[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/spRYwkm.png[/img] ~ [i]Tendency[/i] ~[/center] [colour=Gray]"What the hell are you doing here?"[/colour] [b]"You should know why. Unless she didn't tell you?"[/b] [colour=Gray]"I know [i]why[/i] you're here - I wanna know why you turned up."[/colour] [b]"That's the second one. This is going to be an issue for us if you keep it up."[/b] In a backalley, in the North of Penrose, among some scarely populated part of town, two magical girls stood some distance apart. One was only truly notable for the [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bc/2b/9a/bc2b9acd844616c5bbd496ea6e6297b6.jpg]giant metal gauntlets[/url] she wielded, clearly boasting of her vast physical strength. The other barely needed explaining - one, single look made it clear exactly what she was. The multiple long, vulpine tails, covered in spots of charred, black fur, and deep, red eyes, were enough information to go on, even without seeing her work. This was the so called "Vixen of Penrose". Between the too, spanning the rather sizeable distance between the girls, was a trail of blood and viscera - the remains of a third, now very dead, girl. Her weapon lay in pieces off to the side, and the pieces of her body still in tact lay strewn across the floor. It was gruesome scene to be sure, no doubt enough to turn the stomach of many a girl, but neither of the two on the scene batted an eye to the carnage. Rather, they kept their eyes on each other. [colour=Gray]"So [i]what[/i]?"[/colour] [b]"The Boss is getting annoyed at you. First you start killing Beacon members, and then you move on to ours?"[/b] Their stalemate continued, neither leaving each others gaze for even a second. Both knew that, in this situation, breaking contact for the smallest amount of time could prove fatal. The gauntlet girl sighed, lowering her arms, and taking a few steps forwards - crouching down by the wall, still trained on her opponent, to pick up the weapon fragments. And then, she looked away, taking a moment to evaluate to the pieces. They weren't just broken - they were shattered, irreparable, almost. [colour=Gray]"You said I could do what I needed to!"[/colour] [b]"The conditions have been re-evaluated. You're going to be worth less than the lives you've taken soon - and then we won't be able to help with your little request."[/b] The Vixen growled. It wasn't just a growl of hostility, though, and the gauntlet girl knew it immediately. Anybody would be reasonably pissed at hearing such a statement, but this wasn't just anybody. This was a violent serial killer she was dealing with; her judgement wasn't going to be rational. In a second, The Vixen had closed the gap, her bestial attributes taking precedent over everything as she leapt into the air, and slammed down into the ground where her foe had once been. But said foe wasn't going to take such an attack lying down. In that second, her gauntlets extended, smashing into the wall with rocket propelled force, sending her flying backwards into the alley, safe from the attack. [b]"So you want to take a third member, too? I will kill you, Vixen, if I have to."[/b] with the statement, she raised her gauntlets, the hydraulics and pistons shifting inside, building up energy for a second blow, [b]"Your proposal was interesting and worked well for us, but you're becoming less valuable every day."[/b] Instead of listening, The Vixen leapt again, her own gauntlets springing to life as the claw-like daggers rotated into a combat ready position. The distance was nothing for her agility and strength - she was on top of her opponent in no time at all, her daggers slamming into the metal gauntlets of the foe. The massive fist was raised, acting as a shield from the attack, while the second swung up from below, hitting The Vixen centre mass with a full power punch. The mechanisms whirred into life, and with a similar, rocket propelled blow, the end of the fist extended outwards, sending the girl flying into the air, and above the buildings that surrounded them. But it wasn't fast enough. As soon as the fist connected, an explosion rocked the alley, sending both girls flying in their respective directions. The extension barely connected, with the gauntlet girl skidding backwards across the floor, through the blood, while her opponent was launched into the sky by a huge release of magical energy, created of her own volition. She was hurt, sure, but not nearly enough. And as the smoke cleared, she was gone, across the rooftops no doubt, and back to wherever her base was this week. A groan escaped the lips of the girl, as she slumped against the wall, wiping the grime off her newly created burn marks. [b]"Get someone else to do your work, Vixen..."