[right][sub]Written in collaboration with [@Ariamis][/sub][/right]

While Eli scouted that, Mariette had another business to attend to.

She lifted a hand and gathered her power. It took a little longer than her other portals, on account that her destination was not of this world, but soon enough a portal opened to her interdimensional apartment. From apartment to apartment, Mariette treaded.

The apartment was as boring as ever. False windows out to a false city gave a false sense that it was a part of a larger world. There was a table in the middle, with three chairs around it. A fridge, a cabinet, a cooking area for whatever they needed to eat. A couple of places to sleep, in case. How she greatly prefered Joe's place for that. Here was closer to Asengav's core of power, the whispers were louder, and it became much harder to relax. Asengav had given this to her as her safe place to relax in, yet it simply showed how little the Horror understood about what allowed a human to relax. Besides, Sonia had already proved this place wasn't safe.

In one corner lay the crystal she had been given by Justine, since she had thrown it there after their most recent meeting. It could stay there, Mariette would eventually have use of it, but she was wary that perhaps the Visceral could spy or eavesdrop through it. No conversations about their recent actions could take place close to it.

In the corner opposite of it, stood Asengav's great mirror. Her one gateway to Asengav's dimension, and her way of contacting him. Which was what she was going to do now.

Mariette wandered over to the mirror, lifting a hand and placing it against the mirror. She was going to start transmitting her message to her master, that she wished to speak with him. She'd then be made to wait, because Asengav had no requirement to actually grace her with his presence until he saw fit to do so. It was reasonable that he may be expecting her to contact him after what just happened, his tentacles had been burned, but perhaps he'd leave her hanging a bit just for the principle of it.

Regardless, Mariette now stood with a hand on the mirror, focusing her call, considering the words she'd say...

[color=662d91]"Mirror, mirror, on the corner..."[/color] Mariette heard a voice, and one she knew all too well.

[hider=Rose-Killing Carmilla][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-AhHthGf6k[/youtube][/hider]

[color=662d91]"Who is the fairest in the betwixt border?"[/color] A giggle then ensued, and Mariette saw the crystal glow. The flaming eye projected from it's side, staring directly at her.
[color=662d91]"I must say, it was quite rude of you to throw away my gift to you, Reflective...No...We should be on first-name terms now, [i]Mariette.[/i]"[/color]

The moment she heard the first tone, Mariette stopped sending her message. ... Asengav would have noticed and understood. She hoped, anyway. Regardless. She slowly turned and faced the source of the voice, the flaming eye coming from the crystal in the other corner. She saw no need to reply to her addressor's words, merely glared back. And as much as Mariette would have wanted her look to be blank, her brow frowned and body tensed up a bit, her look nothing short of hostile.

The eye blinked. [color=662d91]"You must be furious, with the way your eyes look. I suppose that disgusting slime of yours held more value to you than I expected. Well, we can't all choose our slaves, I suppose. And it seems the other one is missing...How bold of you."[/color] Her tone was polite, yet that only sharpened the insults.

[color=1462ba]‘Bold, Justine? For Eli missing from my side?’[/color] Mariette scoffed, ignoring the rest but replying to the last bit. [color=1462ba]‘They are my scouts, not my bodyguards. Now that one of them have been stolen from me, the other will need to double her efforts. Each second by my side is a second not gathering information for me, therefore wasted. I have no [i]need[/i] for constant companionship.’[/color] She told, her tone sharp. She wouldn't deny being riled up, but she prided herself on her ability to remain focused.

