Majoraa

Symphony on High

"Can you not wax philosophies right now??"
- Finnegan Vanhorn

Corruption:77%

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13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronometry | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2), Major Heal (18), Stabilize (0), Purify (6)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 1000

[Silver Projectile][Restrain][Damage X][AoE] = - 252 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 612

Once again the Timekeeper had found himself engaged in combat away from everyone else. A most ironic danse macabre. But for once, he saw no issue with it. He did force the ghosts to split in half after all. For what good it may do, it'd at least give everyone else less to manage. In the corner of his eye he could briefly see the other half surging to attack Cerise, specifically. If these things were drawn to light, would lightning result in the same effects? What could he do here? The machine wouldn't have much time to think.

The train was coming up onto the city itself now, where destruction and ceaseless carnage were expected, everyone was met with...

Nothing. Peace Train was just vibing along through the streets. "Huh!" There was actually nothing to worry about after all.

...

Oh wait. Elroy was still an issue.

Finn could overhear the Immortal Volcano's high-and-mighty grandstanding, questioning why GEMINI would go after an apparently peaceful (Hah.) behemoth instead of the actual threat. Asides from the crap weather these things are causing? He sarcastically thought to himself. Of course he didn't know. He was just doing his job, following the strings of fate that wrap around him like a hanged man's noose. But Elroy can't really think he knew more than the rest of them, right? Then Finn heard Ashley's response.

Good fucking god, were they all acting on whims here?! Taking a brief window of opportunity, Finn snapped a bolt of lightning to hold the ghosts back while he thinks.

"What are any of us doing at this point? So, Peace Train is, shockingly enough, peaceful. That should be great! But if Ashley's right, there's the chance this thing'll go berserk and that'd be the fault of the Freelancers' head honchos for enabling it. On the other hand if Elroy's right then we're fighting a pointless battle in which either information has been purposefully omitted or this is clear negligence from the higher ups. But fuck if I know, we don't even know why it's even..." Finn's eyes widened as he thought outloud, keeping himself clear from the edges of the train. His eyes remained on the ghosts in case his melody worn out and they continued attacking him.

"The freelancers are trying to save Peace Train and yet kill Crazy Train, but the two of them are bound to run into each other soon enough, right? Are we trying to impede that? Is it a bad idea to kill one train but let the other live? If that's the case, either both will need to die to ascertain minimal causalities," The Timekeeper readied himself to strike at the ghosts again, more out of self-defense, and so he can stall for time. "Or we need to let whatever comes happen. No one's gonna agree on anything, so I'm just gonna test some theories while they argue. Hope that's alright with you, gents?"

It was probably bad that he was rambling to a bunch of ghosts that were trying to kill him, but his standards were low enough.

Symphony on High

”Wow, two rounds in and already you both went through half your shit?”

— “Penumbra”

@TaintedMushroom@Kero

The fight had barely begun and already the freelancers seemed to be growing desperate. Dead Head was pouring his bountiful anger and mana into a berserker’s rampage, whilst the Walking Church, though more level headed, couldn’t help the fear threatening to overwhelm her. If they weren’t careful, they’d run out of energy before the trains even arrived.

Asher fired Hatred into the eldritch void beast, again, and again, and again, and again. Though his shield melody was able to keep him safe to an extent, there was still the glaring issue of getting himself out from the abyssal maw of the damn thing. Though relatively thoughtless aside from the primal urge to hunt, the beast remained stubborn. His shielding melody could only last for so long. Seemed the best of them were trying to be patient. Something Dead Head couldn’t afford.

A surge of Dragon’s Breath ignited the monster into a glorious blaze of fire, giving Asher the window of opportunity to free himself. It let out a distorted howl as it seized and began to melt, the shape desperately trying to tear itself apart and reach out and escape and kill, melting and bubbling into nothing comprehensible. Not anymore.

And then it sunk into the ground, like a puddle of oil. Was it dead? Maybe he could double tap it to be sure it was dead. But what would that matter, it barely did anything to it normally.

What were they fighting?

Meanwhile, Raphael had little issue pushing through the sniper fire. He used his massive cross-shaped club as a shield and charged towards the dark esper. He belted out a war cry as he closed the distance. The club struck her black katana, and their weapons flew apart in a flurry of sparks. It was always risky to engage an unknown foe, but he believed the sniper would not hit him when he was so close to their frontman. And because of this, he pushed forward again, this time swinging with all of his might. Yet the golden-haired woman seemed to dissipate into wisps of darkness before his weapon could hit. Had she blinked away? Turned intangible?

Well, not exactly. She was the wisps of darkness. She quickly floated around Raphael, aiming to slash at his back while he was still distracted.

Out of reflex, the giant threw himself into a forward roll as the blade bit into his back. He came up with his club drawn across his back, which was now pointed towards the sniper. He winced as the heavy cross pressed into his wound. ”Interesting trick, but it won’t work more than once.”

”Doesn’t need to,” She responded, eyes narrowing at the priest. ”We’re all just doing our jobs in the end, what’s a few losses for the greater outcome?” The shadow wisp lunged again at Raphael before the duration of her melody ended.

