[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200228/531aaad07cce420cebc4171a1ddbb87c.png[/img][/center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/z6cC6JC.png[/img] [img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjExNi5lMTE0ZmYuUTJoc2IyVWdTWEoyYVc1bklBLCwuMA,,/btx-ornstein.ornstein.png[/img] [hr] Penny was once again out and about in Downtown Penrose. She had finished up her meeting with Eden and had gone her separate way from Valerie and now found herself sitting on the edge of her favored perch overlooking the city. The destitute nature of the city mixed with winter lended itself to a magnificent view of the stars above with the few still twinkling lights of the city below acting as a partial mirror. It was just a shame that Penny didn’t really see it. She was once again trapped inside her own mind. Her history was once again on display within her mind as each action was dissected leaving all the logic and emotions painstakingly clear for Penny to see. And what she was seeing wasn’t good. [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01000100 01101111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100111 01100101 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01111001 01100101 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101111 01110010 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101011 01100101 01100101 01110000 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101010 01100101 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101001 01110100[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] In this detached state Penny was mostly unaware of what she was doing. This was good seeing as she wasn’t in any real danger, but bad for what it was she had been doing. Every minute for the past while she had sent out a pair of texts unconsciously. One to Chloe and one to Alicia [hider=A̴̷͠l҉̀ic̢í̸͜a̢͞] [quote=P̢̕͡è͟n̸͡n̵͘y͞҉]01001110 01101111 01110100 01000111 01101111 01101111 01100100[/quote] [/hider] [hider=C̶h͜͞l͞oe] [quote=P̢̕͡è͟n̸͡n̵͘y͞҉]I’mfineI’mfineI’mfine[/quote] [/hider] But otherwise she was unmoving trying to not fall apart. Upon receiving the text, Chloe didn't waste any time. Penny was not fine. She knew her little Penny, and that was not what she was. What had happened? Ugh, she shouldn't have let her things out of her sight for even a second! Not missing a single second, Chloe replied swiftly with a text, running out of her own apartment without even a word to Viva. [quote=Chloe][color=violet]“Stay where you are. I'm coming, Penny. I love you.”[/color][/quote] Taking to the skies, Chloe observed the surrounding area, her third eye quickly scanning the skyline for traces of Penny and recalling a few of her spirits to her. Having sentries placed around the city in cases like this proved to be fruitful. Damn it. She grit her teeth. She wasn't sure why her chest was hurting, but she ignored it as she set off for where Penny was. The next text that Alicia received from Penny earned a rapid response. She had been on edge ever since her failure to locate her friend last time, and getting it again merely affirmed it. There was no thought, only action. She would not rest while her friend needed her. Moving through Beacon HQ, she repeated what she had done the last time. But this time she was better prepared, hooking her Scrying artifact up to the teleporter to provide as exact a location as possible. [color=aba000]”Take me to Penny,”[/color] she said aloud before activating the device. In a blaze of light she vanished, shifted across town. Even if she didn’t arrive exactly where Penny was, she would end up close enough that finding her would be easy to manage. [color=aba000]”I’m coming Penny.”[/color] Chloe would get a response almost instantly, yet it was filled with nothing but distorted ones and zero’s. Regardless of who found Penny first the scene would be the same. She would be leaning back on her hands seemingly just enjoying the view of the city. Physically there would be nothing wrong, no obvious injuries or deformations it even looked like she was smiling lightly. Her eyes would tell a different story however as they seemed to be off, burnt black lens blind to the world. Every now and again a hiss of static eminent as a small pulse of electricity would roll off of her lending a charged atmosphere to the otherwise peaceful location, as magically Penny seemed wound as tightly as one could possibly be. Had she more potent magical ability this area would have been hazardous to be at. Thankfully, it didn't take her long to find Penny. It was easy enough to track the magical discharge. Just what in the world had happened? The unpleasant feeling in her chest was suppressed further as she finally laid eyes on her 'girlfriend'. A momentary bit of relief seeing her in one piece. She lowered herself to where Penny was, relief quickly turning to both worry and confusion as she realized that something was very, very, very wrong. [color=violet]“Penny!”[/color] Without even waiting for a response, Chloe landed next to her, kneeling on the ground and gently laying a hand on her shoulder. [color=violet]“Penny...what the hell happened to you? What's wrong, love? Can you hear me?”[/color] She scanned the other magical girl with her third eye, hoping to try and pinpoint some sort of magical wrongness that she could fix with this, going so far as to even observe Penny's soul itself. She was wary of the charged atmosphere, but she didn't care. She wasn't about to let something of hers be in this state. Slowly Penny would turn to face Chloe and light would once again spark within the cyborg’s eyes. [color=9e0039][u][b]“͟Ch҉l͏o͞e?”