[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/OuA3B6J.png[/img]

[hider=Tonya “Mac” Murphy]
[b]Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration | Moirai
Wings, Soul Jar, Martial Training, Familiar, Environmental Sealing, Gifted, Awareness, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer[/b]

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 |  VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03

STR: 12 | AGI: 08 |  VIT: 10 | MAG: 16 | LCK: 05

Earnings this post: Zilch

Total: 0 Gold, 14 Silver, 16 Bronze
[/hider][/center]

	The shop fight was going to start any hour now, as was the legendary Deni/Sue date. But Tonya had more scheming to do.

	In particular, she needed connections. There were few people she trusted to make said connections with, as it was desirable that her presence be known by as few people as possible. But Aria had assured her that there were few people as tight-lipped as Veronica. So here she was, sitting in the pit stop,  waiting for an arranged meeting with the ebon coin broker.

	She didn’t wait long.

	An overdressed woman sat across from Tonya. There was no doubt this red-clad woman was Vermillion Veronica. “That’s a pretty good disguise, I almost didn’t notice it was magic.”

	[color=cfff04]”Few people do, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given who I’m dealing with.”[/color]

	Veronica really was a good keeper of secrets. Even now, even with Tonya’s ability to know people’s desires and use that to her advantage, it didn’t help her figure this woman out at all. Veronica locked her fingers together and placed them on the table. “You do a very good job of hiding your identity. It’s rare I meet someone who I know so little about. You go by Mac, correct?”

	[color=cfff04]”Yes, that’s fine.”[/color] Tonya had to choose her words carefully. Anything that she told Veronica could become Mint knowledge, and it was too early to start divulging those kinds of details. Especially if Veronica was going to defect later. If she was going to join them, it would be on her terms. [color=cfff04]”I take my privacy seriously.”[/color]

	“Perhaps, but that does make you hard to work with.” Veronica narrowed her eyes. “Why did you want to get in touch with us?”

	[color=cfff04]”Actually, it’s kind of the opposite. I [i]don’t[/i] want to get in touch with you.”[/color] She folded her arms and leaned on the table between them. [color=cfff04]”What I would like to do is ensure that Mint knows as little about me as possible.”[/color] 

	“So you’d like the Mint to refrain from collecting information on you?”

	[color=cfff04]”Exactly.”[/color] 

	“Hmm…” Veronica held her chin. “That is within my power. You’ve done a pretty good job of keeping to yourself, Though someone like you explains why I’m getting some strange reports. You’re smart to try and safeguard your privacy now, as it will not last long otherwise.” With a nod, Veronica lowered her hand. “Very well , what is your privacy worth to you?”

	[color=cfff04]”I’m something of an information broker myself, actually.”[/color] Tonya smiled. [color=cfff04]”I have a feeling you’d like to get Penny in the Mint’s employ. I have a pretty good idea you’re going to need  magically charged metal to appease her. Four beams, three feet long, and six-by-six if you can manage. She’ll also want some gold plated tungsten and a military grade GPS chip, though I feel like those you could procure rather easily. I’ll even swing the Bate twins over to your side in the process.”[/color] 

	“Is that so?’ Veronica raised an eyebrow. “I’m afraid I do not have the same faith you do in your divination, doubly so due to your mysterious nature, so how about some collateral?” Veronica drew a contract out of thin air and placed it before  Tonya. “I only use these documents for personal deals, so the Mint will have no idea this is even transpiring.” She pushed it towards the wolf woman. “Once you sign this document, everything I could possibly want to know about you will be written within. If I speak with Penny and she requests those items, you will have a week to procure them for me. Should she not want those items, or should you take too long to get them, well, the document will tell me everything about you. Otherwise, I will keep my word and refrain from mentioning you to anyone. As for the bate twins, maybe I'll throw in something nice for you if you can pull that off too.”

	[color=cfff04]”I don’t plan on failing, so that’s fine with me.”[/color] Tonya scratched the back of her head. [color=cfff04]”Uh, so when you collect my signature, mind biting me somewhere that won’t be too visible?”[/color] 

	Veronica smiled. “It’s fine, you will regenerate.”

