[center]A post featuring [@ERode] as [img]https://i.imgur.com/nrfJdjz.png[/img] And I as everyone's second favorite NPC! [/center] It wasn’t coincidence that engineered this encounter. It was sheer, meaningless effort that could easily have been expediated if one side had simply called the other. But expedience involved confidence, and Amaryllis, by her very nature, preferred effort over confidence. Four days had passed after the battle at the Crypt, and Penrose was enjoying a sunny Sunday. The streets of the downtown district were clogged with pedestrians and vehicles, all either eager to roam or eager to get somewhere else. Parents had children on their shoulders, lovers never let each other go, and groups of friends obnoxiously spread out on the sidewalks as they laughed loudly and talked louder. Amongst them, Amaryllis strode as well, circling routes that she had now walked seven times already. Dressed in a puffy bomber jacket and dark slacks, the buxom teen kept to herself even as her eyes roamed the crowds, in search of someone. A small child, in particular, one that’d usually be bursting with enthusiasm. Futile effort, considering how short Sammy was, but Amaryllis could be stubborn too, even if her Sword was reacting to its wielder’s hesitation with the psychic-pain equivalent of mock gagging. Sometimes, however, paths aligned, and sometimes, however, effort was rewarded. After turning the eighth time around the block, Amaryllis finally caught a glimpse of that strawberry blonde sleuth. Breathing a sigh of relief (before realizing with utmost dread that she now had to actually approach her), Amaryllis strode up behind Sammy and said, in a voice that wasn’t quite loud enough to be considered a call, [color=778899]“G-good morning, Sammy!”[/color] Sammy took a few extra steps before coming to a stop. It was hard to tell how she was doing, but Amarylis could see the girl’s shoulders rise and fall as she breathed. There was nothing irregular about it, aside from the fact that Sammy was usually far too active to ever be seen standing still. Equally worrisome was that she hadn’t said anything yet. It was fair to assume Sammy wasn’t dealing with her loss very well. [b]”Uh…”[/b] And when she finally turned around, it only served to confirm it. She was wearing the same clothes she had worn when they last met up. They had become disheveled from her sleeping in them. It was also safe to assume that she probably hadn’t taken any baths in that time frame. And if she did, Sammy didn’t smell like it. [b]”I forgot to call you back.”[/b] her eyes were bloodshot. [b]”I’ve been working on a case to clear my head.”[/b] She pushed her palm into her eye. [b]”A few cases, I guess. How have you been?”[/b] Sammy’s dishevelment was worrisome, and almost gave Amaryllis pause. Old blood, now black as the night, crusted over parts of the sleuth’s clothing and smelled absolutely rancid, while the girl herself looked, well, as if she hadn’t slept at all. [color=778899]“I’ve...been,”[/color] the taller girl began to say, before quickly shaking her head. Hesitation was defeat, and detours were for the weak. [color=778899]“No, I mean, yes. But I have coupons for this new spa that’s just opened up, but it needs me to invite someone and Rina and Emily and Penny and basically everyone else is like, not spa people, and it’ll be super awkward inviting one of my classmates and I think even Sherlock needs hot baths and massages so Sammy lets go?!”[/color] She thrust out the crumpled, sorta damp tickets that had been cooking in her jacket pockets this entire time, eyes frenetic and anxious as she looked at Sammy, then looked away, then looked back at Sammy. [b]”Mmmmm…”[/b] Sammy held the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. Her expression was so blank it was hard to tell if she was looking at the tickets or through them. [b]”I think that makes sense.”[/b] She turned them over in her hand. [b]”If your classmates aren’t your friends, it could send the wrong message. And if your friends aren’t spa people, you’d just be using them.”[/b] a gust of wind nearly blew the ticket out of Sammy,s hand, but she managed to pinch it before it could fly away. [b]”I’ve never been to a spa before. I’m kind of curious though.I’m not sure I need one right now, but it would be a shame to let your tickets go to waste on account of me not being there.”[/b] She stumbled forward. [b]”Lead the way.”[/b] [hr] Most would not consider Sammy to be a great spa partner.First of all, the spa did expect you to maintain some level of personal hygiene, so Sammy needed to be bathed before they could even go to the spa. She was asleep during her facial, and wasn’t roused much during her manicure or pedicure either. It wasn’t until they were laid out on massage tables that Sammy was able to stay awake. And awake was a generous use of the word, as her eyes were shut the entire time. [b]”Mmmmm…”[/b] Sammy had a smile on her face. [b]”I’ve deduced that this is exactly what I needed.”