Shifter_Master

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

_{.:⋮In the Pipe⋮:.}

Summary

(21) | (21) | (21) | (9) | (4)

(Metal & Lightning & Gravity) | (Regen & Prime)

(Bile) | (Tooth and Claw) | (Elemental) | (Enhanced Uniform) | (Imortality)
(Monstrous Metamorph) | (Legacy) | (Enhanced Weapon) | (Dual Weapon) | (Gifted)

(ManaFont)

(Redirected magic) | (Second spec) | (Transport)
(Broken reincarnation) | (Non standard limbs) | (Debt)

Penny surveyed the collection of Maho that had gathered at the park. It was a diverse set, but thankfully it was also a rather limited one as well. Penrose wouldn’t be left defenseless if she left with these girls, she decided with a short nod to herself.

She stayed quiet as everyone gave out their assorted blessings. Her systems greedily accepted the lightning, nearly demanding more, something Lily would possibly note. Even as they completely rebuffed the Beast magic, something that Alex would definitely notice. Penny simply lacked the amount of animal, the amount of nature, within her to be able to benefit from said specialization.

“I can handle getting us back from Bolorton” Penny would speak up once it looked like everyone was ready to go. “I’ll need to be near the last one though, but I’ve got a few tricks that mean I should be able to replicate the way home if we need it.” She would explain. She knew most of the people here likely had seen her mimicry abilities at one point or another, and would assume that was why, as Penny hadn’t really told anyone that she had replaced those abilities for her own safety.

She was fine with that, she had other options after all.

“To that end I’ve a gift of my own to help out while we are on the other side.” She’d go on to say as she pulled out a fair few technological ear pieces from her leg compartment. “These will let us stay in contact with each other” She would explain as she handed them out. “And help keep track of everyone so we can all be sure to get out when it’s time to leave.” The ear pieces would wrap around the outside of the ear and were rather simple to operate, a button to turn on and off the mic and a switch that showed which of the four channels it was connected to. “Hit the button to turn on the mic, and again to turn it off. They are rather sturdy, but I don’t expect them to withstand a direct attack so try to be careful.”

Ellen and Tina made their showing just in time for Penny to hand them their set as well, though she just gave them a nod in greeting for now. There would be more time for a brief of what she wanted once they crossed over, as well as time to ask where Sann was.

It might not have been as fancy as anyone else's magical showing, but it was perhaps the largest single drain Penny had used for her own magic outside of when she had access to Killing Blow. She was already apologizing to whoever it was that owned the car she was going to be eating for it as well.

Penny waited until everyone had gotten their earpieces put in before sending a test comm so everyone would get an idea of how they worked.

Then came Myra’s overly dramatic opening of the portal, something that Penny would put Coins on being mostly for show. The mechanical Queen had used Portal Magic a few times herself after all. Still it was time to go into the breach and with that in mind she waited at the back of the pack, she had her own show to put on after all.

There was also one other thing she wanted to take care of.

---

To parties unknown

“Hey, I’m contacting you over a private line as I want to keep this quiet” Penny would silently broadcast out.“As a precaution I wanted you to try and keep an eye on me. Not sure how my systems will handle the loss of my Spark, so if I start Redlining or growing too unstable just tell me ‘Remember your oaths and vows.’ That should get me to calm down” She would tell them. In truth she had no idea if the override codes would work as she expected them to, even if she didn’t read any loops or recursions in the logic. “Again, this is just a precaution, I doubt that you’ll need to talk me down at all. But rather safe than sorry with this.”

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

Gizmo lifted up his goggles so that Jinny could see the full display of his glare at her in regards to her question. “Mammoth says hi, and I regret telling him about you already.” Came the smaller boy’s reply though there wasn’t much real heat to his words. “I lost my lunch break because of him,” He sent another glare at Jinny “And you.”

“But I was finally given access to the workshop again, and I think I figured out what the problem with my jetpack was so I was able to get that fixed.”

”It was nice to get back into the swing of things..” Bee would say trailing off into silence near the end. A reaction that made it suddenly clear that no one else in class was talking at the moment. A glance around revealed that just about everyone was regarding Slade with some notable level of apprehension.

The reason was slower in coming but after a moment it was obvious that Slade, despite not having moved at all, was seemingly on the verge of violence. He gave off the air of a predator just waiting for an excuse.

The only ones unaffected were Jinny herself, who had faced much harsher atmospheres from him during their own training sessions, Gizmo, who was tapping away at his watch while he waited for class to start, and a pair of other students who were busy signing to each other while they waited.

The tension continued to build as Slade seemed to grow ever more disposed to a violent occurrence. It was only broken when the bell to start class went off, causing some of the tighter wound up students to jump, as all violence vanished from Slade’s presence.

The moment the bell to start class was done ringing Slade started speaking. “Welcome to class. My callsign is Deathstroke, and there are only a few rules you need to know about this class.” His voice was surprisingly clear even with his facemask down, and he had yet to move, but everyone could feel the sharp weight of his eye as he examined everyone. Picking them apart. “The first rule is that my word is law within this room. The second is that when I am speaking you are listening. The last is that outside of class time, if you want anything from me, be prepared to pay for it.”

He unfolded his arms and took a few steps towards the gathered students “This class is very much a physical one, there will be no written tests and very little theory discussions overall. If you want to bring water or a snack that is your prerogative, I don’t care. There will be three main courses I will be teaching, but the exact details of those courses will be largely left up to your choices. The first course is a melee weapon course. The second is a hand to hand course, and yes I know there is a class for that, no I don’t care that some of you might not want to learn, your body is the only weapon that can never be fully taken away from you, so you will learn how to use it, so long as I am here. Lastly is a ranged weapon course.”

“Today is a simple day. It is evaluation day. each of you will be given an opportunity to display what skills you have in all three of the stated categories. We will start with melee weapons, which you can use one of the props on the table. If there isn’t the kind of weapon you are looking for we can arrange for the correct one. After that I’ll bring up the firing range and we will test your capabilities with three categories of ranged options. Lastly is unarmed where each of you will be facing off against me for as long as you can.”

“If at any point you are done with my class feel free to strike one of the punching bags.” he would say gesturing towards the ones lined up near the door. “Once you do that I’ll consider your time in the class for the day over and you’ll be free to leave. I refuse to waste my time teaching if you don’t want to learn.”

“With that out of the way, grab your weapon of choice and partner up. Once that is done start a light spar with each other. If you’ve no idea about any weapon, pick one and see what you can figure out.” The class was a bit hesitant at first but eventually everyone would start moving to the tables to get a better look at the choices on display.