	Tonya did not see Veronica move. Nor did she feel the coin broker restrain her wrists. It even took Tonya a moment to register that Veronica had bitten into her armpit. Her pectoral twitched with pain, and her mouth swung open. Though Tonya didn’t scream. It was an unusual sensation though. It was rare for Tonya to get hurt due to the fact she hardly ever faced her opponents directly. But she refused to scream. Her dilated eyes scanned the diner, but it seemed like everyone was ignoring them. Veronica was a master of dark magic, and she must have been using that to keep them obscured from view. So she too had subtle magic. Though Tonya’s humiliation was private, she hadn’t ever felt this vulnerable.

	When Veronica pulled away, she used the contract to wipe her mouth before returning to her regular demeanor. “I’ll see you when I need the materials, then.”

	[color=cfff04]”Yea, maybe take me out to dinner first next time, alright?”[/color] Tonya stumbled to her feet and strut towards the exit. Her restorative magics were already mending her flesh.

[Hider=Evil girls beware, good girls can plot and scheme too! (You're totally going to peek anyway)]

	[center][img]https://68.media.tumblr.com/74929fd2e47e4759e467397410831ef9/tumblr_orz1uwwcV21w6599so1_540.png[/img][/center]

	Amber was pacing on the top side of the Sky Bastion. What an interesting turn of events. Just a few hours prior, Shining scale's only companion was a paranoid golden dragon and a timid familiar. Recently, Amber purchased a phone. She had spent the extra dollar to get a waterproof one. Until now, it was simply a device for emergencies. But now it held Lily's phone number, the only person on her contact list. It was too soon to call her a friend, as it was only their cause that held them together. but it was nice to know another magical girl. And a magical boy too. Alexander reminded Amber of some of the teenagers that came by the hardware store. Always questioning things and trying to find the best way to build their project. The logic and caution to lily's heart and enthusiasm. Amber even scored a talking necklace, which would soon take her to riches beyond her wildest dreams. While she didn't consider any of them friends, Amber did consider their presence a boon. But Lily, Alexander, and Helga came with a cost. Now Amber had to divide her time further by sorting out this “magical girl war” business alongside scaring off magical entities. Of course, the war was going to happen anyway, so maybe it was actually good fortune that she got dragged into this. Who could say what was good or bad?

        Ah yes,  Mariette. For some strange reason Lily was dead set on using her to get to this over city. Sue had talked to her about the over city previously, so Amber knew what it was. Surely there were more trustworthy magical girls that could get them to the over city? Regardless, Amber knew of no one else personally. And if Lily could make it happen, then she would have access to whatever sort of treasure Justine had. Fortunately, Amber had someone who was trying to contact the portal witch. Shining Scale wandered below deck.

[hr]

        Slowly but surely, the interior of the Sky Bastion was starting to come together. Shining Scale was keeping to a pirate theme, so everything had to look like it belonged in an old pirate ship. Amber didn't have a ton of furnishings up, but it was starting to look livable.  She saved a lot of money dropping by thrift shops for old furniture. Amber headed straight for Sue's room and pushed the door open, quietly.

        Sue was in her human form. She was sitting on a stool in front of an old vanity, trying to decide on the right pair of earnings. She wore a gold stud on her left ear, and a silver loop on her right. The familiar was also experimenting with rolling her shoulders back to make her breasts appear bigger. It was a trick Amber had employed in the past.

        “Going on a date?” Amber was grinning ear to ear when she said this.

        Sue flinched, but she didn't look away from the mirror. “I just want to see how nice I can make myself look.”

        “For the date, right? I noticed your ribbon snapped. That means your letter got delivered.”

        Sue placed both of her hands on the vanity table and sighed. She was looking at a space between her hands. “Did you need something, Amber?”

        “Yea.” Amber leaned up against the frame of the doorway. “On your date, I'd like Lily and Alexander to drop by and see if they can get us inside magical girl fort knox. Preferably before you scare Mariette off with a proposal.”

        Sue spun a hundred and eighty degrees in her stool to look at the pirate girl.“A-Amber!” She hugged herself. “Okay, let's rewind a little bit.” Sue put out her hand and raised a finger. “First of all, you didn't knock.”

        “My ship.”

        “Okay, I expected that.” Sue raised another finger. “Secondly, it's not like that, alright? I'd get all dressed up to go on outings with you too.”

        “Except that I have a brat's body, so we never do.  We can't go club hopping together, and it would look weird if we ate anywhere by ourselves.”

