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After Dan the Dolphin’s delightful dissertation, one would find the three representatives of the Archive sitting by the Beach Boutique, in a nearby shaded gazebo. It offered a clear view of the volleyball courts, but it’s not so close to the shop’s entrance for the group to be noticed by most people going to buy things. 

Though frankly, the flotilla of fancy ferns and flora flapping flippantly in front of the freestanding facility might be faffing about with finding them on first glance. [color=black]Fuck.[/color]

By the time the narration had the chance to catch up with them, they've already been engrossed in conversation. Better late than never, at least. 

Lee sipped from his drink. "Well, there is some twink representation here. But I'm not recognizing any magical traps here so... I [i]could[/i] fill that slot if it came down to it." Another sip, but slower this time. "Maybe Shields could do it too, if he made sure the magic formed them above the belt. Or if Magical Senpai over there can control the gender of his clones."

Lee hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, theoretically speaking, all three guys that are present and accounted for could become magically enhanced traps."

Delta shook her head. [color=gray]"You wouldn't be traps if you had boobs. You'd be futanari."[/color]

"No, we wouldn't..." Lee trailed off. "...hmm. Actually, it could be possible for one of them to flub the transformation like that. But I know that I wouldn't become a futa. I'd just be giving myself boobs. I don't think I need to adopt a kitten as well just to play Keijo." 

[color=gray]"I didn't say you had to. You're just confusing futas with hermaphrodites."[/color]

Lee looked at her over the top of his sunglasses. "They're synonyms, Anna. The things you really need to be a futanari are both sets of version-exclusive organs."

Xi sighed in exasperation. [color=blue]"Just call them penises and vaginas. It's not like Dan the Dolphin's going to strike us down because we're not 'keeping it family friendly.'"[/color] she gestured vaguely to the islands around them. [color=blue]"He's got a bunch of magical girls (and a few guys) on a set of tropical islands. I've watched enough beach episodes to know what that means."[/color]

"As a firm believer in narrative causality," Lee said, "I see your point. Correct me if I'm wrong, though, but don't beach episodes also tend to dance around the topic? Come as close as they can, but edge away just shy of being explicit?"

[color=blue]"Like thinly-veiled orgasm jokes,"[/color] Xi deadpanned. 

Lee shrugged. "Hey, I'm just getting in the mood."

[color=blue]"I am too. It's been a while since we've been to the beach, and I’m definitely renting a sailboat while we’re here. Still, I'm just not going to fall face first into fanservice."[/color] Xi smirked. [color=blue]"...if I'm going to provide any, it's gonna be on my own terms, bitch."[/color] 

[color=gray]“Then you should be careful when we look at their stock,”[/color] Delta said. She didn’t bother gesturing towards the Boutique.

[color=blue]"Oh yeah, I could just see a lot of the magical items being specially geared for fanservice. Like…”[/color] Xi reached for a suitably ecchi idea. [color=blue]“A lotion bottle made to explode mid-splurt, guaranteeing at least one sunblock bukkake per customer."[/color] 

As she was saying this, a receipt came fluttering out of the Boutique. Lee caught it in mid-air, and curiously read it. "...Swimsuit of Guaranteed Wardrobe Malfunction: 1 Gold. Purchased by one ‘Sally Shamrock.’" He raised an eyebrow. “I recognize the name - she’s a member of Beacon. Wonder who she bought that for?”

[color=blue]“Maybe she’s an exhibitionist?”[/color] Xi guessed. [color=blue]“It could be a prank gift for all I know.”[/color]

Delta looked thoughtful. [color=gray]"...I wonder if that would be a good investment for Keijo."[/color]

Lee shrugged. "I doubt that's her only reason, considering it costs a single gold to get one. Unless maybe you shared it with a few of your friends between rounds?"

[color=blue]"You know, you're right."[/color] Xi's smirk grew so wicked, you could almost hear the sound of flying monkeys in the distance. [color=blue]"We've only got three gold on us right now. We might as well conserve our money."[/color]

Several paces away, Bass the Legstep decided to go into the Boutique to browse. But as for what she went into get… well, that’s better left for later.

[hr]

[center][s]Another Placeholder For a Banner, because someone keeps forgetting they need to make the Damn Thing[/s][/center]

Since a lot of things were happening really quickly for Speedwagon, it was high time to take a moment and take stock of everything that had happened in the past… several hours? Sitting in a hot tub with Joanna

She’d heard from her network about someone who’d seen where Chloe had went after she stopped talking to Alice, way back during that night when Tattoo had died. 

She’d went to meet that person alone, since that was the one condition they had before they’d reveal what they knew, and simultaneously learned very much and very little from that conversation.

She went over to Joanna’s house for their sleepover and fell asleep.

She woke up on an island with Joanna, Nina, Alice, and several other girls that she had never met before in her life (though she actually had heard of a few of them).

She, Joanna, and Alice made the trip over inside some kind of small but surprisingly well-furnished room, one that was accessible by means of a turtle spirit that Nina summoned. One that was called Coco… Calypso? Was that it? Speedwagon would have to ask Nina if she remembered its name right, because at the present moment she was a bit preoccupied. And no, it wasn’t because she and her friends were stuck on a group of islands, along with a massive chunk of its Magical Girl population.  

Right now she was still really distracted by the fact that [i]Chloe was here with them.[/i]

Well, not literally in their hot tub or anything, but just. Here. On the same island where they were sitting.

It was a miracle that she was able to convince Miss Jo-star not to confront Chloe yet. Not that she actually would have tried to fight Chloe - Joanna didn’t think they should break Dan’s Rule about (non-Keijo) fighting, especially since Chloe seemed content to do the same. Instead, what Joanna had wanted to do was take the opportunity to get some answers but just asking her. 

As much as Speedwagon wanted the truth, she knew that charging in blindly would probably convince Chloe not to tell them anything, not to mention put a target on their backs for when they weren’t in an Enforced Neutral Zone. They were still nonentities to her, after all. X factors. She had no idea that they were investigating just what the hell she was up to, or how much they knew. 

But for now, all Speedwagon could do was sit in that hot tub, try to figure out a plan on how to approach this… and hopefully, try to relax a little. Because frankly? She needed to try. 

Especially after she'd been told that the Archive was working with Chloe.

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