[/b] The experience of being almost naked with strangers touching her body was weirder for Amaryllis, who hadn’t been practically asleep the entire time. It reminded her that she hadn’t gone to the pool ever since her contract with the Sword, and it was a whole other problem for her when the people at the spa place complimented her on her body and proportions. It wasn’t as if she got this from her own efforts, after all, so it was doubly hard for Amaryllis to make up beauty advice or whatever so that others could attain the same glowing skin that she had. Surely it wasn’t [i]bathing in Soth’s blood[/i] that gave her such flawless complexion? She was happy though, that Sammy was relaxed. After the massage, they were lying on a bed of warm rocks as aromatic candles burned around them, and even Amaryllis could feel her tension melting away now. Letting out a sigh of her own, she said, [color=778899]“Glad you enjoyed it, Sammy. Self-care’s important, y’know? Before this, you had bags under your eyes the size of dinner plates.”[/color] … Hesitation was defeat. [color=778899]“You still miss him?”[/color] Sammy groaned. [b]”Had to bring it up huh?”[/b] She looked away from Amaryllis [b]”I mean yea, of course I miss him. He was a good boy and had a lot of good years left in him.”[/b] She placed her tiny hands over her eyes. [b]”I knew this sort of thing could have happened. We do dangerous work, and he was never going to live as long as a magical girl anyway. But what really got me was-”[/b] She wiped her eyes before folding her arms under her chin. [b]”Was that I was wrong. I was unable to deduce that something would have happened so long after the barrier was hit, and it cost him his life.”[/b] Sammy buried her face in her arms. [b]”I’m not use to that kind of pressure! Usually I have more than a few seconds to look over the evidence. Detectives are thinkers, not tacticians.[/b] After a few seconds of silence passed, Sammy looked over the top of her arms at her spa mate. [b]But I did make a choice. I chose to help Beacon, and it killed him. He trusted me.”[/b] She looked away. [b]I should have waited.”[/b] Amaryllis sorta wanted to cry herself. There was no actual reason for her to have Sammy transport her all the way to the crypt; she could have ran herself there after getting to the general area. A detective [i]wasn’t[/i] meant to be on the front lines. That was what the police were for. That was what a knight was for. And the more she thought about it, the more she remembered all her other failings, everything that could have been improved upon, everything that she could have had a better answer for. In the back of her mind, the Sword scraped down her spine. Self-pity was the sort of disgusting flesh-thing that the Lesser Force had no patience for either. Sucking in a breath, Amaryllis rubbed out the tears before they could fall, and exhaled as deeply as she could. [color=778899]“Uh, yeah, I’m...sorry, but, I don’t think it’s...too late? It might not be too late to save Tony, you know? Because...Sammy, there are a pair of magical girls in Penrose with the ability to grant a single wish. They are elusive though, and seem to only appear before others randomly. I honestly wouldn’t know how to track them down, but...I know their power is real.”[/color] They granted her wish, after all. [color=778899]“I think that line of inquiry might be a challenge worthy of a Super Sleuth. So...yeah. Uh, what do you...think?”[/color] Sammy didn’t do anything for a while. But then the girl turned her head around to face Amaryllis. She could see a spark in the detective’s eyes. [b]Really?”[/b] Sammy’s eyes sparkled. [b]”Well, bringing him back would make me feel a lot better. Though I haven’t deduced if that would be the best use of something as powerful as a wish. Maybe bring back all of Penrose’s animals? Protect future pets from befalling such a fate?”[/b] Sammy stood up, clutching her towel in her tiny hands. [b]”It’s certainly something worth investigating.”[/b] She twirled aroud in place. [b]"May this hand lens of mine reveal the truuuuuuuuuuuth!"[/b] As soon as the towel flew off of her, she was fully decked out in her magical girl attire. Her towel came to rest on Amaryllis’s head.[b]"Oh! um, woops!"[/b] she bent over and pulled the towel off of her head. [b]"I’ve just concluded towels don’t count as apparel that gets taken in by your transformation. Brilliant discovery!"[/b] [color=778899]“Brilliant indeed,”[/color] Amaryllis laughed, happy that Sammy’s energy was directed somewhere less depressing. She wasn’t wholly certain if the Wish Twins were actually going to be ok with their existence being known by a Super Sleuth, but at the same time...eh, it’ll probably work out. [color=778899]“But I’ll have you know, I’m, like, super serious that these twins are literally invisible. If you’re gonna find them, you’ll have to be in your best shape, Sammy.”[/color] A pause. This wasn’t lying, was it? Probably not. Hopefully not. [color=778899]“So gotta get eight hours of sleep, three balanced meals, and thirty minutes of cardio, every single day. Maximum power for maximum results, y’know?”[/color] Sammy turned to Amaryllis [b]”All evidence collected thus far suggests that you are correct.”