[/b] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Zmaysrl.png[/img] ~ [i]Charlotte[/i] ~ [@ERode][/center] In a restaurant, somewhere in the West of Penrose, a girl -- woman -- sat. She wasn't explicitly tall, nor did she post many particularly outstanding traits. Or at least, she might not have appeared particularly out of place in a crowd of people. But in the restaurant, it was hard not to pick her out as something noteworthy. It wasn't just that she was sat alone at a table, without company; the restaurant itself was devoid of life. Besides the occasional sound from the kitchen, one might have assumed the building was abandoned, or perhaps up for sale. But at a table, was the girl. In her hands, covered with fingerless gloves, were silverware, and in front of her was a plate of food, already half finished. People passed by the windows, but as they did, they paid no interest to the restaurant, instead choosing to completely bypass it, despite the "Open" sign hanging from the front of the door. No, nobody wanted to enter - whether by personal, elective choice, or subconscious decision, divined by some higher expression. And so the girl was left alone to eat, in peace, and silence. Passing by, you couldn't exactly chalk the restaurant down as cheap, or low quality. For all intents and purposes, the place was something of a fine dining experience, at least from the exterior and menu. The internal decor would support the theory. But despite the locale, still, the girl was alone, sat at the table in her fingerless gloves, her overcoat, and shabby looking hat, completely unaware of the outside world, nor its influences, as she progressed onwards into her meal. Such was the kind of ignorant bliss a silent location gave; she didn't have to bother with what the humans were doing for the moment, nor would she have to worry about any more magical events, or fuck ups. But it wasn't long before [i]someone[/i] disrupted that peace. The door swung open slowly, pushed inwards by some meek force, and from the entrance emerged [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/79/f9/c4/79f9c45ef008f8569670f43e581efa90.png]a certain girl[/url], who promptly cast her gaze around the room, before locking eyes with its sole inhabitant. The girl at the table had looked up, to take in the new lifeform, but quickly went back to her meal. From the door, she approached the table, somewhat slowly, casting a shadow over the girl as she loomed over. She was blonde, and pretty, her hair adorned with laurel wreaths, and with a pair of angel wings that extended from her back. With the shadow now obscuring the tablecloth, painting it black, the girl at the table finally took a proper look, and acknowledgement, or the newcomer. [colour=BlueViolet]"Why dontcha take a seat, Charlotte?"[/colour] she said, pointing with her knife to a chair one the opposite side of the circular table. With a slight turn to look in its direction, the "Charlotte" character moved, and took her place. [b]"I-I needed to talk to you, Ma'am--"[/b] she started, only to have herself cut off, just as she finished the sentence. The girl held up her hand, halting her for a moment, before scooping something from the plate, chewing, and swallowing it. [colour=BlueViolet]"If it's to do with your suspension, that ain't my concern."[/colour] for a few seconds, she paused, placing the cutlery on top of the plate, and signalling towards the kitchen, [colour=BlueViolet]"You fucked up. Badly. There's no way you get outta that scot-free."[/colour] The colour in Charlotte's face seemed to have drained some as she was cut off, but as her boss continued, she seemed to relax some. [b]"That's not why I'm here, Ma'am. I... I know I really messed up, but..."[/b] she trailed off, looking sheepishly down and away, as a muscular looking girl came to the table. She was short, boasting close cut, black hair, sharp eyes, and a heavily built body. Upon arriving, she picked up the plates, and as quickly as she arrived, headed back towards the kitchen, [b]"B-but, listen, I might have something - something about the incident."[/b] As the girl sat, taking in the information, Charlotte pulled a handbag out from beside her chair, and out from within pulled a tablet. She tapped the screen a few times, and handed it across the table, letting her boss take it, and look it over. [b]"They're saying they were there. I-I can use this - improve the story, get back some of the points I lost. I just--"[/b] [colour=BlueViolet]"Because you're on suspension, you need [i]my[/i] approval to meet the source."[/colour] it was exactly what she was going to say, but for some reason, Charlotte's face seemed to drop a little as the words were spoken. She recognised the tone they were delivered in - cold, monotone, and calculated. [b]"Yes... th-that's right..."[/b] With the tablet in her hands, the girl scanned the message repeatedly. Over and over, trying to ascertain something or another from such a minute engagement. There were so few words, it would be impossible to glean anything, but it gave her moments - precious moments. Moments of deadbeat, suffocating silence, that would drill into Charlotte's skull with every second. [colour=BlueViolet]"Rose, huh?"[/colour] her eyes flicked up from the screen, meeting Charlotte's gaze. While the latter's glinted blue with a kind of enthusiasm, and passion, the boss girls were colder, closer to slate blue than anything with any kind of shine to them, [colour=BlueViolet]"You're not meeting anyone, Charlotte. You're fuck up was massive - I'm not risking you interviewing any more witnesses."[/colour] At that, Charlotte stood from her chair, seemingly inspired by some fit of passion. Her hand slammed down on the table, no doubt flared up in anger, betrayal, desire. So many emotions swam around in those eyes of hers. [b]"No! That's not fair, Ma'am, and you know it! One mistake - I made one mistake, and it was because of those shitty reporters and their fucking misinformation! This wasn't my fa--"[/b] and then her speech went silent. She felt heavy - everything felt heavy. As she went to speak, her throat caught, her eyes locked with her boss as she tried desperately to say something. She hadn't even moved from her chair, and yet, just by looking at her, Charlotte was struck into silence. She feared her already - that much was evident - but, in a sudden second, that fear had amplified. [colour=BlueViolet]"Christine will go in your place - I'll send the reply. Someone will bring you the tablet later."