“That could have been worse” Bee would say with a shake as she tried to regain her normally self assured demeanor. "Wonder how that spar with him is going to go." She would muse as she too walked over to start looking at the weapons.

"Damn it all" Gizmo would complain again, sending more than a passing look at the punching bags, wondering if he shouldn't just dip out now and go make better use of his time.

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

_{.:⋮Answering the call⋮:.}

Summary

(21) | (21) | (21) | (9) | (4)

(Metal & Lightning & Gravity) | (Regen & Prime)

(Bile) | (Tooth and Claw) | (Elemental) | (Enhanced Uniform) | (Imortality)
(Monstrous Metamorph) | (Legacy) | (Enhanced Weapon) | (Dual Weapon) | (Gifted)

(ManaFont)

(Redirected magic) | (Second spec) | (Transport)
(Broken reincarnation) | (Non standard limbs) | (Debt)

Penny turned over the line of text that she had received just a few moments ago in her mind a few times as she continued cataloging the Sanctuaries current supplies.

She knew that she was on Lily’s short list, even if that list wasn’t really all that short, but the call to action this time was one that Penny had a hard time justifying an immediate call to action for, at least from a personal standpoint. The fact that this attack on the neighboring city was almost assuredly the first part of Wonderland’s offensive wasn’t to be discounted however.

But could Penny risk going herself? That was the question at the moment. She was the leader of the girls here, and an acknowledged defender of Penrose. The fact that Beacon seemed to allow her stance of being Queen was still a surprise if she was honest, but the fact that they did gave legitimacy to the title, which lent more responsibility to the role and more weight to her actions.

Which made her choice of following up on Lily’s call to arms all the more difficult. She had a responsibility to make sure the girls here were taken care of, but Wonderland was an active and looming threat so they weren’t something Penny could just ignore either.

She played around with different courses of action until she was done fully cataloging everything the Sanctuary had to work with. They were still in the black, but not by much.

Walking out of the storage she sought out Goblina to give the supply count to, afterwards she tracked down Ashlyn. “I need the twins and Sann” She’s state “Have them meet me at this park. Wonderland is making a move on a nearby city and we need intel. I’ll keep you updated on if I’m going to be leaving as well, but that depends on who all from our fair city is also leaving.” She’d explain. “Not going to leave us open incase everyone is heading over there”

The two of them shared a few more words, covering the final details about the Sanctuaries move into the Earth Bastion and then Penny was on her way to meet up with Lily.

Time to see how the start of this war was going to go she supposed.

"I'm kinda curious as to what we know about what is going on over there as well" Penny would add after Gaia's question. Her own arrival going unnoticed due to a small use of Gravity, lowering the weight of her own presence.

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

“We can talk about that trade when you show up to class” Mammoth would say with a nod, not surprised at Jinny’s love for numbers. But with a friend like Gizmo, it was hard to find a small person who liked math surprising.

“And don’t worry I’ll be sure to send Giz your hello.” He gave a surprisingly wicked smirk as he waved her off “After all you are such good friends right?” His tone made it rather obvious that he knew that Jinny wasn’t done with Gizmo. But also that he was probably going to simply sit back at watch rather than doing anything about it.

He was friends with Gizmo after all.

Exiting the cafeteria and going above ground was a simple thing. And in her school uniform she blended in as just another student getting ready for the day. Not that she went unnoticed. The staff seemed to recognize her easily enough, as did a few of what seemed to be the older students.

The staff were professional about it, an extra moment or two of inspection than treating her like any other student. The older students seemed to take her presence as an indicator of Slade being somewhere nearby and would try and spy the man.

A failure in the making even if he was around.
The Math classes, alongside a majority of the regular ‘core’ classes, were housed in the main building, which the main elevators did connect to, they were also only a short walk away from the above ground dorms, which likely had their own elevators down into the hidden aspects of the school.

Still walking around up here, fresh and ready and aware, it was easier to notice the things hidden. Places that lacked cameras or noticeable scuffs on the floor where people stopped often at a seemingly bland section of wall. Jinny didn’t know where everything was, something that only the teachers did if what she learned yesterday was right, but she could pick out at least the obvious locations for now.

The math class itself was sadly underwhelming all in all. It was a rather normal class with only a few notable differences. The first was the teacher had a rather complicated looking linear algebraic equation on the board before the class had even started.

“Anyone who can solve this equation before class is over, tell me what it is used for, and if the math is right will get an automatic pass in any of my classes you might end up in for the rest of the year.” The teacher explained, obviously not expecting anyone to be able to fulfill that challenge.

“For those who feel that they are in the wrong class level” He would go on to say wheeling out a cart with test packets on it. “Feel free to take a test for whatever level of math you think you are ready for.”

“Everyone else, welcome to geometry.”

He then went on to give what seemed to be a standard introduction to the class and what it was he would be teaching. Leaving the students who were trying to study into a different class alone while they were working, but not stopping his teaching as he did so.

English was, if anything, even more disappointing as it was simply straight up a normal class. Really if Jinny hadn’t seen the true school yesterday she would likely have been very disappointed. As at the moment the only odd thing about her classes was that not everyone was the same age. Most were older than her, some only by a year, some by nearly five. It seemed merit was more important than age.

Thankfully, her third class of the day was below and removed any concern that might have been sticking around about the nature of the school. The teacher was a woman who was at least partially composed of fire as far as anyone could tell. And she explained that the class's goal was to help teach control over the various abilities the students might have, at least for now, and eventually would shift into combat uses for them.

The other thing of note about this class was that Jinny recognized one of the other students here. Jinx was also in this class, but despite being her room mate the older girl made no mention or gesture of any kind of familiarity with Jinny. In fact Jinx very obviously kept herself apart from everyone else in the class, something that the rest of the class seemed all too willing to reciprocate.
The class was simple in scope for the first day, getting a baseline idea about what the various students could do. Speed of power use, scope of power use, and strength of said power. With the only point of note about these baseline tests being Jinx’s target dummy violently exploding when she was up to demonstrate her power.

After that class Jinny had a whole period to herself, and free access to any of the gym’s not being used by a class at the moment. She also had the chance of rolling it into her lunch and just getting an extra long break.

After that came Stealth. The teacher was a nondescript looking sort, if one ignored the fact he was dressed like a ninja. And he too greeted the class with a challenge. “Whoever can lift this from my person undetected before the end of the year will be excused from all further classes.” He said holding up a large gold looking disc about the size of his palm. “They may also keep it and do what they wish with it.” He added before slipping it into one of his pockets.

