The pit stop, as the name implied, was themed after the vintage race car era. The dinning area looked just like a 1950's dinner. The floor was covered in white and black checkerboard tiles. There was a juke box surrounded by pictures of vintage cars. Everything from a [url=https://68.media.tumblr.com/a1b84316b4d1200c73ac2d50db9ff767/tumblr_otfuh8Harl1w6599so1_1280.jpg]jaguar D-type[/url] to less memorable vehicles. The reception stand was on top of a good year tire, and most of the seating had that “go fast red” color. The pamphlet did make the establishment look a lot more grandiose than it actually was, as some of the furnishings showed signs of repair. Things like clear tape to hold down vinyl seat covers and off-color floor tiles weren't impossible to spot, but only really revealed themselves if you looked at them. The food at the very least looked exquisite, and everyone inside seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Except for one familiar named Sue. She had decided to show up early because that was what responsible people did.  She decided that the silver loops looked better, but wasn't sure if maybe the gold studs would have stood out more against her hair. She also wore a low-cut black dress, but let Helga influence her into wearing a white shirt under it to appear more modest. Sue wondered if maybe her modesty would be seen as not trying hard enough. Should she have done something with her hair? Would she even come? Sue could only hold her human form for a half hour. At this rate, she wouldn't even be able to get through dinner! She gave the clock on the wall another panicked look, wondering why she hadn't shown up yet. The waitress had already checked up on her twice, and she was sure the third time she'd be asked to leave. Sue knew that Amber had called Lily, and it would be disappointing if Lily and Alexander showed up when Sue was empty handed. Not that Sue's main goal was to even arrange their meeting. Sue had a much more personal goal in mind when she made that wish.

A single individual walked inside the restaurant, looking around with an interested look in her red eyes. Visibly, she was a girl in her late teens, with long dark hair hanging around her a little wildly and top tied into whatever's on the lower image. She was wearing a black and red blazer over a white t-shirt with a big heart on it, a pretty large chest under said heart and intentionally showing cleavage. A pink skirt covering her lower body, a black ribbon tied around her waist, a red ribbon in her hair on the top, and a grin looking around the room.

[hider=current appearance][url=https://i.imgur.com/PzkeANN.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/Gtx8HrW.jpg[/img][/url][/hider]

She quickly located someone she recognized. With a grin and without waiting for a waiter, she marched around so that she could come at her from behind, because there's no way they'd know who she is when she looked like this. So, she walked around... to then lean in right beside Sue's ear with a grin, whichever side was more outside.

[color=f07fdb]‘Hello, there~!’[/color] She smirked at Sue. [color=f07fdb]‘So, it's just you? They did say the bird sent it, specifically, but...’[/color] Then she blinked in realization and began to give Sue's clothes and hair a REALLY close-range look over, with an interested stare, at way close a range, moving her head to look over each part of her clothes and hair.

 Sue was of course startled by the sudden appearance of the woman. “Um.” Sue remained seated, giving the newly arrived just a quick scan with her eyes. “Bird? Then you must be...” It would seem that the familiar was going entirely in the wrong direction with her choice of attire. Something casual or playful was probably more appropriate for a meeting like this. But she remained silent, unsure of what to say. 

[color=f07fdb]‘Hey, you look good. You prepared yourself specifically for us? I'm touched! Makes me feel a little bad I didn't prepare myself better... Oh, wait!’[/color] She grinned, and suddenly from nowhere, a pair of red shiny jeweled earrings dropped from her ears, the color matching her blazer and ribbon. She then grinned more. [color=f07fdb]‘Do they look good on me? I bet they look good! I totally look good! Hahaha!’[/color] She laughed as she sat down next to Sue.

 “Y-you look very good!” Sue spoke practically without thinking. But she was quite attractive. The familiar put on a nervous smile. Sue had expected to sit across from everyone, so it was a little surprising to have someone sit beside her. None of this was going like she planned it. But the girl switched up her outfit, that was a good thing, right? “I-I'm sorry, which one are you?”  

[color=f07fdb]‘Teh-heh~!’[/color] She smiled and looked happy at the compliment, sitting beside and having her head turned to Sue. Then, at Sue's next question she looked around and pouted a little. [color=f07fdb]‘So, the pirate isn't here, is she? I had a totally hilarious way to introduce myself thought out...’[/color] She then shrugged and smiled to Sue, extending a hand to shake. [color=f07fdb]‘Okay, I'm Deni. Pleased to meet you~!’[/color] She said. Sitting next to Sue instead of opposite was very intentional to make it so there was no barriers between them.