        “Well...” After a pause, Sue lifted a third finger. She used her other hand to point at it. Like this was going to be big. “Lastly, I just want to get to know her a little better.”

        “Which is what everyone says before going on a date.” Amber's smile widened. “Are you done?”

        “Augh!” Sue yanked on her pigtails. “Could you give me a few minutes with her at least?”

        “Only if you can tell me why. When you had the ability to wish for virtually anything, why did you wish for an audience with the 'portal queen' of all people?”

        Sue looked away from Amber. She looked wistful. “Amber” the familiar placed her hands together. “Do you remember that story you told me about the boy that was going to mug you? When you were still a manager?”

        The smile immediately vanished from Amber's face. “Are you serious? That's what this is about?” Sue stayed quiet though. Amber just shook her head. “I think if I told you how that story ended, you wouldn't have wasted your wish.”

        “A-Amber?”

         Shining Scale looked away from Sue. “Since you used your wish on it, you might as well enjoy it a little bit. But I will be nearby, and so will the others.”

        It took Sue a moment to respond. “She might not even show.”

        “I realize that.” Amber closed the door to Sue's room and entered her own. It was almost identical in appearance, though Amber had found some cheesy treasure maps to put on the walls for decoration. There was also an old, rustic bed. Since it was easiest for sue to keep her bird form, she slept in a bird's nest. The pirate pressed her back against the wall and allowed herself to slide to the floor. Amber reached for her pendant and pulled it out of her vestments. “So, Helga was it?” Amber's smile started to return. “I get the feeling we're going to be spending a lot of time together, so I'd like to get to know you, if you don't mind.” The pirate swung the pendant a little, letting it wonder back and forth like a pendulum. “You seem to have a history with Lily and Alexander, as well as the hospital incident. Did you want to tell me about that?”
        
	Helga's voice cried out of the jeweled accessory. 
"First of all, stop shaking me around so much! All my senses are linked to this pendant including my sense of balance, so you're gonna make me sick!" Her voice then lowered. "But sure, I can share that little tale with you." 

	“Oh, sorry about that. Heh.” Amber stopped the pendant from swinging and let it rest in her palm. “Well, go on.”

	"So thunder thighs and white knight were meddling with my gig so I decided to teach them a lesson. Yellow streaker put up a good fight, but pretty boy was just pathetic, thinking he could use his flimsy clones and bubbles to fight me. Man, you should have seen it when I clobbered him up good!"

	Amber nodded  “I guess that's what you get for underestimating your opponent. I don't hold that against you.” The pirate raised one of her eyebrows. “But why blow up a hospital? Did you really have anything to gain from that?”  

	"Nope, it had nothing to do with gaining anything. I was just working under my Lady's orders. When she says jump, you bounce to the moon! Hahaa!"

	Amber chuckled. “Then there must be a reason why you are so loyal to her. I wouldn't follow orders unless I had something to gain out of it.”

	Helga chuckled, and accidentally let out a frog's squeak. "Whoops, didn't mean to do that. Anyway, you seem very curious about my Lady; not only do you want to get into her party cave and snatch up her goods, but you also want to snoop around her secret plans. Doesn't seem to be anything personal, so care to share?"

	“Honestly, if your lady operated anywhere outside of Penrose, I wouldn't give a flying seagul what she did.” Amber sighed. “But this type of chaos is going to bring more magical girls into the picture, and that makes my job harder. Your lady's plans and my boss's interests simply don't mesh together.” The pirate smirked. “And if you'd tell me what you really want, maybe our alliance doesn't have to be so temporary. I couldn't care less what your lady's ultimate plan is, I just want to know why you serve her.”
 
	"Oh, in that case, I can give a little teaser, hehe....Our Lady will change the world. And in that world, even a freak like me will find a place to call home, where nobody will tell me to shut up and crush my dreams...Yeah, wouldn't that be nice, huh?" She spoke as if she was talking to herself.  "It's like what that parrot told me: Caw, keep at it! Caw!"
 
	The pirate waved her other hand around herself. “It just so happens that I have a mobile home, high above the clouds where I rain supreme. You don't have to fight for a place to call home, it can exist for you right here, in this very moment.” The pirate placed a hand on her chest. “I'm a queen up here, you know? The only people who are allowed on this ship are the ones I invite.” Amber pulled the amulet closer to herself. “The option to stay here is open to you, if you want it. The parrot is welcome too, haha!”
 