Noah remained on the defensive, applying a new shield as the sniper continued to pursue her, throwing yet another dispelling melody in the darkness she hid in. The remaining amalgamation suffered the same fate, melting in a horrific fashion into puddles to be washed away. There was nowhere to hide now, and the sniper knew it.

”Ssssssssshit….” She hissed under her breath, backing away, eyes darting around in a panic. ”Spamming shields is a cheap play, ya know!” Was probably a bad idea to provoke the nun, but Noah still seemed less of a threat than those other two and she’s rushing in to wack her with a cross oh fuck

The sniper quickly raised her gun over her head to knock Noah’s spear away as hard as she could, following up with a roundhouse kick aimed at the nun’s head.

With all the chaos that was going on, the trio had yet to notice another girl boredly stalking everyone by the dumpsters. Ramona originally had hoped to keep her summons up for longer, but the two espers flanking the priest seemed to think they were a more immediate threat than Penumbra or Doberman. Her power had gone to waste. What could be more annoying than that? Ramona couldn’t help but groan. The angry one was gonna notice her soon enough, if he hadn’t gone to help the frightened one or Raphael of course.

Hm…

Maybe she could still make it interesting. Ramona quietly reached a hand out towards the liquified shadows, drawing them back to her, reconstructing them into a large whale. It was about the size of an orca, something that could gobble the common man up in a snap with its razor sharp teeth.

”...Eh, you already know your orders." She waved it off, the tentacles from her back picking up one of the dumpsters to throw at Asher. She didn’t expect it to hit him,

Moreso she wanted to get the knucklehead to notice Monstro swimming up to take a bite out of him.

Symphony on High

"Oh ye of too much faith."
- Finnegan Vanhorn

Corruption:77%

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13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronometry | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2), Major Heal (18), Stabilize (0), Purify (6)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 1000

[Gold Projectile][Quicken][Blink] = - 96 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 864

He didn't know what was worse, the fact that in just one hit he was flung off the train, or the fact that he indirectly predicted it. Finn didn't know why but he felt like he was being toyed with. Was he supposed to do something else while everyone fought Elroy, or was he just free to blip himself back? Not like the others cared either way but god damnit he's not letting himself get jacked this early, that's embarrassing as shit! He'd let himself seemingly slip off, but not before firing another blink bolt in an angle that'd hopefully get him back near someone.

That or he'll end up getting punked by that wave of ghosts.

...

Meh, someone'd have to deal with that anyways. Might as well be him.

Symphony on High

"I WASN'T EVEN TRYING TO- HELLO????"
- Finnegan Vanhorn

Corruption:75%

Post Banner

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronometry | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2), Major Heal (18), Stabilize (0), Purify (6)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 1000

[Bronze Projectile][Blink] = -40 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 960

To be honest, nothing was ever going to numb the sharp pain Finn felt when Elroy, of all people, merely disregarded him with a laugh. Elroy, of all people! Who then went on to say if he wasn't there when the Holy Diver attacked the other agents would've killed Betty and Pac-A-Fist. While the Timekeeper did worry about that, exactly, Elroy then turned around and brought up the incident at Dante's. That immediately made Finn's heart drop to his stomach. Oh god, nonononono... How did word get around so quickly? How far did it reach if it reached the Bates? Did he even know the full story? That Dante and Amanda had been targeting him for whatever selfish reasons they had at the time?

Did that even matter? Of course not.

"You don't know-!" He called out in vain. After all, Elroy was probably one of the many who sympathized with the late father and his grieving daughter. It was a story that'd pull at the heartstrings when you say all the right things. God, what was he supposed to do at this point. Lay down and die? Whore himself off to the people that only wanted to use him as a anything less than a human?

He softly glanced over to Ashley soon as she gave out orders to him and Mika. Attack the nuns, simple as that. They were charging at the agents first, so the machine would need to come at them from behind. He aimed over everyone's heads and fired a bolt to blink behind Elroy's team. If he didn't accidentally throw himself off the train, he'd be able to sprint up and slash Lexi in the back.

Symphony on High

@TaintedMushroom
Asher’s fiery retaliation singed holes into the darkened tendrils, the heat causing them to bubble and boil and smell of death. But whoever was the one commanding them barely flinched, if at all. After all, the appendages were nothing more than a weapon, another construct it created along with the seemingly endless waves of shades everyone was forced to juggle. Luckily it seemed the shades were weaker than their commanders, so the espers could hold them back and focus on the real threats easily.

The tendrils simply tightened their hold around Dead Head and threw him into the mass of darkness. It felt like a pack of wolves biting at him, except somehow worse, trying to tear and feast on his flesh.

Hopefully someone could heal that.

@Kero
The Walking Church had applied her protective melody in time, the next shot ricocheted off her and away to god-knows-where. A minor setback. Noah shooting a dispel melody near the unseen sniper though? Not so minor. For a brief moment, the holy esper could see the woman hiding within darkness shielding herself and quickly running back in, away from the blind spot. She started firing her rifle again, ghosting behind the Walking Church. The shots ricocheted again and again, sometimes hitting that giant cross she was using as a shield, sometimes hitting the shield. Gradually cracking it down until it broke.

Symphony on High

"By god do I hate my life right now."
- Finnegan Vanhorn

Wonder if these are supposed to be the monsters this thing attracts.

