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[h1]Veronica[/h1]
[sub]-In The Pale Moon Light-[/sub][/center]

Penny quietly slipped back to the pile of blankets, she hadn't wanted to leave the nest of them as she had been very comfortable curled up with Thalia but the fact that her lair's entrance was exposed had started to bug her.

Now that it had been taken care of, she simply put the door mostly back in place. She was ready to join her friend; she had taken the time to send a text to her Beacon allies to let them know she was alright.

[hider=To Alicia & Suwako] [quote=Penny] To start I'm fine, I know that I looked rather grizzly right before Thalia dragged me off but she has a healing artifact stashed away. Second Is I wanted to apologize, I messed up and I know it. I would like to try and explain what happened, it's related to being a Monster girl. You can choose the time and place just let me know [/quote] [/hider]

Penny was about ready to curl back up in Thalia's tails and fall asleep when she noticed a shadow. Such a thing was hard to do, especially at this hour of the night. But with a full moon, there were a few beams of lunar light shining into her lair. But something had momentarily obstructed them. Something was coming into Penny's lair. Their lair. And it was difficult to say what it was. 

But it would soon reveal itself.

Leaning up against the wall was a girl in red. She would have blended into the darkness perfectly if it wasn't for her crazy blond hair. It seemed to twirl about the wall she leaned against like they were vines. Her vermilion red dress was too ornate to belong to anyone other than a magical girl.

“Don't worry, they didn't follow you two.” She didn't look at Penny. Instead the mystery girl looked out towards the moonlight while running her thumb over a pair of shades. “They could have though. Your friend was pretty sloppy. You're pretty sloppy too if you think this is a good place to hide. A tap in the right place and this lair becomes a tomb.” After giving her glasses one more look, the shades bubbled away into tar and smoke. “Do you know who I am?”

The unexpected voice in her lair caused a chill to run down Penny's spine as most of her color started to fade away. Slowly she once again slipped out of the blankets, keeping a close eye on the outsider. 

[color=9e0039][b][u]"It couldn't become one for me"[/u][/b][/color] She replied evenly even as she held back her desire to violently drive the intruder out. She was well aware of the fact that her lair could come crashing down quite easily, it was a last resort measure as it wouldn't be much of an issue for the mechanical mahout to be buried in a few tons of her own element.


[color=9e0039][b][u]"And no, I can't say that I have any idea"[/u][/b][/color] Penny replied her hands half curling at her sides, she was ready to strike at a moment's notice.

“I was concerned that would be the case. No matter, but I'm going to insist that only you are capable of hearing our conversation.” Without any visible movement on the vermilion girl's part, a black dome closed around Thalia's head. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but it was there. “Just a little soundproofing, so we don't accidentally wake her up.” The girl pushed herself off the wall and turned towards Penny. Her movements were slow and non-threatening. “I'm Veronica, a representative of the Ebon Mint. Laat’AlOfan has told me a lot about you. But I had to do my own research to learn the really interesting parts.”

The subtleties of Veronica's spell were lost on Penny at first, and a quick glance back at her sleeping friend almost had the brawler lashing out at her uninvited guest. What stayed Penny's hand was the casual mention of her patron deity. 

Names have power, and few names are guaranteed to call their owners attention like Laat'AlOfan's will and since there wasn't any indication of Laat's displeasure at Veronica presence. Penny relaxed, for the most part, and her coloration returned.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"Ebon Mint huh?"[/u][/b][/color] She replied giving Veronica and apprising look [color=9e0039][b][u]"What brings you to my lair Coin Broker?"[/u][/b][/color] She asked after a moment not rising to the bait, for as ignorant of the magical world as Penny was the Ebon Mint was one of the few things she had a fair amount of knowledge on as some of her first friends on this side either were in debt to the mint, or had a coin form the shadowy organization. 

“Cutting straight to the chase.” Veronica's eyes didn't wander off of Penny for a moment. “Your patron and I have goals that align with each other. What it boils down to is that we would both like you to join the Ebon Mint.” Veronica fell against the wall again and folded her arms. “We have a reputation I realize, but it isn't all true. If you have any questions I'll answer them as best I can.” 

Penny let out a sigh and ran a hand over her face at Veronica's statement [color=9e0039][b][u]"One of these day I will get a warning or so help me..."[/u][/b][/color] She muttered under her breath. It was not a surprise that Laat was once again looking to network Penny in to all sorts of things, just as once again He hadn't warned her.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"Most of what I know of the Mint comes from other members of the Mint, which leads me to wonder why you are scouting me or are you just trying to curry favor with The Enforcer?"[/u][/b][/color] She asked forcefully, not that she was expecting a straight answer. Chloe and Isana both mentioned the Faustian ways of the Mint, so Penny was planning on playing this one aggressively.

