[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/72bEcUi.png[/img][/center]

Lily was anxious, her foot outwardly expressing it with impatient taps as she waited for her message to be received. But she wasn’t anxious about nobody showing up: there were still friends and acquaintances she could rely on to do the right thing. She was concerned about how volatile the personalities of the magical girls could be, and how that could lead into bickering if not outright hostility. However, Lily didn’t have to ponder such thoughts for long before the first person arrived. But to Lily’s surprise, it was nobody she recognized. She was alarmed as the shield-carrying girl suddenly teleported in, but quickly gave a hesitant smile as the stranger introduced themselves as an associate of Doctor Nykannis, and more importantly, an ally to her cause. While she wasn’t really familiar with the “Queen of the Mad Scientists” herself, she figured she cared enough about Penrose to give this meeting a chance. And so would Lily too.

[color=fff200]”A b-bodyguard?”[/color] She slightly blushed out of embarrassment after hearing the announcement, and scratched her cheek, averting her eyes.
[color=fff200]”I-I’m not so important that I’d need that…But, um, thank you.”[/color]
Though she secretly wanted to be acknowledged and respected by her peers, she never wanted to be seen as superior or more important than anyone else. In that sense, it was bizarre for a stranger to assign her a guardian. Not that she needed one, as she saw Alex arrive soon after the recording ended. She could trust him to keep her safe even if someone dangerous attempted to crash the meeting.
[color=fff200]”Alex! You came just in time! Look what I got!”[/color] She waved the recording in her hand, looking like she might accidentally drop it, to Pentius-04’s possible dismay.

She then activated the recording and reacted with wide eyes, taken aback by Nykannis’ bold greeting. She was boisterous and rude, yet also strangely endearing to Lily, reminding her of a villain she saw in a TV show once. Regardless of her attitude, her intent seemed positive enough. 

Once it ended, Lily turned to Pentius-04, about to say something, when she froze, her eyes wide. A new arrival teleported suddenly in: Chloe, with an entourage of girls Lily definitely considered dangerous. She instinctively hopped out of the way of the red carpet as it rolled towards the central statue, and summoned her magical weapon out of reflex as Chloe bombastically walked down it.
But as soon as she did, Chloe made her intentions clear: she also wanted to attend the meeting in peace, even if she did summon a horrific monster to enforce it. A bead of sweat dripped down Lily’s brow, but she put up a brave face. She would need to stay in control of the meeting no matter how intimidated she might be. But she had to admit, that scarf was pretty drip.
[color=fff200]”Chloe, it’s good to see you,”[/color] Lily responded with a slightly hesitant smile, and put away her weapon.
[color=fff200]”Love the new look, by the way. The scarf suits you.”[/color]
She hoped a few kind words helped with the unease between them in the coming conversation.

As if on cue, a portal opened, and out of it stepped a familiar face joined by representatives of Sanctuary.
[color=fff200]”Penny! Is that…A new capelet?”[/color]
Her eyes sparkled upon seeing the new accessory the Queen of Penrose wore. Now feeling safe as one of the most powerful magical girls of Penrose was present, she let her weapon disappear with a spark of electricity, and curtsied.
[color=fff200]”I am grateful that you have joined us, Your Majesty.”[/color]
Though she noticed the tension between their group and Chloe’s, she appreciated their self-control. She then noticed as various other Penrose magicals arrived including Gaia, Connie, and more. Even Justine, who had descended down from the sky, having landed on the statue with a gentle flap of her wings, was attending. Her eyes were fixed on a certain someone with a crimson glare.
[color=bc8dbf]”So we meet again, Sonia. Still working with the Mint?”[/color]
In response, the silent maid produced four knives between her fingers. However, that was all she did, before she cast them off and clasped her hands before her, her posture perfect as she stood beside Chloe.
Justine rolled her eyes. 
[color=bc8dbf]”I take that as a yes, then.”[/color] She turned to Lily.
[color=bc8dbf]”You still want to wait for others?”[/color]

