[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Zmaysrl.png[/img][/center] The Boss had come to feel the time dilation of the beach resort within moments of returning to Penrose. Before she could talk to Sasha, or any of the Agents, before she could acknowledge the colder climate, before she even knew about the movement of The Ascendancy - the months she had missed returned in a fraction of a second. At first it was pain. A sharp, white hot pain, which wracked her body and coursed through her form, threatening to tear her open from the inside out, while all she could do was grit her teeth and bear the brunt of the whiplash. Then it dwindled, from pain to nothing. Vertigo overtook, and everything inside her became weightless and numb. Sasha had been concerned. The two arrived in the middle of The Nerine Vista, precisely as they had left, but to see her Boss, her friend, display any fraction of pain was a worrying sight. The Boss had assured her otherwise. The deadline hadn't come, and though months of absence had caused a feedback along the tether, there was no danger that the re-connection would fail. It would only take time, time that had to be spent recuperating, learning whatever had happened over the course of the forced vacation. The moments the signals of The Surveyor App were reestablished for Christine, Rebecca, Olympia, and a number of other girls, the work began. A Magical Girl chef under Sasha, named Amelia, had worked on keeping The Nerine Vista in pristine condition for the eventual return of communication with The Independent, and The Boss was more than thankful. It allowed a safe place of work, especially among the circumstance. The past months had been a mess - with a majority of Independent Agents falling under the Dark Magical Girl and Monster Girl umbrellas, and the suspicion cast with the Janet Howell Trial report, Reporters and Journalists had been hunted down. Over twenty killed, and nearly a dozen captured, with their whereabouts unknown; almost all by The Ascendancy's hand. The Surveyor Teams had been hard at work over the course of the disappearances, but their operations could only go so far without orders and direct support. The Beta Team had collected data on the numerous supposedly natural disasters that had struck across the city, The Alpha Team had records of an increased undead presence within Penrose, and The Gamma Team reported suspicions that another party had been tapping communications across the city. A huge majority of Magical Girls within the city had gone missing at the same time, and returned at similarly consecutive intervals. And a number of agents had gone incognito, as part of The Independent's Hurricane Protocol, in fear of being hunted. Some had even abandoned the organisation all together. By the time an hour of catching up had passed, The Penrose Independent was weaker than it had ever been. [colour=SlateGray]"One of the shops was destroyed as well. Part of an Ascendancy raid,"[/colour] Sasha concluded, placing a folder onto a table, littered with documents. Christine sat nearby, looking over a set of balance sheets. To her right sat the heads of the three main Surveyor Teams, with documents, tablets, and folders strewn around their individual spaces of the table as well, [colour=SlateGray]"War will start soon. I don't think The Ascendancy can win, not with Penrose as it is now. Perhaps a bet on the Mint splinter group-"[/colour] [colour=IndianRed]"What, are we gonna treat this like a Poker game now or something?"[/colour] queried a girl to Sasha's left, the head of the Alpha Team. While she wore [url=https://i.imgur.com/Qjv6oQt.png]an embellished, frilly dress, of various reds, pinks, and golds[/url], and over the top of its white and black centre pieces. A number of jewellery pieces ran through the outfit, onto her arms, and through her hair - which cascaded down her back and the chair in a long ponytail, held in place with a large red and white ribbon. In a lot of ways, the girl looked like an idol, and though her words escaped her lips at speeds rivalling the most complex of songs, her expression remained a serious one. Concerned, unimpressed, and severe, [colour=IndianRed]"What happened to not gambling with the lives of Agents, huh Boss? Sasha? Working with people like that just puts a bigger Ascendancy target on everyone's backs. You think the Magical Nazis of Beacon care who's innocent and who ain't under the PI umbrella?"[/colour] [colour=SlateGray]"Effort has to be made to rebuild the ranks. Runner groups are too fractured and fanatical to rely on. We need numbers and equipment,"[/colour] Sasha replied. Compared to her colleague, her words were measured, and deliberate. While the other girl took to formulating her response, Sasha leant across the table, and pulled another folder from amidst the pile, [colour=SlateGray]"Besides The Cradle, Cindy Ford has been using Penny Asimov's expanded sanctuary. It has grown a large amount since Olympia last saw it. Penny still owes us a favour, too. If war is going to start, The Penrose Independent should be at the front. The more allies the better."