Sue took Deni's hand. “I-I'm Sue.” Sue did not shake Deni's hand and in stead just held it. She lifted her other hand up and gave it a soft squeeze. “I'm sure you can introduce yourself to Amber later.” Was sue starting to blush? This was so embarrassing! “A-anyway, Deni, are you one of the winged girls, or are you the bunny girl? I'd love to hear more about you.” Of course Sue was half panic talking. She had heard Mariette's name before, she just couldn't think properly being so close to Deni.

Deni smirked, watching Sue's reaction to things, as her hand was being held. At the question, Deni grinned and demonstrated. [color=f07fdb]‘I'm one of the winged and slimy girls.’[/color] She said, while the hand Sue held suddenly became black fluid and seeped between her fingers as Deni lifted the arm and reformed the hand above Sue's hands, poking a finger on Sue's nose. [color=f07fdb]‘Sorry, the mistress is too wary of ambushes to show up in person.’[/color] She said in a slightly somber-sounding tone.

Sue pulled her head back whe Deni touched her nose. “O-oh, I guess that makes sense.” She tried not to sound dissapointed.

Deni tilted her head and looked inquisitively at Sue at that. [color=f07fdb]‘But it's her you wished to speak to, really, wasn't it? As sweet as it is that you want to know about me... You have a time-limit, don't you?’[/color] She giggled at the end of that. 

Sue let out a groan, though it was so weak one might confuse it for a whimper. “Not necessarily, I-I'd be happy anyone came really. But you are correct, I don't have much time.”

[color=f07fdb]‘Teh-heh. It's fine. It might just be your lucky day.’[/color] Deni giggled and told her. [color=f07fdb]‘If it's just you... then it should be fine. Let's waste no more time.’[/color] Deni said to Sue before lifting her own left hand, giving Sue an amused glance, and then plunged said hand into her own stomach, intentionally widening her eyes in a way only a shape-shifter could to look more crazy while still looking at Sue. The shirt and stomach spread into dark fluid, her hand entering without problem. It may have seemed risky among these common people, but as anyone with Third Eye could tell, there was stealth-based Darkness-magic in play. Deni giggled at Sue, her eyes returning to normal, as she pulled out a hand-mirror and a pedestal for it from within herself, all her slime just running off the items and then reshaping her stomach and shirt.

[color=f07fdb]‘Gaze into the mirror, will you?’[/color] Deni suggested with a playful voice as she placed the mirror onto the table in front of Sue. The pedestal first, and the pedestal had a hole in which the bottom part of the hand-mirror was inserted, all to place the mirror on the height so that Sue could look at it from natural sitting height.

At this point a waitress approached the table. “Oh, looks like your company showed up.”  

“Ehe heh heh.” Sue laughed nervously. “Yea, let's have some uh, onion rings for an appetizer. We'll also have two cokes. Is that okay with you Deni?”

[color=f07fdb]‘Totally fine with me! And oh! Get me some tater tots!’[/color] Deni called to the waitress with an excited smile.

The waitress nodded and walked off. Sue started to look into the mirror.  

At first, it was but a regular mirror, showing her face back at her. But then... the surface shimmered, and an opening started to form. And then, looking through the mirror, she could see a different room. A room with damaged walls and damaged furniture, a specific sofa placed just opposite of Sue's position. There she sat. Still in the same dark dress, long white hair, eyepatch and looking pretty much exactly the same as always.

Mariette sat on a sofa at a table, in an abandoned apartment across the city. In one arm she held a stuffed bunny, clutched to her body. The hand of said arm was stirring in a cup held by the other hand using a spoon. She looked exceedingly uninterested in the person that might be peeking in, very much more focused in the contents of the cup. While the illusion wasn't perfect, the distance to Mariette through the portal was visually spot-on the distance away she'd be from Sue had she been seated opposite to her in the restaurant, just only visible through the mirror. The table mimicked the table on the restaurant's side as well, looking like an extension of the same table.

Then finally, Mariette's eyes turned to gaze at Sue, looking at her intently. She didn't speak a word yet, just staring. Sue summoned her, after all, then the familiar should be the one with words to say.

Of course Deni had sat down beside Sue, opposite was Mariette's place, even if it wasn't directly. Deni grinned.

And if anyone's wondering, Eli's currently hidden by Darkness-magic somewhere near the restaurant, scouting for potential threats with Third Eye.