He went on then to explain how the class would function, it was a split theory and physical class. The theory would cover techniques and ideologies useful to going unseen or unnoticed, gaps in human psychology that were useful to those ends. The physical aspects would be where they were given a chance to hone their technique on either him, their fellow students, or various obstacle courses that would be set up.

There was also the feeling that Jinny got that this teacher was watching her more than any of her others so far, but they said nothing about it and quite literally vanished the moment class was over. It was a decent class overall though, and served as a decent warmup for the next class.

Weapons.

Stolling into the gym where this class was held the first thing Jinny would notice was her father was standing in the middle of a large mat dressed in his full mercenary outfit with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for all of the students to arrive. Outside the mat there were a few tables set up with a variety of practice weapons of all sorts. And a few older punching bags lined up against the wall next to the door.

While waiting for class to start, Jinny would come to learn that she shared this class with both Gizmo and Bumblebee. Both of them recognized Slade, even if Gizmo didn’t recognize who it was under the mask.

“Shit” Bee would swear softly as she took in who their teacher was. “I heard the rumors but I didn’t think it was true. How much did they have to pay to get the Terminator to teach here I wonder?” She would muse aloud, something that various other students were also doing even as Slade simply stayed where he was unmoving and silent. Knowing him he would stay that way until just as the class started.

“Damn it all” Gizmo on the other hand was simply complaining. “I just wanted to work on my accuracy, but this is going to be a whole thing isn’t it?” Which judging by the table of weapons that were next to the mat was a good assumption. There were firearms there as well so he would be getting his wish with some accuracy training as well at least.

“Oh come on, we are getting taught by a living legend here, you could show some enthusiasm about it.” Bee would retort eagerly awaiting the beginning of class.

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

&

_{.:⋮War and Peace⋮:.}

Once Robert had fully left and Tina was shadowing the strange diplomat. Penny retired to her room.

She let the door swing shut behind her as she walked into the back section of her room. Tucked into a corner, behind her nest of blankets that she hadn't used in weeks, was a larger tub.

She pulled this tub out from the corner and settled down on the floor just next to her bed before opening the tub. It was filled with computer parts, though none of them were in any semblance of good condition. Nevertheless Penny set to picking through the parts she had placinging various of them off to the side when they met her criteria.

“Wow, that’s a lot of computer thingies.” said a familiar face, or rather familiar attitude with a new face. The dragon maiden, to her chagrin. Sakura. “Oh, right I have to be in character.” She would add. “The regent requests an audience, your Highness.”

Penny only gave Sakura a glance as she spoke, continuing her perusal of trashed components instead. “My door is open to the regent, but let her know that I shall be continuing my work regardless. Time sensitive work at the moment.” The monarch would reply.

“And if you would contact one of the maids to have refreshments sent down that would be appreciated.” Penny would add before Sakura could fully leave.

"Booze. Got it." Sakura would say, before correcting herself. "I mean… as you command, your Highness." She would then bow slightly before leaving Penny's presence. The room seemed to grow more eerie and dark for the time being, before a mature voice triggered Penny's senses.

The Regent, Dina was standing in the doorframe, swishing a cup of a red, viscous liquid.

"Sorting out your hoard, your Majesty?"

“Preparing to reap the benefits of my latest weapon” Penny would counter. Dina warranted more than a simple glance, but as warned Penny continued her work. Penny had met with Dina for a short moment before she went to deal with Robert, but now she had time to take fuller stock of Dina’s new appearance and presence.

“Settle in alright?” She would ask, she was under the impression that such a radical shift had the chance to be rather unpleasant.

Dina would stir the cup one last moment, before taking a long dedicated sip. She was standing tall, perhaps as tall as Penny, and the room seemed to gravitate towards her. "The thirst is quite the issue." She would say, her crimson orbs piercing into Penny, beckoning her.

"But It is nothing entirely unmanageable." She would add, before silence came for a second. Those lips seemed very kissable, and that dark dress of hers seemed to cling in all the proper places.

"You set him free." She would say.

Penny would take special note of how Dina’s presence now washed over her, without the protection of the ShineSpark it was impossible to miss. Penny wasn’t one to bend knee to anyone however, it was why she was how she was after all. regardless there was an outward indication of Penny’s defiance, even if it was only a small indicator. The innermost ring of her eyes, normally an electric blue, turned a vibrant crimson.

Because it was others' control that Penny always sought to break.

“I did.” Penny would agree, shifting her eyes back to her work. “He himself wasn’t worth keeping or killing. They sent him here to die, and he doesn’t know enough about the inner circle to be of any use.” She would explain.

“I did keep his pocket watch however.”

"A pity. It would have made a snack for our dogs of prey." Dina would callously answer, as she polished the glass and drew closer to Penny. There was a certain intoxicating perfume scent lingering in the air, mixed with a faint iron touch as Dina advanced towards Penny. Her arms slid on Penny's shoulder… a delicate, soft touch, like a breeze of air who left people gasping for more. Up until she realized the struggle in Penny's eyes and withdrew.

She didn't want her to become a witless follower of all things. "What does it do?" She added, her attention shifting to the contraption.

“Nothing for the moment.” Penny would reply, taking no note of Dina’s reaction. “But I’m planning on making it be the connection, and routing, point for the worm I’ve added into Robert’s camera. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to get from it, but I’d prefer to be on the safe side and not have myself be the main point of contact with it. Wonderland is shaping up to be messy.” She would explain.

One of her spider limbs would unfurl before reaching into her leg compartment and extracting a letter and handing it to Dina. “Mariette did some scouting and felt it prudent to warn us about them”

Dina would begin to read the letter, and her expression went slightly deadpan. "So no wonder why Robert was so deluded. Living in a feverish dream of a children's cartoon can do that to people." She put the letter aside, becoming lost in thought.

A clattering of a tray and cups shook her as a couple of figures entered the room. One was a relative new maid who was trying to reach in vain a tray that was held by none other than Sanngridr, who kept the tiny pale maid at arms' length in a classical bully pose.

"Oh so granny kitty dropped the kitty and got sexy. Sann is pleased for what she sees." said the cheeky Valkyrie.

"Hey, that is for lady Tepes and her Majesty, you bully!" The maid protested, flailing.

Penny sent an emotionless look in Sann’s direction but otherwise continued to work. She was no longer digging for parts that passed her inspection, now she was giving her secreted parts one last look over before melding with them. From there she was directing her mana to start regenerating the damaged components. It was the work of moments to have everything she needed to build a fully functional computer, one that was even on the higher end of things.

