[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/qCKX8Gs.png[/img][/center]

(Written with Ari bro)

The ride back home was a quiet one. Mika was in high spirits, but Su and Helga were still recovering from the event. They didn’t take a direct route back to the Golden Trove, as they were being followed. They flew between buildings, under bridges, before touching down just outside of the apartment complex.

[color=PeachPuff]”Helga and I are going to take a shower.”[/color] Su was talking with her eyes shut. She felt so tired. [color=PeachPuff]”After that, we’ll all see Boteg together. So don’t go too far.”[/color]

"Yeah..." Helga quietly answered with a nod, lost in thought over what she had experienced today, wondering about the pirate girl, Sophia. She was also conflicted about her friendship with Sue; to her. "Hey, Sue..." She quietly spoke, having intoned her older name on purpose, to show she was serious. "You...You attempted to kill her, right? How...How could you do that?"

Su reached up to her mouth with a trembling hand. The spot on her lip that she bit had scabbed over.  [color=PeachPuff]”Not in front of Mika, please. We’ll talk about it shortly.”[/color] She looked back at the beast girl before transforming back. [color=PeachPuff]”How about you and Lupa play until we’re done.”[/color]

Mika nodded. [color=tomato]“Alright!”[/color] Su took Helga by the wrist and walked inside. Mika could sense that the fight had taken a lot out of the two, but couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It felt like more than your every day getting tired though. It didn’t matter though. They would probably feel refreshed after a shower. Mika probably needed a bath too, but she wanted to play with Lupa! She hadn’t realize that she could get Lupa to do things just by talking to her. Telling her to fight by her side and ask her for suggestions during the fight was a lot better than manually controlling her. It was like Lupa had her free will back. [color=tomato]“So Lupa, did you want to play?”[/color] She looked back in the direction of the nimbus, only to see that Lupa was staring down the street; the girl was crouched down with her legs bent and arms straight, much like an animal. [color=tomato]“What are you doing Lupa? We’re home now! No reason to get excited.”[/color] Then, Lupa actually barked, and took off without saying a word, her tongue hanging loosely akin to a dog. [color=tomato]“Did you spot Penny Lupa? Let’s get her!”[/color] Mika hopped onto all fours and ran after Lupa. She weaved between buildings before arriving at a dead end ally. [color=tomato]“Come here Lupa! It looks dark over there. There’s no way out, and Penny could jump us!”[/color] But Lupa didn’t listen, and instead remained in the alleyway. [color=tomato]“Are we playing tag? We really shouldn’t be this far away from home. Su said we might be followed. Let’s go back inside.”[/color] Mika crept closer to Lupa, who disappeared behind a dumpster, but jumped backwards when she someone sitting on a cardboard box, petting Lupa with a gentle smile as she scratched behind her ear.

The girl lifted her eyes up towards Mika, and her smile widened.
[color=Aqua]‘Lupa's a good dog. Aren't you?’[/color] Jillian cooed, and Lupa barked again; Mika saw how her memory marbles seemed to glisten with iridescent light.
[color=Aqua]‘But, is this her true nature? As nothing but a mere pet? No, I think the fault lies with her curse. You see these too, right, Julia?’[/color]

[color=MediumVioletRed]‘Yes.’[/color] The other ghost passed through the wall slowly, like from a horror movie.

Mika assumed a combat stance. [color=tomato]“Who are you? You’re not with the terrifying one are you?”[/color] She squinted her eyes. [color=tomato]”I guess not, but why is Lupa acting so weird? Did you call her over here?”[/color]

[color=Aqua]‘Oh, this? Well, this is only possible because of her current state,’[/color] Jillian stated, and stood up...Or rather, she stopped pretending like she was sitting, and floated up so her legs were no longer inside the box. 
[color=Aqua]‘Our Psychic magic would otherwise have been powerless against such a strong will.’[/color]

Julia floated next to Jillian, and hesitantly lowered her hand towards Lupa's nose; the Beast girl attempted licking the hand, causing the shy girl to pull it back with a frightened expression.
[color=MediumVioletRed]‘Please, stop this.’[/color] 
Jillian stopped the mind control on Lupa, causing her to stand back up with neutral expression. Julia then curtsied.
[color=MediumVioletRed]‘Greetings. Please excuse my twin's rudeness in playing with your friend.’[/color]
[color=Aqua]‘Yeah, sorry. I am Jillian, and this is Julia. You performed admirably as you fought against the Deceiver today. Pretty interesting how that ended up.’[/color]

[color=tomato]“Add-mir-abbal-ly? Me?”[/color] She remembered what the cradle agents had told her and scratched her head. [color=tomato]“It wasn’t all me. Sil helped me out too. So did Lupa.’”[/color] That was when Mika came to a realization. [color=tomato]“Wait, you guys were there? What were you doing?”[/color]