Sue started to smile. “Oh cool! It's like a video call!” She clapped her hands together. “I bet this is how Amber felt when she talked to the CEO on a laptop.” The familiar didn't realize how terribly strange that sounded until she said it. “So anyway...” Sue reached into a pocketbook  “It might be a little to romantic for the occasion, but...” She pulled out a small candle on a pedestal and placed it between the mirror and herself. “I think we should do some mood lighting!” Sue had a small lighter that she was going to light the candle with. Sue hit the striker with her thumbs a few times, and  eventually a flame was lit.

Mariette merely raised her eyebrows a little at the first statement, and Deni giggled a little. Still, onto the actual matter. Deni was all smiles and Mariette was all stares... when Sue pulled out the candle. Mariette's gaze focused in alarm at the object, and Deni's expression made a complete change from enjoying the scene and grinning to slightly panicked uncertainty, leaning away from her. When Sue reached out and was going to try to light the candle...

Deni practically threw herself the short distance between them and gripped the hand with the lighter in her own, her hand turning into black fluid around the lighter to quench it. Other than that, Deni would now be leaning over Sue, pretty much, more than part-way off her own chair. She looked in panicked alarm at Sue, gauging her expression to see if she understood what she was about to do or if it was a coincidence.

Mariette was trying to calm herself on the other side, silently gazing and trying to turn her glare back into a stare. Deni's action had spoken plenty, however.

Sue was of course, a bit surprised by Deni's sudden movement. Though Sue was less observing what Deni was doing and more reacting to her own personal space being taken up by the disguised harpy woman. This type of closeness just caused the familiar to blush further. Try as she might, she couldn't break her eyes away from Deni's gaze. Sue couldn't even find words to get her out of this awkward moment.

It didn't seem she had understood. Then their weakness had to be covered, immediately. Mariette trusted this task to Deni, to explain her move.

[color=f07fdb]‘E-excuse me?’[/color] Deni said, her voice shaking a little as she tried to sound accusatory. [color=f07fdb]‘Mood lighting? What is this meeting to you? A friendly get-together? Mistress has taken time from a very busy schedule to hear you out because we assumed you had something to say. We could be abducting a valuable Magical Girl right now! Why are we having this meeting? Why did you make that wish!?’[/color] ... Deni made a mental apology to Sue. She didn't really like to accuse people like this, but she had to take an aggressive stance to explain her aggressive movement.

Mariette quietly judged Deni's attempt. It wasn't perfect, her voice had shown bits of fear that wasn't optimal, but given the circumstances she couldn't be faulted. None of them had expected that.

“W-what?” Sue hugged herself. Part of her wanted to cry, and the other part wanted to run in terror. But she had used an entire wish on this meeting, and she wasn't about to let it go to waste. “Okay.... okay...” Sue calmed herself down. “I'll answer that question for you, but you need to answer one of mine first.” Her voice was cracking. “How old are you guys really? I mean, you're magical girls so, your real age could be anything.”

[color=f07fdb]‘Ngf.’[/color] Deni made a noise, making herself calm down as well. She clutched with her fingers, intent on taking the lighter away from Sue while leaning back into her own seat again. Taking the lighter... just in case. Deni turned and sat straight in her chair and sighed. [color=f07fdb]‘None of us are older than 20.’[/color] Deni said in a slightly annoyed tone, feeling no need to trouble Mariette with answering that. Mariette sat and stared as well, sipping a little from her cup. Deni couldn't calm down, feeling constantly on edge due to the presence of the unlit candle, but moving to remove it would perhaps tip off their bane...

“Alright.” Sue reached for the “stupid mood candle” and dragged it towards herself.  “I guess for you guys to really understand...” Sue lowered the candle into her pocket book “If it wouldn't be too presumptuous, I'd like to tell you a story about Amber.” Sue rubbed her hands together under the table. “Well, believe it or not, that wasn't the first time Amber had been ambushed in an alleyway. Before she was a magical girl, she would occasionally leave the workplace late.” Sue giggled. “I'm sorry, every time she tells me a story about her past, she always makes sure I knew how beautiful she use to be. I think it's a little inappropriate given the environment, but she was tall and curvy. Like an amazon.” Sue had to wait a moment for her face to relax before continuing. “But on one late night, she was held up by a boy. Well, she said he was a boy, but he was a young man. Someone in his early twenties or late teens. He pointed a knife at her and demanded money.” Sue placed her hands on the edge of the table. “Now Amber was no magical girl, but she made sure she had something to protect herself with. Pepper spray, box opening knife, taser, it was overkill but she took her safety seriously. But she didn't  use any of that stuff on the guy.” Sue closed her hands together. “Instead she offered him money, asked him if there was anything she could do for him. He didn't understand why she was being so nice to him.  They went to a dinner and talked about his life a bit. It was actually this dinner if you can believe it.” Sue's smile widened. “And she offered him a job. And I hear he was pretty good at it too. So what I'd like to know is...” Sue pulled her hands apart again and placed them on the table before looking straight into the mirror. “...Would you like me to adopt you?”

