Penny had no idea what it was Reaver was hoping to gain from his attack, but even then, she wasn’t going to play around. Her gait never changed from a determined stride as she closed the distance, the thrown spear was met with force as one of her hidden limbs unfurled and shattered the magical weapon while it was still in flight, all in one smooth motion.
The unfurled leg stayed poised to strike as she growled out a reply “Reaver.” her tone was laced with a surprising amount of venom and hate and her eyes were already glowing a vibrant red. All together she looked only a half-step away from starting a massacre. At least until she cut her attention towards Seppa. At which point she left off a scoff “Just Mint” before shaking her head as most of the hate and tension would suddenly vanish from her posture.
“Closer to a new coat of paint” She would reply as her eyes regained their dark gold color. She would come to a stop about ten feet from the two of them before cross her arms. “That and getting rid of toxic influences. Something I see you haven’t done” She would add with a pointed look at Seppa “I’ll ask upfront. Is there any point in asking you to backdown?” Penny would ask Seppa, Reaver she could guess at. Besides there was a chance that he might still be in contact with Chloe, and that wasn’t something she was willing to forgive.
The Relief at getting his request allowed was a wonderful reprieve from the nightmare that was the battlefield for Aurelio. At last, an end was in sight, for him and hopefully others as well but one could hardly blame him for being selfishly glad that his involvement in this was nearly over.
“Keep an eye on my signal as well if you would” Aurelio asked as he performed a few more passes of healing to help keep Hyun stable while Beacon locked onto the remote marker. “I’m probably only going to be getting one or two spells of before things go south”
Afterwards he would sit back for a moment as he fished out the lone candle he had taken earlier. He stared at it for a moment as he ran though his plan, but then he let out a soft chuckle as he looked up at Sally. “I’ll try my best” he would promise before shrugging “But honestly, I’m pretty sure I’m her worst nightmare.”
He would then move to stand, but would pause part way. Turning he would place a soft kiss on Sally’s brow and let an honest smile grace his feature’s “We should hijack one of the auditoriums rooms and fill it with blankets and pillows when we get back and have a movie night.” Aurelio would offer before finishing he movement to stand. He would once again regard the candle with a look before chuckling again and lighting it with snap of his fingers. Though the flame would be a vibrant white, notably magic in nature rather than normal.
With a flourish of his cane Aurelio would venture in the beast’s den, his head held high and a warm smile still on his face. He looked for all the world like he was at the top of his game, but his cane still pulsed with its unsettling black glow and his gloves hid the white knuckled grip his hand on it and the candle stick.
But he still walked forward into the mansion with his lit candle, the flame a lit spark of his feeling for Sally. A physical manifestation for his hopes, and a torch to help guide and protect him.
“Alicia” He would say as he moved towards the fight with Justine and Mikayla, hoping that she still had her comm and could hear him. “I’m starting the Final Act now as otherwise it’s not going to happen. Be ready for it.” And with that he would turn off his comm, and put all other distractions off to the side. It was show time.
With a whispered prayer(“all the worlds a stage”) and a simple illusion to displace where it was he really was, he stepped into the battle field of the two greatest foes present. And called out “Excuse me ladies! Mind if I interrupt?”
“Purification is real, I can promise you that, but I will never force it upon anyone who doesn’t want it.” Penny’s voice Echoed with some unnamed power at that declaration. Her Gravity adding weight to that Promise. Freedom to choose who you were was something that Penny cared for very strongly. She would turn her attention towards the table she had been sitting at earlier, before she was called to act as Queen. The potions she had set out were still there. Some had been picked up, but no one had used one yet.
“You, and anyone here, are free to the potions. You will never have to pay for one, you will never have to work for one, and you will never have to take one. They are there for those of us who need them, and it will never be my place to determine who needs one.”
In the back of Penny’s mind, she registered one of the camera’s she had set up around the permitter of the Sanctuary go off line. What had caused it Penny’s couldn’t tell but that didn’t bother her. Many of the camera’s were old or little better than simple webcam’s that she had set up. One shutting off wasn’t much of an issue.
Penny gave Belladonna one last warm smile before a more serious look settled across her features. “You stand accused of murder, and of endangering the safety of the Sanctuary. Both of these things you have admitted to.” As she Spoke Penny’s voice would seem to fill the room even though she never raised her voice. “High crimes, but you are not without extraneous circumstances. Loss of control of a blackened desire that was forced upon you.”
“Verdict is guilty. Judgement is Service.”