The Timekeeper thought to himself as the spectral passengers and crewmen of the Peace Train swarmed the team of agents as soon as they landed. The grip he had on Atropos tightened as he immediately began trying to plan a course of action, with or without Orion's input. He couldn't say for sure whether or not everyone weapons could lay a dent on the ghosts, much less if everyone would actually work together this time. The painful encounters with Gunther came to mind. Misplaced expectations. Maybe it was wrong of him to have so much hope.

Speaking of which, before any form of conflict even started the train stopped again. The cause quickly made himself known, causing the machine to hold back a pained expression once he saw who it was. Elroy, accompanied by two nuns who Mika confirmed were the ones that ambushed her and murdered the late Angelie. He already got the hint of the Immortal Volcano's intentions longer before he confirmed them outright. If he's dead-set on protecting the behemoth, to the point where he was resigned to, willing to work with what he could only assume was dark web espers. They were going to have to fight him.

No matter how Finn tried to look at it, it wasn't going to end well regardless of what everyone decided to do.

Then, for some reason, Elroy seemed to try and lighten the mood by turning the attention towards him and his reputation. Ashley responded before he could. The Timekeeper let a quiet, shaky breath slip through his lips, left unseen.

I never wanted any of this, I never had a choice.

Corruption:75%

"Elroy. Get out. Of the way." He spoke up as stilled as he could, shooting Elroy a look as both a warning...and a plea.

Symphony on High

@TaintedMushroom@Kero

Raphael seemed to pay no mind to his bantering companions. His gaze was focused solely on the newly arrived: part of a third party that would interfere with his mission. ”I have endured many trials, whore of babylon. What is one more?” If everyone was going to make fun of her appearance, might as well jump on that train with them. Such spirited companions Raphael had paired himself with. ”Time is of the essence. If you have us trapped, please spring it quickly so we may finish our work that much sooner.” With one hand, he pulled the massive cross-shaped mace off of his back and rested it on his shoulder.

Out of all the possible reactions the trio could’ve had to the woman’s appearance and warning, it had to be about her esper form. Noah’s initial shock earned a genuinely surprised look from her, silently glancing around them until Raphael spoke up again. But instead of being offended or whatnot…

”Pfft-!”

She bursted out laughing. Her, and the collective of darkness. God, she loved her job. ”Sorry, sorry- I know I should be serious but I can’t help it!” The woman sighed, then smiled, standing up to walk along the edge of her perch. ”But I am offering mercy here, Father. On one hand, you go after Crazy train, you’ll end up fighting the Mavericks.”

As she spoke, a red dot slowly aimed for the Walking Church.

”On the other, try and save Peace Train, you’ll be going against the government themselves.”

As she spoke, an array of shadowy tentacles readied to restrain Dead Head.

”But what would I know, you do seem resolute.”

She glanced back at Raphael. ”Don’tcha?” Then allowed herself to fall into the shadows.

The unseen shooter pulled the trigger, the sound of a single gunfire ringing out. But yet the bullet merely scraped by Noah, grazing her shoulder. It was less for her anyways and more a signal for everyone to strike. Though the next ones proceeding it seemed to have more killing intent. The wave of demonic shades surged. Swiftly followed by their supposed master launching herself at Raphael dead on.

Symphony on High

"*Looks at the camera* They don't know this isn't an act."
_{Corruption:???%
(Wonder when this'll be relevant.)}

Aaaaand Mika lumped Olivia in as another girlfriend anyways! Great. Not really. Finn's only response to her remarks was an eloquent flip of the bird, but at least she was more business than Ashley, who had deftly tried to justify her accusations against Betty and Olivia. He nodded when Mika asked for confirmation about when he had met up with Betty.

"Faith's a bit of a chatterbox but the few times I've run into her, her behavior seemed pretty consistent enough." He spoke up with what he had noted, crossing his arms in thought. "I've... Actually, I've not seen Binky since you guys got her back from that weird casino. You don't think...?"

Then Ashley, sweet, stupid fucking Ashley. Decided he was somehow more of a threat than what they were actually THERE for. As she went about her little ultimatum with him, she could see his hands tighten their grip against his arms as he glared daggers at her. He could so easily fling himself up to the front of the van and.... Finn sharply inhaled, shutting his eyes for a moment. "Agent Orion, there are bigger things at stake here than you gleefully signing off my pink slip. If you wanna act like I'm the bigger threat than two behemoths with the destructive power of hurricanes, then cut the shit you're pulling here and let me do my job before we end up killing each other first? You can cry to Dr. Moller that you want me out AFTER the threat's been neutralized." The machine's glare had reeled back to a more tired bitchface.

"Oh but don't worry though, I'll be an obedient little killer. Trust!" He even crossed his heart to emphasize.

Albeit with a rather spiteful smile.

Symphony on High

"Aaaaaaaand it begins. Fun."
_{Corruption:???%}

Soon as Finn climbed into the back of the Van, Mika had brought up the mole issue. When she went on to explain how Dante had a literal dossier on him, Timekeeper and all, he couldn't help the frown that formed on his face. He was set up! Why can't they just see that already?? It was a good thing Mika had found it before it got into someone else's hands, but that doesn't change the fact it was there. It was scary to think about. Doesn't help that whoever was behind it set up the ambush at St. Bianchi's too. Finn quietly listened to the conversation between the other two agents, including Ashley's theories on who leaked the information.