[/colour] [colour=DimGray]"Beacon is totally gonna be fragile right now. Betcha you could even incite a revolt. That's why you've got Rebecca, right~?"[/colour] a second girl suggested, [url=https://i.imgur.com/g3a1Ldm.png]bedecked in a black dress and coy grin[/url], deftly twirling an intricate, wooden stave between her fingers. Where the fabric of her dress met her shoulders, two padded, frilled epaulettes broke free down the top of her arm, in a similar design to the frilled, white, almost feather-like additions to the ends of her sleeves. The hem of her dress, too, matched, with black frills at the end of the barely thigh covering article. [colour=IndianRed]"Is that seriously all you care about, Miri?"[/colour] [colour=BlueViolet]"Cindy's gonna be the priority here,"[/colour] The Boss finally said, raising her head from between her interwoven fingers to address the table. The numbness was still present, eating away at her inside while the tether attempted to fully reconnect. She could feel the emptiness attempting to draw her in, consume every aspect of her existence, for every second she remained idle. It was an arduous task to keep herself stable, [colour=BlueViolet]"Astrid's right - there'll be no gambling with lives. We shouldn't pursue The Cradle. Between Katelyn wanting to kill one of its members, Veronica as its leader, and their issues with The Mint, they're not worth the risk. Shion tells me Veronica was seen with Sylvia at The Beach, anyway. The Cradle will probably get involved with this regardless. If we've got Cindy at our side, they might ask us for an alliance instead. That's the best case with them."[/colour] [colour=IndianRed]"You can't be serious. I'm 'right', but you're [i]still[/i] going to pick a fight with The Ascendancy? Are you insane?"[/colour] Astrid began to shout. Yet The Boss displayed no sign of emotion. She had expected her to react, but nothing on her face gave it away. Astrid's face on the other hand was easy to read - she was exasperated, believed herself to be the only sane one at the table, was angry at The Boss for practically outright ignoring her plea, and simultaneously wracked with an inexplicable anxiety, [colour=IndianRed]"We try this and fail, it's all of our heads. Not just yours, not just Christine's, not just mine - all of us, from the top down. All those Monster Girls who just wanted somewhere safe to stay and earn some money? Dead. All those Beacon girls you convinced to snitch on their leaders for some extra coin? Dead. They've already [i]started[/i] thinning us out, you wanna add more fuel to that fire?!"[/colour] [colour=BlueViolet]"Astrid,"[/colour] The Boss replied, calmly. But though her words were level and measured, she shot Astrid a look. The emotion on her face switched from anger and passion, to something smaller, more afraid. Typically The Boss's stares were anxiety inducing, but the empty void that swirled with her as a result of the issues with the tether exemplified the gaze tenfold, into something violent, calculated, chaotic and vicious. Something Astrid had never seen, [colour=BlueViolet]”If I remember correctly, you joined us three years ago, right? A former Beacon Agent from outta town, come to Penrose for a fresh start, because you'd been Excommunicated. You and your friends lost a battle to corruption, and nearly resulted in thousands of deaths. So Beacon killed your sisters, and followed you here.”[/colour] [colour=BlueViolet]”I know you joined for protection, Astrid, I’m trying to give it to you.”[/colour] she continued, her stare softening into something welcoming, but forlorn. Most conversations with The Boss followed similar patterns. She would start off cold, and severe, but when she’d finished being threatening, it was hard to see her as anything but approachable, [colour=BlueViolet]”This is a bigger mess than I expected, and I don’t really know what the right answer is - but I do know something. We’ll be safe when we’re strong. I have a goal for The Penrose Independent, and it needs this organisation to be bigger, and we do that by eating the bigger fish. If we spearhead the assault on The Ascedancy, everyone will want to work with us, from The Mint to the Pro-Equality Beacon Agents - and we’ll keep going until we’re the biggest fish around.”[/colour] Astrid opened her mouth to respond, but no words emerged. She stood for a second, washing her gaze across the table, and her colleagues, and then nodded, quietly. A glaze of tears had formed in her eyes, born of painful memories from the past, and she shrunk back into her chair. Both she, and all the others at the table, understood the objective, and everyone looked to everyone else, not sure when to speak or in regards to what, as The Boss flipped through a series of documents in front of her, awaiting the next suggestion. [colour=PaleTurquoise]"I'll get Rebecca on working her way into The Ascendancy's ranks, then,"[/colour] Christine offered, clearing the silence and the air. She was already typing out a message by the time The Boss gave her the nod of approval. Among the suspicion that The Ascendancy could have communications tapped city wide, the messenger function within The Surveyor App had become all the more valuable, [colour=PaleTurquoise]"The Beacon Informants might need some incentive to get back to duty, but I'll get Caleb to cover that. You said about The Mint - do you think it's worth having Lee introduce us to Al Scarpe? Maybe The Archive while we're at it?"