̡[/b][/u][/color] She would ask softly fear slowly starting to seep through the passive mask she wore. [color=9e0039][u][b]“̕I͞ me̷s͝se͜d ̛up ̡I-”[/b][/u][/color] Lightning would suddenly flare from under Chloe's hand and Penny would flinch as if struck. [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101101 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01110011 01100101 00100001 00100000 01001011 01100101 01100101 01110000 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100001 01110111 01100001 01111001 00100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] Nothing was wrong with Penny at a magical level, at least not inherently, but for some reason it looked like her magic was attacking itself. On a soul level things would be worse. The recent corruption of her soul would be painfully apparent in it’s newness, but that’s not what would catch Chloe’s attention. It would be that Penny’s soul was splintered and battered, looking like it had suffered from these wounds quite some time ago as most of the damage was old. To make things even more bizarre was the fact that her soul wasn’t truly whole it was nearly fractured in half and half of Penny’s soul seemed to switch between trying to wrench itself free or force the other half into submission. Penny would be muttering quietly to herself [color=9e0039][u][b]“I’m̸ ͜fìn͘ę,̸ ̢I’̷m͞ ͝fin̸e̢”[/b][/u][/color] even as she started shaking. [color=violet]“...oh.”[/color] Chloe could only mildly grimace at what she saw, recoiling slightly from the shock. She had to momentarily shut off her third eye, thinking she had finally went completely off the deep end. That was not what it should look like! She knew her souls. She played with them regularly, after all. She could twist, bend, break, meld, fuse...but this? What even was this?! [color=violet]“...what in the seven hells happened to you, Penny?”[/color] Chloe ground her teeth together glaring intently at the other magical girl, merely staring at Penny, going through things in her own head. Damn it! Penny was of no use to her like this! What was a tool if it was broken beyond repair?! It seemed like every time she tried to plan something, someone else fucked it up! Standard fare, really, but she had never expected Penny herself to be the source of this. Useless! That's what Penny was right now, right when she was about to have need of her! Anger began boiling under her skin. Should she leave her here? She was broken, possibly beyond repair. If she did try she might have to delay her own plans even [i]more[/i]. And after she had just staged the perfect little party, too! Urgh! Yet, Penny [i]was[/i] still hers. A broken tool was something that still had use, and well, personal favoritism played a part too, of course. For once, Chloe wasn't sure what she should do. Had it been anyone else but Penny? She'd have probably just snatched their soul and experimented with it, and made sure things went smoothly. But Penny? Well, she was probably the only one of two people that'd make her question herself like this. Ugh damn it. She reactivated her third eye, making certain to carefully observe Penny again for any changes. [color=violet]“Penny. Listen to me, if you can. You are most certainly [i]not[/i] fine and I'm not going to sugar coat it.”[/color] She glanced to the ground, a small hint of uncertainty evident in her voice. [color=violet]“...and to be honest, I don't know if I can help.”[/color] Or wanted too, but there was no need to say that. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I̶ ҉w̕as at͘ta̶cked”[/b][/u][/color] Penny’s answer was automatic and her voice was just a bit flat making it seem like Penny herself wasn’t aware she was answering. [color=9e0039][u][b]“͏I ̴ĺeft ͜t͜h͞e͟ ҉wa̕reh̴ou̢s̕e ͟t͢o͝ ͠t̸ry ͢an͢d̡ heļp ͢with́ ̧the ̢m͟o͢n̷stȩr a͜t͡t͝a̡c͡ks, but̵ ͢r̡an͡ ̷i͠nto a̷ ͟pa̸ck ̡on mons̵t̨e͡rs,͘ we̵a̶kl̕i̵ngs̷ ҉n̢o͢ ̡hard classif̢i̸ca̸tio͘ns.͝ I w̨as ̧fine̢-̴f̧ine-f͠in͝e-́f̡i̵”[/b][/u][/color] she would flich again as the color of her eyes would shift to a crystal blue and her shaking would stop. [color=00aeef][u][i]“Sh̨e҉ w͜a̶s ̛g̷óing͞ ͠t̴o save͝ ͠it̨s͠ heárt ͝fo̧r̸ y̡o̷u! Li͞ke̶ s̛o͞m̢e ̴ki͜n͏d ǫf ̷t̡w̢i̶śted t̕rop̕hy!͜”[/i][/u][/color] She would bark out suddenly as the violent half of her soul seemed to smother the calm half almost as if Penny had undergone a metamorphosis [color=00aeef][u][i]“Do yo͞u ̡s̛ee̛ ͟w̡h̀at I me̛a̴n͝ ̧nów!? ̴This ̵is̶ wh͡a͢t͡ s̕he’s ̴don̴é ͡t͜o u̕s!̷ She̷’s҉ ͞a-̸”[/i][/u][/color] Another flinch as her soul returned to trying to tear itself apart as her eyes return to their dull red. [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01010011 01110100 01100001 01111001 00100000 01000001 01110111 01100001 01111001 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101111 01101101 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=9e0039][u][b]“I k̀i͟llȩd͝ ̨her̀, the͞ ͞ǫne H͡e use҉d̸ ̸to repla͢će̕ ḿe҉ an̷d a͠ssi͟m̕il̀at͘ed h͠er̡ re͏m͡a̵in̸s͠”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would once again be speaking softly as she shook. The seemingly calm part of her soul once again in control [color=9e0039][u][b]“S̸o͠ḿet̵ḩi̵ng̀ w͏ȩn͞t w͘rong a͞n͝d ͢I d͏on’t k͘now̧ ̕why͏ b̨u͘t ͠įt̴ w̸o̧n̛’t̨ go͏ ͘b̨àc̕k ̸to sl̛e̵e͘p a͠n̛d͡ ̛i͜t w̸o̧ņt͞ S̶̴̢͖̟̪̲̹̠̹͓̲͉̘̭̭̗̼͟͞H̷̛͉̞̹̳̯̹̩̰̞̕͘U̧̨͚̺̻̳͟T̨̢̡̝̙͓̪͡ ̸̨̢͎͕͔̭͔͖̝̜͓̰̣͔̕͢Ų̶̵̺͚̺̰̟̣̤͇͓̳͓̗̜̩̀͘P҉͜҉̘̺͍̤̟͚̱!̨̰̟͕̲”[/b][/u][/color] [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01000010 01100101 01100011 01100001 01110101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100110 01110101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01001100 01001001 01010011 01010100 01000101 01001110 00100001 00100000 01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101 01110011 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100011 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110101 01110100 00101101[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] Penny would suddenly be up and pacing [color=9e0039][u][b]“Lies.