And then the topic turned...targeted. The Timekeeper gave their glorious leader a pointed look as she went on about how Betty and fucking Olivia of all people could be suspects too. Just cause of their association with him. The machine sharply breathed in through his nose, then dryly chuckled.

"Y'know, you can just accuse me of being the mole. Makes things much easier." He crossed his arms with a hateful grin. "Since I'm already such a liability and all? Come the fuck on, Orion, for how much bullshit Betty's been through I somehow doubt she'd still be working for the very same people who kidnapped and enthralled her and god knows what else they could've done." Unless Ashley was accusing Betty of being a sleeper agent. That'd align with the current peanut gallery with both Faith and Binky having been in contact with the Hand too. "Compared to the rest of you assholes she's been the one of, if not the best to me. Unless you're saying I've been too reckless with who I trust?" Betty had been aware the whole time she had been controlled, according to her. She knows how much he'd gone through hell and back to save her, why would she suddenly betray him after all that? He had rose a brow, then his grin dropped to a glare.


"Especially if you think an innocent girl like Olivia can be a threat? I didn't tell her jackshit beside that I'm an esper, okay? Even then she could've tried to kill me in the catacombs when we went down there if you're somehow worried about that but she didn't. She just talked to me about stuff like her school and her partner." ....That he barely paid attention to. Hopefully mentioning that Olivia's taken doesn't give Mika anything to make a snide remark about though. His eyes then widened in an exaggerated tilt of the head, eyes boring holes into Ashley's skull. "Frankly if you think she's such a threat why don't you go ahead and go kill her yourself after this, hm~?"

Letting the tension simmer for a moment, the machine leaned back against his seat, reeling himself back. "Though having a potential sleeper agent does make sense. Had either Faith or Binky acted strangely over the past few days?"

Symphony on High

(Downtime Collab) Date Night

You wouldn't think things like a merry-go-round, maze of mirrors, or "games of skill" would be amusing to espers. Certainly, there are more exilerating things they deal with on a day to day basis. But as two kids, Mika and Finn could appreciate the simple, low stakes amusement that a traveling carnival provided.

For the first time in a while, Finn actually had a good time with someone without dream demons or ghost doctors interrupting anything. Though he did have to stick closer to Mika a few times. The boy wasn't exactly one for crowds, or the overall overstimulation that came with coming to places like this. But as long as he stayed by his companion he was okay.

”It's almost time for your other date, huh?” Mika was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans. Usually she was inseperable from her backpack, but terrorists ruined that for everyone, so she left it in Su's van. ”Did you want to do anything else? I think we have time for one more.”

"Hmmm, you think they got a haunted house here?" Finn asked, glancing around for any ideas. He was carrying a few prizes the two had won from some of the games. "Then again that might be a bad idea. Compared to what we deal with, shit like that'd be hotcakes." He chuckled to himself.

”I'm not surprised you want to see a haunted house. Given, you know. Your weapon?” Mika grabbed the air with one hand and pulled on an invisible ripcord with the other.

"Hah! Maybe I should work in one then? I'm sure there's a few people afraid of murder puppets!" Finn lightly elbowed Mika's arm.

The good news was that there was a haunted house nearby. The bad news was that it definitely wasn't theme park quality. This was a mobile fair, and as a result everything was designed to be quickly stored and erected. The outside of the haunted house did not hide its modular design. It was a simple metal frame that had panels bolted to it with wing nuts. The panels themselves had monster designs that looked like they had been inspired by album covers of the 70’s or 80’s, which was well before either of the children had been born. It looked kind of tacky on the outside, but it might be scary to be inside such a hastily constructed contraption.

”I won’t lie, I’m kind of sold.” Mika was already walking towards the entrance.

Finn's brows rose. With a stiffled wheeze at her quick decision, he quickly followed behind. "Wait up!"

When Finn caught up to Mika, she was standing in front of the entrance way, tickets already purchased. It didn’t look any less ramshack up close, but Mika was noticeably hesitant to enter. Ahead was a darkened hallway lit up by fake torches, in what had to be the saddest attempt to mimic an old goth castle. When Finn was at Mika’s side, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. ”Ready?” she didn’t take her eyes off the darkness.

Finn gently squeezed her hand back in response. "Mhm." He nodded with a reassuring smile.

As soon as they entered, the two were greeted by a generic evil laugh. Aside from the voice being cheesy, it was played out of a hidden speaker with connection problems. It would have worked in an asylum, but not a “gothic castle” like this. The outdated animatronics didn’t fair much better. Seeing skeletons and ghosts wave their arms wasn’t scary when accompanied by the hum of electric motors. It was a novelty from a bygone era, and half of them weren’t even operable. But still, Mika cautiously moved between the threshold of each room they entered. There was another laugh, this time from a witch. A cardboard cut out of a witch slowly moved past a window before disappearing. Her grip on Finn’s hand tightened.

They must have entered the last room, because it was large and poorly lit. Purple lights turned on along the walls and smoke rolled in from in front of them. The whirring of electronics started again and something raced towards them. Mika’s hand slipped out of his, and then Cerberus brandished her claws. She shoved Finn onto his back just as the source of her fears emerged from the smoke. She drove her hand into its face, only to discover it was an animatronic skeleton king. Her claws had marred its face and knocked the crown off of its head.