[/colour] [colour=ForestGreen]"Um, a-as well. Recently, a Magical Girl - or, I guess, Dark Magical Girl? Maybe Monster Girl - a-anyway, she’s called Vi, she’s a Magical Girl who's popular on Glimmr - she's pretty popular, I-I dunno if you've ever heard of her, Boss, popular, and cute, she has a large following, a-and-"[/colour] the third girl cut herself off. A blush had formed around her cheeks, as she realised how much she was talking, and in an effort to hide it, she had begun to pull [url=https://i.imgur.com/hk0tOJk.png]the large, wide-brimmed witch hat atop her head[/url] down to mask her face, [colour=ForestGreen]"Sh-she, ah, um... she's been spreading some anti-Beacon propaganda over the past weeks, and recently announced this, uh, party, for all her fans, with a secret location - I've been following her stuff for, um... a while... H-here, just..."[/colour] The Witch-esque Magical Girl pulled a tablet out of a large, heavy bag from behind her, and opened a copy of the video Elvira had uploaded, and since deleted. The six girls present each sat in silence, listening and watching, some silently judging, both Vi and their colleague, whilst others considered the words, and their implications - The Boss more so than any of them. Was this girl attempting to incite a battle? Or merely spit in the face of The Ascendancy? In her mind, it sounded like a challenge. 'Come and get us', or something of similar effect. [colour=BlueViolet]"I'm assuming you think you know what location she's talking about, Ellie?"[/colour] when Ellie nodded, The Boss nodded in response. She reached over with a gloved hand, pulling a piece of paper out from amidst her pile - a report compilation of some of the various girls who had arrived in Penrose over the past months, from Monster Girls to Ascendancy Agents. She could feel the cogs in her own brain turning, from deep within the tumultuous chaos and nothingness she called a body, [colour=BlueViolet]"Alright then. Ellie, you and Christine'll coordinate regarding Elvira and this party. While you're at it, Christine, get in touch with Lee. I'll let you decide what to do with him. Astrid, continue monitoring the undead activity, and take joint control of the Gamma Team's operations while Ellie is busy. Miriam, I'll leave you in charge of Rebecca and the infiltration - don't do anything [i]stupid[/i], understand? Sasha will work with me."[/colour] The group of Magical Girls each gave a nod, and in turn, stood from the table, meeting concluded. More would inevitably be discussed in time, but each present understood their mission, and overall goal. One by one, the Surveyor Team Leaders and Christine said their farewells, and took off into the cold, winter streets of Penrose City. The only two who remained were Sasha, and The Boss, sat mere feet apart around the piled high and polluted table of documents. For a while after their colleagues left, there was silence between them. [colour=SlateGray]"Are you sure you are okay?"[/colour] Sasha finally asked, breaking the silence. Before The Boss could answer, she lifted her chair, and brought it over to practically right next to The Boss's, and sat down, inches away. She had attempted to hide her concern for the entirety of the meeting, but with nobody around to hide it from, she could finally let it out, [colour=SlateGray]"I can take over until you return - I would feel better if you returned now than when the time empties."[/colour] [colour=BlueViolet]"No... not yet,"[/colour] The Boss replied, with a sigh. On an instinctual level, she agreed with Sasha. As always, she was right about matters related to her personal life, to a degree of accuracy that even The Boss couldn't attain. Unlike hypothetical others in her situation, she didn't find it strange or creepy. It was comforting. But it wasn't the time to return yet - the tether would stabilise without issue as long as the time limit hadn't ended. As uncomfortable as it was, she could bear it, [colour=BlueViolet]"There are things I need to take care of while I'm here. I'd probably be gone for... well, a couple of days, I would say. That's too much wasted time."[/colour] With a solemn nod, Sasha stood from the table, and walked towards the double doors marking the entrance to the kitchen. Automatically, they swung upon, allowing her entry, while The Boss remained sat, contemplating, lingering in the emptiness of her newfound condition. Her gaze drew towards a large painting on the wall to her left: a rendition of Earth, splintered and cracked, with a ball of bright, blue light, illuminating its spider-webbed flaws from above. Things would get worse before they got better, she imagined. Rarely did she become nervous, but a creep of anxiety pulled itself up her spine, and into the base of her head. There was uncertainty, and dread, and doubt, and a hint of self-consciousness. So many pieces, so many potential moves, and so many objectives. But behind everything, an omnipresent sense of excitement gnawed against her common sense, edging her forward. [colour=BlueViolet]"D'you feel this too, Cynthia? How's your tether fairing?"