“What brings you here Sann?” Penny would ask her tone bored. Because in truth she really didn’t want to deal with the Valkyrie. Hell she wasn’t in the mood to deal with Dina either, today hadn’t been a good day after all, but the Regent at least had a good reason to want to talk to her.

She kept that frustration hidden however, just as she kept her ever present anger, all of it simmering just underneath her outer casing. No need to make every room smell like ozone after all.

"She was bored." Dina would then reply. "And she saw fit to see how best to serve me… Well, go on, serve the drinks, Sanngridr. Valkyries do that, don't they? And stop bullying the new maid." The Russian vampire said. "Phila, you may leave."

Sanngridr just let a soft giggle as she began to pour refreshments. The vampire maid bowed with a curtsy and saw herself out, not before throwing a glare at Sanngridr.

"In a way this is quite convenient, your Majesty." The Regent drew closer to the valkyrie, eyeing her up and down. "Mayhaps we will need to conduct raids." She would say, as her fingers playfully curled around Sanngridr's hair. The valkyrie didn't seem to repel the touch in the slightlest.

"So we get to raid Wonderland? Sann is pleased." The winged deviant cooed.

"Mayhaps." Dina would draw even closer, and in a swift, yet playful move, snatch Sann's crown. "This tool protects against mental turmoil, doesn't it?"

"Yes. But if you want to borrow it…Sann" The valkyrie began to trail off.

It was then when Dina's ethereal presence underwent a significant change. The atmosphere became heavy, almost unbreathable as her gaze pierced the valkyrie.

"KNEEL." She said, her crimson eyes glowing as the Valkyrie felt a phantom weight pushing her down. And down she went, trembling like a puppy before her master. There was not much she could do but gasp for air.

"We have suffered you long enough. Sanngridr the Valkyrie. You take everything as a game of self aggrandizing. But you only ever think of yourself." Dina would go. "You may have talent and Odin's favour, but your discipline is lacking."

Sann shuddered, emiting a subhuman growl, as she rose to reach for her sword, the drinks clattering. Dina for her part, reached for a wine cup, unconcerned. "Do it and consider your life and status forfeit, petulant child."

"Or should I say… Reaver?" She added after a sip.

"How did you!?"

"It was a gamble." Dina would then smile smugly. "You fell for it just now."

Penny stopped quietly as she turned fully to face the confrontation that was happening not even five feet from her. She knew she wasn’t the target of Dina’s magic, but the potential loss of self control was always something that set Penny on edge.

She was content to stay a silent observer in this latest turn of events, but that was a far cry from Penny being content with the revealed information. It was just one more thing to add on to this day. truly it was on for the books.

Were either of the other visitors within Penny’s room to look over at her they would be greeted with a good indicator of just how fed up with this day their queen was. Her eyes were now fully crimson, as well as flat and emotionless. Her color was nearly gone, only pale faded hints of blue left, all else had been rendered gray.

It was the closest to a Monster that either of them had ever seen from Penny, in truth it was the closest to a Monster she had ever been since she had gained her independence.

Her flat gaze rested on Sann, or Reaver, Penny wasn’t sure which she wanted to classify the intruder as, it was a gaze lacking in mercy as well, but this was the Regents showing at the moment. The Queen would wait and see for now.

"So it is true. The mighty valkyrie's identity is a brat who is throwing a tantrum at the world for it not giving him spoon fed success." Dina would say. "Even if your actions are heinous… I consider myself merciful enough. You wanted to be a warrior and knight peerless." She would add. "So you can be showered in affection."

Sann's resistance seemed to stop. Apparently Dina had struck deep with mere words. She blinked.

"No. Nonnononono." Sanngridr, the valkyrie, was feeling as if Dina was slowly but surely prying her ugly inner self open.

"You aren't as vicious as you seem to think you are. I bet you had regrets too." She would then kneel and softly caress Sanngridr's face with a motherly touch.

"You desire a mother. A lover. Perhaps both. But all the people you want are bad girls." Dina would then say.

"I have a mother." Sann would weakly protest.

"And where is she now, Sann…" Dina would add.

"Probably eating people." The valkyrie said with no small hint of bitterness."She is a monster."

"Well isn't it grand? She can join us." Dina would then say and stand tall once more. "You are beyond lucky. Your chance to become a warrior of renown is here with Wonderland conflict. Serve us and you will lack nothing. Love, fortune, recognition.." She would say, emphasizing her figure.

Sann looked at Dina. A bizarre, longing look.

"But there is the matter you need to take a punishment for Cindy's death." Her eyes would turn to Penny. "How about her being impaled for everyone to see for a lesson? I do not think she can die from that anyway."

Penny was slow to answer, as in it took her a solid five seconds to actually reply. During those seconds Penny never looked away from Sann, nor did she blink. “Most humans have at least three locations that they can be completely impaled that won’t lead to immediate death.” She would say at last, her tone disinterested

“My issue is that I doubt that a public impalement of someone who is, ostensibly, part of Sanctuary would reassure the girls here that they are safe.” She would go on to say her tone not changing, even as she tilted her head to the side. “At the same time banishment wouldn’t do well at this point in time either.”

“If I am to be honest as well I don’t see the need to punish them for that. Seeing as that I didn’t personally care for Cindy, and might have even done myself had circumstances been different.” Penny would stand slowly. “Though I do suppose that letting such an action go unremarked upon is setting a bad precedent.”

Slowly Penny stalked closer to Sann, her unblinking gaze simply observing her. “Tell me, do you still delight from pain?”

Sann did not say a word. There was confusion, elation, fear and longing all mixed on her face… her face contorted, then relaxed.

"I don't know. Stop this, please. I just…don't know."

This was Sanngridr at her most pitiful, as Dina kept staring with her crimson eyes at her. "Unfortunate. My coercion seems to have shredded what was left of her ego." Dina would frown."I should be very careful about this power." She added with a hint of bitterness.

Penny had stopped advancing shortly before Sann had replied, the disjointed bleeding of her wants let Penny know that something was wrong before anyone spoke. “Yes. You should.” She said to Dina her tone was soft but speckled with concealed malice.

Penny’s gaze was no longer resting on Sann, it was leveled at Dina. “She has been punished enough. Release her.” There was no mistaking that Penny’s words were an order, one she expected to be followed. Penny didn’t think that Dina meant for that to happen, and for that reason alone she was sticking to words.