	"Huh? I thought you only took me with you cause you wanted to use me to satiate your greed?"
 
	"Well...." Amber paused. “I guess I did initially. But you're starting to grow on me. I can scarcely believe anyone could call you a freak. You seem very intelligent.”
 
	Oh? That's...Actually quite sweet of you, calling me intelligent; most call me a fool." Helga seemed to sniffle with her voice. "Only other person to accept me for who I am was my Lady...She brought me in as a part of her gang when I was on the run from both Beacon and my former friends; she gave me sanctuary when I was down in the dumps, my hands severed and dying under a bridge. And when I said I would die, she promised me I wouldn't by giving me what you hold now. She was someone who could warm my heart with her smile. I wanted to be a part of her new world."

	Amber looked focused. She thought a moment before speaking again. “It sounds like you really respect her. Are you sure you're going to be up for helping me rob her? I doubt she'll forgive you for that."

	"Well, the truth is..." Helga sighed, "I wanted you to lead me to her so she could restore my body back. I assumed she would take you out or something. At first I didn't care what would happen to you, but now I reckon I ought to let you know of my intentions. So..." There was an awkward moment of silence. "Now that I spilt my beans...Can we be friends? Outside of the whole magical girl thing, I mean. I haven't had a chance for a normal friendship like that, and you seem down-to earth. Ironic considering where we are, but...Egh, I'm bad at this."

	Amber couldn't help but giggle at the joke, even if it was horrible. “To be honest, I want my body back too. I don't fault you for lying to me. I would have likely done the same in your position. Being plundered by some thief. I kind of figured it was too good to be true though.” Amber sighed. “Anyway, I don't see any harm being normal friends. I don't have many of those.” It was at that point that amber noticed her door was open. Looking in on her was Sue, who appeared to be done dressing up.

        “Oh!” Sue pulled her head back in. “I'm sorry. I'm just glad you've made a friend Amber. It gives me hope that-”

        “My ship! Keep the door closed!”

        “Eeep!” Sue shut the door and ran down the hall. 

        “As I was saying. normal friendship is good. I think it would be a lot less confusing that way, not expecting the other one to partake in a war or whatever.” Amber smiled. “I actually don't think I introduced myself yet. I'm magical girl Shining Scale. But you can call me Amber. That was my name before all of this happened.”

	"Heh...That beats Scarlet Vampire, I gotta admit. I'm Helga, the, uhh...Hellish Heathen! No, Heavenly Hunter! Urgh, High-Rolling Hitman-woman! Bleh, forget it. Nice to meet you Amber. Glad to be a part of your pirate crew, hahaa!" 

	Amber's smile grew a bit. "Well, I guess I have to go prep for an ambush. It would probably be safer for you if you just stayed on the ship." Amber looked back at the door. “Also, was the parrot a joke? Sue could really use a companion. I'd also like a proper parrot. Something about a diving petrel that doesn't quite complete the pirate vibe, you know?”

	"Nope, Cracker's realer than real. He loves to eat cookies, but I call them Pollies, cause it's funny. But I will tell you that your familiar can't dress like that for their first date! Gotta be a responsible parent figure!"

	Sue quickly leaned back into the room. “I-I am dressed perfectly fine!”

        “Busteeeeeeed for eavesdropping.” Amber didn't even turn her head.

        The familiar yelped. “Gah! A-And it's not a date.”

        “But this is still eavesdropping.”

        “Ohhhhhhh!” Sue disappeared from sight. Much to the pirate's amusement. “Alright, so would you prefer to be on top of my nightstand, or inside a desk? I'm not sure how you feel about the dark.”
        
"Hmm...Put me on top of the ship's mast. I like to feel the wind."

	“Haha, if you insist.” Amber stood up and removed the pendant from around her neck. “Let's see if I can fit you somewhere securely that doesn't move too much.” And with that, she darted out of her room. She would have to call Lily up relatively soon. Perhaps this expedition wouldn't make her rich, but everything was coming together.