[/colour] The Boss asked to no one, talking to nothing, and chuckling into the empty air. [hr] [center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190313/8f36699659ebb5d021c7238610ff6b7b.png[/img][/center] [hider=Surveyor App - 1 New Message // Christine] [b][colour=PaleTurquoise]Christine[/colour] [sup]today at 8:26 PM[/sup][/b] We're gonna have you work your way into The Ascendancy. The Boss thinks your best bet might by through some new girl, Dawn Astrea. New recruit of some kind. [b][colour=Thistle]Rebecca[/colour] [sup]today at 8:27 PM[/sup][/b] you're fucking kidding [b][colour=PaleTurquoise]Christine[/colour] [sup]today at 8:27 PM[/sup][/b] Nope. Miriam will be handling you for the duration. G-01 got a picture of this "Dawn" just after she entered the city. [Image File] [/hider] The Shinobi slumped backwards in her chair, nearly falling to the floor, accompanied by a long, arduous groan. Rebecca held her phone above her head, still fixated on the messages Christine had just sent her. It was absurd. Signing up to Beacon, becoming the first Tasker - she hadn't expected the extreme and heavy workload that came with it all. The beach resort had made her realise, that she missed her old job in The Penrose Independent. Following designated targets, watching them from afar, and reporting to a higher up if anything out of the ordinary happened. What she wouldn't have given to reclaim that lost career. It wasn't a particularly far distance from the apartment The PI had set her up with and Beacon Headquarters. The short walk was perhaps the only benefit to the job she had. As Rebecca wandered through the hidden entrance to the building, she could only wonder why it was her that had to deal with it all. Had her family angered an ancient eldritch God who cursed her bloodline, and that curse only decided to activate once she herself had been born? Did she accidentally break some priceless, cursed relic, releasing a malevolent spirit which plagued her with misfortune? Did God hate Scottish people? The answer eluded her, and with every step through Beacon's halls, she descended deeper into the conspiracy theories of her own divination. When she began to hear voices, she beelined towards them, and quickly deviated her course through the halls along the path of least resistance. She had spent a fair amount of time memorising the layout of the Headquarters - even where she was, a short ways off, she could tell that the voices were in the direction of The Hall of Luminous Valour. Just a short moment after Aurelio himself wandered in, Rebecca too unabashedly entered. The first thing to catch her eye was the sword the girl in front of them wielded. A girl who matched the photo Christine had provided. [colour=Thistle]"'Th'fuck'am 'Ah walkin' inta' 'ere?"[/colour] she called aloud, taking a cautionary step back, half an act and half on instinct to seeing a Beacon Agent wielding a weapon in her general direction. Though she hadn't been present for it, Rebecca had heard about The PI Agent purge Beacon had attempted following the trial report. Between that and The Ascendancy being directly responsible for the deaths of Dark Magical and Monster Girl PI Agents, the sight had sparked her adrenaline. Every synapse in her brain told her to flee, but still she sidled up behind Aurelio and beside him, placing herself in full view as best as possible without pushing in front of him, [colour=Thistle]"'Ah'm Rebecca. This where all that Ascendancy shites goin' on? Kinda new just off tha' graveyard thing, didn't get ta' do much before gettin' teleported ta' that fackin' beach and shite. D'you's take, like... I donnae' know, apprentices or anythin' like that? Been feelin' like I ain't doin' me part 'ere."[/colour] [center][@Shifter_Master][@Asuras][@Ariamis][/center] [hr] [center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/191106/81e1e3d6fb1ee4ae3c63d8084fda3f2b.png[/img][/center] Thalia [url=http://orig04.deviantart.net/ea20/f/2016/344/f/a/_4k_uhd__ahri_and_snow_by_assassinwarrior-daqo0db.jpg]pulled herself into a hug, rubbing her gloved hands against her shoulders[/url] amidst the cold night of Penrose City. Despite her Fire Specialisation, she had sealed herself into her human disguise, letting herself feel the biting chill, and every shiver as a frigid wind tore clean through her jacket and fleece. The disguise felt unusual, like it didn't fit her properly, even despite the fox ears which emerged from her head - a side effect of her corruption. It had been months since she had bothered to utilise it when going outside. The cold, to her, acted as an anchoring point. Anxiety had wracked her even prior to leaving her most recent lair, which the Meditation Stone Penny had gifted her dealt with, but navigating the streets of Penrose to a store that sold phones while focusing on the polished white stone was beyond her at the best of times. In its absence, Thalia relied on the chill, something distracting from the gnawing in the back of her mind. Something to keep her through the mission without losing