[color=ed1c24]Thank you for waiting.[/color] [hr] [center]A collaboration between [@MadManMoon] and [@Flamelord][/center] [hr] The first day here on the beach had come and gone. It had taken Alicia a bit after waking up to remember that she was not actually in Penrose right now, but instead some summer paradise resort where she had been brought by force. Truth be told, she had hoped that they would wake up to find themselves home, but it was clearly not the case. She wasn’t entirely sold on Dan being behind this, but whoever was clearly still had some sort of lesson to impart to them. They would just have to make the best of it. It turned out that that was remarkably easy to do when one awoke to the smell and sight of a full scale continental breakfast. It was unclear exactly who had prepared it, so in lieu of seeing anyone that wasn’t a dolphin here Alicia would just assume it was magic. She didn’t let that bother her, instead selecting a variety of food for her plate. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, some fruit, everything for a hearty breakfast. With how this trip looked to be going, there would be plenty of activity to burn it all off anyway. Humming, she took her plate and a glass of orange juice to a nearby patio where she could enjoy the warm sun, the ocean air, and the coming morning as she ate. Well, this wasn’t so bad after all. Another girl came out onto the patio area, looking it over for a good breakfast spot. Her gaze fell upon Alicia, and she paused. [color=fff200]“Oh,”[/color] said the newcomer. [color=fff200]“I didn’t expect to see anyone else up this early.”[/color] She was balancing a plate of food in one hand - varied about as much as Alicia’s breakfast, though with a decent chunk of china reserved for ham slices. [color=fff200]“Would you mind if I sat with you?”[/color] Alicia was also not expecting anyone else to show up, but she had only just barely begun her breakfast when she shifted to look at the new arrival. [color=aba000]“Go ahead. There’s plenty of open space,”[/color] she replied with a gesture around the immediate area. She sampled a strawberry while the new arrival was doing that, finding it to be firm and juicy, the peak of freshness for a fruit. As she chewed on it, she observed her new companion. [color=aba000]”I don’t think we’ve met before,”[/color] she noted aloud, before extending an open hand. [color=aba000]”I’m Alicia.”[/color] The new arrival put her plate down next to Alicia’s before accepting the handshake. [color=fff200]“I’m Joanna,”[/color] she said, smiling. [color=fff200]“It’s nice to meet you.”[/color] [color=aba000]“Likewise,”[/color] the Seraph assured her companion through the firm handshake. One it had come to an end she would return to her food, taking a sip of her orange juice. [color=aba000]”Enjoying the vacation, or are you paranoid about the dolphin too?”[/color] Joanna sighed. [color=fff200]“Honestly? D-”[/color] She abruptly coughed, and took a sip from her mug of breakfast tea. [color=fff200]“I mean, [i]that guy[/i] is an odd fellow, but so far he doesn’t appear malicious.”[/color] Joanna began cutting her ham into smaller pieces. [color=fff200]“As nice as the vacation itself has been, though…”[/color] Joanna fell silent for a moment, trying to find the right words. [color=fff200]“It’s also started showing other sides to people. Not necessarily bad ones but,”[/color] she hesitated again. [color=fff200]“It’s just given me a lot to think about.”[/color] Listening to Joanna’s observation, Alicia understood and she nodded along with her. [color=aba000]”I feel that,”[/color] she agreed, her mind flying back to Kimble’s confession. [color=aba000]”Without the usual conflicts a lot of stuff is coming out that might have stayed buried otherwise.”[/color] She looked out towards the horizon, simply appreciating the view of the sun rising over the water. One could only wonder if the people responsible for this were getting what they wanted out of it too. [color=aba000]”Still, I have to admit that aside from a new enemy or two, I haven’t really become friends with anyone I didn’t at least have some acquaintance with before. I guess the attacks and the end of the world stuff make Penrose seem bigger than it actually is.