Lily shook her head.
[color=fff200]”No, this is enough.”[/color] She looked around at the crowd of magical girls and boys.
[color=fff200]”To be honest…The reason I brought you all here is because the situation is desperate. It won’t be long before Wonderland comes in and destroys everything we hold dear. And we can’t let that happen!”[/color] She smashed her fist into her palm.
[color=fff200]”We may not see eye to eye on everything, but we can all agree that we should save Penrose!”[/color]

Justine interjected. 
[color=bc8dbf]”That’s a given, considering we’re all here in the first place. More importantly, do you have a plan of action?”[/color]

Lily averted her eyes as she gave an awkward smile.
[color=fff200]”Well, umm…Not yet.”[/color] Justine sighed, but Lily then immediately spoke up, trying to hold on to the conversation.
[color=fff200]”But I’m sure we can think of something we can do!”[/color] Then, a thought came to her.
[color=fff200]”Oh! Maybe someone here knows something about Wonderland that we can use to our advantage!”[/color] Again, her eyes swept over the crowd.
[color=fff200]”At this point, any kind of idea would be welcome. Anyone?”[/color]

[hr]

Elsewhere in town, as the meeting in Penrose Park began other plans were also unfolding.
“...And that’s the plan. Any questions?” Louis surveyed the gathered magical girls and boy, gauging their reaction to the information he had just provided. After some time running easy schemes, now they were back in the big leagues.
“It seems pretty straightforward to me,” [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/06/7b/91/067b912c0e799bce94bc9ac6b3d4fb4a.jpg]Alma[/url] replied with a grunt and a small nod. She had listened attentively to the plan, and liked what she saw. It was simple, which meant there were less parts that could go wrong.
Off to the side, [url=https://images-ext-2.discordapp.net/external/LLbv_cmKlNGqBaxq4mD5hbXTbNnykeOlAvWZov6Wyhg/%3F1/https/i.imgur.com/KNjWBjP.jpg?width=405&height=508]Varjo[/url] had a wide grin as she regarded their handler. “It sounds like fun! I’ve never killed a patron before. I wonder what sorts of trophies that Cradle has inside of it. Do you think the Mint will let us keep some?
The other member of their little group was not entirely content, [url=https://i.imgur.com/jRz6lNr.png]Anja[/url] wearing a frown as a hand rested on her hip. “Do we trust [i]Her[/i] though?
[url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/69/21/8d/69218d6da08d2782ac8dc414463090ab.jpg]Seppa[/url] smirked as she glanced over at the other girl, her arms folded over her chest. “With how much the Mint is paying us for this job, we’ll be able to pay off our debts even without whatever we take. That’s worth a lot more than trust.” Did they really have a choice with their own set of circumstances
Resting in the back of the room, [url=https://i.imgur.com/RFIxgB9.jpg]Ilmarinen[/url] pulled out the coin that was his trademark. Holding it steady, he flicked the shining object into the air. It tumbled in mid flight, flipping head over head as it rose and then fell. A quick swipe grabbed it out of the air, and he placed it upon the back of his hand in a smooth motion.
Pulling the covering hand away revealed the face of the coin, giving its approval for the mission that they were to undertake. “Fate smiles upon this mission,” he announced. Varjo rolled her eyes, but did not argue since she was already on board with the mission.
Louis clapped his hands together. “Alright then, let’s get going. Time is wasting.” That package would not deliver itself.
[center]-*-[/center]
The Mint’s plan was fairly simple, as had been claimed. They had a truck which had been magically reinforced to prevent any manipulation by Metal spec girls. Inside the truck’s hold was the device that would be used on Veronica, the one that was the Cradle’s target. The vehicle itself was being driven by a civilian who had been Psychically influenced into doing the job. None of the team actually wanted to have to drive the vehicle, especially one so large.
Of the girls themselves, only Anja was visible in the passenger’s seat of the vehicle. It was reasonable to assume that there was at least one other girl in the truck with the device, but the precise location of the rest of their guards, or their number, would be difficult to pin down for the Cradle team as they arrived at their destination.
Thanks to the information provided by Ladybug, the Cradle team knew that the Mint planned to follow the main roads through downtown, then get on the highway and leave Penrose for places further North. Knowing the planned route, they had the opportunity to set an ambush to the location of their choosing. How would Maura choose to approach this situation?