͢ Lie̛s͘! ̧I’m fi͝ne, ́I͢’m͘ ͝f͟in҉e”͝[/b][/u][/color] the fear was evident in her voice as she repeated those lines like a mantra. Chloe's gaze shifted from mild uncertainty and concern, to a cool glare as Penny...no, that thing responded. [color=violet]“...oh, I see.”[/color] Chloe replied coolly. This was starting to make more sense. [color=violet]“I see, that makes sense now. Penny, my favorite little lost puppy, you should really not eat things you find on the ground, even if you were going to bring me a present.”[/color] Whatever happened had caused Penny's already fractured soul to crack like an egg. Somehow it seemed to have caused a split in her psyche, or perhaps it was already there, and this event simply allowed it to take over. The two halves were now trying to tear themselves apart in a bid for control, and one of them didn't seem very fond of her. A curious endeavor she'd have loved to watch to its inevitable destruction, had it been on anyone else. [color=violet]“I don't know who you are, but you seem to be telling some rather nasty lies to my Penny. I don't care. My Penny wouldn't fall for such things.”[/color] She wasn't talking to Penny now, rather than whatever else this was inside of her. [color=violet]“I'd ask to let's resolve this with as little stress to my Penny as possible, but you don't seem too fond of me even if I could offer a solution to this problem we seem to have.”[/color] It might not be a long term one, but she needed to buy some time to figure out what exactly was wrong in the first place, and who knows, maybe it would work. The frantic pacing came to a dead stop as Penny turned to look at Chloe. The look on her face rapidly shifting through emotions as the two souls seemed to be conversing. After a moment the cool blue drifted back into Penny’s eyes as the other started speaking It’s gaze wasn’t quite hostile but obvious untrusting [color=00aeef][u][i]“Y̴ou'll̸ ͏f̢o͏rgiv͢ȩ m͘e͢ fo͘r ͠t̵he ͞fa̛c͘t that́ ̧Į do͢n'̕t̶ be̡lieve̛ tha͡t̕ ͏y̴o̴u ha͏v̧è ḿy ͏be̡s͘t in͟tere͠st͘s̴ ͠at͠ hea̷rt͢. ͟That͟ ̢said ̸yo͢u ar̴ę curr̡ent͘ly th͞e͏ only ̕S͞pir͢it͜ ͠ma̡g̷e ͘in̛ ̛t̛ḩe̕ ́c͢i̸t҉y̛ I ̸kn̕ow ͢of̀ s҉o͏ ͜I̡'m͞ ̢w͜i̸l̀l҉ing ͞t̡o̶ lis̶t̡en̕ ̧t̡o̢ w͜h҉a̛t ̕yo͝ų h̵av̶é to͡ ̴óff̵er.͟”[/i][/u][/color] As it spoke the magic within Penny surged for a moment before calming down rather notably. [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000 00101100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=violet]“That's a good girl.”[/color] The spirit mage replied with a small frown. Good, this thing was at least willing to listen to reason and talk. Ugh, why couldn't this have been something she could have just beat to death? She didn't like feeling this...uncertain and out of control. [color=violet]“...however, before I say anything, I need to know what exactly it is you want.”[/color] Chloe said with a light huff. [color=violet]“I'm not a miracle worker. I'm not going to waste time if what you want is completely absurd. Nor am I going to do anything that would hurt Penny. Understand?”[/color] She definitely felt like she understood the situation, but...a subtle pang of uncertainty was still present in her chest. How far was this going to set her back? Would Penny still be able to do what she wanted? [color=00aeef][u][i]”̧A̸t ̶least̴ ̴y̕ou̧ ҉ar̨e͝ w͟ill͠ìng̀ to ̴pret́e͘n̴d to̧ ça͘re ͠fo͠r ̕t̢hat wh͜ic̀h̸ yo̧u͏ ҉cl͞aim͞”[/i][/u][/color] it would exclaim shaking its head. [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01001001 00100000 01110100 01101111 01101100 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01101101 01100101[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] They would make a motion as if they were brushing away something before continuing on [color=00aeef][u][i]“͝W̨h͞a̵t̵ ̡I͢ w̵ant̀ is͡ f͘or he͘r ̀t̶o l͞is͟t̸e̕n ̴tǫ ̸r̸ea̸s̨ơn,̨ but ͢th͡a͝t͜’s not g̴o͏įng̀ ̷to͜ happen͝,҉ ̸e҉sp͡e͝c̸iall̢y̧ ͟sińc͞e ̕yòu ͘sho̴w͘eḑ ̛u͝p fi̢rst.”͠[/i][/u][/color] They turned to scan the surrounding sky for a moment as they continued to speak [color=00aeef][u][i]“I ẁo͢ul̢d a̷cqu̸ie̡s̸ce to͢ b͘e̷i̢ng̶ g̕i̷ve̵n҉ t̷im͝e ͠tò pr̢o̕ve my p̡oiņt b̕ut ͘I ͠k͞n͜o̕w ýou ̡wo̶u̧ĺdn’t҉ ̵aļĺo͠w̵ t̕h̵at҉ ̡Chl͜oe͞ so͠ ̛I͞ g͞uęs͡s ͞w͏ha̵t͏ ͏I̷ ͏wa͜nt is ͜oưt͡.”̕[/i][/u][/color] [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01010111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110000 01101100 01100001 01101110 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00111111[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] It was at that moment that Alicia arrived. She burst out from below, wings carrying her upwards in her haste. There had been some difficulties with the teleporter, and she had not realized how high up Penny was until just now. [color=aba000]”I’m here Penny,”[/color] she called as she landed in a crouch. [color=aba000]”I came as soon as I got your message. What is-”[/color] Then she saw Chloe. Her face darkened, the makings of a scowl present as she walked towards the duo. Bad enough what had happened during the vacation. But for her to be here, now? This was starting to look less like chance and more like conspiracy. [color=aba000]”You. What did you do.”[/color] She glared at Chloe. If something was wrong, it was likely her fault after all. [color=00aeef][u][i]”Aļicia͠, gla̷ḑ y͞ou͡ ̨c͡ơúld͏ ̢ma̷ke̛ ͟it”[/i][/u][/color] The other would speak visibly relaxing for the first time. Before flinching [color=9e0039][u][b]“-o͏t ̵her ̶fa͏u̵l͜t! ̕I̡t wa̕s ̧m̢i͠n̨e! ̴Sh̴e͝’s t̢r̷yi̴n͘g to ͡h̶el͏p!”̛[/b][/u][/color] [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01000010 01100101 00100000 01110001 01110101 01101001 01100101 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000001 01101100 01101001 01100011 01101001 01100001 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101111 01110010 01110100 01101000 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01101110 00100000 01000011 01101000 01101100 01101111 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01100101 01110110 01100101 01110010 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100101 01101110[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=9e0039][u][b]“N͏O! ̨Th̡àt̡ is̡ n̵ot͞ ̷tr̷u͟e͏!”