But Penny had a very short fuse when it came to mental warfare, of anything that robbed one of their free will in all truth, and with the Engine so close to the surface at the moment it would not take much for Penny to make her displeasure known physically.

Dina's fist would clench, before breaking eye contact with Sanngridr, and the crown would once more find its way to the Valkyrie's head.

"You are far too lenient." The Regent said in a harsh whisper. "Wonderland won't budge at these half measures." She added, before taking a sip of the iron-smelling drink that had been brought earlier.

“I will not become a blood stained tyrant to the people I have sworn to protect” Penny would say the malice seeping away from her tone, once again becoming flat and lifeless. “Twisted as she is, Sann is a member of Sanctuary. I will spare them the depths of my wrath.”

“Starting off this conflict by brutalizing our own people will have them simply welcome Wonderland with open arms.” She would go on “We will have plenty of opportunity to display what it means to declare war on us when Wonderland comes in force. When our enemies come I will not hinder you against them. If anything I will strive to out strip you.”

“But” Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, her flat look nearing a glare as a result “Only so long as you keep your fangs barred at our enemies. The hungers are not easy to leash, I am well aware of that, just keep them trained on those that have deserve such enmity.”

Dina's eyes would meet Penny's. "She committed Regicide, Penny. I am not catering to my newfound thirst." She added, finishing the drinks. "For the last time, Penny, Chloe and I are different people. Stop comparing me to her."

"Chloe…" Sanngridr seemed to react to her name with a wishing expression… then her visage became twisted. "Chloe…left us. Justine is weak…" She would trail off.

Dina's words choked on her, before she cast a last glare at the Valkyrie. "You are sick."

“I nearly committed Regicide” Penny would state having no outward reaction to Dina’s outburst. “Cindy was one incident away from declaring war on Beacon. I would have killed her myself had they not done so first” She would gesture towards Sann. And it was true, to an extent, Penny had been fully ready to Challenge Cindy for the throne. A fight Penny was fully willing to take to the death if it needed to be so.

“I am not comparing you to Chloe, if I had been you would be against the wall with my hand around your neck. I compared you once, stop assuming every disagreement is the result of that.” Emotion was flicking in Penny’s eyes annoyance and frustration, but it never leaked into her voice. “Cindy is dead, Reaver killed her. Sann is broken, you shattered her. I know which I consider to be the greater crime. So take solace in that I’m attributing your newfound willingness to maim my subjects to growing pains rather than active malice.”

She would turn her attention to Sann for a moment. “Chloe abandoned us for her own selfishness, Justine was purified against her will. But you still live. Do not linger too long on them, do not wallow. Stagnation is death, and the past can easily mire you in it if you stay there.”

Dina's eyes narrowed at the mention. "We need more discipline to resist Wonderland's brainwashing effect. It is better to be feared than to be loved." The regent would say.

"Chloe Penny is also gone." Sann would mutter, shaking her head.

“Yes, they are” Penny would reply to Sann even as she returned her focus to Dina. “And it was fear that killed them.”

Penny would slowly close her eyes and color would surge back into her as she held them shut and when she opened them once again they were back to their normal gold and blue. “You’ve changed Dina. I don’t know if it is the war on the horizon or your transformation, but you have changed.”

“Sanctuary is a sanctuary, why do you want to alter that?”

Dina cast her sight away for the first time. “I haven’t changed that much, Penny.” The vampire would say. “In these trying times, we need to be shown that perhaps, Justice still reigns. That perhaps peace is worth striving for. That no deed goes unpunished.” She let a long breath, after resuming her talk.

“But I see your point. Perhaps some of the girls might get shocked at the brutality of war. They have no need to see it…yet.” Dina would grudgingly concede, before she squatted down to Sanngridr’s level.

“Heed me, Varangian, whom I chose despite her Majesty’s reticence.” Dina would add, her hands reaching for Sanngridr, as she grasped the Valkyrie’s.

“Thy fate hath been chosen.” She would say. “Odious warmonger who brought mayhem to this land, it is through war your sins will be washed. You can spend your days in pallor and stupor, or take up your arms until your last breath.”

Sanngridr seemed to perk up at the mention of war. Dina’s crimson orbs would then look for a second, before uttering a phrase in the most chilling contempt she could give.

“Dedicate yourself to this one command: Terra Mirabili delenda est.” Dina then released. “Do not stop by anything. Not even Penrose’s destruction. Not even Ragnarok. Not even our deaths. Only when they realize the height of their folly you may stay your blade.”

Penny’s attention was suddenly pulled off to the side. “Damn” She would curse softly. She hadn’t expected Robert to get back to wonderland so quickly, nor was she expecting the March Hare to be magically connected to their networks. She thought she had more time to set up a computer to monitor and work on that front, alas.

It wasn’t a total loss however.

“See now the faces of your foes.” She would say louder and as she did Snoopy would project onto the wall the pictures of Wonderland’s inner circle that Penny had captured.

Sanngridr just shook her head, her vacant stare focusing all of a sudden. "Fine…I fucked up. You fucked up. Might as well do some noise while at it." The Valkyrie added, her voice now bereft of the childish glee it used to have. "If we had Tenebra around I could give these folks one hell of a party… but a certain midget with a foul mouth sent her away… before her term with us was due."

"A teleporter huh. True, it would help… but they are few in number. Mariette and Sonia, maybe?" Dina would then add.

“We won’t need outside assistance for that” Penny would say, a sharp grin appearing on her face. “I let Robert walk, but I also forced him to actually walk.” She would go on reaching into her leg compartment and pulling out a simple golden pocket watch. “I’ve not had the chance to let Britney look over it, but this was his, and he mentioned that it was how he normally got around. It allows one to create, or traverse, spatial burrows.” Was the explanation she gave.

“As much as I’d like to keep it for myself, I won’t be the one to get the most use out of it, nor was I the one to win it for Sanctuary.” Penny would offer it to Dina. “I was planning on giving it to you, but Sann might make better use of it if she is planning on starting up asymmetric aggression.”

"Hmm." Dina would raise an eyebrow. "Too risky. We need to build our numbers …" Dina would then add." My lord would also like to oversee… our defenses. But know this… Reaver. You will be in the first wave." The vampiric regent would add. "I will get to your…black hearted friends so you are not alone."

"And summoning a dragon."