She stared at it dumbfounded.

Mika transformed back before helping Finn to his feet. She then placed the crown back on its head before walking around it and leaving with Finn.

”I think it’ll look scarier with a scar.” she nodded to herself.

"Ya' think?" The boy laughed with his own dumbfounded reaction, much more towards how...vigilant Mika reacted to it all. Maybe it was a bad idea to suggest something like this. Finn slightly frowned.

"You okay though? Be honest with me, cause I'd hardly believe you went Cerberus mode on a whim." He softly asked her.

”I’ve had a lot on my mind. I think I’m okay. Just need some time. You know.” Mika said without looking at Finn. ”But we should think about your next date. Did you want me to drop you off somewhere? Home? The Great Escape?”

"I'd be an ass if I ghosted Betty, so the Great Escape, if you mind?" Finn shrugged.

”I wasn't sure if you wanted to take a shower first.”

---

Of course, Finn didn't immediately go inside outright. He idly paced back and forth outside, waiting for any sign of Betty. He quietly watched everyone inside through the window, kept adjusting his attire multiple times so he would look as cleaned up as possible, even climbed up onto the roof so he could sit somewhere yet not once had he stopped moving for more than a few seconds.

Was he nervous? Perhaps. This was the first date with any romantic intent he's been on. That is if the two of them were actually compatable with each other. The boy only hoped he wouldn't screw this up somehow.

From Finn’s vantage point up above, he could see a few people walking on the streets below. The city was starting to heal, and the ruined streetways and buildings were once again fit to be inhabited by people. At least until the next behemoth attack rolled through.

Mika’s van was parked some distance away. She had offered to take Finn home when he was done, insisting it was no bother as she had things to do in the area anyway. So Finn waited, but never really stood still.

Then he spotted her. The pale woman was wearing the same dress she wore the day she was abducted. It was her performing outfit, but it worked as a formal dress. Against the darkness, the white girl stood out like a star. Though the only thing she had that actually shined was her glass violin. Betty wasn’t performing tonight, but given what happened last time she was here it was probably better to have her grimoire on her person.

Though Finn could also protect her this time too.

She stood in front of the Great Escape, casting her gaze down either side of the side walk. She had arrived exactly ten minutes early, which gave Finn some time to go meet her.

"Hyup!" Finn hopped down from the top of the diner and jogged up to Betty. "Hey, B." He greeted her with a grin. "You look amazing."

”Thank you,” Betty smiled at Finn. ”And my nickname is ‘B’ now? Does that make me sound more hip?”

Finn quickly cleared his throat. "well uh, you didn't exactly take well to the first one so I- Uhm-" He stepped to the door and opened it, waiting for her to step inside first. "It's a work in progress, I-I'll come up with something else. _Probably." He sheepishly glanced aside.

While his head was turned, he could feel Betty stroke his head with her hand. ”I’m just messing around, Finn. there’s no need to be like that. We’re here to enjoy ourselves.” She reached for his hand and walked inside. The boy's face flushed a light pink at the affections. He simply mumbled an apology, gently squeezing her hand in response. ”I was just thinking about giving you a nickname, but ‘F’ doesn’t have the same ring that B does.”

"Bit hard to do that when I already go by a nickname though, isn't it?" Finn said as he looked for a good booth for them to sit at. Or maybe they can sit by the counter this time? "My full name's Finnegan, I just usually go by Finn cause it's too...formal, for me? It feels weird using it on a day-to-day basis." He went on to explain.

Betty's smile grew. ”My birth certificate says my name is Elizabeth, but I've been called Betty for as long as I can remember. My mother would only use my full name if she was really mad.” While Finn was wondering where they should sit, Betty guided him to a small table and sat down with him. After looking into his eyes for a moment, she continued. ”I think we're conditioned to give shorter names to people when they are longer than three syllables.”

His eyebrows rose when she shared her full name. Elizabeth. Lovely, but he never considered Betty being derived from that.

"Oh right! Your mother! How is she?" Hopefully both of them have been doing okay, considering the state of the city. "You've been able to see her again, yeah?"

”She's much happier now that I'm not a vampire thrall.” She supressed her laugh. ”It's a shame I can't tell them the truth, but I guess being abducted by gangsters is a bit more believable than being abducted by a vampire. We video called dad too. She doesn't let me go anywhere without an escort now, but I told her that one of the cops who saved me was going to meet up with me. Speaking of cops, how is work? You get everything settled with your co-workers? You look a lot better today.”

"Nnnnnot really. Our new squad leader let me off with a warning. Even after I tried to reason with Dr. Moller, in vain. Either I fall back in line or they cut me out. Simple as." Finn sighed. "But I had an epiphany lately and figured I'd just embrace being the attack dog. If they have a problem with me, then tough shit." He casually shrugged.

Betty pulled her head back when he swore. ”Oh, well, that's unfortunate. I was thinking about joining GEMINI, but if everyone is that difficult to work with, maybe I should get a job as a freelancer?”

"It's ultimately your choice, we are a bit undermaned at the moment. Mika's cool, if not a bit tense recently, but it'd be nice to have you there." Finn rested his arms on the table. "And besides, maybe it is just...me. Y'know?"