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would scream, once again in control, though obviously not in a good state. She was shaking badly and held her head in both hands [color=9e0039][u][b]“Y͡o̴u. Yoư'͡re̵ ͜t̶ry͠íng̡ to̵ g̵e͏t r̕i͞d̕ ͠of ̕he͢r!̧”[/b][/u][/color] and the calm within Penny passed with both halves once again started fighting viciously for control. [color=violet]“Tch, and I had them calm...!”[/color] Things had been going so well, too well, of course. Another annoyance showed up. Chloe shifted her attention to the beacon girl, visibly irritated herself. [color=violet]“I was wondering if you'd be joining us here. Of course, you’d blame me for this.I’m a naughty girl, but not everything is my fault.”[/color] Chloe replied glaring at Alicia with nothing but contempt. This was the floozy that was trying to take her Penny away from her. As far as she was concerned, this whole thing was just the culmination of Beacons meddling...but pointing fingers for now, would solve nothing. [color=violet]“...which further cements my thoughts on the matter.”[/color] Chloe sighed, glancing back over to Penny with a frown. [color=violet]“But before we both go pointing fingers to who is at fault for Penny's condition, know that I had nothing to do with it, and have no desire whatsoever to see her in this state.”[/color] It took all the effort that Alicia had to not roll her eyes. It seemed she wasn’t lying about not being the cause, but that didn’t mean anything. She could have pushed it to happen indirectly, and there was no doubt that Chloe would try to take advantage of it regardless. She would have to keep on her guard. [color=aba000]”Yeah, I’m sure,”[/color] she grumbled before turning to face Penny. Eyes widened at the back and forth conversation. She could only understand half of it, but what she heard was not making her feel any better. What had happened, how had things gotten this bad? It had only been a day since they had seen each other, where had it gone wrong? After a moment she offered a hand to her friend. [color=aba000]”Come on, let’s go back to HQ. Me and Sylvia worked things out with the Ascendancy. We can work through this together. That’s what Beacon is about, never having to be alone. Right?”[/color] Penny was broken out of her episode by Alicia stepping forward, but the look on her face was one the light user had never seen before, one of fear and of being hopelessly lost. The dim red glow within the girls eyes was frantic and confused. [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01001001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01001001 00100111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100101 01101110 00100000 01110100 01110010 01111001 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01100101 01101100 01101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110 00100000 01000001 01101100 01101001 01100011 01101001 01100001 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101000 01100101 01101100 01110000 00100000 01110101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110100 01110010 01110101 01110011 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=9e0039][u][b]”Ch͜lo̕e!.͜.̴.̵ ̷Ch̷l͡o͘e ͜yóu͞ ͢s͞a̧i҉d̨ yo̴ư ha͢d a͡n ҉id̨e҉a ŕi̧g̀ht̨? Ơn how̢ t҉o f͝i̵x͏ ͢t̢h͡įs? W͢h̷at..͠.͏ ̢W͝h̀at w͟as̴ ̶it?̶”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would ask her gaze flickering back and forth between the two girls in front of her, looking torn between staying and running. [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01010111 01100101 00100000 01100100 01101111 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01100011 01101000 00100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=violet]“I know you like meddling in peoples love affairs, but try not to agitate her will you.”[/color] Chloe replied with a sigh to Alicia. [color=violet]“She's not in a good state and her soul is currently trying to destroy itself. Any agitation is only going to make it worse.”[/color] The dark magical girl shifted her gaze from Alicia to Penny, still wearing a somewhat troubled frown. [color=violet]“Like I said when I first got here...I don't know if I actually can, but I'm certainly going to try, so if miss beacon butt over here will let me explain for a second so we're all on the same page. Her being here may be able to help, as loathe as I am to admit.”[/color] Chloe allowed herself to relax slightly as she spoke. [color=violet]“Penny's soul seems to currently be trying to kill itself.”[/color] She began simply. [color=violet]“I'm not going to point fingers here, but it's likely because of the repeated corruption and cleansing of her soul. Her soul seems to have already been quite...stressed.”[/color] She cast a glance over to the mechanical girl with a frown. [color=violet]“There are quite a few old scars on it that I can only guess came from that old patron of hers.”[/color] The spirit mage slowly shifted her gaze back over to Alicia, a cool glare forming on her features, but said nothing. It was easy to tell who she'd blame for this, if she had the luxury. [color=violet]“It seems similar to what happens when someone first becomes a magical girl and then their soul gets split. The only difference is that they both get a body, and are both either corrupted or 'pure'”[/color] Chloe summoned her orb, sighing lightly as it slowly hovered behind her. [color=violet]“In Penny's case, neither seems to be true. I'm completely guessing here...but one half of the soul is what beacon would call corrupt, the other half likely has that wretched spark of yours – the two can't seem to reconcile something, so they are fighting each other.”