Julia moved behind Jillian, peeking out from behind her.
[color=MediumVioletRed]‘We were there...because we.needed to contain the Deceiver's power. It’s a...long story.’[/color] She averted her eyes, and seemed to turn just a bit more transparent.
[color=Aqua]‘And while there, we happened to notice your friend's condition.’[/color] Jillian flashed a friendly smile.
[color=Aqua]‘We can help with that.’[/color]

Mika beamed with a smile. Her tail was making loud smacking sounds as it hit the pavement. [color=tomato]“You can? I really want Lupa to be herself again!’”[/color] She walked closer to the ghost twins, no longer keeping up a defensive stance. [color=tomato]“How does it work? Do you need anything to break the curse?’”[/color]

[color=Aqua]‘Oh, we have all we need to break it. We just-’[/color]
Julia suddenly tapped Jillian on the shoulder, and whispered to her ear. Jillian then nodded with an understanding expression.
[color=Aqua]‘Well, Julia and I have a proposition to make. In exchange for breaking Lupa’s curse, and restoring her will back, we would like to have a room at the Golden Trove hotel.’[/color]
[color=MediumVioletRed]‘Top floor, with a big window. We...Can pay.’[/color] She opened her palm, showing a few Gold Coins.
[color=Aqua]‘And before you ask, we did think about asking directly from your other friends, but...They seemed to be in a bad mood. Well, can’t be helped, right?’[/color] She scratched the back of her head with an apologetic chuckle.
[color=Aqua]‘So, how about it?’[/color] 

Of course Mika would get them a room. She would give them her own room and sleep outside if it meant helping Lupa. This was probably her only chance to fix what had happened to her. But the deal did seem strange to Mika. Typically ghosts haunted mansions, and tended to scare people out of their dwellings. That would be a problem if they were to wander the hotel and scare away all the guests. But maybe they were nice ghosts, like Casper. Jillian had a strange aura about her, and felt she could trust her. Even if she was being a little mean to Lupa.
[color=tomato]“I’ll do it. I’ll get you a room.”[/color] She pointed at Julia. [color=tomato]“But you gotta keep it down, and try not to scare anyone. That’s my only rule.”[/color] She pulled her hand back and folded her arms. [color=tomato]“Just give me a moment. I’ll get you guys a room if it’s the last thing I do!”[/color] She pointed at herself with her thumb. [color=tomato]“I’m Mika by the way, we’ll probably be neighbors. Wanna just meet me by the entrance in a few hours? I need to talk to some people to get you a good room.”[/color]

Julia put her hands to her mouth, stifling a giggle, while Jillian sighed in relief.
[color=Aqua]‘I can promise you that, Mika. As for Julia...Well, I’ll try to keep her from pulling too many pranks, heh.’[/color] The two of them now floated closer to Lupa.
[color=MediumVioletRed]‘Let’s begin, Jillian.’[/color] She extended her hand towards her fluffy ear, seemingly disappearing inside it. Jillian moved beside her, and clutched at the marbles in her hair.
[color=Aqua]‘This will take a while, with these memories all jumbled up. See you in a bit, Mika.’[/color]

Mika nodded. [color=tomato]“It’ll be nice to have more friends!”[/color] She turned around to go find Su and Helga. Hopefully things had cooled off in the two minutes she had been away.

[hr]

Su was still angry, but not as much as when she was at the graveyard. She tried to meditate on the trip back, but it hadn’t really helped. The most stress relieving activity she had participated in was blowing away the beacon girls. It wasn’t healthy, and wasn’t the sort of thing you could do on a daily basis. But in a strange way she was thankful they were there. It was true what everyone said: Beacon girls made great punching bags.

Once Su and Helga walked inside, they made a beeline for the service elevator. A swipe of Su’s keycard was all it took to send the elevator plummeting to their level. This was an older elevator that most of the staff didn’t use. It was fast and up to code, but it was too small to hold much more than one or two people. Employees were typically moving around large bussing carts or the luggage of guests. This elevator had been made in simpler times when all employees were expected to do was take a mop to various floors of the building. But the demand for better service made installing a larger elevator vital to the Golden Trove’s success. This smaller elevator was left alone, as the building’s cross sections and stairs made upgrading impossible. Su used it as a personal elevator for when she wanted to get around quickly without holding up the rest of the staff. 

The elevator was a little narrow, but Helga and Su could stand inside without touching so long as they didn’t stand side by side. It also lacked the glamour of the rest of the hotel, as Su had no plans for renovating it. The synthetic wooden walls went out of style towards the end of the 80’s, and the vinyl floor was peeling in the corners. 

