[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/COlSgMa.png[/img]

[color=PeachPuff]“You know what really burns my ass? A flame 'this' high.”[/color]

[color=888888]— Su Fang [/color][/center]

[sub][@Erode][@Ariamis][/sub]

Unlike Askefye, Su and Helga were able to enjoy a windburn free ride. Su accomplished this by creating an air bubble around their heads. It wasn’t visible, but in that spot the air was moving with them. They could carry on a conversation without a problem.

[color=PeachPuff]“I did hear the PI’s announcement. Never followed their articles, but Mika read every one she could, probably because of her interest in magical girls, if not because she was included in a report about the Vixen. To think they'd do something like this.”[/color] There was too much stuff to react to at the rave. Lei Zi, the PI, Justine. All she could do is deal with it one issue at a time. And right now, Su was listening to Helga tell her story. It was one that she had heard before, but not in such detail.

[color=PeachPuff]“You’re not stupid, Helga.”[/color] A little gullible maybe. Very gullible, even. It was hard not to grin at the words she wasn’t saying. [color=PeachPuff]“I forget sometimes that you were alone once. I’ve always had someone in my life, and they’ve always been good people.”[/color] Her dread wings broke up and flaked away like ash in the wind. [color=PeachPuff]“Had we swapped possitions, I'd have likely done the same thing.”[/color]

It was true though. Su always had Boteg. He might have been a cowardly dragon, but he gave Su unconditional love. Even when she messed up, he found it in his heart to forgive her. Even the lives of all the people she was before becoming “Su” never knew of loneliness. They were wives, husbands, brothers and sisters. 

Su supposed that what had her so upset was that her decision was wrong. She Let Justine live at the behest of the others. The angry, vengeful woman who could have so easily killed Justine then and there would have been right in doing so. Seeing her show up here was proof that her choice to try and lead a life with mercy instead of vengeance was wrong. That was what Su had thought initially, but maybe that was also wrong. Letting Justine live was a blunder, but taking on Helga wasn’t. Letting Sophia live wasn’t. To her knowledge neither of those people had turned to evil. Perhaps that was why Su flew after Askefye with such stubborn determination. Even if she was the one lighting fires at the rave, even if she almost guided Su into a troll, she deserved a second chance. 

The fire girl probably didn’t want to be followed, but Su couldn’t back off now. She had escaped a rave, some dragons, and a troll with nothing to show for it. There had to be something she could do to soothe the fire girl before she did something she’d regret. The only clues Su had to work with was that she might be hungry. There wasn’t any other way to interpret her desire to have Vivi “Gib dinner.” Unless the dinner wasn’t what Askafye was after. She might have just wanted Vivi's company, but was it even possible that she fancied a girl from the [i]ascendancy[/i]? That would be like hooking up with a lieutenant in Justine’s army when Justine killed the most precious person in the world to you.

Well, maybe this avenue of thought [i]was[/i] worth considering. She had an idea for how to accomplish it too, but she’d need to get closer to hatch it. 

[color=PeachPuff]”I think we can help her.”[/color]

Rings of fire. Could be exactly what they seem, could have a secondary function. Su was aware of how the fire at the rave reacted to her wind. While she could blow it around, it made it get a lot bigger and destructive as well. With such small rings, she’d have to be on top of things to make sure Helga didn't get burned. She could fly around them, but she took this as a challenge from Askefye. If they were going to be worthy of catching her, they had to fly exactly where she had flown.

[color=PeachPuff]”Lets see if I can shrink our profile a bit.”[/color] Su loosened her grip so that Helga could slid down her body. Helga sunk lower and lower until Su's sweater puppies were pressed against the side of Helga’s face. It was a lot easier to breath this way too. [color=PeachPuff]”Just hold on, Helga!”[/color] Su amped up her speed as high as it would go and passed through the first hoop. The vortex of air propelling Su and Helga forward struck the ring afterwards, causing it to Swell and glow. The ring looked more like a donut after they had passed it. This made Su wonder if she could make other shapes. 

Su spun on her way through the second ring, blowing the vortex outward. This turned the ring into a spiral. The third ring she flew through with a spiky vortex, which cause the ring to explode. It looked like a giant crown that Su was flying out of the top of. 

[color=PeachPuff]”See if you can contact her, Helga. You’re my sound specialist.”[/color] Helga did have sound magic. While Su’s magic was strong, so was Askefye’s. Su also needed to be strong enough to carry a passenger and keep up with Askefye, and she couldn’t do that while also networking a communication spell.

[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Msjfqoy.png[/img]

[b]”I’m not a combat character so PLLLLLLT! 

#noncombatcharactersmatter #LEGION #Atomaskedmetodoit”[/b]

[color=888888]— Aria Rizzo[/color][/center]

[sub][@AtomicNut][/sub]

Aria had finished most of her chores and was reading a book on Chinese royalty when the door to her shop swung open. Multicolored luminescent butterflies flew all around the newly arrived, but Aria didn’t look up from her book.