[/color] Chloe's expression didn't change once as she spoke, the orb simply floating behind her and rotating slowly. [color=violet]“Which is why going to beacon is not a good idea. They'd likely simply exacerbate the problem by flooding her with that 'purity' of yours to remove whatever the corruption is. Trying to forcibly get rid of one or the other might be short sighted and harm things in the long run. I think, if you can get your pretty face out of your cute ass for a second and believe that I'm not out to get anyone at the moment, the optimal solution here would be to give both their own separate bodies, but the only problem is well...where to find an empty vessel suitable. Alternatively, find a way for the two halves to reconcile, but I wouldn’t know where to begin with that since the one with the spark seems to hate me.”[/color] There were...a few other problems that might present itself if she were to do a certain thing, but she could explain that in a moment. Holding her tongue for a moment, Alicia still wore a scowl as her fingers tapped a drumbeat on her upper forearm. She might not like Chloe, but when it came down to it she was not the one who had resorted to personal insults first. That was at least a small point in her favor. [color=aba000]’Right, how dare I assume that a Dark Magical Girl has an agenda. It’s not like you haven’t already run off with other Beacon members as your back and call,”[/color] she snapped back. It might have been months in the real world, but she had not forgotten about Divina and her association with Chloe. But she returned to Penny again, arms still folded over her chest as she tried to draw her friend’s attention back to her. [color=aba000]“Okay, even if she’s right about the cause, Beacon is a global organization. With the resources that we have, I’m sure we can find a way to help you without making the situation worse. Just like all the upgrades, or getting away from Laat. You just have to give us the opportunity to help, Penny.[/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“̨Tḩat̨’͟s̢-”[/b][/u][/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“Wha͟t͞ I wàş ҉tr͠y͢įng ͝t̀o̧ do͏.̛ I͢t̢’s͟ why̷ I ̴se̡nt yo̡u͜ tha͜t͞ te͘xt ̕ear͞lie͞r.”[/i][/u][/color] The transition between the two halves was much smoother for the moment, the core issue was far from being solved but Chloe had offered them at least a rallying point to work together for the time being. They both despised Laat, and if this was his fault then, they were willing to work together simply to spite him. [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01000001 01101100 01101001 01100011 01101001 01100001 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101 01110011 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01110011 01101110 01101001 01110000 01110000 01111001 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01011001 01100101 01100001 01101000 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01000011 01101000 01101100 01101111 01100101 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101 01110011 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110101 01100011 01101000 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100010 01101001 01110100 01100011 01101000[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=00aeef][u][i]“̴I͢ ͟w͏ant̛ ҉to go to B̀e̷a͠c͏on̵ ̢f̀ór ̀the r̛ȩc̷o̶rd. ̨A̴l͢i̡cįa yo͢u͞ ̸h͡a͟ve̕ mo͢r̨e҉ ̸t҉ha̡n ͞d͏one̸ ̨en͞ou͡gh͜ ̸t͠o̵ ea͘rn o̢u͏r t̴r̛us̢t ͠an͞d̕ ̕l҉ǫya͞ļty.”̷[/i][/u][/color] The blue eyed and visibly agitated half would say firmly [color=9e0039][u][b]“̨B͡u̕t͢ I͢ ͢w̴a̴nt ͝to g͏o̴ w̡i̕th͘ ͠Ch͏l͜o̸e̸,҉ Y̶o̴u’ve͟ ́al͘w͜ay̛ś be͜ęn̶ t͢h͞e͢ŕe ̛f̢or m̡e e̢v͏e͘n ͝a̢t ͢my̢ da҉r̡kest ̷mo͡m͝e̷nts, I ̢k̵now ̵yo̸u͘’̕ll̕ ̴d̢o ͢w̧h́a͡t͠ y̶ou ̨c̛an̛ tǫ ḩe̕lp ̢once̕ ̨m̢or͘e”[/b][/u][/color] The red eyed one would say affectionately even as it still trembled. [color=00aeef][u][i]“Àn͜d”[/i][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“tha̸t̀”[/b][/u][/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“see͠m̧s”[/i][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“tơ”[/b][/u][/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“b̶e͟”[/i][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“t̵he”[/b][/u][/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“corȩ”[/i][/u][/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“dis̸agr͞e͡em̶e̶nt͠”[/b][/u][/color] they would say together with varying levels of annoyance. [color=9e0039][u][b]“I̷ wo͏uld͏n̶’t ̴min̶d gettiņg śome ̀t̴im̶e ͠awa̶y ̨fr̷om̕ them҉”[/b][/u][/color] Red would say crossing her arms over her chest with a pout [color=00aeef][u][i]“An̸d́ too͝ ͡that̀ ̵en̷d a ͘n̶ew ̵ves͡s҉el̛ f̴o͠r̷ ḿę w̧ou͜ldn’̸t ̧be͏ ás͏ compl̨i͝c̡ated͞ as͞ ̷y͝ou ҉th̢in͟k͠”[/i][/u][/color] Blue would reply with a sigh as she glanced around the rooftop obviously looking for something. The fact that at least, she could get both of the Penny's to listen to her on some level instead of this beacon bitch was a relief. [color=violet]“See? That's a good girl, listening to-”[/color] Chloe coughed, placing a hand over her mouth. [color=violet]“Right, right. So...you, whoever you are. If you're willing to cooperate in that regard, then I suppose I can too...but I'm not going to be letting you out of my sight until I'm certain this is sufficiently dealt with.”[/color] [color=violet]“What about you, then?”[/color] Chloe placed her hands on her hips, frowning at Alicia. She almost wanted her to disagree and try and start something just so she could have an excuse to relieve some stress. Watching Penny and doing her best to parse between the two individuals inside of her, Alicia quickly picked up on what her intended solution was as Penny looked around the rooftop. [color=aba000]”Well, I guess there isn’t much choice if that’s the only way you can see to solve your current issue,”[/color] she conceded. [color=aba000]”It should be pretty easy for them.”