[@t2wave][@Shifter_Master]

[hider=Scouting...][i]A number of days ago, PRIOR to the Djinn Sisters’ entrance to Penrose, in an adjacent town…[/i]

Eli was scouting, as she was doing occasionally. First she had been properly fed by Mariette so that her Devourer trait was held in check, and then she went out. She flew across different towns, gliding from building to building disguised by her Darkness magic, using her Third Eye to identify Magical Girls and seeking them out. She’d then spy on them for long enough to identify their specialization, write it down in her notes, and then be on her way again. It was then Deni’s job to investigate closer. However, this one time…

The dark liquid harpy landed on a building and looked down at two transformed sisters. She knew at a glance they were Twinned Souls, just like herself and Deni. However, apart from that she needed to identify their specialization. So she stalked them, keeping at adequate distance while hidden by darkness. Of course, Sakura had the Third Eye herself and could identify that they were being followed, but nonetheless… in the event she wasn’t somehow deterred from her stalking and was able to see them using their Wish magic, and the Third Eye told what it was.

[color=57a345]‘W-wish!?’[/color] Eli’s eyes widened and she flinched at this knowledge, stumbling back from the edge of the building. Such magic… it existed? Eli was overcome by thoughts of how amazing that was and what it could be used for. In what possible ways could that be used to further Asengav’s ambition? O-or… HER ambition? Wait, what was her ambition? Her desire had always just been Mariette’s best, but with this, Eli’s mind wandered. What would she wish for herself? Maybe… just maybe… She could use this to get free of-

[color=57a345]‘AAAH!!?’[/color] A searing pain went through her head, and Eli collapsed on the roof, her wings reached up to her head as her liquid body hit and partly splattered across portions of the rooftop before sliding to reconvene at the slime-girl. She stared into the sky with horror, and could swear she saw Asengav itself glaring down at her, despite that she was pretty sure Asengav had no eyes and wouldn’t bother with someone as tiny as herself. It was a hallucination from the pain, but… It hurt, it hurt so much, Asengav’s magic punishing the girl for even thinking of her own freedom.

The pain eventually went away, Eli clutching the rooftop while breathing heavily and flailing from residue pain. Th-that was… unbearable. What had she been doing? Oh, yeah, Eli reminded herself, she had been thinking of the two sisters, and their Wish magic, and how she could use it to-

[color=57a345]‘A-AAH…!!’[/color] Just reminding herself of why she had felt the pain sent another surge of pain through her head, and Eli rolled, sprawling on the rooftop with her amorphous fluids splattering around her because she lost control of it with the pain. … She inadvertently hurt herself several more times, as soon as the pain vanished she reminded herself of why it had happened, and another episode of the searing pain in her head returned.

Finally, after having repeated the same loop of pain and reminder multiple times, Eli taught herself not to think. She was left gasping with her head feeling like it had burst open, clutching the rooftop and lying face-down, the slime of her body that she had thrown around her in the pain moving to reconverge with her because it was still part of her body. Okay. Do not think of their powers, do NOT think of their powers… Eli told herself.

She slowly stood up, hiding herself with darkness magic again. Her gaze lifted, she just got a signal from Deni that she should reconvene at their base of operations, probably to go snag a girl. Of course, then she also had to tell them about her findings…

[color=57a345]‘Ngh…’[/color] She knew exactly how Mariette would react. Those two’s existence… was unacceptable. Using mere wishes, someone could undo their entire plan from a distance. It was unpredictable and dangerous. Even if Mariette made use of their services before doing it, Mariette was probably going to hunt them down. And then, the chance of Eli using them would be gone forever…

She felt it threaten. Not telling Mariette would go against the cause. It was a threat to the whole plan. If she was still going to consider hiding this, she would be subjected to-

[color=57a345]‘[i][b]NO.[/b][/i]’[/color] Eli declared, and a part of her fluid brain rearranged itself, bending with Darkness magic. She issued herself a mental block, a curse that she could only use on herself. She breathed out calmly, staring ahead. [color=57a345]‘This is not against the cause. Those two are indifferent to our actions, and will have no impact on our mission. Telling my mistress about them is a waste of time. I am not going to waste my mistress’ time, because doing that would be against the cause.’[/color] So she said, using her own bent mind to convince herself. As no surge of pain came, she nodded, satisfied.

Eli threw a last glance down at where the sisters had previously been, before the slimy harpy turned, intending to leap off the edge and spread her wings to glide back to Mariette under the cover of Darkness magic… … …[/hider]