[@Ariamis]

[/Hider]

[hider=The Bates and The Beacon Killers]

	There was a park that was being renovated due to it being off season for tourism. That, and a surprise wind storm had done a lot of damage to it. At least that was what the public believed. In truth, it was a common spot for monsters to congregate. Not today however.

	Ilia slithered over to one of the park benches, a look of extreme boredom on his face. The four had been out paroling for around 5 hours and had come across absolutely nothing. Not a single beacon girl or at the very least a monster. This was the third location they had scouted and some how all of them had been completely absent from any sort of action. Using his gravity magic, Ilia lifted up three pebles from the ground and put them in "orbit" above the index finger of his left hand which was extended about his head. the Naga head was tilted back watching the pebbles move as he swirled his fingers.

	Umeko was about to give her partner a long lecture on how they couldn’t let their guard down, but even she couldn’t phone it in tonight. she walked over and sat down next Ilia. The usually poised girl scrunched over ever so slightly as the boredom had even got to her. Her gun was on the ground next to her laid up against the bench. "Well at the very least we can count today’s outing a success. No one was hurt and the city seemed oddly safe tonight."

	Regina and Elroy were out of their disguises as well. They trailed slightly behind Ilia and Umeko, but didn't take the opportunity to sit down.

	“Is this seriously what you guys do?” Elroy had his hands tucked into his pockets. Even though he sounded perturbed, he wore a broad grin. “I thought you guys beat up monsters or something. I didn't realize we got paid just to walk around in circles.”

	Regina stayed quiet, constantly looking about to make sure they weren't being watched. Her eyes couldn't pick up nearly as much as Umeko's could, but Regina was a cautious sort. “Is it our aura? I hope we're not just causing everyone to flee into other areas.”

	“But if we are, it's still a job well done, right?” Elroy snickered.

	Taking a second to stand back up Umeko brushed of some of the dirt from her costume and walked to where Regina and Elroy where standing. Patting Elroy on the shoulder, "Its never that easy. We just 'lucked' out and found no creatures so its more of a bust than a success. Your aura's had nothing to with this. Monsters don't react to them that way." Ilia still playing with the pebbles, "Yeah haven’t you every come across a monster before?"

	“Only once or twice.” Regina looked between her feet. “We don't encounter many monsters. We haven't been looking for them.”

	As Umeko put away her weapon she looked at Regina "None the less, we might as well head back home and call it a night, Ilia open back the entrance to your apartment" Ilia finally got up from the bench but instead of opening the portal he threw the 3 pebbles lightly at Elroy's head."Wouldn't this time be better used having a little fun, a little sparring match wont hurt anyone. We can let ourselves get rusty and I've been itching for some action. What do you say?" 

	The stones bounced harmlessly off Elroy's head. He straitened out his hair after the stones fell to the ground. “Aww, shucks.” the incubus rolled his shoulders. “I knew he wanted to play with me!” He turned to look at Regina. “I've wanted to go on a date with snake boy ever since I first laid eyes on him. You don't mind, right?”

	The succubus sighed. “I don't know.” Regina looked at Umeko out of the corner of her eye. “Our auras could attract unwanted attention. And Elroy's fighting style is noisy and destructive. I'm not sure it's a good idea.” She looked at Umeko with pleading eyes. “But I guess it's up to Umeko”

	Umeko nodded. "It should be fine, If any one approaches I will be aware. I doubt anyone will notice much with the strong aura's masking a lot of the battle. It could be a good exercise in knowing each others battle capabilities." 

	“Well, if you say so.” There was a noticeable growl in Regina's voice. She waved her staff in the air and three massive dark orbs appeared in the air. “Let's get this out of your systems.”

	“Oh boy oh boy oh boy!” Elroy was practically dancing with excitement. He pulled his shield off of his back and thrust it into the soft dirt. “So, did you have any rules in particular that you wanted enforced? This is our first date after all, so I think kissing should definitely be an illegal move.” the incubus folded his arms. “But I'm definitely not going to let you start too far away from me snake boy.” 

	"Once anyone goes berserk or calls it quits we stop of course. No killing blows,How does that sound" Ilia then summoned his censor. 

	“Well I DID say no kissing.” Elroy picked up his shield and walked into the middle of the park. He stopped when he reached the sidewalk. It wasn't perfectly straight, but it did divide the park in half. There were a few trees, park benches, but otherwise it was a pretty open field. The red mist faded in and out around them. “Hey Regina, you didn't want to join us, did you? I'm just half a soul, you know. I'm sure snake boy wouldn't mind.”