[/color] Joanna took a syrupy bite of pancake, nodding. She knew the feeling pretty well. Sometimes it felt as though her entire world spanned that one city, what with how much time she and her friends spent there. Come to think of it... when was the last time she’d actually left Penrose? Hmm. Actually, there was something else about Alicia’s response that had her wondering. ‘Haven’t become friends with anyone I didn’t have some acquaintance with before?’ Joanna swallowed. [color=fff200]“Wait, ‘before?’ As in, before you became a magical girl?”[/color] The question caused the Beckoner to shake her head. [color=aba000]”Sorry, there I meant magical girls I’d at least met in one of the previous world ending crises, before we were all yanked here,”[/color] she clarified. And her fellow Beacon members of course, but beyond that it was mostly business, with a bit of casual acquaintances (Katarina, Lily, and Amaryllis primarily) [color=fff200]“Ah,”[/color] Joanna said. She took a moment to eat some glazed ham, and reflect on her own relationships. [color=fff200]“I’ve mostly been meeting people outside of those cataclysms,”[/color] Joanna noted. Speedwagon, in that cold and windy alleyway; Nina and Alice, after following them up to the rooftops; the one calling themselves “A,” right before she made it to the cathedral- [color=fff200]“Actually, I think we almost met before,”[/color] she remembered, a beat after she’d speared some scrambled eggs, [color=fff200]“during one of those crises. I’d arrived to help fight off the witches, but after the Overcity Shift I had to help my patron keep her husband under control.”[/color] It took Alicia a moment or two to remember that specific occurrence, before nodding. [color=aba000]”I remember that,”[/color] she confirmed before taking a bite of some crispy bacon. Regardless of what else you might say, the food here was done to perfection. After a few moments she shot Joanna a sympathetic look. [color=aba000]“Still, having to play go between for a personal Patron relationship? That sounds rough.”[/color]She couldn’t imagine what that must be like, as the Beckoners usually presented something of a united front to the rest of them in the organization. [color=fff200]“Sometimes it can be,”[/color] Joanna admitted. [color=fff200]“Especially since we have to calm him down in the middle of that aura of anger he puts out. To be honest, I think my patron’s trying use those sessions to teach me self-control?”[/color] She drank some more of her tea. [color=fff200]“How is it like for you?”[/color] [color=aba000]”It has its ups and downs,”[/color] Alicia admitted with a shrug. Fortunately it was still the morning, with a fresh day ahead of her and relatively little to tug at her annoyance. So she went on to explain. [color=aba000]”Long hours, lots of fighting monsters and patrolling, and we’re not exactly well liked around town.”[/color] Where one might think she was griping though, a warm smile soon appeared [color=aba000]”Still, the Beckoners are kind, understanding, supportive. Plus you’ve got a bunch of people there too who all believe in the same thing. We may have our differences sometimes, but when the chips are down I know that I can count on all of them to do the right thing and have my back. It’s a lot nicer than having to go it alone like some girls do.”[/color] Joanna smiled, feeling the love in Alicia’s voice for Beacon shine through as radiant as the sun. And she could certainly agree that it was nice having people by your side. In combat. Philosophy. Life. Love. [color=black]Once again the English language proves inexact. “Φιλία” may be more accurate than “love.”[/color] Her smile faltered, though, as she recalled Speedwagon’s history with Beacon. Or rather… what little she had divulged on the matter. Their Patron had hinted that one of the Beacon girls in particular had left her friend on edge, but refused to speak further on the matter. Joanna took another bite of food to steel herself. [color=fff200]“Yeah, I’m… I’m aware of Beacon’s reputation. My friend told me about it, not too long ago.”[/color] The amount of food that Alicia had was slowly diminishing, almost unnoticed because of the ongoing conversation. She considered going to get some more, but decided that she wasn’t far enough along to make a decision like that. Which was probably for the best as Joanna brought up their reputation. [color=aba000]”I can probably guess what they said,”[/color] she replied, voice steady. [color=aba000]”But we’re working on fixing that and doing better.”