“In serving a Deity yourself, I'm sure you already know that you don't 'curry' the favor of gods. They either approve or disprove of your actions.” Veronica allowed her body to slide down the wall to a sitting position, with her wrist resting on her knee. Veronica's hair created a golden puddle where she sat. “The unmaker approves of what Ebon Mint does. While having a god in your back pocket does sound nice, it is difficult to actually force them to do anything. No, I am far more interested in you, Penny.” She rolled over onto her side. “You're the only monster girl I can think of that is allied with Beacon. It's says directly in their rules that working with monster girls is forbidden, yet here you are. You would make for an interesting member.” She moved her hand onto her hip. “And I would be careful putting too much stock in members who speak ill of us. Most active Ebon Mint members owe us, some more than others. We helped them, they can't pay back the favor, so we become the bad guys. Those that have worked off their debts or find us easy to work with have no reason to voice their true opinion. Beacon is also out to hunt us down, so there is little to gain for standing up for the mint. As a monster girl I'm sure you understand. We really aren't all that different.” Veronica pushed herself into a kneeling position. “Except by some stroke of luck, your patron was able to convince Beacon that you would work well in their employ. I wonder if they will continue to permit the existence of your friend. Will they continue to tolerate monsters, or is it just a matter of time before Thalia becomes a target?”

Penny couldn't help the snort she gave at the very apt description of working under a god. She could also see why Laat would approve of the Ebon Mint as all of the stories she had heard happened to have someone going through a drastic change, either in form or life style. She also conceded the point about spurned members with a nod, but remained quiet.

Slowly Penny sat down as well, obviously examining what she was hearing carefully. It was very apparent how she felt at the thought of Thalia being put in danger however as her eyes turned a blazing red at the offered thought. Silently the mechanical maho turned to look at her sleeping friend. [color=9e0039][b][u]"Something is out there that is threatening The Beacon"[/u][/b][/color] she said softly still gazing at Thalia [color=9e0039][b][u]"That is all I know about why they sought out Laat for an alliance, and until that threat is gone I want to say I'm sure they won't move against Thalia."[/u][/b][/color] The thought of Thalia being attacked or hurt caused something to twist painfully inside Penny, and it was something that had nearly happened earlier today. She turned back to face Veronica her eyes once again shifting through the color spectrum [color=9e0039][b][u]"So, Veronica I'm willing to hear you offer, because I'm not sure I can, because as you said I got lucky."[/u][/b][/color] Penny locked eyes with Veronica as she made that declaration, and if one looked they could see the hint of madness that lurks within all monstergirls flickering in the girls eyes. For Thalia meant the world to Penny and there is nothing she wouldn't do to protect her. 

"You got very lucky. My friends were never granted a pardon like that." Veronica's eyes momentarily wandered before returning to Penny. “As I said, our goal is to get you to join the Ebon Mint.” Veronica stood up. This put her head above Penny, only because the cyborg was still sitting in bed. “But our organization is a bit like a bank. You request something, we give it to you, and then you become a member. A service would be ideal, something like a task for an agent to complete, temporarily ownership of something. Anything like that would be most ideal. But due to the circumstances, I'd be willing to give you a rain-check if you can't think of anything at the moment.” Veronica took a step towards Penny. “But as someone who's been in your position, I think we both know that shouldn't be necessary.”

[color=9e0039][b][u]"I need you to get me magically charged metal"[/u][/b][/color] Penny said after only a moment [color=9e0039][b][u]"Four beams, three feet long, and 6x6 if you can manage"[/u][/b][/color]  Ideas were now spinning through Penny's head. This was how she could get the rest of the materials she would need for her new limbs, as well as a few things she would need to keep an eye on Thalia. [color=9e0039][b][u]"Would I also be able to get a GPS chip? Military grade would be preferable and some tungsten, gold plated if possible"[/u][/b][/color] She rambled off absently as she started hammer out the ideas more fully in her mind reaching out she pulled a piece of scrap metal to her and started etching necklace designs on it. 

The magical metal she was going to use to build two pairs of spider limbs. The rest of her requests she was going to use to build a necklace, or a bracelet, for Thalia. Embedded in said gift was going to be the GPS chip tuned specifically for Penny to home in on it. She would be able to protect Thalia if she was there for her, and the gift would allow Penny to never lose track of her.

“That's quite the shopping list. It will take some time to get the more exotic items. However, nothing mentioned will be impossible to get.” Veronica extended her hand to shake on their deal.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"The chip and the tungsten aren't too important right now, so feel free to put priority on getting the metal"[/u][/b][/color] Penny replied looking up from her designs. 
[color=9e0039][b][u]"One question before I shake; how would I be expected to pay the debt back?"[/u][/b][/color]

“You would do work for us. Depending on your situation, some of your work would go towards your debt, and the rest would go to rewards. That's a common set up for magical girls without patrons who can't get by without coins.” Veronica continued to hold her hand out. 