[/color] Personally she hoped that the wish could be used to simply fix this issue, but that seemed unlikely at this point. Oh well. As if she needed to be reminded, Chloe spoke up again. And while Alicia was willing to accept Penny in this division plan, or whatever, there was no way in hell she was trusting Chloe as far as she could throw her. [color=aba000]”There is no way I’m letting you walk away from this like nothing happened. Even if you’re not responsible, you’ve still done a lot that you need to be held accountable for,”[/color] she shot back as her fists clenched. [color=aba000]”Give me one good reason why I should let her go with you rather than putting you down now and probably saving a lot more people by doing it.”[/color] [color=violet]“Because doing so would upset Penny more, and neither of us wants that?”[/color] Chloe said with a harrumph. [color=violet]“It's almost like you [i]want[/i] to distress her more than she already is.”[/color] The dark magical girl giggled with a dismissive, nonchalant shrug. [color=violet]“But I suppose such selfishness fits you. Such a shame it's wasted on a beacon cutie like you.”[/color] With a glance towards Penny, Chloe frowned again. She hoped this was going to be worth the headache. [color=violet]“...but if you need a reason, perhaps I can make a deal. There's a certain...party going on soon, and I may know where it’s being held at. You let me go I can tell you where it is.”[/color] While Alicia and Chloe… discussed the situation Penny wandered off to a different part of the roof for a moment. When she came back, she was carrying one of the roof mounted AC units. Which she quickly started to strip down into base components. Her eyes and mannerisms kept flickering back and forth between the two different ones and every now and the occasional growl could be heard coming from the girl as she worked. [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01000011 01101000 01101100 01101111 01100101 00100000 01101000 01101111 01101110 01100101 01110011 01110100 01101100 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01101011 01110011 00100000 01001001 00100000 01110111 01100001 01101110 01110100 00100000 01100001 01101110 01111001 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100100 01101111 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01010011 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 01110011 00100000 01110101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01110101 01101110 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01000001 01101100 01101001 01100011 01101001 01100001[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] Alicia would get a text shortly after Penny started on her work. [hider=Alicia] [quote=Pen̸ny]I̵ a̛m̧ [i]not̷[/i] g̢o̶in̢g wi̛t҉h̵ he̶r҉ unless you want me to spy on her and my o͝the҉r ̢haĺf.[/quote] [/hider] Holding back an annoyed huff of her own as Chloe countered her words, Alicia did not back down. [color=aba000]”She’d also be more distressed if you started murdering innocent people. And your body count isn’t exactly small up to this point.”[/color] To say that she was skeptical of Chloe’s ability to change was a monumental understatement. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of remorse there. For a moment she was distracted as Penny returned with an AC unit and began to disassemble it. Was she...making a second body? How was that even going to work? Well, who was she to argue with the tech magic. Though the text was received, Alicia merely glanced at it. She had other things vying for her attention right now. And to be honest, it just made no sense in the first place. Instead, she returned to Chloe and the offer that had been made. [color=aba000]”I know you don’t care enough to see a difference, but I’m not the Ascendancy. One piece of short term information for something that….however long this is going to end up being a thing, it’s not good enough. Now if you happened to know, say, where Vi-chan was hiding out, or where Cindy’s been keeping herself hidden, that I’d be more open to.”[/color] [color=violet]“Unlike you, Penny understands my situation. My patron isn't exactly nice, and if left to their own devices, Penrose would have burned by now.”[/color] Chloe replied with a huff, running over the counter offer in her head. [color=violet]“But fine. I might know where both of them are, but why would I tell you? What would you do with them if I told you?”[/color] Chloe asked. [color=violet]“I may not like Cindy a whole lot, and Vi-Chan is a fun distraction every now and then, but I'd rather not have potentially useful people die on me. If it wasn’t for Vi-Chan girls like me wouldn’t have the slightest bit of...shall we say, hope, since the Ascendancy moved in. If you can assure me you’re not going to kill or imprison them, I may feel inclined to tell you where Vi is.”[/color] [color=9e0039][u][b]“Th̛e ̵ḑra҉gon s҉oug̡ht ͜o̸u͘t Laat͝”[/b][/u][/color] Penny would say as, true to Alicia’s assumption, she started to fashion the AC unit into a rough approximation of a body [color=9e0039][u][b]“That is is if you want to take the bastards word for it”[/b][/u][/color] She said her disdain for her Ex-patron dripping off every word and her voice crystal clear. They both hated Laat. [color=00aeef][u][i]“S̀t̨il̴l̴ ͘He ̵ćl͘aim̡ed ͘th҉ey̢ we̕r҉e ͟w̷orķing͢ ̴to͘w͢ards̵ ͠a̡ co͏m͟mon go͡al,enơu͜gh͢ ͢r̷e͏ason̵ ̕to͡ be wa͜ry ͞of͝ ̴h͏im”[/i][/u][/color] Neither halves wanted to bring up that they knew where Cindy was, for distinctly opposite reasons, so they chose to remain silent on that topic. A glance flickered over to Penny as she mentioned that Cindy had sought out Laat, before returning to Chloe. She was obstinate, but that was good. It meant that Alicia was on the right track to at least disrupting some scheme or other. That would be a worthwhile trade, if she was to go along with this. [color=aba000]”You’d tell me so it doesn’t end up being you in a few minutes,”[/color] she answered, doing her best to keep a straight face. [color=aba000]”Unlike the Ascendancy I don’t care that much about the party, so just offering that doesn’t mean much. But if you’re so determined, I’m willing to be flexible. Say, if you knew anything useful about Mariette.”