[color=662d91]"Hmm, that may be so...But is it also true of them? We live in a dangerous world after all..."[/color] Justine sounded like she enjoyed the banter. [color=662d91]"Anyway, I would like to share a little secret...Or should I say, I already have?"[/color]
 A sound of clinking ceramics and a sip then ensued. 
 [color=662d91]"A little leak has now happened you see, and your veil of secrecy has been lifted. Now, the magical girl community knows of Mariette Pedersen the kidnapper, complete with a description of appearance and abilities. Now you have no allies, Mariette. You are all alone."[/color]

... So, either Justine is talking about when Mariette herself spoke to Alicia, or something has happened beyond her own knowledge. Perhaps Amber. Regardless, it was something she had already accepted when she had chosen to speak with Alicia. But for the fact that she had no allies...

Of all the people her mind could wander to... She thought of Violet and Sakura, who had somehow managed to befriend her. She thought of Sue, who had offered to care for her. And she thought of Lily, who had so dearly wanted to connect to her. It wasn't much, but that mere fact, made the slightest smirk appear on her lips for the briefest moment. There are things you don't know, Justine...

[color=1462ba]‘And?’[/color] Mariette let the smirk vanish, raising her chin a little. [color=1462ba]‘I am the agent of a Horror. From day one, I never expected to have any allies. I never needed them. I was always alone. The difference is that now they know of me, which in some ways make it easier for me to move. After all, who could catch me? My scouts have searched throughout the world for Magical Girls, I know what they're all capable of. I know a grand total of two Magical Girls that could ever catch up to me. I'm speaking to one of them. I have nothing to fear from the common ones.’[/color] She told, her voice confident.

A silent moment passed. 
[color=662d91]"Is that so? Well, it will be an entertaining display when the Beacon comes after you. They surely have members capable of finding you, so you can only run."[/color] Her voice was showing a slight change to a less composed one. 
[color=662d91]"You will know fear, soon enough."[/color]

[color=1462ba]‘...’[/color] Oh, she was aware. There really was a difference in pressure, knowing there were people out there that now knew of you and wanted to hunt you down. But... [color=1462ba]‘Perhaps, Justine. Then again...’[/color] She had to restrain a little smirk.

[color=1462ba]‘Are you not in a similar position? They learned of Stephanie. Helga had her body destroyed. People unknowing of my connection to you sought me out to try to have me ferry them to your base. I shoed them away, of course, but knowledge about you is spreading as well, through sources I do not know. Beacon surely will have learned by now. I know you have your collection of followers, but...’[/color] Mariette tilted her head a little, looking at the eye curiously.

[color=1462ba]‘Other than those, are you not alone as well? Will they not come hunting for you, too? What's so special about me being hunted, then?’[/color] Mariette asked, honestly curious as to what Justine's answer to this might be.

The answer was a bout of laughter, noble yet unnerving.
[color=662d91]"My dear Mariette, you are a fool for thinking you can play my game; I will always be two steps ahead."[/color] Another sip happened, this one a bit longer.
[color=662d91]"I have no concern for the Beacon anymore. In fact, I should thank you for it, Mariette; without you I might have had to work on my plan for another decade. But now, nobody will be able to stop me. This world...shall be one with [i]purity[/i]..."[/color]

That was roughly the reaction Mariette expected, but it was nice to have it confirmed. It was a little distressing how little she seemed to worry about the forces of this world, but... Hm. Mariette regained her neutral look she preferred as she watched the eye...

[color=1462ba]‘... I couldn't convince you to wait a little, then?’[/color] She asked. [color=1462ba]‘I simply need to achieve my goals, then you can have this world. I'll be jumping to the next world where Asengav needs me. I feel like you owe me at least a little for that, since you killed my underling. You'll be ahead of schedule, either way. When I'm done or die, feel free to make this world "one with purity", if you feel like. I won't care anymore. What does that mean, anyway?’[/color] Mariette asked, holding an expressionless face as she looked at Justine.