	She took a step back. “It's a one on one fight this way. Just have your fun.”

	Elroy shrugged. “Oh well. I guess you won't have any excuse if you lose.” The incubus gestured for Ilia to move into the center of the park, away from the girls. He then took his tower shield and set it up in front of himself.

	Ilia slithered to where to the center of the field, briefly waiting for Elory before funneling magic through his weapon. A stream of purple smoke started to spew up from his censor as Ilia began to gently rock it back and forth. "Don't worry to much. I'm sure not matter what excuse you give the girls, no one will fault you for loosing to me. Now let's start the show." With that Ilia snapped his fingers and warped the gravity around himself. There was now a strong gravitational force that pushed everything a dozen meters around Ilia further away from him. A few rocks and some loose earth, along with a squirrel where flung out away. With a sarcastic tone Ilia said, "No kissing though? I don't know if I can contain myself" before putting his hands to his lips and blowing a fake kiss. Of course as he blow the kiss the naga spewed a small bit of venom towards Elroy.

	The incubus already had his shield up, so it wasn't difficult to block the incoming venom. The blob smacked into the shield and exploded like a paint ball. While Elroy was able to deal with that attack easily enough, he was pretty devoid of abilities to attack at range. This would make bypassing the gravity field Ilia had around himself tricky. “You need a tic tac!” He remarked as he inched closer. Elroy kept his entire body behind the massive tower shield.

	Seeing as the shield easily withstood the venom, Ilia decided to try a more indirect attack "Really? I hadn't noticed. let me just check my breath." with that Ilia lifted up his censor and exhaled a large poison most from his mouth which combined with one coming from his weapon. This mist spread out and made a hazy fog that was spreading towards Elroy.

	The demon boy was holding up behind his shield, and didn't notice the mist until the projectile struck his shield again. The mist was starting to creep towards him around the sides of the shield. “Gah!” Elroy pressed his back against his shield, letting the gravity from Ilia's field hold the shield against his back. Then the incubus let a length of chain that was wrapped around his arms dangle from his hands. He then caused them to spin, making two make shift fans to blow the fog away with. Once all the fog was blown out of his way, he took hold of his shield and moved closer again. Choosing to put all of his effort into moving forward instead of talking. The gravity was getting stronger as Elroy neared Ilia.

	"I love it when they squirm. Not as chatty now are we?" Ilia chuckled a bit. So far the battle had been a bit slow and he was thinking of kicking it up a notch. From his mouth Ilia's snake familiar slither out and made its way to the ground. As the snake slithered, Ilia focused his magic into the palms of his hand which began to glow a crimson red color. Ilia began to shot out concentrated orbs of acid from his hands towards Elroy as his familiar worked its way around behind the incubus. As the acid reached Elroy the familiar transformed lunging at him readying to sinks its fangs into Elroy. 

	Fortunately for the incubus, his shield was virtually unbreakable. Aegis was a very tough metal to penetrate, and even strong acids like that from Ilia's magic weren't enough to erode it. However, every bolt of magic that struck the shield wore down Elroy's arm. Especially with them being pushed by Ilia's gravitational field. He would not be able to take this forever. More worrisome for Elroy was the presence of a second threat. The massive serpent hit the demon boy hard enough to knock him out of the way of the incoming projectiles. Elroy was able to prevent the serpent's fangs from piercing his flesh by holding its jaws open with his gauntlet-clad hands. Elroy seemed to get the message that Ilia wanted to fight harder. The chains wrapped around his arms coiled around the snake's jaws. Without flinching, the metal frame of a nearby park bench pulled away from its wood seating, letting the lumber drop to the floor. It then propelled itself towards the snake, coiling around it's head in such a way that it held the mouth open. Elroy released the serpent’s head picked up his shield just in time to block the next volley of incoming acid balls. “You need to up your gift game!” With a swing of his hand, the metal cage soared towards Ilia, still carrying his snake companion. With this distraction, Elroy would use the opportunity to get as close to Ilia as he possibly could.