[/color] [color=violet]“Who now?”[/color] Chloe replied to Alicia's next question. [color=violet]“Just because I'm a dark magical girl, doesn't mean I am automatically involved with all of beacons troubles or enemies.”[/color] She replied with a huff. This was getting them nowhere, and she was tired of it. There was at least one more thing she could offer. [color=violet]“But maybe I can do you one better. Veronica, know of her? I happen to be somewhat close with her, heh.”[/color] She said with a light giggle, remembering their particularly close encounter at the beach. [color=violet]“I don't know what Beacon thinks of her, but I doubt you two will get along forever. I might be able to give you info on her.”[/color] Chloe’s confusion earned a shrug. [color=aba000]”Never hurts to ask,”[/color] Alicia conceded. Oh well, she would just have to focus on something else. But information on Mariette would have been useful. As it stood, it seemed that Chloe did have something after all. She had heard the name mentioned back in the vacation dimension. Something about splitting off from the Mint and a non-hostility pact. Ostensibly they were at levels of ‘not getting in each others way’, but that was before they came back to the Ascendancy. Who knew if it would hold. [color=aba000]”I’m interested,”[/color] she conceded after a few moments. In lieu of the other things, it would be good enough. [color=violet]“Oh good.”[/color] Chloe replied with a sigh. [color=violet]“Looks like you can be reasonable.”[/color] Small victories, but this did present a new problem. She wasn't quite sure how difficult Veronica was going to be to get info on. Well, no need to think about it too much. She'd deal with it in the future. [color=violet]“...I'm surprised you’re willing to trust me, considering how much you seem to hate me.”[/color] Chloe mused, a small smirk forming on her lips. [color=violet]“I'll chalk it up to my cuteness finally getting to you, fufufu. I'll bring you something eventually. The Mint at least, taught me to see my work through to the end if nothing else.”[/color] This time Alicia did allow herself the luxury of smirking as Chloe made a comment about her method in relation to this madness. [color=aba000]”Oh, I don’t. But I have a few reasons that I think you’re being sincere,”[/color] she confirmed with a shrug. A finger rose. [color=aba000]”One, considering Penny is currently making a small version of herself right now I think she plans on splitting herself, or something. Carving your soul in half probably isn’t a convenient thing, so if she ever wants to put herself back together you’ll have to come find her and me.”[/color] And in that case, Chloe would have to come in punching range if she lied. A second finger rose. [color=aba000]”Even if you don’t, the Penny who doesn’t like you would probably be more than willing to help us track you down if we have to.”[/color] And finally, a third. [color=aba000]”And if it comes down to it I can always tell Veronica that you were willing to sell her out. I wouldn’t be lying, and as a former Mint Broker I’m sure she has plenty of painful ways to get even with those who get on her bad side.”[/color] After a moment she extended that same hand. [color=aba000]”Shake on it?”[/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“A͟l͏i͟c͠ia͝”[/i][/u][/color] Penny would call out [color=00aeef][u][i]“Wh̀e͢n ̴you h͢a͟v̨e͝ a̕ m̧òm͘ent ͏I̧ ̴ńee͞d you͘ ͢t͠o ̕pu̴rif̵y̸ t͠h̢i̧s”[/i][/u][/color] She would say tapping on the basic robot skeleton she had constructed. The following step was going to be painful enough as is, hopefully a quick purification would make the transition smoother. [i][color=9e0039][sub][sub]01010111 01100101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00100000 01100100 01101111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100101[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [i][color=00aeef][sub][sub]01101001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01101111 01110010 00100000 01110111 01100101 00100000 01100011 01110010 01100001 01110011 01101000 00100000 01100001 01100111 01100001 01101001 01101110 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110101 01101110 01110100 01101001 01101100 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110101 01110011 00100000 01100010 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101011 01110011[/sub][/sub][/color][/i] [color=violet]“Fuuu, quite the shrewd one, aren't you?”[/color] Aaaah, she really wanted to just gut this beacon girl here and feed her to Lucy, but patience, patience. Chloe reached forward with a hand, swiftly grabbing Alicia's and giving it a firm, hard, shake. [color=violet]“Then we have a deal. Hopefully It doesn't come back to bite you, fufufu. Or maybe I will anyways, just for fun.”[/color] [color=aba000]”I have my moments,”[/color] Alicia replied. Without answering the following comment, she stepped forward and met Chloe’s handshake with her own firm grip. She was an Archer after all, so her hands did not lack for muscle strength. That, in turn, may have caused the contact to linger a bit longer than it needed to as they felt each other out. Turning, she walked over to the new body. [color=aba000]”Alright,”[/color] she said after examining the object. Extending a hand and touching the cool metal, she began to channel her light magic. [color=aba000]”This may take a couple minutes.”