So, Sue started telling her story. Deni kept an eye on the candle and what Sue was doing with it, otherwise just stayed leaned-back and listening, imagining how Amber might have looked. Mariette sat silent, listening, sitting and taking her time as the story went onwards to its point. Her thoughts on it... It told a point. One practically useless to her, but it told a point. Anyone may have the potential, if given a chance. But... they weren't ready for that suggestion.

[color=f07fdb]‘Wha-’[/color] Deni blinked in surprise as she turned her head at her with slightly widened eyes.

[color=1462ba]‘...’[/color] Mariette raised her eyebrows at this statement, looking at her. Deni was speechless. So, then... [color=1462ba]‘So you are likening us to the attacking boy, and you wish to offer an opportunity to do better?’[/color] Mariette asked, her tone exceedingly neutral, in control. Deni looked back and forth between them, and then ended up awaiting Sue's answer with her.

Sue's smile vanished, She wasn't getting mad, but she looked focused, determined. “The story was just an explanation for what inspired me to make the wish.” Sue leaned back in her seat. “We could liken you to the boy in the story, but that would make me Amber. And if Amber would be here, why did she choose not to come?” the familiar let out a groan and looked away from the mirror. “J-just think more about the offer than the story. It will always be open to you, I'm sure you can find me if you choose to accept it.”

Mariette sat, staring forward at Sue with her one visible eye feeling like it was trying to drill a hole through her. So Amber could have been here, but choose not to? Understandable enough, they were her attackers. And the circumstances of said attack certainly differed from those in the story. Mariette had not been desperate in her attack. It had been entirely calculated, and hadn’t it been for a few unexpected tumbles, it would have been Mariette’s victory. Regardless, that did not factor into the current matter. Mariette discarded that train of thought, and returned to the matter at hand. The familiar wanted to adopt her…

She suddenly blew out air a little harder than regularly from her nose. Then she did it again. She leaned her head forward as the action repeated itself, her free hand reaching to block the noise it made. It was fairly easy to discern as held-back giggling. For numerous seconds, Mariette had to focus on overcoming this fit of amusement. The familiar… wanted to adopt her. Th-that was… too much… Meanwhile, Deni blinked and watched Mariette’s reaction with somewhat interested eyes.

[color=1462ba]‘… Aaaaah…’[/color] Mariette finally calmed down enough to breathe in, looking up at Sue with amused eyes, traces of a smile on her lips. [color=1462ba]‘I wonder what would have happened… Had you been there before…’[/color] She left something unsaid, but she smiled a bit more, and then changed line-of-thought. [color=1462ba]‘... I wonder, at the end of this tale, where will I be? What’s the fate of a toy belonging to an ancient horror, successful or not? Haha…’[/color] She held her arm over her mouth so she could calm out without improper noise. [color=1462ba]‘… I consider it unlikely… but if I find that I have nowhere to go at the end of all this… I might just come take you up on that offer. Okay…?’[/color] She then turned her head away because she was embarrassed by showing herself this amused. But, yikes… adopting her, huh… Haha…

[color=f07fdb]‘Hey, I’m supposed to be the giggling one.’[/color] Deni grinned and looked at Mariette through the mirror. Mariette gave no reply.

Sue would have had a stronger reaction to what Mariette said, but she was starting to feel worn down holding up her human form for so long. There was so much about this group that she didn't understand. Sue doubted she could hold her form long enough to get to the bottom of it. “Well.” Sue cleared her throat. “Some new friends of mine are going to be joining us shortly, so if you wouldn't mind holding for a bit, I would appreciate it.”

[color=1462ba]‘… Hm?’[/color] If there was anything that could quickly sober up Mariette from her state of amusement, it was the mention that there were more people here. She looked over at Sue through the mirror with focused wariness, and Deni looked over too.

"O-oh, Um. I figured it would be okay. They shouldn't be long now." And Sue sincerely hoped they weren't. Amber would be furious if something went wrong now.

[color=f07fdb]‘Oooh! Does that mean we should call in our friends, too?’[/color] Deni asked with a suddenly big smile. 

Mariette's expression twitched a little, as this was still possibly an ambush, but said friends were not enemies of Amber, so she eventually ruled Deni's comment to be fine.