[/color] Her gaze returned to the horizon and the rising sun, if only for a few moments. [color=aba000]”After all, we don’t exactly live up to the mission statement if we’re so willing to condemn and persecute. You know, Beacon. A model for all magical girls to strive towards. Kinda like Superman if he was a teenage girl I guess.”[/color] Her response fell off, consumed by mental musing about super heroes, comic books, and how they related to her current life. Joanna’s smile returned, softly this time. [color=fff200]“Well, she also said how she hopes for that. For Beacon to change that way, I mean.”[/color] Her gaze lowered to her tea, reduced to a teaspoon’s worth by this point. [color=fff200]“Speaking of changes… how’s that girl doing? Regina Bates.”[/color] Alicia managed to hold back something of a scowl as Regina was brought up, mostly for the sake of outward appearances. [color=aba000]”She’s adjusting,”[/color] the Seraph confirmed matter of factly. [color=aba000]“It’s going to be a while before she fully settles into Beacon, or makes up for all the stuff the Bates twins did. Their actions aren’t the sort of thing you can just let bygones be bygones over.”[/color] Joanna didn’t have Speedwagon’s level of intuition, but she’d been taught enough to notice that facial tic. [color=fff200]“Of course,”[/color] Joanna said. [color=fff200]“When you’ve hurt that many people, in such horrible ways… of course it’s going to be hard for people to forgive you. To be seen as redeemed. Or even be thought of as redeemable at all. In the eyes of others… and yourself. Is that what you’re getting at?”[/color] It was odd. If Alicia didn’t know better, she would seriously suspect that Joanna was referring to her. Idly she thought of some random gibberish, just on the off chance that the girl was a mind reader and that it might earn some sort of reaction. To be safe. [color=aba000]”Something like that,”[/color] she agreed, fork scraping over her plate as she moved eggs back and forth. [color=aba000]”Still, if it was easy then it wouldn’t be worth doing. Regina just has a long way to go, magic purifying coin or not. Helping nearly destroying the world is hard to just walk off.”[/color] Joanna certainly did not pick up on the mental smokescreen that Alicia had thrown up. A shame, really. It was actually rather well-constructed for someone of her skill level. Joanna nodded, thoughtfully. [color=fff200]“And even if she tried to stop it at the end, it doesn’t erase the fact that she put it into motion. It’s just the first step on that path.”[/color] [color=aba000]”Exactly,”[/color] Alicia agreed, at last stabbing the bit of egg that she had been toying with. It might not entirely be worth the effort, but that wasn’t really the point was it. Still, it did occur to her that she had been talking an awful lot about herself, and not necessarily her companion. Not very fair if they were trying to make friends while on the island. [color=aba000]”I suspect our general priorities may be a bit different though Aside from marital counselling, what do you usually do when the world isn’t in imminent danger of destruction?”[/color] Joanna put a hand to her chin. [color=fff200]“Well, my age didn’t change when I became a magical girl, so I still go to the same middle school. I try to spend some of my free time giving back to the community, doing volunteer work. Otherwise, I’m going around town for my magical girl duties... patrolling nearby neighborhoods, training, doing missions for my patron, looking for-”[/color] Blood on the ground. A mentor, a friend, now and once again a victim. A flock, left to mourn their shepherd. And his voice, low but earnest, as if letting them in on an old secret. I saw her cradling one of them, you know. Joanna shuddered. [color=aba000]”Huh.”[/color] Alicia was observant enough to catch the sudden abbreviation, but she did not push on it. Just like Penny, they all had their particular hang ups. There was no burning need to know. [color=aba000]”That sounds a lot like what I do,”[/color] she noted. [color=aba000]”We’ve got some smaller branch ‘community centers’, and I like to help out with training and study sessions. You’d think that would be odd, as a college grad before I became a magical girl.”[/color] Internally, Joanna breathed a sigh of relief. [color=fff200]“That doesn’t seem odd at all,”[/color] she said, completely earnest. [color=fff200]“Plenty of students go on to become teachers in some way or another.”