”All I know is that I wouldn't be here if a GEMINI agent decided to shoot me because I was part vampire. Though that's always why the bad boy act you're doing right now is never going to work.”

Finn flinched in surprise, his face flushing a redder tint. "Bad boy act?!"

”Don't bad boys act like renegades when presented with rules?” She lowered her pitch and spoke. ”Besides, maybe it is just me, ya know?” Finn could only groan in embarassment.

Shortly afterwards a waitress appeared. Once they ordered, they had a moment to talk about what they had been doing, how Finn's sister was running for mayor, how the guy running against her was probably bad and a nut job, and a great many other topics that would bore you to tears if you weren't trying to form a romantic bond. Their talk continued well into their meal,

"I wonder if there are any shrimp and spagetti monsters. I could keep one as a pet and have this every day!" After taking a bite of her Shrimp Scampi, she set down her fork. "You know what? I think we should have a toast. What would you like to have a toast to, Finn?" She picked up her can of soda in preperation.

The boy picked up his and thought for a moment. "To us, perhaps? To new beginnings?" He suggested.

Betty smiled. "To us, and new beginnings!"

Before their cans could connect, Finn found himself falling through his seat into a bathroom stall. The landing was hard, and his natural inclination was to look up. He could see a swirling portal that he had falling into and caught a glimpse of Mary’s hand coming over to banish it.

"What the fuck Mary?!"

But the portal closed before he got a reply.

He cursed under his breath. Right, if there's another goddamn vampire gunning after his ass this time, he's gonna smack Mary upside the head next time he sees them. A hand in his pocket gripping his grimoire, he quietly peeked out the stall to see if the bathroom was empty.

The bathroom was not totally empty. There was a woman washing her hands, another appeared to be calling a friend, and that was without looking under any of the stalls.

Mary dropped him into the women's restroom. Of course. Either he's gonna have to wait until everyone leaves or make up an excuse, that his friends pulled a prank on him or something. Finn sighed. So much for hoping this didn't go awry, but at least it wasn't nightmare demons this time, right? He hugged his knees to his chest in hopes no one will notice him.

The woman who was washing her hands left shortly after she was done, but the girl on the phone remained. As Finn waited, he had to wonder what Mary and Betty were doing.

Hopefully they're just...making up? Hopefully. Finn slowly unraveled himself after a moment and stepped back up to the door.

...Right, excuse it is.

He quietly pushed the stall open and quickly made his way to the door, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

The girl on the phone spotted Finn. She raised an eyebrow, but continued her call without adressing him.

_Whew.

Unfortunately, Finn would come to find that Mary and Betty were not exactly being civil with each other. Betty had transformed, and the two were shouting at each other.

”...So I asked him first! So you can’t take him as your boyfriend!” Ze pointed at Betty with their puppet.

"I didn’t take him, I offered to go on a date with him and he accepted! Probably because he knows I won’t drop him into a bathroom like you did to us!"

"Oh shit-" Finn hurried over to stand in between the two before they could start trying to kill each other. "Bit of a weird way to say hello, Mary, you do remember the last time you chucked someone into the wrong bathroom, right???" He quickly spoke to the puppeteer esper.

”I mean…” Mary crossed her arms. ”That’s not going to happen twice, right?”

"Finn, what’s going on?" Betty kept her sword at the ready. "She keeps saying you’re already taken." Mary visibly winced when Betty got her pronoun wrong. "What is she talking about? You weren’t dating her while trying to rescue me, were you?"

Finn sucked in air through his teeth. "I. Never. Agreed to that. This is why I said my love life is no one goddamn buisness. Me and Mary aren't a couple, trust me. I know they have a crush on me but I hadn't really felt the same way, I'll admit." He tried to explain. "Hell I didn't even know if I'd feel that way for anyone in fact, that's why I'm glad you were upfront about seeing if we're compatable. If we weren't, then at the very least I'd be glad we're on better terms after everything." He smiled at Betty, but the rose a brow once he looked at Mary.

"Besides that, how'd you even know we were here?"

”Come on, Finn!” Denny the puppet folded his little bunny arms. ”You’re a smart boy! You chose to have a date in the #1 freelance hangout!” But while Denny seemed mildly annoyed with Finn, Mary was on the verge of tears.

”Y-You went on a date with me, and you agreed to it!” She hugged Denny. ”We went to an arcade! A-And I stood by your side while that sand curse tried to eat away at you! You really never felt anything for me?”

"T-Technically that'd imply I was taken by Klava first considering we went out to use that meal ticket from the diner job and, frankly, not a snowball's chance in hell. Ew." Somehow he seemed to talk even faster. "Look, I know I'm weird, I've never been in a proper relationship, I don't know where I swing or if at all just please-"

Just when it looked like the gear boy was going to blow a gasket, a reassuring hand fell on his back. The appearance of the newly arrived was so startling that both Mary and Betty couldn’t help but look at them wide eyed.

Mika, just as transformed as the other girls, patted Finn on the shoulder and stepped out from behind him.

”You guys do not get it. he is in an open re-lay-shin-ship with us. That’s why he is dating us all at the same time.”

WHAT?! So much for reassuring.

Betty blinked. "Excuse me?"

