[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/CkHZy6X.png[/img]
[sub][@BrokenPromise][@PlatinumSkink][/sub][/center]
Nuncio was still paranoid, wasn't he? Amaryllis cast a side-eyed glance towards him, but said nothing. There was no need to question his suspicions. If Mariette betrayed them, Amaryllis will cut herself out of whatever scheme stood before her. If Mariette was true, then such conversation was meaningless.

Actions, not words, informed upon the heart of an individual. 

As Mariette opened up a portal eastwards, Amaryllis channeled her own magic through it. Silvered buds manifested in the air around the eastern side of the warehouse, but neither bloomed nor grew. They stayed there, locked in place, no more than beads in the air, six in total. Amaryllis nodded at her handiwork, then settled back down. Now, they just waited, for what news Nuncio's cat could bring them.

She pulled a bag of shrimp-flavored chips from her Big Backpack, popping it open with a puff of shrimpy powder. Taking a couple of the puffy snack for herself, the Knight of Rose passed the bag around, offering it first to Nuncio, then Mariette.

[color=778899]"Some refreshment before our quest begins,"[/color] she said. [color=778899]"I find it comforting to have something to chew on beyond one's thoughts."[/color]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QN3bCGL.png[/img]
[sub][@Flamelord][/sub][/center]
Liss took it gratefully, even if her expression didn't show it. Slapping the handkerchief against her face, she scrubbed at it energetically, wiping away salt and makeup, or at least spreading it out. She'd need water to really get it out, but as the auburn-haired girl retracted the cloth from her face, the trails of mascara were gone now. Her face had strange dark smudges over it as well, and the corners of her eyes were still raw, but it was an improvement from her wretched, sob-fest state. Maybe.

She folded the dirtied handkerchief into a nice, neat square, and handed it back to the mysterious adult with a sigh. Taking another swig of what tasted like very, very, very watered-down alcohol, Liss blinked at him for a couple seconds. She swayed a bit, then just ended up flopping against the counter. [b]"I'm a...I'm not a traveler,"[/b] she said, massaging the bridge of her nose. [b]"I'm just a dier. Ugh, I didn't want to live by missing [i]out[/i] on the fight, y'know?"[/b]

Another drink of water. She belched.

[b]"But you're like a...good guy, guy. Feel like you'd die, really fast and all, cause like, nice ones always do. Name? I'm Liss, so like, yeah. Name?"[/b]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Z9J2FSG.png[/img]
[sub][@Majoras End][/sub][/center]
Fine recognized that smile. It was the sorta smile that her colleagues had. That sort of 'well, can't be helped' attitude that girls with a propensity of dealing with massive amounts of bullshit develop. The desperation of a protector, or the desperation of someone making up for past mistakes. The woman didn't like it. A professional got the work done, but that didn't mean you couldn't enjoy yourself either.

[b]"Can't imagine we'd get all that good a dinner here, unfortunately,"[/b] Fine said.[b] "Suppose we'll just have to meet after this, Eliza. For now though..."[/b]

With a firm, but gentle grip, the rubellite-eyed woman took Eliza by the hand and led her up onto her feet.

[b]"An oath of protection is a noble ideal, but even an adorable sentinel like you deserves a break, no? If dinner's not a possibility, and drinks are off the table, would you grant me the pleasure of a dance instead?"[/b]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/mrDMxNd.png[/img]
[sub][@PlatinumSkink][/sub][/center]
[b]"Ja-jang~!"[/b]

With a vocalized victory chime, Myria watched as the gate to the vent slid away. That certainly was cool, wasn't it? Magical girls being magical girls, she was naturally inclined to believe that any system of entry and exit would ignore engineered mechanisms in exchange for arcane contraptions, so this sort of primitive stuff honestly jived with her quite a lot. She'd have to send this person a nice letter afterwards. For now though...

[b]"Ok, Trump, back into the hidey-hole."[/b]

Slapping the girl-doll back into her Hammerspace, the dark magical girl called out her next fun little contraption. Whereas Trump's vessel was a girl of equal weight, Poly's vessel was a head with two feet sewn where the neck was, and one eloquent hand sticking out of its forehead. Not just any hand though. It was Myria's left hand, one of the dozen hands she purchased from a cool, creepy lich who was totally rocking the robed skeleton aesthetic. Cost her a pretty penny, but it was a fun little trick. Looking at her own left hand, she allowed her Spirit magic to 'sever' and 'transplant' that portion of her soul into the left hand attached to Poly's form. Immediately, her hand blackened, cursed magic woven into it, while a tingly numbness seeped in too, while the detached hand began to twitch, flex, fill with life. She tested the connection a couple times, and then grinned.

[b]"My boy, Poly, let's see you go!"[/b]

Obediently, the ball-like corpse-doll hopped up into the vent and began to waddle away, cute as a penguin with a head for a body and a hand sticking out of it. Just through the vent, down the drop, turn left, and voila~!