	The huge snake landed next to the naga. With a small pout Ilia bent over and touched metal caging his snake which instantly melted down down to to a pool of shimmery liquid metal and acid that scorched the ground. As he gently patted the top his familiar's head, Ilia softly called out, "Oh I think your a bit mistaken. You will make a perfect gift for my little Anwyl, he seems quite hungry today. We just need tenderize the meat a bit before hand." Now noticing that the his opponent had closed the distance once again, Ilia sprung into action. Again creating a two pronged attacked. Anwyl lunged at Elroy his body still with some of his master's acid. Meanwhile the Ilia took the remaining pieces wooden bench breaking it into bunch of jagged shards as he flung them towards the incubus' back.

	As the battle continued to rage on Umeko stood near Regina watching the pair whilst keeping an eye for anyone else. While they had been battling Umeko had also focused her magical energy into a visible ghostly green third eye above her forehead as a precaution but so far it had not been needed. Trying to brake some of the silence between the two of them, she spoke. "So Regina who do you think has the edge in this battle?"

	While Regina did remain by Umeko, she did stand an awkward distance away from her. “The edge?” Regina looked out at the fight. “Well, I think Ilia has the bigger advantage. Elroy can hold his own in close quarters, but he doesn't have a lot of ways to fight an enemy like Ilia. You can tell he's struggling, he's usually a lot mouthier than this.” She folded her arms. “His magic isn't strong enough to give him much utility for this type of fighting, and Elroy doesn't have as much experience as his opponent. That, and Elroy has always fought by my side as a unit. A target like Ilia would be left for me to deal with, so Elroy has never needed to fight such opponents on his own.” Regina lifted a hand to her chin “Ilia seems to understand his advantages, which is why he's choosing not to fight Elroy in close quarters.” She nodded. “Ilia is playing it as an endurance match. If he wears down Elroy's strength, he'll win. It's a good strategy, but it won't work on Elroy. It's not that Elroy is a tactician, he's just very impatient. He's not going to let himself get boxed in like that. He knows he just has to get close, and he's not afraid of pain.”

	Elroy was able to plow into the gravity barrier, which was constantly trying to push him and anything in it's vicinity away. Anwyl was a predictable attack that Elroy was able to deflect easily. The gravity field ensured that the snake would land far behind Elroy after he brought up his shield to deflect it. However, in Elroy's fever to reach his target, he didn't notice the incoming wooden projectiles. Not a single splinter of wood missed its mark. Elroy wince in pain, but this attack didn't take him out of the fight. Elroy could shrug off a baseball bat, and the wooden splinters had to fight the same gravity barrier that he was resisting. He felt it, but the incubus would press on. Elroy was launching a pincer attack of his own. His chains had completely unraveled and were moving in to enclose around Ilia. The chains on his shield were reaching for Ilia's lower torso, while the chain on Elroy's left arm lashed out at his neck. Even the melted blob of metal beneath Ilia sprung to life. The liquid steel was going to come up under his belly. Such an attack would normally be impossible for Elroy to perform, but proximity made him stronger.

	Ilia was caught of guard by the many metal chains that were grasping at his body, all of them hitting there mark. Again Ilia resorted to his toxic magic, secreting a searing acid from his skin. The metal around his belly started to smoke as acid was eroding it once again. The chains around his neck and lower torso where much more resistant and had only started to sizzle slightly, but they did loosen up. Ilia could remove the one wrapped around his torso, but the one around his neck couldn’t pass his head. "Well I'm not surprised your the Bdsm type, a little choking never hurt me before." Ilia said this and grabbed each of the chains and the acid from his hands started to slide down the chains towards the Incubus' soft fleshy hands. 

	Between the acid rolling down the aegis chains, and the push of the gravity field, Elroy wouldn't be able to deliver a finishing blow. Not this time anyway. The gauntlet on his left hand came off before the acid could burn him, and he released his shield. However, the chain on his right gauntlet loosened up and curled around the left gauntlet. Now Elroy was wearing a single gauntlet that was chained up to the rest of his weaponry. The acid was starting to run down the newly connected chain, but Elroy didn't care. “Rule of thumb with smart comments...” Elroy jumped into the air, allowing the push of Ilia's gravity field to shove him backwards. “It's not who talks most...” Just before his chain became entirely taught, Elroy brought back his right arm sharply. The incubus's strength was far beyond human capabilities. He had demonstrated his strength previously by picking up a nine-hundred pound motorcycle like it was nothing. With some effort, he could even pick up compact cars. Elroy only used a fraction of his strength though. Just enough to pull the snake boy's into the air without snapping his neck. “It's who talks last!” The fight was coming to a close. Elroy was betting it all on his right arm's ability to deliver a knock out punch before the acid started to eat into his hand. Meanwhile, Ilia had just a moment to use his magic to thwart the attack. But no one would know the resolution to the fight, because someone intervened. 