[/colour] once again, Charlotte tried to speak, but nothing came out, [colour=BlueViolet]"You can leave now, Charlotte Suthers."[/colour] futility crossed her eyes, and her mind, and wordlessly she nodded. She picked up her bag, pushed the chair under the table, and made her way through the restaurant, to the door, and out onto the street. [quote=Charlotte Suthers] Rose You were there at the incident? Then I'd love the chance to interview you! Every bit of information helps! I don't know if you have some kind of specific location in mind, but if not, I have a reservation at a restaurant tomorrow afternoon. It's called The Nerine Vista - you should be able to find it pretty easily. It tends to be quiet, but the food it good. Thanks so much! Charlotte [/quote] [center] [img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/170922/01aac7cda11b3d657ff69401d1e6d21e.png[/img] ~ [i]First Strike[/i] ~ [@BrokenPromise][@Majoras End][/center] The building was far from in an okay state, but despite the damage, it held tall. A newly created entrance sat at the far wall, where it had caved in from the force, opening the interior of the office to the cold, evening chill. Rubble, broken glass, and varying debris from desks and booths lay strewn across the ground in a line, leading deep into the floor, where a magical girl had been thrown, leaving a clearly identifiable path of destruction before her. And between her, and the wall, was Katelyn, still crackling with the aftermath of her assault, walking along the path towards her quarry. [colour=DodgerBlue]"You don't need an answer to that, Mint Agent."[/colour] she said simply, reaching into her dress to pull out a second phone. In the silence of the evening, broken only occasionally by cars driving around below them, they both could hear the vibrations of the device. It was a flip phone, clearly disposable, and the dragon girl quickly unfolded it, before placing it to her ear; [colour=DodgerBlue]"Yes. Of course. Yes. I'll send you a photo of her. Is that all? Bye."[/colour] As her conversation concluded, she lowered the device, leaving it at an arms length, pointed towards the angel girl. With a few button presses, the camera on the back flashed, illuminating the darkened floor for a brief second before it disappeared again. With a few more presses, she closed the phone, and placed it back into her dress. [colour=DodgerBlue]"Now..."[/colour] as quickly as the device was stowed away, Katelyn had put herself in an offensive stance. If Eliza had received any kind of combat training in her time as an operative, she would be able to tell immediately that this wasn't just somebody preparing to attack - it was the stance of someone trained to fight, ready to spring in reaction at a moments notice. Arcs of lightning crackled around her body, across her hair, and around her wings, prepared to move, but- In the next second, Katelyn had her back to Eliza, her attention completely separated from her. The sound of talking behind her was more than a threat, it was the most immediate threat, much more than an injured angel. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the newcomer, covered in blood, and having come from [i]nowhere[/i]. She hadn't sensed his approach until he was right behind her; someone who could do that easily was trouble. [colour=DodgerBlue]"The wings of a monster? What are you on about?"[/colour] her eyes drifted along, from his face to his body, and the shield that stood in front of him, with its oddly shifting chains. Did that make him some kind of a defensive fighter? Maybe a Metal Specialisation? But then how did he sneak up on them? Thoughts swirled around her head for a time being, as the arcs of lighting built up around her body. They hadn't stopped since her attention was diverted - they had intensified. Crackling across her body were countless lines of electrical energy, charging the air around her as she held a defensive stance. If he was defensive, she would need to take the first move. As quickly as Katelyn had turned around to address the boy, she seemed to disappear. That same, bright blue energy enveloped her completely, bathing the room in light, and covering the area with a thunderous crash, causing the nearby windows to shatter. The distance between her and Elroy was covered in an instant with her vast speed increase, and with the propulsion, she struck the shield with her feet, landing against the cold metal and chains with a thud. The next second, an equally loud roar of thunder ripped across the room, as Katelyn channelled a blast of electricity and wind out from underneath her, directly into the shield. Elroy may have been strong, but if he couldn't hold his ground, no doubt the force would fling him backwards, out of the hole the three had entered through, and into the night air, to be greeted by a sudden drop. With the new propulsion, Katelyn had leapt from the shield back across the floor of the office. Unless Elroy did something to prevent himself from flying out the wall, Katelyn would continue her attack on Eliza.