[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/t3kp4zp.png[/img][/center] Amaryllis walked into the Virtuous Pie, dressed in a puffy coat and a long skirt. Striding up to the counter, she looked the cashier right in the eye and said, [color=778899]“H-hello, I’m looking for a Valerie Herztein? I heard she worked here…”[/color] Yeah, there was no way she could sustain this sort of confidence in real life, huh. “Welcome to Virtuous Pie!” The cashier, who was a pretty young woman with long pink hair, immediately greeted Amaryllis upon her arrival; her uniform seemed to accentuate her figure, the top button unbuttoned to show a hint of cleavage, while her skin was unblemished and clean, her eyes a brilliant green. She blinked at the mention of the name, and her lips curled into a surprised circle. “Oh, Valerie Herztein? Umm...I’m not sure, hehe. I’ll need to check with the employee registry in the back. Just a minute~” She then walked to the back, closing the door behind her. About five minutes later, she returned, her previous wavering look now replaced with all smiles. “Miss Herztein did work here for awhile, but she quit a month ago.” [color=778899]“Oh, uh, really?” A month ago?”[/color] Amaryllis could have sworn that they were at the Beach Dimension as well, and it hadn’t even been a week yet since she returned. [color=778899]“Would you happen to know why she quit? I’ve been out of town for the last few months, and she hasn’t been responding to her cellphone and all, so...yeah. Trying to find her…”[/color] The cashier started to look annoyed. "I don't know. Maybe she stole from the cash register and quit before she was found, or something like that? Look, are you gonna order anything or just yap about some gone girl?" [color=778899]“Uh...huh.”[/color] Amaryllis scanned over the menu for a moment, one hand pressing against her stomach. She hadn’t had much to eat anyways, considering how late it was at night. From monster-hunting, to Mariette-talking, to this, all the social stuff was making her much hungrier than she thought. Her Sword, though it was no longer in her hand, still bothered her in her mind as well, poking and prodding for more opportunities to kill. That cashier looked like a good midnight snack, after all… The bespectacled girl shook her head. [color=778899]“Oh, I’ll take the Brussel Sprouts Slaw, the Street Corn and Superfunghi pizzas, Blue Cheese dipping sauce on the side, and...your Tiger Pint ice cream, two scoops.”[/color] Really, with the evacuation and Penrose’s condition, it didn’t really look like there was anyone else in the shop anyways...so she may as well help them move their stock. Felt like she was always hungry these days though. “Coming right up!” The cashier responded, looking relieved that the girl gave up on her questioning. She went to the kitchen, leaving Amaryllis alone. With the waitress gone, Amaryllis began to pace the restaurant, alert not for any misplaced objects, but rather for her Sword to pick up any sort of familiar or unfamiliar scent, magical or otherwise. In some ways, it would be nice if she got lucky and stumbled across a big find, but even being able to rule out this particular location as an important one in their investigations was useful: the less places they had to consider, the better. So she continued to pace around, feigning boredom as she allowed her Patron to do its work. The Sword, once it was allowed to fully manifest, soon picked up a familiar magical scent from the back of the restaurant; it was Valerie’s. The Sword also detected at least two different sources; both of them had a corrupted tinge to them, suggesting the presence of dark magical girls. When one of them came closer Amaryllis desummoned her sword; she saw that the scent belonged to the cashier, who had returned with Amaryllis’ order. “Here you go: Brussel Sprouts Slaw, Street Corn, Superfunghi pizzas, Blue Cheese dipping sauce on the side, and Tiger Pint ice cream with two scoops.” [color=778899]“Ah, thanks,”[/color] Amaryllis said. [color=778899]“By the way, how’s the Mint?”[/color] The girl froze, her eyes widened and her body shaken. However, despite her brief lapse in balance, she kept hold of the numerous plates, showing off athletic ability beyond normal humans. “Oh, ah...Sorry, we don’t sell breath mints here.” She continued smiling, but her eyes told a different story; they looked intensely at Amaryllis, as if she was trying to gauge her true nature. She placed the plates on a tray and offered it to her. “So, here’s your order~” After Amaryllis took the tray, she lifted a hand up to her ear. “Oh, please excuse me.” She then turned, and exited to the back room. [color=778899]“Mm, unfortunate.”