[@t2wave]

	Regina wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Shannon. Her idea of a safe place to stay was Ilia's interdenominational home. What she liked about such locations was that they were secluded,  nobody really knew about them, and they were defensible. Having to share the space with a Puchuu and a monster boy was a small price to pay for that security. Even at this hour, Regina could see at least ten minds within thirty feet of the room. The roof access was nice, though she wondered how easily it could be used as an entry. The thought of a ghost or vampire girl landing on top of the hotel wasn't that far fetched. They were in the heart of the city where any magical girl could likely pick up on their auras. Because it was a hotel, the lights in the hallway were likely going to be on at all times. This would make it impossible for her to freely move around the building from the shadows. The set up was definitely cozy and Shannon was one of the best room mates Regina could hope for. But safe was not a word Regina would use to describe the place.

	The timid girl approached the windows and drew them all the way closed. She stepped away from the blinds and considered her next coarse of action.“Alright Elroy, I think it's safe to unwind now.” 

	“Cool beans!” In a puff of black smoke, both monster kids reverted back to their true forms. Elroy prepared to dive backwards onto the bed.

	“We are honored guests Elroy. If you're going to roughhouse, make sure your shield doesn't crash through the bed.” Regina didn't look at Elroy. The only part of her that moved was her tail, which swept across the floor.

	“Oh.” He took off his shield. “Good point.” He cast the shield off to the side, and it clattered to the ground. Elroy then finished his backwards dive into the bed, just barely missing Shannon. But shortly after he did so, his head popped up to look at her. “Don't we have awesome costumes?”

	“We typically keep our true forms concealed, but I'd rather be like this, if you don't mind. It's more comfortable.” Regina didn't mention that she could read minds in this form as well. It wouldn't have been hard to pluck Shannon's brain for surface thoughts, and she could learn a lot more if she could work up the nerve to touch her. But there was no reason to do that. She would respect Shannon's privacy for now. But it was a boon to be able to read the thoughts of those nearby. Regina had been exceedingly careful ever since the hospital event.  No one would surprise her this time. “So to start, the hospital. We were just going to ignore the entire fight, but I was able to pick up on the presence of two beacon killers. We don't really take part in the whole beacon killing thing.” Regina broke eye contact with the girl. “Monsters can't be too picky with their friends. That's not to say we haven't been known to defend ourselves but...” She looked back at Shannon and squinted her eyes. “You look familiar. I know I've seen you before.”

	“Yea.” Elroy sat up. “Scarf girl was at the hospital.” He winked with a grin.

	“Oh?” Regina folded her arms. “There were a lot of people there. Djinn, ghosts, vampires, Beacon, a few normal girls. But why were you there?” Maybe she would be looking into Shannon's mind after all.

[hr]

[@PlatinumSkink]
	
	Birds can't show a wide range of emotions, Sue by extension. The familiar's only reaction to Deni's death was her stumbling backwards a few steps. Such a small physical reaction to someone's life being wiped away. But inside Sue's body was a maelstrom of emotion. Sue hadn't known Deni long. It would be fare to say she didn't know her at all. But Sue had few friends, and had just been robbed of a potential connection. As strong as Mariette tried to act, Sue knew that she was probably hurting on the inside too. Sue liked to think that she had a relationship with Deni like she had with Amber. It wasn't always nice, but neither of them were ever alone. Watching Eli was just painful. Deni was definitely a nice person. While hearing about people dying was never easy for Sue,  this was different. She could still feel Deni's warmth from when the girl leaned over her to extinguish her lighter. She remembered Deni's smile when Sue asked her to hang out some time. That wasn't even twenty-four hours ago. If this was what Justine was capable of, then maybe it was best that Minnie died after all. Though that probably wasn't a very nice way to think. But it did make her wonder what Helga was responsible for. She almost blew up a hospital. Amber warned against using her wish to get closer to people too.  Sue could barely keep up with her own thoughts. She needed to get out of her head for a moment. The familiar needed to focus on what was going on around her in the moment and transformed into her human shape.

	“Mariette.” Sue turned to face the portal witch. Sue dried her eyes with the palm of her hand. “Surely you plan on fighting back. Maybe with just us gathered here we can't do it, but look.” She pointed up in the air. “Amber has a flying transport. We can siege the castle with that. ” Come to think of it, it was strange that Amber just took off like that. Sue hoped everything was okay.