”He is a free spirit.” Mika continued to explain, despite Finn's expression begging her not to. ”My mom was the same way. She would go on dates with people all the time. I got to meet some potential daddies and mommies my mommy was going to have for me, but they usually didn’t click with me. Mom said it was because they were mean, but I do not know. Jack-o-line didn’t want to stay with me either. ” Mary collapsed into Finn’s seat. ”I thought he might be the same way and I was right. He went on a date with me before coming here.” Betty also sat back down. ”I’m not surprised to hear he has a fourth one.” Mary cried softly into her puppet.

"...Finnegan Vanhorn." Betty kept her arms loose, but it was clear she was reeling from this sudden reveal. "When I asked you if you wanted to go on a date, it was with the expectation that we were going to have a romantic outing, and that you didn’t have three other partners."

"I- I-"

”I had not dated him at that time, so it would have been only two.”

Betty closed her eyes and waved away Mika’s words. "I don’t care what any of these other people say. But I need to know if you were cheating on me or using me to cheat. So at the time when I offered to go on a date with you, were you considering anyone else to be your girlfriend?"

"NO, DAMNIT!" Finn shouted, an outburst that even startled himself. "This was the only date I've been on that actually had any romantic intent! If none of you can understand that, if none of you can fucking understand where I'm coming from, that I'm- I'm not some fucking sleezebag or whatever, then what's the point in any of this?! He was trying so hard to stop trembling. His voice cracked under the pressure, even when he felt his chest starting to constrict. He clawed at his own arms, nails digging into skin. "I just wanted ONE NIGHT where nothing goes wrong! ONE! If I can't even have that- I-If I can't even spend time with people without them misreading the room then-! AAAAUGH!!" He struggled to catch his breath, he couldn't. He couldn't breathe. He could barely even acknowledge the room or the figures around him, what with darkness creeping in the corners of his vision.

Mary had fled half way through Finn's wild mad ramble. She slammed the door behind zemselves as they left. Mika and Betty, however, had stuck around for the entire thing. Both looked mortified, with each one waiting for the other one to speak up first. The only thing filling the silence was Finn trying to take as deep of breaths as he could. Doc would zap him on the spot with eldritch lightning if he broke down again over something so trivial.

Elroy, completely untransformed, strolled over to the group with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey." Despite speaking in a calm tone and using his indoor voice, he commanded everyone’s attention. "Is everyone okay over here?" Elroy looked between the two girls that Finn had just cussed out. His eyes fell on the most upset looking one first. "You okay, Kitty-cat?"

Mika bit her lower lip and dried her eyes on her arm. ”I was just leaving.” She started to walk away from the table when she looked over her shoulder. ”Find someone else to drive you home.” She reached her hand out and attempted to push through the entry door. Once she realized her mistake, she shoved the exit door open and hastily vanished from sight.

Elroy looked to Betty. "You okay, violin girl?" She nodded, as did Elroy. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked back to his table.

Betty stared at her half eaten dinner with her arms folded.

Finn suddenly set the amount of money due on the table. He avoided looking back at Betty.

"M'sorry." He mumbled. "I was...really hoping nothing would go wrong this time. Damn me, I guess. Shit like this always happens so you'd expect me to be used to it by now, eh?" He tiredly chuckled, managing a weakened smile. "But I did genuinely want this to work, between us, especially after..." Finn trailed off, his face twisting into a frown.

Faintest memories. Not his, but at the same time it was. A familiar guilt. The pain in his chest still came in waves.

The boy sighed. "You don't have to stay. At the very least let me cover everything, it's the least I can do."

Betty had remained motionless through his entire explanation. She sat back in her chair and rose her eyes to meet Finn's. "Remember earlier when you said it might be you?" She held the side of her head in her hand. "Finn, I'm- Look, a date was never necessary. I've already met you a few times and I know you can be an incredible person when you want to be. But what's happening? You're swearing like a sailor, any time I talk to you it's about how something went wrong, and if there's even a little bit of stress... What has you so agitated?"

Finn kept his head low, fingers drumming the surface of the table trying to figure out how to answer.

"...Have you ever felt like you weren't in control of your life?" He softly asked. "Like for every good thing that happens to you, something bad always happens in turn? A price to pay, in blood or otherwise. Or that you're being set up and you don't know what for?" Finn ran his hands through his hair. "I'm starting to realize there's a pattern to these things and I have to just..." He vaguely motions to nothing in particular.

"Embrace it? Whatever it is."

Betty watched Finn for a moment. Then she gently took his hand and pulled him back into his seat. The corners of her lips curled into a smile, but it was clear she was forcing herself.

"When I was enthralled by that vampire, I could see out into the world. I was a prisoner in my own body, and I could watch everything as it happened. Sometimes I would black out for a few hours, or maybe a few days, but I was "awake" for a lot of what happened. I had very little control there." Betty folded her arms. With a sigh, she returned to her normal form. "But there have been less extreme cases too! The day we first met, I couldn't bring myself to play. I was embarrassed that Elroy had to cover for me. It was very nice of him, but I felt guilty the entire time. Part of me wanted to throw him off the stage so that I could continue, even though I couldn't. What both of these situations have in common is that they were beyond my control, but I was okay because someone else was watching out for me." she pushed her plate aside. "It's not just you, Finn. Everyone feels like that at some point. The trick is to have the humility to let someone come to your rescue. Like earlier, I think that was largely a misunderstanding? But what made it... bad... was that you felt like you had to defend yourself from these 'accusations.' But if we had been allowed to talk, maybe we could have all come to an understanding." She looked away. "Or maybe not. Sometimes bad things are just outside your control."