A second camera went out, not far from the first one. Still Penny didn’t react to it, at least not openly. She was watching for it now. Once could be happenstance, twice could be coincidence. But if it happened a third time? That was simply enemy action, and Penny knew that she had enemies.
“Service is as follows; Mandatory hours spent towards the maintenance or operation of the Sanctuary and mandatory work done in the name of the Sanctuary.” Penny kept her gaze locked onto Belladonna as she explain the broad terms of what it was she was being sentenced to.
“Do you accept this judgment?”
Overcome with emotion Belladonna could only nod and let out a quite “Yes”
“Then you no longer need these” Penny would reply smiling once again as she broke the manacles around the wolfgirl’s writs open. “Come on, me, you, and Goblina will go over the de-“
Mid-word, mid-step, and mid-action Penny would stop. Her attention snapping outside the building. A Third camera just went down. Slowly her head would turn towards the direction of where the third camera went down.
“Goblina.” Penny would call out her voice suddenly very cold “Take Belladonna and let her know of some the tasks that need to be taken care of around the Sanctuary. When I get back, we can go over the details.” She would step back and around as she spoke moving towards the exit. “Monica, get the guard roused and ready. Someone is taking out my camera’s. I don’t know why. Be ready.”
And before anyone could ask for more information Penny would leave; she wasn’t heading towards the last camera that had been taken out however she was moving ahead in the line. Towards the next camera in the pattern.
The few girls who saw her face shortly before she walked out the door would have flinched out of her way on instinct, because Penny looked ready to murder someone.
A small fact not widely known was that Pain was a lot closer to an emotional response then most people knew, it was why it was possible to hurt someone’s feelings for example. It was also a key reason why Aurelio always tried to avoid large scale conflicts. In small amounts pain wouldn’t register. After the ambush and counter attack for the ambush? Just standing in the wreckage of the front door hurt.
That just made every little bit of pain he was feeling seem that much greater. Minor wounds in the long term but each one felt like they had been torn into him by dull rocks. Part of why he was able to keep going was Shock. His magician’s mark’s being snuffed out in mass was clogging his ability to processes his emotions. It was a Bad state for an emotion mage to be in, but a full-blown breakdown would have been worse. One which he only narrowly avoided.
“Yeah I’m still kicking” He would say with a strained smile as he kneeled down next to Hyun a sputtering blue glow suffusing his hand as he tried to focus on healing what he could. And it was that sputtering glow of magic that told anyone looking just what state it was he was in. After all due to his Eternal style he still looked immaculate. The soft glow of Compassion kept flickering in and out with splotches of Depression and Frustration mixed into it, and at the same time his cane seemed to be glowing an uneasy black.
“Elora” He would say as he did his best to keep his magic stable to heal Hyun, even as he knew that he didn’t have enough stability in himself to fully heal her here and now. “I’m compromised and Hyun needs emergency attention.” His voice was strained and everyone nearby could see tears starting to pool in his eyes “Permission to trigger the Final Act and then retreat”
He would flinch, violently, as Taihei fled. The surge of raw Fear nearly overpowering him in his delicate state. “Please” he would plead over the comms as he struggled to keep himself together for just a bit longer.
Victoria’s clone was summarily ignored, entirely. She wasn’t attacking them and she wasn’t a target as far as Aurelio was concerned at the moment, but that could easily change if she turned hostile towards them.
Viva would give the axe a few experimental swings to test the heft of it, slow enough not to trigger its frosted enchantments. Melee wasn’t her preferred range to fight in but she was passable, regardless the icy effect of it was exactly what it was she wanted so she wasn’t going to complain too much.
She would nod her thanks to Seppa, noting how the girl had brightened up at the positive attention towards her weapons. “Have fun Reaver! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t” Viva would say with a wave but her attention would quickly turn towards Varjo as the two of them trailed after Alma, hand in hand “I arrived shortly after the Ascendency did if I have the timeline right.” She would answer “I used to be a Solo and I was working on a task for a Patron that brought me here.” Viva would explain with a sharp grin. This task of the Mint’s might even help her standing with Mother now that she thought about it, break this den and step in to help Penny with her next one.
“The task didn’t go as expected, but I still ended up impressing them enough to get my wish from them, though I do agree that it’s a shame that we never met before this.” She’d continue with a chuckle “There was only one other person who seemed to enjoy things like I do but alas she seems to have vanished.” She would give an exaggerated sigh; Chloe was such a great find. It was a shame they only got to share one mean and one night together.
“Seems like things are looking up though~” she’d finish with a wink towards Varjo.
Update as I kind of vanished on you. I ended up getting sick, not Covid, but still put me down for a bit, that plus thanksgiving meant that free time has been in short supply.