Helga transformed back to her maid-uniform wearing self. She held her shoulders as she looked away, not feeling strong enough to look at her in the eye at that moment."It was like...Seeing you try to...Well..." Whether she was actually a reincarnation, or just a magical fluke of fate, Helga couldn't find peace with Su’s brashness. 
"I mean, I often lose control of my feelings, but to see you flip out, it was actually scary." She leaned her side against the elevator wall, and sighed. "I guess, in that way, we both inherited her foolishness." A teardrop stained the floor between them, as she was unable to hold her grief back.

Su had transformed back on her way into the elevator. She pushed a button on the control panel, and the booth began its accent. Su watched the buttons light up as they climbed floors. They had reached the second floor, the third, and then she pushed the stop button. Su brushed her hair back and leaned against the wall, looking directly at Helga.

[color=PeachPuff]”I don’t think a shower is going to fix this.”[/color] She took her thumb and wiped away the tear streak that had run down Helga’s face. [color=PeachPuff]”I’m not mad right now, okay? Not at you. I’m-”[/color] She inhaled. [color=PeachPuff]”I don’t want us to explain things to Boteg with awkward pauses between us, or to try and dodge each others glances. Okay? So we’re just going to talk. I just want to talk about today.”[/color] Su allowed herself to take one more deep breath before going on. [color=PeachPuff]”So let’s talk about the pirate girl. You saw me vanish with her right? You thought I was going to kill her.”[/color] It was important to explain everything that had happened. This ensured Su understood the situation, and avoided a lot of needless back and forth. [color=PeachPuff]”You decided to get help, you were going to stop me from doing that. Because it could be Amber somehow, maybe. It could be her.”[/color] Su averted her eyes. [color=PeachPuff]”And then you got there, you saw I was confronting someone else. But you told me not to kill them. Because I would have, right?”[/color] Su lifted her hands up and placed them on Helga’s shoulders. Helga kept looking away, and turned more tense from the contact. Su locked her eyes on Helga, regardless.[color=PeachPuff]”When have I [i]ever[/i] killed anyone?”[/color] Su found herself biting her lip again. She took a step back and let her hands slide off of Helga. [color=PeachPuff]”I-I didn’t kill Justine! I didn’t kill Janet! I just thought that pirate girl might have been working for that horror. Taken over by it.”[/color] She placed a hand on the wall. [color=PeachPuff]”A-A-Beacon? Beacon! You went to them for help? T-those hussies wanted to kill you! They probably wanted to kill me! W-why did you-”[/color] Su held her forehead. [color=PeachPuff]”You really thought I was going to do it?”[/color]

Helga bit the corner of her lip, nodding. “You haven’t, I know! But I was desperate! I didn’t have any other choice at the moment!” She pulled on one of her drills; knowing how she only touched her hair when in moments of great distress, it was shocking to see. “I’ve...I’ve had enough. I don’t want to be angry anymore. I’m ready to move on. But when I saw you with that look...I was afraid you would repeat the same mistakes I have done many times over all my life!”

She forcibly pushed Su against the elevator wall, her face inches from hers. Su winced on impact. “You’re someone I look up to, Su. You’re the sensible voice in this sea of noise. When I lost Amber, you were the first one to tell me that it was going to be alright, that we could move on.” She grabbed Su’s hands by their fingers. “That’s why I was willing to give myself up, just to stop you. I won’t let these hands be stained with the blood of an innocent...Even If I have to let Beacon kill me.”
The elevator bell ringed, and the doors opened. Helga removed her touch, and turned away, still shaking from her outburst. “I’m calling dibs on the shower. I need a minute.” She then walked away, leaving a trail of clothes thrown off haphazardly.

Su remained frozen in place. She could still feel Helga’s grasp on her fingers long after she left the elevator. But what really had Su pinned in place was what Helga had said. It was a lot to take in at once, and she wasn’t in the right state of mind to try to make sense of it. Su couldn’t understand how you could look up to someone and also feel like you needed to save their soul. Whatever was going on here, it wasn’t over. Su had more she wanted to say, and she wasn’t going to let Helga’s tantrum get in the way of it.

Helga was out of sight, but It was not hard to tell where she had gone. Su pushed herself off the wall and marched down the path littered with clothes. She stepped over an apron, a blouse, and various other articles of clothing before arriving at the end of the trail. When Su got to Helga’s room, She kicked off her heels which landed beside a pair of buckled shoes. Su swiped her key card before walking inside. Nothing in this building was going to keep Su from seeing Helga. She turned to walk into the bathroom where the shower was running. But as she got closer, she could also hear Helga sobbing. This gave her pause, and caused her to approach with care. 
When Su entered the bathroom, Helga wasn’t stirred by her presence. She was wearing a shirt with one sleeve out, and with a half-pulled sock dangling off her foot; the other one was on the floor, soggy from water. She was huddled in the corner of the shower, hugging her knees against her chest. The water from the shower rained down on her back, saturating her shirt.

