She ran a hand down her face and tried to maintain her annoyance with… With Chloe but she couldn’t help but chuckle at it, she had been played, very well at that.

“I’ll help, but no complaining if I randomly decide to knock it down”

Chloe did nothing but laugh as she was shoved off of Penny, getting thoroughly soaked once more. Surfacing from the hot tub.

“Pssh, knocking it down is the best part.” Chloe stepped out of the hot tub. “Come on then, move your butt! We'll make the best sand castle anyone's ever seen!”

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