“I’ll hold onto this then” Penny would state, pocketing the watch again. “But let me know if either of you have need of it, in the meantime I’d be willing to take whatever advice your lord would be willing to offer, but the fact we will eventually be seabound might make much of it obsolete in the long run”

"Seabound." Dina's words drawled with a scowl of disgust. "Sakura will have an advantadge here, but most of our tactics won't work. Still there are ways to work around the issue."

“A mobile fortress is harder to conquer than a stationary one.” Penny would point out, she was tempted to point out that Dina had approved of the move earlier as well, but decided against it. Just more proof that Dina had changed it seemed.

“And it’s not limited to the water, just harder to get at us out there during the invasion I’d assume.”

"Still, this means abandoning the center of Penrose at the expense of Sanctuary. There is no sizable body of water around." Dina would point out.

“True” Penny would concede. “But, seeing as Alicia is sticking around Beacon will still be on look out, and I might be able to make a work around for that issue anyway.”

“I’ll need Britney’s help, but retooling Robert’s pocket watch into something bigger should give us access to wormholes. Linking it to the Earth Bastion means we can get to where we are needed from anywhere within Penrose.” She would explain.

"Penny, you can't rely on experimental technology in a war. I will oversee the barricades from outside the Bastion." Dina said, her frown accentuating.

“You can’t rely on it” Penny would once again agree “But war does tend to force advancement in a lot of fields. And getting it past the experimental stages sooner rather than later is better in the long run” She would explain.

“Overseeing things in person is always going to be the better option. But we don’t know where Wonderland will be coming from, it could be over land from another city, or it could be from the Overcity and its numerous passages. Rapid response is something we are going to need sooner than later most likely.”

"We will pressure Sakura and get a more reliable teleporter."

“Sounds like a good plan, you work your angle I’ll work mine.”

The vampire sighed. "We don't have many options there either."

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

“Ha!” Baran let out a booming laugh that got a few curious looks purely due to the noise of it. “Yeah, that sounds like him.” He’d agree with a smile. “Had a similar sort of first introduction, I was pulling shrapnel out of my teeth for days because of it.”

“And nah, same room as everyone else.” Would be his answer. “Giz lives there though, so pretty sure we’ve got a few things that aren't normally a part of the rooms. Unless your stove is also an intruder defense system as well?” He’d ask, but the look on his face was rather apparent that he doubted it.

“Either way, we’re down in 314.” He’d add on with a nod towards the hallway. Though from what Jinny had seen that did mean that their room was on a lower floor.

“What class do you have after this?” Baran would go on to ask, most of his food eaten at this time, but he was taking his time with the last of it, mainly fruits. “I’ve got Algebra two.” He’d offer with a grimace.

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

Despite it having not been that long since he sat down, Mammoth was still making quick work of his food. That said he wasn’t a messy eater, though one would be hard pressed to say he ate with manners, regardless it took the giant teen a moment to finish his mouthful before he could respond to Jinny.

“Oh, uhh.” He would give a shrug, seemingly a bit taken aback at Jinny coming over in the first place. “Not a whole lot, just trying to get the most out of breakfast that I can.” He’d say before eating an entire muffin in one bite. “Your Gizmo’s friend yeah?” He’d ask after swallowing.

“He mentioned you last night, something about needing to keep an eye out for you and something about his jetpack?” The teen would scratch the back of his head at that. “Not sure what he was talking about. Especially since his jetpack was still a work in progress from what he said last time I asked.”

“If not, Sorry about that. Either way name’s Baran.” He’d offer up a hand to shake with his introduction. “I go by Mammoth in class.”

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

This early the cafeteria was lightly populated. Most of the people she saw were early risers much like herself, though there were also a few students that seemed less like they had woken up early and that they simply had yet to go to sleep if the bags under their eyes was any indication.

No one in this particular crowed gave Jinny a second glance, either they didn’t know or they didn’t care about her connection to the new teacher.

The food on offer in the morning was staple morning foods, and was also a self-serve bar instead of the queues from lunch yesterday. Cereal’s, oatmeal’s, scrambled eggs, toast or muffins, that sort of thing. It was fresh, but it was still less of a focus compared to later on meals.

The quiet nature of the morning was rather relaxing however, at least compared to yesterday. Which made it nearly impossible to miss when one of the other early birds did double take upon seeing Jinny. Granted his stature would have made that hard either way. Mammoth, as it turned out, was one of the early morning crowd. He didn’t approach Jinny however, simply gave her a wave in greeting, before continuing on his way towards the food. Which he then promptly took half of the service bar back to his chosen seat.

The math classes were predominantly held above in the surface school areas. There were a few different times set about for tests, each block set aside by a different teacher. For the moment Jinny did have a bit of time before she had to head to the first testing time.

Tiny and the Terminator [Mistress Dizzy & Shifter_Master]

“If an accident could take out that console I wouldn’t have it anymore.” Jinxy would reply with a shrug. “As I said, it survived me” she gave a flourish with one of her hands, pink sparks dancing across her fingers to emphasize her point.

The reason Jinx went into the kitchen was made apparent rather quickly, as she easily navigated about the small kitchen area pulling out various ingredients for a simple stir fry. “Spilling salt on accident is bad luck” She would explain with a dangerous smile. “So is any Friday the Thirteenth, sweeping the wrong way, or hanging a horseshoe upside down.” She would explain.

“Luck is absolutely real.” She would say more of her focus going towards her food as she spoke. It was apparent that Jinx was skilled at cooking, not a master chef, but not an amatur either. “She is also an absolute bitch.” Jinx’s gin turned decisively feral at that declaration.“So don’t go pissing her off and we’ll have no problems.”

She stayed focused on her meal prep for a bit after that. But Jinny could see Jinx tossing glances her way every now and then still. “I’ll trade you a question for a question” She would speak up again. “How good of a teacher is the Terminator?”

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

_{.:⋮Diplomatic encounters⋮:.}

Down in the basement section of the Sanctuary was where the cells were located. Though even calling it that was a bit presumptuous. In truth it was more that a few of the potential rooms down here had been converted into detainment rooms. Mainly used to help contain someone who had lost control and needed to be separated so that they could calm down.

The rooms were sturdily built, Penny had made sure that they could stand up to at least a few solid blows of hers, and lined with cold iron to limit magical outbursts. This inadvertently made them a decent faraday cage as well making technological communication out difficult as well. There was a bunk, bolted to the wall with a hinge joint, with a decent pillow and a few blankets.

The issue using them as cells was the fact that they were made on a budget and not meant to be long term holdings. This meant that while they could hold people, there was an upper limit to which they could reasonably keep someone in.Just about anyone could force their way out, it was just a matter of time really. And anyone decently above average in the strength or magic department could easily exploit the fact that these weren’t designed to be cells in the first place.