I'm working on a post, but my brain is pseudo fried still and I'm having a bit of difficulty coming up with anything more then "And they worked on fixing and learning about guns for the rest of the day" I'm wanting something else to happen but not sure what at the moment. Ideas would be welcome.
Aurelio, Aurelio and Aurelio all kept to their respective tasks as the slow grind of the assault continued on. No longer afforded the luxury of thinking over what it was he was stuck doing he just kept on doing what he did best, supporting his side of the conflict.
Rage stayed near Kimble as burning red started to leak off of him. “Eyes on the prize, thinking is going to get rough.” He warned as he placed a hand on her shoulder from that point of contact Kimble would feel the fiery Rage that was the core of this clone’s existence flow into her and from there it would flow into her windstorm granting it the strength of their Anger. In fact, Kimble’s cyclone would start to draw in the anger of everyone on the battlefield or at least everyone that Aurelio had marked with his Magician’s mark. For everyone else, the wind would seem to ignite as swirls of red blead into it along with blistering heat.
Disgust would give Hyun a quick check to make sure she was alright before tailing after the Remorhaz, tossing blob of acidic sludge at things the semi-controlled monster was about to hit, weakening the targets to make the beast rampage even more effective. He would drop everything to try and intercept the blast of magic headed towards Hyun however. Even if it meant giving up its life.
The real Aurelio stayed in his cloaked state, but let all of his other illusions drop. The amount of support he could give and still stay relevant was not an easy line to walk. But with two Emoti-clones out and about he had to be careful about not expending too much Mana. Still he stayed with the Pack of Canaries doing his best to shield everyone he could without burning himself out which was much easier said than done. Neverthe less he made sure to stay in communication with Elora, giving her updates on what all of him was up to and an idea of how their side was doing with his Marks. If she needed him to move somewhere to act, he would.
And yet further still in the background of all of this there were still a few Clones simply evacing those who couldn’t be expected to assist anymore.
Viva turned her attention towards the floating girl as she slowly let her own twisted smile play across her lips “You’re not too bad on the eyes yourself.” She would reply giving Varjo a slow once over. “Shame we can’t play with each other too well, I only bite if you ask~” her smile was all teeth which would shift to being a maw of razor-sharp fangs for a moment. Viva always enjoyed those who never hid who they were, the air of danger surrounding Varjo acting more as a siren call for her then a warning.
Regardless she turned her attention towards the other members who were going to be joining her for this foray into chaos creation. The boy, got a simple once over but an appreciated look at his wings. The last girl, Alma, Viva had to hold back from licking her lips at the appraisal. She was everything that Viva loved in a woman, but now was not the time for play. Later perhaps.
Instead she would force her attention towards Seppa “You wouldn’t have anything else on offer for loan would you?” Viva would ask with a raised eyebrow “Something to manipulate water or ice would be rather helpful down in the sewers after all” She would add. It was a valid point but only half the reason why the dark nurse asked. Her weakness to flames needed something to address it, as she wouldn’t be surprised to learn of at least one girl within the Sanctuary that was capable of wielding such an element.
It's always interesting to think over the life lessons people like Slade would teach. As he see's nothing wrong with lying or cheating or stealing. Revenge is fair game, as is taking matters into his own hands. would definitely be a warping experience, and likely clashes with some of the lessons that Jinny has been taught already.
‘A Speedster?’ was Slade’s first thought as he learned a bit about Jinny’s tormentor. They were a rare breed, the best known one was obviously The Flash, but there were a few others that Slade knew of. Mainly small time assassin’s or runners and none of which came close to the Hero. Still it had him wondering. Just who was this Wally West? Because yes he did know the names of everyone in Jinayah’s class, and no he didn’t care how that may make him look on paper.
He made a mental note to look closer into the kids family when he had the time, but overall let it lie for the moment. “There is nothing wrong with outing people for what they are doing.” He would say instead “The trick to it is to make it so that people don’t know that it was you who let the secrets out. As for several reasons people don’t like associating with those that are willing to air out their secrets.” In school it was viewed as being a tattletale, on the streets it was viewed as being a snitch. But in the underworld being an informant was a very lucrative business. Assuming that you had something to tell, and a way to keep from being tracked down. People liked their secrets to stay theirs after all.
“And if he keeps giving you trouble you could always work on tying his shoe laces together. He has his speed, and you can use that against him if you are careful. Your eyes might give you away however” Slade would add using a shined part of the disassembled gun to draw attention to Jinn’s glowing eyes.
He left the comment about boys being annoying alone, because honestly he was too old to want to wade back into that mire. He would thank her for the compliment however.