[/b] She continued to flex and contort her body into ridiculous poses. Amaryllis was sorta afraid Sammy would pull a muscle from all this, but the deep tissue massages seemed to have done their work; the sleuth wasn’t going to suddenly die from agonizing muscle pain. [b]”Oh!”[/b] She turned to Amaryllis. [b]”I also heard a rumor that you were eating ice cream with the enemy the other day. I was going to look into it, but got caught up finding lost cats and crying over the possibility that it was true.”[/b] she kneeled beside her. [b]”You didn’t share a cone with beacon, did you? I mean if you did, you probably had good reason to.”[/b] She lowered her head beside Amaryllis. [b]”I’m… I’m not wrong about that, right?”[/b] Blinking, the buxom bombshell balked, before breathing out. [color=778899]“It was less with Beacon and more with those people in particular,”[/color] Amaryllis said, [color=778899]“It’s...hm...basically, way back when that giant Horror popped up in the Stadium, Penny, the robot girl, helped me and Rina like...eviscerate that thing into nothingness. Afterwards, there was that whole deal with going out for food, and we decided to cash in on that after the crypt, so…”[/color] No, this was interesting information. [color=778899]“You said, um...Bonky was in Beacon somewhere, yeah? Rina’s looking to take some jobs from them sometime, so maybe we...have an inside source now?”[/color] Sammy sighed. [b]”I...”[/b] She started to tear up before wrapping her arms around Amaryllis’s neck, leaning into a hug. [b]”You’re my best friend! Aside from my boyfriend nobody takes me seriously.”[/b] She pulled her head back and wiped away her tears, but she was smiling. [b]”Thank you for everything. Listening to you and having a bunch of handsome men do my nails is just what I needed.”[/b] What the hell was this? The goofiest smile popped up on Amaryllis’s face, as she realized that maybe her social skills have actually leveled up a bit. [color=778899]“You’re welcome,”[/color] she said, riding high off her emotions, [color=778899]“I’m just happy to see you smile again.”[/color] Okay, wait, no that was too far. Suddenly sputtering, the tomato-faced girl coughed a couple of times, violently, before asking the best thing to redirect the conversation. [color=778899]“Wait, you have a b-boyfriend?”[/color] Sammy blushed. [b]”Yea, we’ve only been together a few weeks now, but I love him.”[/b] She shifted her weight around. [b]”I’m kind of surprised too. He helps me train all of my cats and he’s really handsome. He was pretty upset when he heard Tony died.”[/b] She sighed. [b]”What’s your boyfriend like?”[/b] [color=778899]“Um…”[/color] Oh dear, there goes her ears. [color=778899]“I...don’t have one yet…but, like, is yours a magical boy then?”[/color] [b]”You bet he’s magical!”[/b] Sammy rubbed her cheeks. [b]”Um, but Amaryllis? I realized you have a tendency to change the topic when you’re nervous.”[/b] Sammy took a breath and folded her arms. [b]”You’re really pretty, and when we were eating the day of the graveyard ritual, all the guys were looking at you. Even the people in this spa all think you’re really attractive.”[/b] She lifted her magnifying glass up and put it over her friend. [b]”You seem to actively shy away any time a guy comes near you though.”[/b] Sammy folded her arms and rested her chin on her magnifying glass. [b]”Hmmmm, matters of the heart are not really a detectives place to meddle.”[/b] She looked at Amaryllis. [b]”However, you um, you know. I know a lot of magical girls sort of give up on guys at one point or another. But you only took me to the spa because we’re friends right?”[/b] [color=778899]“Um, like, yeah...it’s not like I’m gay or anything…”[/color] Amaryllies replied, before wincing, [color=778899]“Wait, can I even say that in 2019? Just that, you know...it’s not like this is how I actually look. Just super weird, being like this...”[/color] She gestured vaguely towards her body. [color=778899]“So it’s pretty blah, when people say all these things. Didn’t even work for it and all, so I’m basically just..taking credit for someone else’s work?”[/color] [b]”I mean…”[/b] Sammy looked down at herself. [b]”I’m not exactly sure why you’re complaining. I thought I was done being a six year old.”[/b] Her smile returned. [b]”Sorry for second guessing your intent. I guess part of me can’t believe what an excellent friend I have. ”[/b] [color=778899]“Uh, yeah, haha...that’s me, unbelievable…”[/color] She looked up at a clock hanging on the wall. Her expression became stern and serious. [b]”I promised a little girl I’d find her cat, then I’m going to see about locating those twins. I’d tell you to wish me luck, but I don’t need it. You can hold onto it for now.”[/b] She held up her magnifying glass and walked out the door. Amaryllis waved Sammy good-bye, before lying back down on her hot rock bed. Focusing on her breathing once more, she cleared her mind of all unnecessary thoughts and simply...huh, that was weird. There was something inside her head still, something bothe- [color=778899]“Oh shit!”[/color] Amaryllis practically backflipped up, looking to the exit at the girl who was long gone. [color=778899]“Sammy, your clothes!”[/color]