[/color] The bespectacled girl blinked, before drawing in a deep breath. Seating herself and placing all the trays down, she manifested her Sword once more, leaning it against the table. Calm. All she had to do was stay calm. She was a Knight now, even if she still appeared just a girl. And as her Sword stuck needles in her arms, alerting her to the proximity of the two traces it sensed, Amaryllis began to partake in her meal, relishing every bite. The cashier soon returned, back to holding her post behind the counter. However, Amaryllis could tell from the corner of her vision that she was occasionally glanced at while she was eating, the other girl purposefully sneaking peeks every once in a while. Food was food, that was for sure, and after taking it slow at the beginning, Amaryllis quickly picked up the pace of her consumption. Her ice cream was going to melt otherwise. Polishing things off with a glass of water, she allowed everything in her stomach to sit for a moment, before she stood up again. [color=778899]“Thanks again,”[/color] she said, striding up to the counter to pay. [color=778899]“And stay safe, please. Feel like there’s been nothing but trouble going around Penrose these days.”[/color] “Thank you, come again~” The cashier cheerfully responded with a polite bow. With that, Amaryllis left the restaurant, her canvas-wrapped Sword click-clacking against the linoleum as she circled the perimeter of the building. She spotted a shadowy figure on a distant rooftop, jumping to another. However, as she started to pursue the mysterious runner, she heard a strange sound coming from above her, resembling a whirling buzzsaw mixed with a bat’s screech. She managed to parry the spinning, bladed projectile that was launched at her, and it struck a car, causing the car alarm to blare. She then saw the [url=https://i.imgur.com/35fcgks.jpg]attacker[/url] on the rooftop of the Virtuous Pie. “Sorry, but you know too much. Nothing personal,” she stated, and jumped over Amaryllis to a rooftop blocking the route to the mysterious runner. She lifted her hand up, and the scythe-like projectile ripped itself off from the car, flying back up to her. Amaryllis’s hands were still numb from deflecting that immensely powerful blow, but it hadn’t knocked her Sword out of her grasp, and she was otherwise uninjured. Even with mere human strength, skill found a way to bridge the physical gap between contestants. From the shadow of the rooftop, a demon girl emerged, salaciously dressed with two scythes hovering around her. Definitely dark, but monstrous also? She breathed in. Out. And with a flourish, she tore the canvas off her Sword, speaking the words that rang through her heart, that brought silvered light into the world. [hider=Rebirth ; First Act] [center] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKpdMKf2cBM]✦【S】【O】【L】【I】【L】【O】【Q】【U】【Y】✦[/url] [i]The moon shone, and she stood alone, bathed in fluorescent fire. Her arms raised towards Diana, entwining in an infinite spiral, caressing the face of the heavens even as slender fingers grasped nothing. The maiden and the moon, separated by the vastness of distance. But the Heavenly Muses, faceless and flowing, saw the offering and took it, nine celestial flowers twirling around her as moonlight bent and twirled, as her earthly garments dissolved into Edenic dress.[/i] 𝔖𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡. 𝔖𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡. 𝔖𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔲𝔩𝔡 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔠𝔥 𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔟𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔡. [i]And yet, each step upon the moonrose staircase cast more light upon the starless void.[/i] 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔨 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔦𝔰𝔨. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔤𝔩𝔬𝔯𝔶 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔨𝔞𝔩𝔢𝔦𝔡𝔬𝔰𝔠𝔬𝔭𝔢. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰. [i]She twirled at the insufficient peak, the Edenic fabric dissolving in starfire. Her arms unravelled like the blooming of a rose, and sparkling sand, lunar dust, fell from the moon, sifting through the gaps of her cupped hands. The staircase shattered and, arching her back against the tyranny of gravity, she fell into a garden of roses, iron vines tearing into flesh.[/i] 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔬𝔫. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔯𝔢𝔟𝔦𝔯𝔱𝔥 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔞𝔦𝔡𝔢𝔫. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔟𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔦𝔰𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔯𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔢. [i]From the rose garden, the maiden knight resurfaced, clad in Silverlight and Starspace.[/i] ✦【I】 【A】【M】 【R】【E】【B】【O】【R】【N】✦[/center] [/hider] Rusted roses bloomed and burst, the Swordbearer wreathed once more in her Edenic regalia. Like a tuning fork, her Sword hummed as it carved through the air, before being thrust into the ground. She did not attack, yet. [color=778899]“I’ve strode into your establishment knowing nothing, but you’ve proven to me everything, simply with your emergence, Spider-Fiend,”[/color] she spoke, her voice ringing amidst the shrill cry of the automobile’s alarm. [color=778899]“And still, I find myself questioning. Who is Valerie Herztein to you? We’ve no need to quarrel, if this turns out to be merely a misunderstanding of allegiances.”[/color] The attacker took the time when Amaryllis transformed to look back behind her and confirm that the mysterious runner had successfully escaped, before resuming her attention on the Knight of Rose. She raised an eyebrow, her lips in an amused smirk as she listened to her speak. “What a nice lie, if pointless; no ignorant girl would immediately move towards the back of the building after they arrived from across the street.” She let one of the scythed orbs rest on the back of her hand like a pet, and made a mocking laugh at the question. “Hah! Well, it won’t matter since I will shortly silence you, but to grant your last wish, I shall tell you this: Valerie Herztein was once one of our members; a gluttonous, stupidly curious one. Her nose led her to a truth that she paid with her life.” Amaryllis closed her eyes. She remembered the corpse-eater still. Annoying and combative, but did she deserve such an end? Perhaps she did. Perhaps she didn’t. They’d never know now. [color=778899]“If you’re willing to grant one wish, then surely you’ll be generous enough to grant another?”[/color] The Knight of Rose allowed her magic to seep into her bones, breathing deeply. [color=778899]“Your name, my dear?”[/color] The fiendish girl laughed again. “Oh, you’re that interested in me? How quaint. Very well then, I’ll give you something to chew on. How about...Nightwing? I do like Detective Comics, hah.” [color=778899]“The Dark Knight’s Squire, hm?”[/color] Amaryllis replied, her Sword gracefully twirling in her hand. [color=778899]“Well, then, [i]en garde[/i].”[/color] Rocking her body back like a bow, the Knight of Rose lunged upwards, Sword streaking out as her powerful legs carried her up to Nightwing’s rooftop. A simple engagement; this wasn’t a fight she had to win, just one she could get past. Nightwing scoffed, and with a simple motion of her hand launched one of the whirling bladeballs towards Amaryllis. One might assume this was a foolish move considering Amaryllis’ ability to block the attack even when untransformed, but it didn’t end there; the moment Amaryllis swatted the ball away, another was already sent her way by the time she reached the rooftop, Nightwing having made a leap back to keep her distance. Then, Amaryllis realized the first bladeball was called back, now aiming to hit her in the back at the same time. Ranged attacks, nowadays, were indeed a foolish move to be using against Amaryllis. Inches away from striking her in the back, the bladeball was forced to a halt, steel ivies sprouting over it invasively and locking it in midair. It struggled against its bonds, but even a momentary halt was enough for Amaryllis to accelerate further, vaulting over the second bladeball and locking it down against the edge of the roof with more chains. Planting both feet upon the captive weapon, she kicked off further, a silvery comet through the winter night. Nightwing grimaced upon witnessing Amaryllis' chains, and her hands formed smoky darkness. "Metal magic, huh? When it comes to tricks you're second rate!" With a sweep of her hands, she