The only way to offset that at the moment was to have a guard posted, which seeing as this was their first time with a prisoner Ashlyn had taken that role.

Not that any of that was critical to Penny. She was a shining example of the issues with these cells. To someone in her weight class, they were hardly even considered a road block.

A thought that floated in the back of her mind as she entered the cell that housed their prisoner. It had been a long day, and was shaping up to be longer, first was Beacon’s ultimatum and it's aftermath, and now this.

She carried with her a peace offering, a bowl filled with some oranges and packets of jerky.

Looking at Robert Penny would speak. “I have to ask, how much did you know about us before you came in here to try and talk us into moving out of Penrose?” She would ask as she walked over and offered him the bowl of food.

“Because I have to say, for as out of line as her attack was, I can fully understand why Dina reacted the way she did. And I’m not sure if you can.”

The Wonderland ambassador sat on the bunk with a slouch, looking pale as a result of Dina vampirically draining him of some blood and weakening him. Penny saw a glimpse of the puncture marks she left on his neck before he glanced over at Penny. He then looked at the bowl offered to him, and rejected it with a turn of his head.

"Why do you think I would tell you anything?" He spoke with a slightly hoarse voice. Even so, his words sounded unusually legitimate.
"You're going to kill me whether I talk or not, so there's no point."

“Actually my plan is to let you leave after we are done here.” Penny would correct him, setting down the offered food on the bunk. “The state in which you leave is up to you as well. If you are wanting it I can get you patched up magically before letting you go but if you don’t want to risk trusting me on that you can leave as you are.”

She would step back after she had laid the food down, moving so that Robert was well outside of her basic reach. “I asked, because I’m not sure you realize just how hard you were railing on her buttons. You threatened a Builder in their home, with the loss if not destruction of their home, which compounded with the likely long standing trauma of her actually having lost her home to a group that preached freedom for the people even as it massacred them.” She would explain solemnly. “Intentional or not you were more or less begging for her to be triggered.”

She gave the ambassador a critical look as she let her words sink in. “That said, her attack was excessive in my opinion.” She would move to sit, the metal flooring flowing up to form a stool as she did so so she was at eye level with Robert. “I can’t say that I would have reacted with much more grace personally, I don’t handle threats to my home well, but a broken nose would be where I stopped.”

“Because you have to understand something. Your invitation to join Wonderland, after littering my territory with monsters and killing a half dozen of my subjects, could only be construed as a threat. If not a precursor for war on your own terms.” Penny's eyes bored into Robert with a chilling intensity. As she said, she understood where Dina was coming from.

“This is your chance to plead your case, to plead Wonderland’s case.” She would lean forward resting her arms on her knees as she spoke. “But if you want it to end here, I am more than willing to go start prepping for war. It was what I was built for after all.”

Robert scoffed after Penny voiced her intentions with him. "How kind of you to let me leave. I suppose you've also kindly arranged a firing squad for when I step outside as well." He returned his eyes back to her. "But I suppose I have no other choice now but to believe you won't execute me, so I shall assume to have hope."

He listened as Penny accused him, and then cleared his throat. "First of all, what you perceive to be a threat was none of the sort. I simply gave her, and by association, you, an offering of peace, courtesy of the Queen of Hearts. Second, I do not know about any attacks that supposedly have been made." He then coughed, as his throat was getting sore from extended talking. "To answer your question from earlier, I thought I understood you to be a civilized people. However, it seems I was wrong; I truly didn't know anything at all."

“If I wanted you dead Robert, I would do it myself.” Penny would say calmly. “As for the attacks.” Snoopy would reveal himself with a chirp before dozens of images of the Wendigo attacks would be projected in the air above them. “This happened four days ago.” She continued to explain calmly, eyes never once leaving Robert. “And in truth I would not have any reason to suspect Wonderland’s involvement. I didn’t even know of your existence before then.”

“But three people stumbled across one of your members talking with someone about Penrose. He summoned more beasts and used them to secure his exit. But not before leaving behind a letter.” Wonderland’s first letter would join the images floating above. “We’ve recovered a bit of magi tech left behind as well, it was recognized to be the same type that this March Hare was using in his communications before he fled.”

“We are civilized.” Penny would say “But Penrose is under attack by something more often than not and we were already bloodied by your people. Caution keeps us alive at times like this, especially when we have already been forewarned that Wonderland intends to invade, for lack of a better term.”

Penny would hold up a hand to forestall his immediate response. “Would you like access to a healing artifact before we continue?” she would ask “You can use it yourself if you are still worried about my intentions.”

Robert lifted an eyebrow upon seeing the footage of the attack as well as the letter. "The March Hare? Why was he there?" He grimaced. "The letter was supposed to be delivered to the Penrose's ruling agency. Or at least, that was my understanding when I questioned him about it."

He looked aside, biting the inside of his cheek as Penny explained Penrose's violent history, before he blinked at the offer of a healing artifact. He looked at it, visibly hesitating, and then gave in.
"Thank you for the offer. I suppose you are telling the truth after all."

Penny would reach into her leg compartment to draw out her Christmas gift, before handing it over. She kept her actions telegraphed as best she could as well. “I can’t say that the Hare didn’t succeed in that.” She would reply while Robert healed himself. “For all that Penrose doesn’t have a singular ruler, his method of delivery of that letter made it so that every major faction in the city learned about it within six hours, at most.”

“Reactions have been mixed, but I can’t say I know how everyone reacted to the news of Wonderland’s intent to move in.” She would give a shrug. “The fact that you weren’t told of some of this is worrying to me.” She would go on leaning back on her seat more relaxed in appearance for the first time since she walked in.

“It means either this March Hare lied to you, or to your Queen. At least that is how it sounds to me” Neither was a good possibility, but they were bad for different reasons. Hare lying could be a lot of reasons, Queen of Hearts lying meant that war was inevitable and that she was simply looking for a convenient excuse. One that Sanctuary had given. “Can you think of a reason why the Hare would lie about this? Or even just explain who the Hare is in relation to your court?”

Robert clutched the healing artifact, and sighed as he felt its restorative power gradually bring color to his pale complexion. "I don't know. He is but one of many of the Queen's servants. There might have been some sort of misunderstanding here…" His eyes widened. "Or…I was intended to become a martyr."