[b]”Daji is best known for her fantastical depiction as a fox spirit in legends, but she was a real person as well. She quickly became King Zhou’s favorite concubine and he did everything he could to please her.”[/b] She turned a page with a chuckle. [b]”History paints them as a sadistic and depraved lot. Once Daji saw a fisherman walking across some ice, and had his feet cut off so that she could examine them. She even had a pregnant woman cut open so that she could satisfy her curiosity yet again. This is without talking about the ‘forest of meat’ or the heated bronze cylinder they tortured people with.”[/b] She closed the book. [b]”But that’s all legend. Historians argue over what atrocities were actually committed, if any at all. The Zhou tribe hated Daji and may have demonized her to rally support against them. If that is true, then DaJi would have been the first victim of psychological warfare in history.”[/b]

Aria looked up and saw the Yamamotos. She lowered her gaze and smiled.

[b]”I was expecting someone else. Sorry about that.”[/b] She pointed at the back. [b]”The portal in the next room will get you back to Penrose.”[/b]

[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/ILCOP2b.png[/img]

[color=tomato]“The power of peanut butter candies!”[/color]

[color=888888]— Mika Sarraf[/color][/center]

[sub][@Vocab][/sub]

Christine was a re-see-pee-see girl. Without doing anything more than selecting a milkshake, Mika had already uncovered so much critical information about her. As an example, most girls love strawberries. It’s hard to beat a fruit that is sweet, nutritious, and have a nice appearance. Strawberries are just appealing to girls on so many levels. It doesn’t matter if you’re watching your weight or want something that tastes good, Strawberries are the way to go. But Christine picked the “unhealthy” option. Now re-see-pee-see’s are amazing, in fact that would have been Mika’s choice if Christine couldn’t pick. But Mika also didn’t care what other people thought about her. If a stranger offered you an apple or a candy bar, you’d probably pick the apple to make yourself appear health conscious. Mika took Christine’s choice as meaning she fully trusted Mika, and didn’t feel like she needed to hide her shame. Which was pretty good, because if she started asking questions like “where did my clothes go? I don’t remember putting this bikini on!” She would have been in trouble. But Rina and Dan would have to share the blame in that particular instance. 

Bottom line was, Christine trusted Mika a lot.

[color=tomato]“This place? Glad you asked.”[/color] Mika said before [url=https://i.redd.it/23z1ikjsd5f11.jpg]smugly slurping[/url] her milk shake. [color=tomato]“It doesn’t really have a name, but magical girls come here to relax. It’s not the overcity, but it’s not the real world either. Some place different.”[/color] She pointed at the platform in the center of the Colosseum with her head. [color=tomato]“Keijo is what most people come here for. We’ll have to play some later. Burn off these milk shakes. Everyone here is safe, Dan the dolphin makes sure of that.”[/color] It might have been wise wait until Christine could digest her food and play a few rounds of Keijo before continuing the interrogation. But Mika had no impulse control and “went for the kill” right away. [color=tomato]“I saw you and Alicia fighting in the hallway, what was that about? Someone also wanted to deal with Beacon and Mint. ”[/color] She set down her milk shake and folded her arms. She looked more concerned than anything else. [color=tomato]“I thought the Indian pendant was cool with Beacon when they pardoned a monster girl. Are you with them? Did Beacon do something to hurt you?”[/color] 

[hr]

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/LhL4ffS.png[/img]

[url=https://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=118][b]”Eating fairies is not okay!”[/b][/url]

[color=888888]— Faith[/color][/center]

[sub][@FamishedPants][@BrokenPromise][@PlatinumSkink][@Majoras End][@twave]
[/sub]

Faith’s eyes were rolled up into her head, and she was panting hard. Mia’s mossy bandages were able to stop the bleeding but the fairy had already gone into shock. Hilaria had taken a bite out of the back of her neck. She missed Faith's carotid artery, which was probably the only reason she was still alive. But Hilaria’s bite had crushed her spine at the base of her neck. This paralyzed everything below her jaw. If she was going to leave Mayor park, it wouldn’t be without assistance.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/JyqXhSX.png[/img]

[color=#bd71e8]“Heheheheheheheheheheheeeeeee!”[/color]

[color=888888]— Veronica[/color][/center]

[sub][@Majoras End][@ERode][/sub]

[color=#bd71e8]“It’s not over until all agents are accounted for.”[/color] Veronica prepared to step out of the vehicle before looking back at Myria. [color=#bd71e8]“That was not an especially exciting parking job.”[/color] Of course it had always been Veronica’s plan to downplay whatever attempt Myria made. Had she actually stuck an exciting landing, it would have been to flashy for Veronica’s tastes. [color=#bd71e8]“Regardless, I will keep my word.”[/color] Veronica produced a “skeleton key” and handed it to the magical girl. Typically a skeleton key was an artifact that open any door. But it seemed Veronica had taken the meaning literally and handed Myria a key that was made out of skeletal bones. It had been acquired from a necromancer’s lair and didn’t really serve any use to Veronica anymore. Not a horrible gift for someone with a corrupted spirit spec, but it paled in value to a true skeleton key. Though a real skeleton key was an absurd price for a taxi fair, even a magical one.

Veronica stepped away from the vehicle and looked across the park at Ronin. [color=#bd71e8]“Eliza, Maura, we are not going to remain here. Once we pick up Ronin, we’re leaving.”[/color] Veronica placed a hand beside her head. [color=#bd71e8]“Though I will be departing early. It seems as though something has come up. Make sure he returns safely, Eliza.”[/color] She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked away from the park, giving Fine a nod on her way past their vehicle.