	One of Regina's dark orbs had floated between the two and exploded, obscuring the two in a black mist. Their entire bodies felt like they were boiling in oil. The unbearable pain made it impossible for Elroy to properly attack Ilia, who was unable to continue controlling his magic. The two collided and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. But pain was all this particular spell delivered. Neither of them were actually suffering from real injuries. Before that subsided, Regina's second two attacks detonated over the combatants. These spells made them weak and restless. As the pain subsided, they felt very tired. By this point Regina had walked up to them, getting closer to Ilia than she typically did. The shy succubus knelled down between the two monster boys and extended her hands, touching them on the head. Due to Umeko's third eye and her own psychic specialization, she was able to see exactly what Regina was doing. She was altering their most recent memories. A monster had charged into battle and attacked the two before they could start fighting. Elroy got all those splinters in his back when he was hurled into a park bench. and Elroy had coiled his chains around Ilia in an attempt to pull him out of harms way. They would also remember Regina being struck by the monster just as it flew off. While the two magical boys were still recovering, Regina approached Anwyl and touched him as well. Even the snake would have no recollection of this, remembering every bump and bruise as one caused by the sudden appearance of a monster. While everyone was still dazed, Regina knelled down in the grass and rubbed some dirt on her elbows and face. Then she proceeded to lay down on her back. Regina tipped her head off to the side and closed her eyes. It was all to create the illusion that she had just been through the ringer. Elroy and Ilia got up at the same time.

	“What the hell WAS that?” Elroy looked over his shoulder at Regina. “W-what!?” He rushed to her side and scooped her up bridal style. “Regina! Talk to me!” 

	“I-I'm fine.” Regina lifted a wrist to her forehead. “It was just retreating, and I happened to be in the way.” She placed a hand on her belt buckle and another on her chest. A visible green healing aura surrounded the succubus. 

	“Y-yea, I knew that.” Elroy looked over his shoulder at Ilia. “I guess Regina was right. We'll have to settle this over chess or something.” 

	“That's right.” Regina looked directly into Umeko's eyes. “It's too dangerous for you two to be fighting out here. It just leaves us open to ambushes.”

	“Yes mom.” Elroy laughed. “So Asian lady, what do we typically do when a monster like that runs off? You can track it down right?” 

	Regina hadn't taken her eyes off of Umeko, practically borrowing holes into her with those dagger eyes of hers.

	Umeko stood nonchalantly, loosing holding her rifle in her left hand unaffected by Regina's ice cold gaze. "Well if it weren't so late I would say chase after it. Sad to say you boys couldn't earn you keep today." With that Umeko gave a quick glance at Regina as she banished her weapon and gave a small hair flip with a flick of the wrist. 

	Ilia gave a bit of a stretch before feeling the bruises that were around his and lower torso. "Shame, by the end of it I would of had you on the floor constricted by your own chains. To bad." Ilia then snapped his fingers and created a door to his apartment, insisting that they all return home now since he was starving. Ilia walked in continuing to bicker how easily he would of beat Elroy.

	Telepathically Umeko spoke out to the Succubus, "You know next time you could let me have some of the fun." 

	“Fun? You call that fun!?” Regina wasn't talking to Umeko telepathically. She was speaking every word with own lips, which were curled into a scowl. “There's nothing 'fun' about what we do. I'm not doing this for 'fun.' I'm not living with you for 'fun.' If you want some 'fun' maybe I should-”

	Elroy chuckled. “Seems someone's just a little cranky.” Regina clearly had a lot more she wanted to say, but she was holding it in. “I think I'm going to take Reggie for a little walk around town. Maybe buy a snack or something. We'll join up with you later.” He started to walk away, but not before shouting. “And when I get back you slimy snake, we're going to arm wrestle. So you'd better practice!”

[@skarsgard]

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