created a smoky veil, concealing her. However, her voice continued taunting the knightess. "It's only a matter of time before my Blade-Bats make mincemeat of you!" The bladeballs continued spinning, and the chains were cut, releasing them once again to harass Amaryllis, relentless in their assault. Amaryllis though, was a step ahead of the Blade-Bats now, and she had faced such darkness in the past. Closing her eyes, she allowed the Sword’s inhuman senses to take over completely, rushing in blind as the whine of the rotating weapons closed in from behind. Where was it? There it was, the scent of her quarry. She closed in, vespers of smoke clinging off her form as the Knight of Rose, guided by her Patron, thrust her blade into the unknown. Though Amaryllis could not see, or even hear, in the sense-sealing black fog, she could sense the sword stained wet with blood; it had made its mark on her shoulder. “YIAAGH!!” Nightwing screamed, her howl loud and disorienting. The Knight of Rose had struck the Ebon agent far to the side of where the voice originated, overcoming the aural deception with the Sword’s sheer hunger. ”Now you’ve pissed me off!” The Bladeballs came hurtling in a whirlwind frenzy right into the darkness, forcing Amaryllis to defend or dodge them. But the moment she would lapse her attention, she felt one hand grab onto the blade of the sword, cutting herself but managing to keep it in place long enough to latch her cruel, hooked fingers onto her stomach, digging into her flesh. “Time to die!” She announced, and the Knight of Rose felt dark magic attempting to push its way into her wounds. Nightwing’s eyes glowed a vivid purple in the darkness. “Death Curse!” Amaryllis felt like the darkness attempted to sap her vitality and drain the life out of her, attempting to consume her very being...But she found herself able to resist the curse, causing Nightwing to shriek. “No! Work, dammit!” She tried pushing even more magic, but in the process her knee buckled, her own body unable to handle the stress on her body from the mana surge as her grip on Amaryllis weakened. Indeed, there had been a simple reason why the Death Curse was resisted. As Amaryllis felt Nightwing’s claws dig into her stomach, piercing skin and drawing blood, the Knight of Rose [i]sealed her wound with metal[/i]. Just as she did with the wounds she left on others, she did so with the wounds others left on herself, stopping further advance. Darkness magic pushed against purifying metal, and yet, without access to her veins, the effect was muted. Did it hurt? Of course it did, but that was a problem for her future self to deal with. Gritting her teeth and doubling the chains upon the Blade-Bats to prevent them from slicing her into bits, Amaryllis held back the homicidal urges of her Sword, the indignation of her own wounds, and, with her free hand, formed a fist. Perhaps Nightwind had orphaned children before, perhaps Nightwing had orchestrated massacres before. But until Amaryllis uncovered such sins, she will not eat. A punch with the force of a flying refrigerator curved upwards, slamming into the Spider-Fiend’s gut. “Hurk!” Nightwing doubled over from the impact of the punch, causing her to release her grip on Amaryllis’ sword and body, and was sent down the rooftop, right into an open dumpster full of black garbage bags, hitting her head on the lid. The Bladeballs once again cut themselves free, but before they could apply a single slice, they turned into normal bats and flew away. When Amaryllis came to inspect the scene, she saw that the monster girl was unconscious, bleeding from a wound on her head; untreated, she would perish on her own. Amaryllis let out a sharp breath and gripped her Healing Artifact. The silver that coated her wounds like a second skin rusted away, and before blood began seeping again, healing magic shone upon the injury, regenerating flesh and patching over skin. It’d leave a mark for a day or two, but it wasn’t anything terrible. Dropping down upon the alleyway, the Knight of Rose did the same for Nightwing, sealing the head wound and sending a message to Mariette on her phone. [quote] [color=778899]Captured a dark magical girl. Was attacked when pursuing another individual from the restaurant. Collect and question, please. If possible, don’t harm more than necessary.