[color=662d91]"Tsk tsk. I did no such thing. How impolite of you to accuse me, Mariette. Also, like I've said during our meeting, your objectives matter nothing to me. But if you are desperate enough to survive, then there is a way out; surrender, and swear yourself to me."[/color] Another sip, and then the sound of ceramics clinking, as if the teacup was removed.
[color=662d91]"So what will it be, Mariette?"[/color] 

So, Mariette was aware she was at a bit of a disadvantage. Asengav was investing in many worlds, Mariette wouldn't know how many. It felt like Justine may have more support from Father than she herself had from Asengav, putting her at a distinct power disadvantage. But...

[color=1462ba]‘That I cannot do, for I already serve a master.’[/color] Mariette spoke with an unchanging tone, meeting the eye steadily. In her mind, even at the price of death, she could not go against Asengav. ... That this was the result of being Mind-Bent to be eternally loyal to him, was not something Mariette was aware of in this case.

Another silent moment, only accentuated by a sound of tapping fingers. 
[color=662d91]"An expected answer. I did consider this a foregone conclusion. Well then, I suppose that...[b]You have outlived your usefulness.[/b] Farewell."[/color]
The eye projecting from the crystal began glowing, and shortly after, so did the crystal itself.
A strange sound started emanating from it, as if it was gathering energy. The glowing accelerated, until- 

Mariette listened intently to the foreboding words. Upon confirming that she would likely be in danger she was prepared, quickly reaching behind her and touched Asengav's mirror, a powerful artifact of portals, which immediately opened while she let herself fall backwards through it. Her tentacles, faster than her own fall, gripped her and threw her through into that same apartment she had entered her dimension from. As quickly as she could, she swung her hand and the portal above her swung with it to direct itself upwards rather than at her, for she didn't trust that she could close it swiftly enough before she landed on her back in the apartment.

An explosive force pushed rapidly out of the portal, bright red energy shooting out like beams of searing fire, up into the ceiling of the room Mariette escaped to. The ceiling started to crumble, and chunks of it fell on top of Mariette; while she survived, she definitely didn't escape unscathed.

Mariette, with a start, realized that perhaps indoors hadn't been the best of choices as the beam cracked the ceiling. She opened another portal above her as a shield while she defended her sides with her arms and curled up, while the debris of the ceiling crashed down. Considerable weight crashed down on her sides, from the piles, even as she was spared from straight above her. Also, dust had been thrown all over her. With a bit of a peeved expression, she crawled out after the dust had settled, brushing a hand over her face to escape having to cough.

Well. How nice to have been right about Justine's future intention to kill her.

Once Mariette managed to pull herself up again, she saw through the portal that the dimensional apartment was utterly wrecked, scorched beyond recognition; if she had stayed inside, she would have perished.

She carefully gazed into the interdimensional apartment. Okay, wrecked. It didn't matter, being in there was a death-trap, now. The entire point of it was to keep her safe, but since Justine could reach in there anyways, it instead became a prison with no escape. Looks like she wouldn't be returning. But...

There was another reason she hadn't closed the portal. She focused her power, and instead of using the mirror to make a portal she made a portal of her own, bigger, behind it in the apartment. Then she dispelled the portal on the mirror itself, grabbing it with her own arms to lift it out. The frames had been completely destroyed, but by making it a portal she had saved Asengav's mirror from being destroyed as well. All in the little victories.

Mariette sighed as she put down the large frame-less mirror onto the floor. That was probably the first serious effort she had needed to put into actually lifting something herself in... ever. She'd made Deni do it in the past. ...

First she quickly portalled herself into one of her numerous apartments that she knew was empty in the city, to escape those who'd come looking to see what that sudden noise had been or if anyone had sensed the magic. Then from there...

She placed the mirror aside and collapsed in a chair. She needed to relax a bit. ... Then contact Asengav again. ... This had all turned way too intense for her liking. It would have been so much easier to accomplish her goals if there hadn't been another dimension-travelling Horror-girl wanting to achieve her goals in the area. Now, she was truly at war with Justine von Visceral... ... ... 

Mariette settled, leaning forward with a frown into a thinking position as she considered her next move in this game Justine thought her a fool for trying to play.