[/color] Though she did find herself wondering what kind of ‘study sessions’ Alicia helped out with. Maybe she’d be interested in some one-on-one tutoring? Pleased to find that Joanna didn’t think any differently of what she did on her off time, Alicia carried on. [color=aba000]”I suppose that’s true. Though I hadn’t considered it as an occupation back them. But as a magical girl, everyone’s got such varied circumstances, and someone needs to show the new ones the ropes. Since Beacon decided that I was worthy of being a Seraph I guess I felt a bit obligated.”[/color] She didn’t mind of course, it made her feel better about the title than how she had earned it did. Joanna’s expression became thoughtful. She wondered why Alicia felt obligated to fill that particular role, but she decided to ask her about that later. [color=fff200]“I know it's been a year since I became a magical girl, but it all still feels new to me,”[/color] Joanna admitted. [color=fff200]“I've been lucky to have my friends and my Patron teaching me about what it means to be a magical girl, but... I also know that they can't tell me everything. Not on their own.”[/color] She considered that for a moment. [color=fff200]“It’s like you said - everyone’s got such varied circumstances, such different outlooks on life, as a magical girl or no.”[/color] Alicia nodded along in agreement. There was nothing she could, or even wanted to, argue in that observation. [color=aba000]”Things always find a way of surprising you, even if you think that you know what to expect.”[/color] It certainly happened to her more often than one might expect. Finishing off her drink, she added to that. [color=aba000]”Still, we’ve just got to do the best we can. Whether that’s in fighting, or having a healthy balance between being a magical girl and our regular lives.”[/color] Joanna smiled brightly. [color=fff200]“For whatever ‘regular’ ends up meaning to us,”[/color] she said. [color=fff200]“And what we want ‘regular’ to become.”[/color] [color=aba000]“Amen to that,”[/color] the Seraph agreed. She would have saluted, if she had anything left in her glass. An imitation of the motion would have to be settled for instead. [color=aba000]”The hardest part is finding time to keep up with my tv shows.”[/color] Which was not entirely true, though it was something she had to work around her busier magical girl schedule. Joanna mirrored the motion with her similarly drained teacup. [color=fff200]“At least we’ve got on demand,”[/color] she giggled. Well, she couldn’t argue with that. Her plate looking remarkably bare at this point, Alicia leaned forward slightly against the table, chin resting in the palm of her hand. [color=aba000]”I suppose tat’s true. What do you usually like to watch?”[/color] Joanna briefly wondered if she should list off her favorite shows or the broader themes that caught her interest. She decided to go with the latter, at least for context’s sake. [color=fff200]“I like to watch shows that celebrate humanity. Not necessarily ‘humanity’ as a species, but the concept of ‘humanity.’ Shows that aren’t afraid to show their characters as people, at their best and their worst, as well as their potential to grow. Like ‘Stargate,’ or ‘Good Omens.’”[/color] She paused for a beat. [color=fff200]“Or ‘Once Upon a Time.’”[/color] A hum slipped out, Alicia slowly nodding as Joanna gave some examples and listed off what she liked to see from media in general. It was surprisingly deep and insightful, at least compared to the intent with which she had asked the question.That’s what she got for leaving it open ended. [color=aba000]”Once Upon a Time, I think I saw a few episodes of that once,”[/color] she mused aloud. [color=aba000]“I take it that means you’d recommend it?”[/color] [color=fff200]“I absolutely do.”[/color] [color=aba000]”Hmm, I’ll have to look into it then,”[/color] the Seraph replied, index finger tapping on the table. After a few moments she rose, carrying her plate with her. [color=aba000]”I think I’m going to restock a bit. You’re not going to run off on me while I’m gone, are you?”[/color] Joanna smiled again, a little more cheeky than her previous ones. [color=fff200]“And cut this short? Perish the thought.”[/color] Alicia’s grin widened before giving a small nod in turn. [color=aba000]”Good. I’m curious to hear your opinion on some other shows.”[/color] With that she headed back to the buffet, pleased to find that in spite of the outburst from Dan it would still be a pleasant morning in paradise.