"..."

Of course she didn't understand. No one did. It was nice of her to try and sympathize with him, but he already had a bad feeling when she forced herself to smile. A part of Finn felt like she was talking down to him.

Maybe he really was mad.

Finn just nodded then, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Yeah."

"My representative advised against me making a 'Two Trains Having Sex' joke."
_{Corruption:???%}

Two hurricanes at once. It was something unheard of, usually. Though one could suppose with the luck of Pax Septimus this wasn't surprising in the slightest. Certainly didn't surprise Finn. After his date went horribly awry he only continued to grow more distance from the other agents, sometimes even just other espers in general. Well, asides from Betty. He did take on a hunt with that vulgar imp girl that went...as well as you'd expect, he got a mecha out of it he could repair and polish up, and the two of them co-operated pretty well for what they could manage. But something seemed to properly snap into place in the boy there and then. A strange sort of awareness.

If that awareness was anything to go by, someone was going to die today. Or at the very least something was going to happen to someone. That he was certain. But who would believe him, after the one person he hoped to understand forced a smile instead? And his situation was much worse in the fact that he'd be partnered with one of the girls he yelled at for thinking he had been romantically interested in her, and the leader that was no doubt going to keep him on a tight fucking leash, whilst there was a mole hiding amongst them.

He didn't care. Not anymore.

As long as he plays his part, he'll be just fine. He was a killer resigned to his fate. T̶̨͕͓̙̜̺̻͎̳͕̔͌̌̅͂́́͊̀̾̅̍̽͝ḩ̷̨͚̗̙̪͇̭͔̺̹̤̅̿̄͊͋͒̕͜͝͠ͅͅè̸̯̲̜̹̻̺͔̗̄͋̾̃̀̂͐̈́̚ỹ̸̨̧̫͚̞̪͕̹̣͈̞̿̈́́̂̍̈͒͒́̆̅̍̀̂̕͜͝'̷̡͔̳͚͎̟̘͍̥̫̤̭̖̦̍̓̔͌͊̎̀͑̈́̆͜l̵̢̡̢̙̦͕̯̹̱̗͖͇̫̩̦̏͑̒̃̉̓̈́͌̐̚͝l̸̗̦͐̀͗̋̓ ̷̟̗͎̭̖͙͕̭̝̖̀͋̍͛͌̑͆̐͑̚͠u̷̢̘̰̲̠̦͇̯͊̈́̾̃̂͋́̈́̆̀́̾̑̀̒̓͠ͅͅǹ̴̡̨̤͎͉͈̘̣̟̮̦͛̓̈́̈́d̸̼̝̘̜̍̔̈́͐͐̾̄͗͌́͌̉͆̂͝e̷͙̭̹͎̥̺͍̯͇͚̬͍̬̠͍̣̓͒̑̀͋̚͠r̶͙̜͈̿̂̈̔̿̅́͂̑͆̒́͗̃s̴̭̪̣̩̪̻͖͉͖̘̩̗̰͍̫̲̞̑͌͆́̆͒̄t̵̢͙̯̦̦͇̀͋̏̑̓̇̐̈́̚̕͠à̷̘͌̍̐͒̓͊̈́̊̔͒̄̒n̶̩̝̹̖̻̱̰̱̍̽̈́̑͛͂̚͜͝d̸̳͈̖͖̖̺͍̑̆͗̒́̄̽͗̍̕̕ ̵̨̢̩̲̩͎̻̖̝̃̃̐̚͝ͅs̷̨̬͇̳̻̜̜̭̳̪̥̺͊̋̅̿͘͝ͅǫ̶̯̭̦̭́ǫ̸̢̖͍͖̰̙̩̫̥̣͕͓͉͚̽͐͋̈́̓̽́̓̈́̐̉̈́͐̐̓͘͝ņ̶̭̲̮̞̗͇͗̊͆͜ ̷̠̋̉̾̍̆͛̌͠͝͝ę̷͕̭̫͖̭͚̹̝͎̠̍̂͝n̷̞̞̗̍̎̓̽͋͊̅̇̕ơ̴̖̰͍̬̬̬̣̼͉͚̊̇̆̉u̷̧̳͕̣͈͔̙̘̼͈̣̣͐̄͆̋̓̿͊̿̂̔͊̎̕̚͘͜͜͝͝g̷̡̛̹̮̜̘̺͈̮̳̭͒̾̏̇́̌̒̋͜͜h̸̦̯͓̗̠͉̜̬̤̩̰̥̔̄̍.̶̟̗̼̾̄̑̔͗̏̒͐̈́͊̕͘̕

As it was, the Timekeeper was idly pacing as he waited for Mika to arrive, already transformed and letting the torrential downpour cool himself down before the fight. As much as he wanted to say that this time things would be different, he'd be lying. At the very least he'd be doing things different this time.

How?

Best not to spoil the show before it's even begun.