[color=9e0039][b][u]"This debt will be easily cleared then"[/u][/b][/color] Penny said as she took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake 
[color=9e0039][b][u]"As I'm not in need of much"[/u][/b][/color] she explained with a grin, thinking that for the first time that Laat's rites came in handy for something.

“I hope you are right.” When penny shook Veronica's hand, she could feel something being pressed into her palm. The ebon vampire turned their hands sideways with Penny's on the bottom. When she pulled her hand away, Penny could see a black coin was left in her hand. It didn't shine at all, and seemed to be darker than the shadows. “I'm sure you've heard of our black coins, if you've spoken at length with Ebon Mint members.” She pointed at the coin. “The coin lets you loan amazing power. You do not technically own it until you've used it. In fact, if you give it to someone else, you don't even have to pay us back. But whoever inherits the power of a black coin will have to pay for that power.”  Veronica folded her arms behind her back. “I personally recommend using it only when you need to. However, the choice is ultimately up to you.” She gave a nod. “So you work for the mint now. That makes us comrades. Did you have any more questions?” 

Penny looked at the black coin innocently laying in the palm of her hand, It wasn't the first time she had seen one of the coins but it was the first time she hand held one. She spent a few moments just examing it before she stashed it away with her other coins, she would work on making another adjustment to her frame later so she could keep the coin hidden on her person at all times. 
[color=9e0039][b][u]"I've got a question about the coin, how easy are they for others to detect? and now that I am thinking about it you mentioned you had to do some researche to find the interesting things about me, what interesting things did you find?"[/u][/b][/color]

“The coins are virtually impossible to detect by normal means, even by people gifted with the ability to detect such things. Now if you actually use one, that's a different story entirely.” Veronica shrugged her shoulders. “I'm sure you know how your Deity is. He very much wanted this to happen, but he didn't really describe you in a way that I found very fascinating. So I just watched you from a distance for a while. Or at least one of my agents did. I know what our reputation is like, but I do genuinely care about the magicalgirls that work under me. Your care about Thalia, and I want to help you as best I can.”

Penny nodded at the information about the coin, it meant her idea to hide in in her chassis was a great one as no one but Penny would know about it. She doubted she would ever use it, but an Ace in the hole is always nice to have.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"Yeah, Laat can be very sparse when he feels like it."[/u][/b][/color] she agree as she looked back at Thalia her features softening as she did [color=9e0039][b][u]"And thanks"[/u][/b][/color] Penny still wasn't sure when she started falling for the fox morph, but she knew Thalia was precious to her now. More than she could say really, though she wasn't going to try and explain it to anyone yet. Not until she had told Thalia.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"I take it The Mint is they type of group that will contact me rather than the other way around if needed?"[/u][/b][/color] Penny asked shaking away the urge to go curl back up beside Thalia [color=9e0039][b][u]"You need my number? Or do you already have it?"[/u][/b][/color]

“Phones are extremely easy to trace and bug. I prefer good old fashioned face to face communication. If we need you, an agent will find you. If you have something to report, we're currently using 'The Pit Stop' as a rendezvous point, and you'll typically find me there in the hours leading up to closing. If you need help quickly, that's what the coin is for.” Veronica turned to face the exit. “For the time being,  you will collect information on beacon and continue to assist your patron. That is all for now.” Veronica then sunk into the floor and disappeared from sight. The barrier on Thalia's face had also vanished. They were alone again.

[color=9e0039][b][u]"Good to know"[/u][/b][/color] Penny said as Veronica disappeared. Quietly she pulled the black coin out once again and just spun it around in her fingers, thinking over what had just happened. A roll of thunder brought her out of her musings, to most it would be white noise, the beginning of a storm. To Penny it was a message, for hidden in the clashes of thunder was a statement from Laat, coded so only his champion would notice.

[h3][color=9e0b0f][b]They Too Will Fall To A Thousand Cuts, Though Not Yet Is Their Time, Tis Never Too Early To Start Preparing[/b][/color][/h3]

Softly Penny snorted at that and spun the black coin around in her hands a few more times, with a nod to herself she made a small incision just above her collar bone and slid the coin inside seconds later the cut healed away with no proof of it ever being there.

Penny could still feel the coin if she focused and she doubted she would ever truly forget about it but for now she had more important matters to attend to. Thus she finally ventured back to her nest of blankets and curled up next to the person she had fallen for, and just laid there basking in the warmth as she listening to the falling rain.