[/color] [/quote] Mere moments after the message was sent, a portal opened next to Amaryllis. Mariette, holding bunny under her left arm and with Eli behind her, walked out into the alley. [color=077ae6]‘It appears our restaurant wasn’t so innocent,’[/color] Mariette commented. She looked over at the fainted Nightwing, with Eli peeking out on the side, and made a small confirming nod. [color=077ae6]‘I can handle the interrogation. What will you do now?’[/color] “The dining hall, from the three labourers I’ve encountered thus far within, are all magical girls corrupted by some exterior force. Though I’ve let one slip, I shall venture onwards and see what else I can glean from this lair they’ve vacated.” Amaryllis turned back to the Virtuous Pie, her Sword hanging from her belt (and mightily displeased that it didn’t get another snack to chew on). “Do you require my assistance with binding this woman?” [color=077ae6]‘Back at it, huh,’[/color] Mariette simply commented. At the last question, Mariette raised her free hand. A portal opened on the ground next to the fainted Nightwing, and from said portal rose a large mirror rose from the hole. A mirror on a pedestal with a black frame, ornately crafted. [color=077ae6]‘That won’t be necessary,’[/color] Mariette stated, walking up to the mirror and placing a hand on the frame. The reflective surface of the mirror promptly vanished, leading only to a pit of unlimited darkness. [color=077ae6]‘There will be no escape from where I’m putting her.’[/color] With that, Eli hurried over, the black slime-harpy with white face picking up the fainted monster-girl [sub][sub][color=57a345]‘Yosha,’[/color][/sub][/sub], and gently carried her over to simply let her fall through the hole in the mirror, into nothingness. [color=077ae6]‘I am considering if I should release her after I’m done. Not doing so might draw even more ire… but perhaps what we’re doing is already enough for them to attempt murdering us,’[/color] Mariette wondered aloud. [color=778899]“I know little of the machinations behind the Mint,”[/color] Amaryllis replied, stalking back to the restaurant, [color=778899]“But if they are the pragmatists I believe them to be, they would not send an agent that had already failed once to dog our tracks again. Show some benevolence; they didn’t poison my meal, after all.”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘Hm. Perhaps I will,’[/color] Mariette nodded, figuring she would. Assuming the choice wasn’t taken out of her hands again, that is. [color=077ae6]‘Eli. You know what to do,’[/color] she then said to her attendant. Or rather, “who to call”. Eli gave a knowing smile. [color=57a345]‘On it!’[/color] she said, before also skipping through the mirror, then Mariette let the portal within close and sent the mirror back through the portal she’d retrieved it from. That done, Mariette simply turned to watch Amaryllis walk towards the restaurant for now, expression blank. A pause, and then Amaryllis turned, a smile on her face. [color=778899]“Thanks. I should be fine from here, so could you focus your attentions on Nuncio? My intuition’s telling me that he should be about done too.”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘I’ll check how he’s doing. Good continued luck,’[/color] Mariette said, nodding, and then opening a portal for herself to step through, though giving Amaryllis an extended look before actually walking through. Some part of her wanted to head off with Amaryllis to check the place out, but Mariette had her own duties. [color=778899]“May fortune smile upon your own endeavors,”[/color] Amaryllis responded, before striding into the darkness of the now abandoned restaurant. Flipping off the sign that read ‘OPEN’, the Knight of Rose advanced into the back room. It was in disarray, of course, obvious signs that someone had hurriedly taken the important documents out of the area before running off. She clicked her tongue. Some aggression may have yielded greater results, huh? Sitting down on a chair, Amaryllis scanned what scattered documents remained, as she ran over everything she knew thus far. The cashier had been Nightwing; someone else inside must have been their superior. Those blade-bats had been mundane, ultimately. Nightwing had been a polymorpher of sorts. The magical trail for that second dark magical girl had gone cold too quickly, but her Sword will remember the taste next time. And from these documents, the supplies within this restaurant came from a certain warehouse. [color=778899]“Warehouse Q...intriguing.”[/color] The night carried on, and still, the Knight did not sleep.