control again. When she finally found a store still open in the dead of winter and night, selling the item of her desire, she stood at the entrance, composing herself for a number of minutes. She wasn't going to lose control, she thought to herself, she could do it. In the midst of psyching herself up, Thalia pulled one of her gloves off and stuffed it into a pocket, instantly feeling the numbness on her skin. With her bare hand, she reached into her fleece, where the Meditation Stone was held. Her thumb brushed across its smooth exterior, and her eyes closed, allowing herself to drift into focus and clarity. And with a deep breath, she stepped into the store. Instantly, a blast of warm air exploded from the interior, cutting through her clothes harsher than even the cold wind had managed. Momentarily taken aback, she took another deep breath, and cast her gaze around the room - sparce, filled with few perishable goods and food items, no doubt the effects of the past months events. Thalia hadn't learned much, but from what she had gleaned, things had gotten bad since everyone had vanished. Between natural disasters and The Ascendancy marking their claim, a part of her thanked Dan and his beach resort for keeping her - and The Vixen - away from such prime hunting grounds. She wanted to be rid of it, of [i]her[/i], as quickly as possible. To that end she beelined towards a display of burner phones. She fumbled with the packaging for a second, as her bare hand ran sore and numb with pins and needles from the transition in temperature, but with a seconds composition to calm the trembling along her fingers, she grabbed at the thing, and brought it to the counter - where nobody stood. A tang of anxiety pulsed along her spine, sending a tingle up to the base of her skull, and forcing her hand back into her pocket, to the Meditation Stone she had begun to rely on so heavily since the talk with Penny. It helped, more than she had originally anticipated, and with her eyes closed, she drifted to a centre point. A collective, cumulative 'inside', to her definitive core, and for a moment she was at peace. [b]"-would'ya look at me? If that's everything Broad, it'll be twenty bucks 'ya hear?"[/b] came a voice, severing her connection to the inner point of focus she had attained. Her eyes snapped open, readjusted to the light, and focused on the man who had stepped behind the counter - fairly tall, fairly pale, with a close cut beard and hairstyle, and casual, worn clothing. He seemed annoyed, though not exceptionally so - Thalia couldn't exactly call it unwarranted. She stared for a moment, stunned. That he hadn't bothered to question the set of furry ears atop her head barely came to mind, as her head was flooded with possible responses built up from months of disconnect with conversation. [colour=Silver]"S-sorry, I, uh, sorry, sorry... hold on, l-let me just,"[/colour] she sputtered, pulling off the second glove and reaching into the right pocket on her fleece, to pull out a worn, fabric wallet with a velcro strap. Before leaving, she had returned to the old storage unit she had used to keep her hunting equipment in. For once, she thanked her past self - she had wielded enough foresight to place nearly a two year down-payment on it, and everything had remained as she had left it. The bows, the rifles, and the cache of money she had saved up prior to becoming a Magical Girl. With a slightly trembling hand, she pulled a twenty dollar bill from inside, and handed it to him, [colour=Silver]"Sorry, uh... again. H-have a good evening?"[/colour] The man barely responded as she took her awkward leave, and returned to whatever he had been doing before she arrived. And Thalia, phone in hand, stepped out into the cold once more, pulling at the tight plastic packaging with her teeth and nails, attempting against attempt to force it open. For the first minute, she lost the struggle, but then the thing tore open, sending the phone and everything else in the plastic to scatter into the air. About as dexterous as humanly possible, her hands whipped out to catch the phone itself and sim card, whilst the rest of the plastic and assorted items fell to a puddle in the street beneath her - a single instruction manual among them, quickly overtaken with dirty water. [quote=Unknown Number] Hey Penny, it's Thalia! I got a new phone, and remembered your number and everything! [/quote] Thalia typed out, smiling near ear to ear as she did so. It had been an eternity it felt like since the two of them had texted. If she hadn't known better, she might have felt like nothing had changed at all. [quote=Unknown Number] Hope you don't mind me sending lots of messages? I haven't used a phone in a super long time. It's been even longer since we texted each other on them, so I really wanna catch up with things! [/quote] With a second message send, Thalia took off into the night, heading back to the centre in which her storage unit was held, intending to sleep the night there. A third message already sat typed out in the message box as she walked, but she paused for a moment, and deleted it, to allow Penny the chance to text back first. [center][@Shifter_Master][/center]