[/color] [color=00aeef][u][i]“Take ýo͢uŗ tim͞e, I a͘m ͏t͏r͟yįn͘g t̵o͡ ̧le͢ss̨e̶n ̢the͢ like̴li͞h̢ood ̨o҉f th̢e Spar̀k͡ r̶eje̕c̶ting ̀it͘ ̡whén̢ ͘I ̷get m̕ǫv̡e̸d̨ ̴over̕”[/i][/u][/color] She would say before moving off to the side to let Alicia focus on her work. This move would have her sitting near move to sit near Chloe and for a moment she was content to let the silence between them but [color=00aeef][u][i]“Y͘o͟u̷ s͜ùre that̀ ̵y͢ou ̡can ͜pul͝l u̕s͞ ̧a̸p̡ar̶t̨?”[/i][/u][/color] She would ask plainly, blue eyes still watching the shell that would house her for sometime [color=9e0039][u][b]“Ánd͘ is th̢er͘e͟ ̕an̡yth̀i͞n͟g we can̢ ̴dǫ t͢o̡ ͠help̢?͝”[/b][/u][/color] she was absently picking at the roof as she sat, it was easy to tell she was nervous now if one looked for it. [color=violet]“Of course I can.”[/color] Chloe replied with a huff. She wasn't still sure how to feel. Penny was a valuable asset, and she'd need to see exactly how she'd change after this split. [color=violet]“Though, ideally I'd just delete you so you wouldn't bother us again, but I'm willing to make compromises if it means less harm to Penny.”[/color] Chloe glanced over towards Alicia as she went about purifying that makeshift body. She almost wanted to do something to it. [color=violet]“The only thing you need to do is make it easy on me. I can rip and tear easily, but this is going to require a more surgical precision to make sure I don't leave half of you in one body and half in the other. So I need as little fighting as possible, got it? If anything goes wrong, I will be saving Penny, and Penny only, so don't do anything stupid.”[/color] Operating on a still living and breathing human would be...probably the most difficult thing she had done, but perhaps this would be good practice for future endeavors. Blue would scoff quietly, but nod in understanding regardless. They would sit there quietly as they waited for Alicia to finish her work, yet they weren't simply doing nothing as there would be the occasional pulse of magic coming from them. Coins were being spent to empower them. In the hope that the magic inherent in the Coins would increase the malleability of their soul while also reinforcing it so limit the chance of things going wrong. After several minutes Alicia stepped back, gesturing to the newly constructed form as a glow faded away. [color=aba000]”Alright.. It’s as pure as it’s going to be on short notice. Do whatever it is you plan to do.”[/color] She still wasn’t entirely content, but if it was what Penny wanted then so be it. [color=violet]“This is going to hurt. A lot, probably.”[/color] Chloe stated. [color=violet]“Lay next to the other body. The shorter distance I have to work the better. And I don't want any distractions, Alicia.”[/color] As soon as everyone was in position, Chloe began her work. Activating her third eye, she reached for Penny's soul. Such a fragile, beautiful thing. Suppressing a desire to play with it, Chloe pulled it gently towards her, reaching towards it and gently wrapping her hands around it. A small 'cut' here another there. Cutting apart the weakest spots at first was easy. Considering Penny's already weakened state, this was an easy task. What she was trying to avoid, was any further potential scarring to it. Smooth out some of them, heal it over. This would continue for a few minutes. Finally, with one final snip the two halve split apart. Chloe quickly took the 'spark' and shove it in the mechanical body. With a few quick hand motions, she tied the newly fractured soul to its new home. A final check to make sure Penny was safe, and it was done. With a final flare of light it would be done. Where before Penny had been one, now she stood as two. On the surface they looked like identical twins but It was easy to tell them apart. After all one of them was composed entirely out of [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8d/0b/5f/8d0b5f589bce7e020de0b7921d7e1d85.jpg]metal[/url] and mechanical parts, while the other was flesh and [url=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/63/d0/54/63d05422493c8576a7c5a6f933720dda.jpg]blood[/url]. [color=C76689][b]”That… hurt”[/b][/color] The human Penny would say between gulps of air. [color=C76689][b]“But... you’re finally out of my head”[/b][/color] She would say as she sat up. [color=4F8092][u]“Agreed”[/u][/color] The robotic Penny would say as she staggered to her feet [color=4F8092][u]“Maybe now I’ll be able to actually deal with some of the baggage we’ve built up”[/u][/color] [color=C76689][b]“I was handling it just fine”[/b][/color] [color=4F8092][u]“Bullshit and we both know it”[/u][/color] Rather than continue sniping at her downed half the machine Penny would carefully walk over to Alicia. [color=4F8092][u]“I’m ready to leave when you are. We have a lot to talk about.”[/u][/color] The Human Penny would force herself to a stand before walking over to hug Chloe. [color=C76689][b]“Come on Love, let's go home I think we’re done here”[/b][/color] At last it was over. Alicia let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding in as the two confirmed that they were seemingly in one piece. It looked like Chloe was good to her word. There was a slight wince at the human Penny calling Chloe ‘love’, but after a moment she turned to the one who had approached her instead. [color=aba000]”Yeah, let’s get going before I change my mind.[/color] That last part was grumbled, and she offered her companion a steadying arm if she wanted it before departing the rooftop. [color=violet]“Haa, that was fun.”[/color] Chloe sighed as Penny waltzed over and hugged her. [color=violet]“Feeling alright? I need to do some...attunements. I can't leave your soul completely scarred like that, and well, we have things to talk about.”[/color] She watched Alicia and the other Penny leave. Rude, didn't even thank her. [color=violet]“But we can save that until after we get home and you rest a bit.”[/color] Chloe scooped up Penny in her arms and left the rooftop.