[color=PeachPuff]”Helga?”[/color] There was no anger in Su’s voice. Only concern.

“...Terrible...” She weakly spoke amidst her sobs, and then slowly looked up; her eyes were puffed from how much she had been crying. “I’m terrible, Su. I...I couldn’t...” She gulped. “I couldn’t trust you...I’m a horrible person. After all this time, I still...” She took a moment, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry, ok? I’m a complete mess now, thanks to seeing that girl. It’s like the the wounds I stitched together, like, opened.” She pressed her cheek back against the cold wall.

Su placed a hand over her mouth. She walked over to the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. [color=PeachPuff]”I see.”[/color] With a tug, Su pulled the ribbons on her head free. This caused her hair to fall down her back like a silver curtain. Next, Su pulled her shirt over her head and packed it into a ball. Once it was as tight as she could make it, she dropped it on the floor at her feet. Su didn’t bother removing her bra, the skirt part of her qipao, or her pantyhose. She marched into the shower and pressed her back against the wall. She slid down into a sitting position and grabbed her knees, right next to Helga. The water made her pantyhose transparent. [color=PeachPuff]”I don’t like it, but I think your behavior was justified.”[/color] She turned to look at Helga. [color=PeachPuff]”This entire time you’ve been trying to better yourself. Every week since Amber’s death, you’ve been taking on more responsibilities. You watch after Mika, you help manage the hotel, and you answer Boteg’s summons so that I don’t have to. Meanwhile, I’ve been working to distance myself from everyone so that I could get stronger. Getting Amber’s boat back has become my life, and I haven’t been spending as much time with you or Mika as I should be.”[/color]

“Amby’s...boat?” Helga asked quietly, and managed to look at Su again. Su reached over to Helga and brushed a hair out of her face, causing her to flinch. 

[color=PeachPuff]”I thought I was alone. I convinced myself that nobody could love Amber as much as I did. I knew her for over a year. I knew her longer than Boteg did. Imagine my surprise when I witnessed your rage. ”[/color] Su folded up her arms again. [color=PeachPuff]”I had no idea you had that much passion inside you. When I put myself between you and that Beacon girl, my only worry was that I might not save you in time.”[/color] Su placed a hand on Helga’s shoulder. [color=PeachPuff]”I’m just upset with myself. That things got so out of hand that you had to ask Beacon to stop me.”[/color]

“They always seem to do with me around,” Helga replied, and gradually accepted Su’s touch. Su looked at the floor and smiled.

[color=PeachPuff]”I’m honestly not sure what I would have done to that pirate girl if you didn’t show up. I didn’t go there to kill her, but I wanted to. I’d like to think I’d have spared her, but I wouldn’t have spared Justine. I only spared her because you told me to. You said it wasn’t what Amber would have wanted.”[/color]

Helga’s eyes widened. “I...I did. It’s what I truly believe in, even to this day. She was kind of heart, to the very end.” With a sigh, Su’s smile vanished. 

[color=PeachPuff]”If you can’t trust me, the fault is mine. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I need to be someone you can count on, and that means I need to stop dwelling on the past. It’s the only way I can put the anger behind me.”[/color] She looked up at Helga. 

Helga no longer held her legs, having let her hands fall down. “Y-You mean it?” She hesitantly asked.

Su’s answer was to slid her hand behind Helga’s back and grab her far shoulder. Helga averted her eyes, but didn’t push herself away. [color=PeachPuff]”We’ll find that pirate girl and talk to her. Figure out who or what she is. We’ll find Janet too, I need to forgive her. In the end, she was just being used by Justine.”[/color] She hugged Helga, not caring that her clothes were getting soaked. [color=PeachPuff]”We’ll get Amber’s ship back too. Boteg is insisting on the death of the great one’s champion, but we’ll find a way around it. We’ll seal her away or force her to follow another patron. I won’t get Amber’s ship back only to hold it in blood stained hands.”[/color] She lifted Helga’s chin up so that she could look her in the eyes. 
[color=PeachPuff]”Will you help me do these things? Do you trust me?”[/color]

A long moment of silence ensued, until finally, Helga lifted her arms, and hugged her back. “Yeah…I’ve decided. I will trust you, Su. No matter what happens, we’ll get Amby’s ship back.” With hesitant steps, she lifted herself up, helping Su get up as well. Her sock fell off. 
“If it comes to it, I’ll kill her myself.” She took a deep breath.

And then, they realized they were nearly naked in the shower.

“Uhh...This is awkward.” 

Su slowly folded her arms over her chest. [color=PeachPuff]”It is.”[/color] 

“Well, whatever.” She punched the valve, and let the steaming water gush down with full force. “Might as well do laundry while we’re here.”

Even if Su was embarrassed, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. [color=PeachPuff]”Should save on water that way, at least.”[/color]