“That is what I am afraid of.” Penny would acknowledge with a nod. “Especially if you were told to approach Dina first. The entire situation is almost tailor made to see you dead.” It was, funnily enough, paranoia that saved Robert’s life most likely. Because there was so much that Sanctuary didn’t know about Wonderland. If they had known more it was possible that Dina wouldn’t have cared to keep him alive for questioning.

“Now comes the question of if there is anything we can do about that.” Because While Penny would be willing to go to war, that didn’t mean she wanted to get everyone dragged into it as well. “Is there a way for you to check in with Wonderland? Or even the political news at large? I’ll admit that Penrose makes it hard to focus much on things outside its borders.”

Robert shook his head. "I only have a transmitting camera installed on my person." He showed the badge on his jacket, bearing the Wonderland emblem. "Something I informed the Regent about before she confiscated my watch and had me thrown in the dungeons." He sighed. "My orders were to report back after I had received an answer to the proposal. I suggested if we could arrange any alternative arrangements in case the initial one falls through, but the Queen wasn't particularly receptive to the idea, and deemed them unnecessary."

Penny gave the camera a look for a moment and was very grateful that she already secured the means to move out of the warehouse. The layout of the Sanctuary had never been a close secret, but it still worried her that Wonderland had likely seen a good chunk of the layout because of that camera.

“Well if that’s been recording this entire time there is hope” Penny would say after another moment. “How were you originally getting back to Wonderland?” She would go on to ask. “And what was the proposal supposed to be?”

Robert scoffed. "How do you think anyone moves from one realm to another? By magic, of course." He tapped at his jacket's pocket. "More specifically my pocket watch. It allows me to create spatial burrows and traverse through them."

Then he rolled his eyes. "The regent didn't inform you? The proposal was for the Sanctuary to withdraw their forces and magic away from Penrose and nearby cities. In return, you would be granted mercy by the Queen of Hearts and spared from her wrath. But like I said, Regent Dina had rejected the offer."

“Robert” Penny’s voice had taken a cool edge to it “Do not take me for a fool.” She would lean forward, eyes once again sharp as they regarded the ambasador. “My Regent did inform me. I wanted to hear it from you as well. Our refusal to leave stands. Our refusal to join Wonderland stands. If your Queen would so readily chase us from our homes I have no trouble believing that she purposefully sent you here to die. I will not kneel to one such as her.”

“If she wishes to take my home from me she will have to pry it from my corpse.” She simply stared at him for a few moments following that statement, never blinking. “With access to Glimmr networks, would you be able to send a message or call to someone in Wonderland?” She would ask, her voice once again calm and neutral. But her eyes stayed sharp and she still refused to blink.

Robert grimaced at Penny's threatening manners, and backed down.
"Excuse me, it seems it was a bit of culture shock. Anyway, the message is quite understood." He then blinked. "Glimmr? Ah, I think I've heard of it. It's a communication system established in the World Wide Web by a company of magicians, correct? The Queen has decreed any technology ran by ignorant slaves to be outlawed in Wonderland, including Glimmr." He then blinked. "Oh, not meaning to offend, mind you."

Penny was starting to put together a picture of Wonderland, and it wasn't pretty. "What is the punishment for breaking that law?" She would ask, ignoring the incidental slight.

"Losing your head of course," Robert answered as casually as if answering about local delicacies.
"In fact, most crimes are punished by losing your head. The Queen is very dedicated when it comes to upholding the law in Wonderland," he spoke with admiration.

Penny nodded at Robert’s response, she wasn’t surprised. She spent a moment seemingly contemplating what to say next when a portal dropped a letter next to her rather suddenly. Penny would pick up and read it before nodding to herself. She knew enough now.

“You know I have to wonder now what would be kinder.” She would say returning her gaze to Robert “Killing you now or letting you return to be killed by her. Because you do realize that she will find a reason for you to lose your head when you get back don’t you?” Penny would ask in the same sort of casual tone that Robert had answered.

“After all I’m sure she also dictates the laws” Penny would go on tilting her head to the side. “And Mr. White, from what I know of the Queen of Hearts, she was never fond of that color. Nor is she forgiving of failure. But something tells me that you won’t see it that way.”

Robert's smile faded fast, replaced by shock. "How dare you insult the Queen like that? She is a wise and graceful monarch, and not wont to pettiness as you have described. Besides, even if there were um…unforeseen circumstances, I am confident she understands the value that my role as a loyal ambassador serves."

“I dare simply.” Penny would say standing up with a shrug, her stool melding back into the floor as she did. “I dare because I've read her source material. I dare because she restricts everyone who she rules over so that she can hord her power and treat everyone as her own plaything. I dare, because by your admission, I am against her law just by living.” Penny’s face would split open at that last admission showing her mechanical inner nature for a moment before closing.

“I dare because I am Queen Penny, and if I don’t dare, how can I expect my subject to feel safe in doing so.” She would reach out a hand to Robert. “Regardless, I’ve learned what I wanted to. Simply return my healing artifact and you are free to leave.”

Robert gulped, intimidated by Penny, and returned the artifact back to her. "My apologies, I seem to have spoken out of line. Thank you for lending me the runic device, and for allowing me this chance to converse with you."

Rather than let him retract his arm, Penny would snag it and bring him in close. Making sure to lock eyes with him, hers glowing with inner power as she spoke in a low dangerous tone. “One last thing. You leaving alive is by my mercy, remember that, because the next time anyone from Wonderland enters my home, without forewarning, they will not return to your realm alive.” Her gaze bored into him and he could feel the banked weight of Penny’s aura seeping off of her as she waited just a moment to make sure he understood this warning.

As she stepped away the door out of the containment room would open in the same instance.

Penny could see fear in Robert's eyes, and he slowly nodded, slightly sweating from the brow.
"Yes…Point taken. Thank you for your mercy." Once he was allowed to leave, he stepped out of his cell, and bowed to Penny with his hat in his hands. "I will now return to Wonderland with your message to the Queen. I must admit that I learned a lot. While your lives are challenging due to the Powers, you possess a strong will to move forward. That is truly admirable. Fare thee well."
He then left with a brisk walk, seemingly wishing to escape before Penny changed her mind while still keeping a gentlemanly appearance.

Penny exited slowly, more than willing to let Robert return to his master. Still she stayed next to Ashlyn until she knew that Robert was out of earshot. “I want Tina to shadow him with one of her birds until he gets to either the nearest Overcity passage or he gets picked up by an ally of his.” She would order softly. “His camera is now my camera, and I want to be sure I get some use out of it.”

Wonderland wanted to play with its food, fine, Penny was more than willing to take advantage of that.