Slade did at last pause in his work, however, at her request to learn how to do what it was he was doing. Turning a bit more attention to her as he contemplated the request. He knew that she was endlessly curious about how things worked, and the only reason he had punished her for the toaster was because she had damaged it when she took it apart, so he had needed to buy a new one. But to learn how to put a gun together? That strayed close to a border he wasn’t sure if he wanted to cross with her so soon.
Guns were the basis of his work after all. Yes he was partial to swords if he was able to choose, but far more often than not a firearm was his primary tool. It just made him wonder how long it would be before he was teaching her about his job, and how she would feel about that. After another moment of contemplating it he would answer “I can teach you how to put them together if you want.” He would give her an assessing look as he spoke “But know that it will be a year at least, and quite possibly more, before I teach you how to use one.”
“If you are alright with that I can begin with the basics” He would wait to hear her answer before moving on.
“It’s a good thing I cleared my schedules for today I suppose.” She would grumble to herself as she headed out to see what was going on.
“I didn’t know you” Penny would reply to Belladonna softly, waving off Goblina’s question as she did. “But I’ve known others of our kind who revel in the twisted mentalities we are sometimes cursed with.” Vixen came to mind, as did Chloe. “Because of that I needed to know, if you were like them or like me. Because I understand. The need that digs into the back of your skull slowly driving you mad. I used to have it as well, not for flesh, but to break. What didn’t matter I just needed to destroy, be it people, promises, or peaceful nights.” Understanding would leak into Penny’s eyes as she spoke. She often wondered how many other truly understood how painful it was to fight against the instincts and drives that becoming a monster could impart. In this moment though she knew that it was a trail that the two of them had shared.
Penny stepped forward as she spoke, slowly, gently, and rested her hands on the chains that bound the wolf girl. “You’ve been starving yourself. I know because I’ve been there.” The weeks and months that Penny did her best to keep the ever present urge to shatter something in check were not so long ago that she had forgotten what it felt like to be trapped by them and something told her that she never would truly be free of the fear of that twisted desire returning. “Because of that I can’t sentence you too death for losing control. That is simply not fair, but neither can I simply release you. You have endangered everyone here by drawing Beacon’s attention closer to us.”
The other truth was that Penny’s options for judgment were limited. Death, Exile, Other. That’s all she was capable of at the moment, as there wasn’t any space for imprisoning people here at the Sanctuary. To say nothing of how cruel it would be to imprison Belladonna for this if what she was saying was true and Gods did Penny hope that she was telling the truth.
But before I render Judgment, I have one more question for you.” She would go on to say just as gently “Is what you are now worth dealing with the hunger? Purification is an option if you want it, but I will never force it upon you or anyone else that resides under my protection” Regardless of the answer to that question Penny had an idea for what she could use as a sentence. Along side a few ideas to help Belladonna if she preferred to stay a Monster girl, but those were for later.
The door to Viva’s chosen room swung open at Reaver’s soft knocking. The room on the far side of the door a far cry from the drab spare room it used to be. Posters of horror movies, or scantily clad models littered the walls, while all the upholstery had also been changed out for a more gothic color pallet. Yet in contrast there was also what looked to be an operating table pushed up against the wall with a skeleton laid out on it, alongside various bottles of chemicals dotted across every open space.
The joys of hammer space. Makes settling in a breeze.
Viva herself hadn’t been the one to open the door, she just hadn’t close it all the way. She was sitting in front of the operating table carefully measuring out dosages of chemicals into various glass vials and beakers and would glance up at noticing the door swinging open.
“Time to go?” She would ask in confirmation before placing stoppers in the various vials she was done with. Before vanishing them into her hammer space. “Good timing just got done refilling my vials” She would remark before standing up and stretching. She would saunter over to Reaver a slight sadistic smirk eking on to her face as she did. She was looking forward to oncoming carnage after all.
“Tell me, would you like some assistance when you end up facing against Penny?” She would ask as they started their way towards the meet up. “I’ve got some drugs that should be able to give you an edge, if you want them.”
Yeah, it was a bit spooky them all getting it if I'm honest. The reason is I've got two friend groups, both of which I'm the only one not in the group that isn't living with the rest of them, and both of the groups got hit one weekend after the other on weekends that I had decided against going to hang out with them. Almost seemed like the virus was stalking me.
I've been doing better. Work has lightened up due to new building finally getting up and running. At the same time I've been forced into a pseudo quarantine as all of my friends have had to go into such do to Covid. Which sucks, but its given me more weekend so its not all bad.