((Collab post between Crowvette, Letter Bee, DisturbedBartimaeus and Ebil Bunny))

[quote]The reply was softer, "Two hours each; that ought to be enough time for the plan. And the boosts can begin now."[/quote]

A moment later, Cyan's voice came back over the phone.
[color=cyan]"I'm sorry, I got a tails.  You should gain more strength for the next two hours, but the flip for luck for your friend didn't work,"[/color] he said apologetically, [color=cyan]"Would you like me to try again?  I'd need another tail flip thing."[/color]

After some time, Ascot would feel as though he was brimming with physical energy, as though he was healthier than he used to be. He would then look at Andras and ask, "So, do you feel the extra luck from my own technique? Cyan's boost didn't work. Whatever happens, though...we need to start now."

Andras looked down at herself for a moment, stretching out and trying to feel if anything was different. "[b][color=orchid]Truth be told, I'm not sure what difference I'd feel to begin with.[/color][/b]" Andras had a sinking feeling within her stomach. "[b][color=orchid]...Plus, there's a chance that it would have been countered by Erayo's Essence if it tried to apply to me.[/color][/b]"

'[color=mediumorchid]...I completely forgot about my own enchantment. This is not good. It will negate anything the first time it's used against me, good or bad.[/color]' Andras grimaced.

Ascot nodded. "Well, while that might negate Cyan's blessing if cast, I can always use Nakama Dedication Method a second time. Can you let me do so?"

And with that, he began to glow once more, and Andras would be enveloped in golden light for a brief period as well, golden light that would boost speed, strength, and luck. He would then answer Cyan: "Sorry for keeping you hanging, but it turns out Andras would not be affected by the first casting of any spell, meaning that you'd have to get heads twice for her to be more lucky. And we won't have the time for that. That said, thanks for your help; I will be sending the $1000 from my own bank account now."

A few minutes more, and Cyan would find his funds added to online. Now it was Andras' turn once more.

Andras took a deep breath. She usually drew her daily card alone, but she also had rehearsed in case she needed to do it in public. Covering Perfect Alexandria with her hand, she mumbled to herself, "[b][color=orchid]Gods of Light and Dark, of Mind and Heart, and of Death and Life; open my eyes to the true power of the Root, and grant it within my hands.[/color][/b]" Slowly moving her hand down from Perfect Alexandria, a golden square of light materialized within her hand.

Opening her eye, she mulled over the new card. It would let her draw more cards, which was good for what she was planning to do. But she needed another bond to make it castable.

Ascot figured out what Andras needed, and looked around to see if that Kitsune Girl was near; Vernon was currently answering a phone call. Should Masami be there and not fighting yet, he would call her over, saying: "Hey, milady! Can you come here over for a moment? Andras needs your help!"

Masami had followed the group for a bit, but ultimately had felt unincluded, not saying much and staying to the background, until she had been called. She had about to head back to the Midnight Tournament, but she turned as Ascot shouted to her. Apparently her help was required. She walked over, as she did so asking what was need of her. "Hello! What's up?"

Andras stepped forward. "[b][color=orchid]Masami! You're relatively new to Rhea, so... Perhaps you'd want a friend to help show you around town?[/color][/b]"

Masami recieved the kind offer with a smile, and a feeling of warmth. "Sure! That'd be great if you could help me out with that!" she said.

Andras returned her smile. "[color=orchid][b]Perfect![/b][/color]" With a energetic step forward, Andras hugged Masami. "[b][color=orchid]Thank you so much, Masami![/color][/b]" She said in a singsong voice.

Masami's smile widened as Andras stepped forward to hug her, also widening her arms to greet the gesture warmly. Her tails and ears stood on end as their embrace met, as Masami realized she was not only hugging a complete stranger, but also someone known as a Demon. But she didn't care. The hug felt good. As she loosened her arms from the hug, she whispered in Andras' ear, "Strawberries.."

Andras looked away in embarrassment. "[b][color=orchid]L-Let's leave that out of this, shall we?[/color][/b]"

Ascot would frown, and say: "Andras, I don't doubt that your intentions are sincere, but can't you be more up-front?"

Turning towards Masami, he would say, "We'd be welcome to spend more time with you, now and in the future, but Andras should have said that she wanted a hug not just because she obviously finds you beautiful, but because close and willing physical contact allows her to cast spells better, and we need that for the plan to ressurect an enemy's dead friends and family so that he won't be an enemy anymore. Sorry if you feel decieved, although the original concept was to be up-front with you from the start."

Stepping out of the hug and still flushed from Masami's comment, Andras sighed. "[b][color=orchid]Well, Ascot's right, but that's only half of it! I do need more anchors for casting spells, but that's only tertiary to the fact that I want to be your friend, Masami![/color][/b]"

'[color=mediumorchid]Is it obvious that I find her beautiful? What's Ascot doing, saying that right to her face?![/color]' Andras thought to herself.

Beautiful?? Masami thought with a blush. "I-i'd be happy to become your friend." she said, looking to Andras, then to Ascot. "Both of you."

The boy then gave a deep bow to Masami, saying, "Thank you."

Then to Andras, he smiled and said, "Let's continue."

Andras gave a quick smile to Masami. "[b][color=orchid]I'll have to find you after the tournament so we can exchange phone numbers, but I've gotta do this first.[/color][/b]" She waved as Masami bowed slightly and walked back towards the tournament.

Grabbing the card she had just drawn, she reached out with her newfound reserve of mana and focused on casting the spell. "[b][color=orchid]Oracle of the metal plane's secrets, come forth to me.[/color][/b]" Tossing the card forward, it burst into rays of white, black, green and blue, before coaslescing into a magical automaton. 

Andras didn't like that she had to disassemble the Oracle to draw more cards, but it was necessary at the moment. "[b][color=orchid]I'm sorry, but I need your knowledge right now.[/color][/b]" With a gesture and a small commitment of mana, the Oracle's form suffused into three new cards for Andras to use.

Andras studied the new ones. Two of them were alternate anchor points for mana... The other was a destruction spell. "[b][color=orchid]This isn't good, Ascot. None of these cards can help with your plan.[/color][/b]"

Ascot nodded, "Can you drop said cards, then? Or would that be impossible?"

"[b][color=orchid]W-Well, I might need these later. I can carry many more spells than I have right now.[/color][/b]" Andras fanned out her spells, looking at them in her one hand.

Another nod. "Can you draw more, then? I'm not sure what would happen if I copy the Oracle card right now."

Andras shook her head. "[b][color=orchid]I'm out of ways to draw until tomorrow.[/color][/b]"

Ascot sighed, "Then I'll copy the Oracle Card."

And with that, he mimicked Andras' motions, using the power given to him by the God of Stories as well as his intimate knowledge of Andras' stories, hoping against hope that he would manage to draw three more cards, which he showed to Andras once they had appeared.

As he did so, the boy sighed. "None of these cards are Death Wish..."

Andras laid a hand on his shoulder. [color=orchid][b]It's unfortunate, but the Root is impossibly expansive. Finding a specific spell is extremely difficult.[/b][/color]