[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/YATXLVP.png][/img] [h2][color=077ae6]M[/color]ariette & [color=tomato]O[/color]ros[/h2] [color=077ae6]‘… Wait, our banner is shaped like a heart?’[/color] *Draws gun* [color=tomato]”Always has been.”[/color] [color=888888]— Mariette & Oros[/color][/center] Oros and Mariette continued to stare in the direction of the subway. But there was no explosion, just the gradual reversal of the BAMF’s energies. [color=tomato]”Back in my day, killing a boss at least netted you a big explosion. There wasn’t even an interesting cut scene after this one.”[/color] Oros tried to put both of har hands on her hips, but one of her arms was missing so that was kind of impossible. [color=tomato]”Guess we’ll just have to make our own.”[/color] She turned to face Mariette. [color=tomato]”So Mary! Whatcha doing?”[/color] She approached the girl. [color=tomato]”You didn’t drop me in the ol’ pit of darkness. What’s up with that?”[/color] Mariette sighed a bit. She really wanted to go in there and collect some more crystal, but if there was a build-up of energy as long as she was in there that may be a bad idea. In any case, there was an Oros approaching her, asking why she’d not been dropped into a hole of darkness… [color=077ae6]‘Would you like to be dropped into the hole of darkness?’[/color] Mariette asked, peering over at the girl with a mildly curious expression. [color=tomato]”Well yea! I’d love to finish fighting that thing! Along with anything else you’ve trapped in there!”[/color] She boxed the air. It looked a little weird with one hand. [color=tomato]”Of course, I’d rather get inside [i]your[/i] hole of darkness.”[/color] Mariette wasn’t sure she had ever seen someone’s smile get so wide. Mariette gave Oros a weird look. She exceedingly did not get it. Was she referring to her mansion as being her “hole of darkness”? [color=077ae6]‘Er. Right. No, you don’t want to go there. I put things that’s going to be sacrificed to my patron in there. Unless you wish to be sacrificed, stay out,’[/color] Mariette told her, but the thought had crossed her mind to stay quiet about it and just let Oros unknowingly sacrifice herself. She’d eventually decided against it, though. [color=077ae6]‘I collect monsters to keep my patron happy. He takes magical girls, too, but I’m currently trying to avoid being a public menace, so I’m sticking to monsters,’[/color] Mariette says her official explanation to her actions, framing it as a bit of a joke. [color=tomato]”Unfortunate, but I wouldn’t want to tick off ass n’gav by killing off all the sacrifices you collected.”[/color] Oros continued to step closer to Mariette. [color=tomato]”Now what do [i]I[/i] get for helping you with all this?”[/color] Mariette had to take a moment to look a bit confused. [color=077ae6]‘If you mean for the bounty, I assume you will be paid for the successful joint dealing of the monster, same as I…’[/color] she told, but… [color=077ae6]‘… Or are you asking because you want to help me out in the future, too?’[/color] Mariette asked, confused. Oros didn’t stop walking towards Mariette until she was right in front of her. If she extended her hand, she could touch her. [color=tomato]”The bounty is old news now, the grand magistrate will dole out coins for that in the future I’m sure. Or perhaps it’s already happened? Liquid time is such a strange thing.”[/color] She raised her hand and placed it on her chest. [color=tomato]”But I was doing more than just collecting a bounty out there. I offered to protect you from all those shitsicles, and you made use of me. You netted yourself a few sacrifices out of the deal. I feel I deserve compensation for this service.”[/color] she tapped on her chest with her finger. [color=tomato]”Would you mind doing something for me?”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘Oh…’[/color] Right, yeah, there’d been such an offer. Mariette hadn’t promised any form of reward for that, but she supposed it merited consideration. Mariette turned towards Oros with a business-ready face and prepared herself a bit, the closeness making her subconsciously prepare her tentacles in her shadow. [color=077ae6]‘Okay. What would you like me to do?’[/color] [color=tomato]”Well.”[/color] Oros leaned closer. She inhaled the air around Mariette one more time before letting her breath flow out of her mouth. [color=tomato]”What I’m about to ask you to do is something I haven’t gotten to enjoy in a long time. It’s something adults do as often as they can, to the point it becomes something of a ritual.”[/color] She took a lock of Mariette’s hair and started to play with it, looping it around her finger and allowing it to slide off. [color=tomato]”But it also requires trust from both sides. I’d like to think we have that after our fight together.”[/color] She closed her eyes as if remembering some distant memory, only for them to open again moments later. [color=tomato]”I’d like to teach you how to best utilize your tentacles. Would you like to do that with me?”[/color] Mariette winced back a little when Oros leaned in. Something adults do? She looked a bit in alarm at what Oros was doing with a lock of her hair, and then continued to listen to her words, and upon Oros reaching the end- Said tentacles sprouted out of Mariette’s shadow and made an attempt to grab Oros and lift her away from Mariette, or otherwise just make her back off if they didn’t get a grip of her. Mariette maintained a significantly alarmed and worried expression and summoned back Bunny to clutch him, looking in slight fright at Oros past her defensive tentacles. There were many things Mariette didn’t understand, but there was an unmistakable feeling in her chest. This girl was [i]dangerous[/i]. But it seemed that Mariette’s tentacles were enough to lift Oros into the air and restrain her. Or if Oros’s maniacal laughter was anything to go by, it was something she was fine with being subjected to. [color=tomato]” That’s a yes then? Good!”[/color] Oros was splayed out like an upside-down Y, with her only arm pointing straight up into the air. [color=tomato]”Surprise tentacles are always a good thing. But you’ve watched me fight, so you know that this won’t stop me.”[/color] She gestured towards the scabbard at her side. [color=tomato]”I can draw that blade with more than just my arm. If I were a real opponent you’d want to remove that from my person.”[/color] Her limbs twitched, the tentacles pulled against her flesh. [color=tomato]”Mary, Your real goal is to make it so that I can’t even [i]think[/i] about escape. The body and mind are interlinked. You can’t control a mind, but you can control a body. Limit their options and they’ll conform to your will.”[/color] She looked around herself. [color=tomato]”Remove my sword, or at least contain it. Also, try pulling my legs directly outward. Like I’m doing split. You’ll probably dislocate my legs, but it’ll make escape that much more difficult.”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘Uh…’[/color] Mariette breathed out, a bit confused. She knew how to neutralize a person, that hadn’t been the goal of the tentacles. Still, she felt safer with Oros over there now… With a frown she had one of the tentacles snap around the blade and pulled it away from Oros. Then, okay, guess she wanted that? Fine, then. She had her tentacles grip Oros legs and pull them to make her do a split with significant force. She wasn’t sure why. [color=tomato]”Yea, I can feel the burn.”[/color] Oros was looking at her legs, which were being pulled further and further outward. [color=tomato]”You’re stretching my ligaments to their limit, possibly my tendons too. I’m not a doctor so I dunno all that shit.”[/color] One of her legs twitched. [color=tomato]”This would be immensely painful, normally, probably”[/color] Oros looked around herself. [color=tomato]”You could also wrap one around my neck if you wanted to. Not all magical girls need to breathe, but it’s still a vulnerable area you can use to get more control over someone. We can also just pretend it’s there, you’re doing fine so far.”[/color] A sly smile crossed her face. [color=tomato]”But you need to play with your target's emotions. It’s the only way to be sure you really have them trapped.”[/color] Her eyes trailed down the front of her own body. [color=tomato]”A woman’s body is precious. There are certain areas where they don’t like to be touched. I trust you know what those areas are?”[/color] Mariette abstained from pulling a tentacle around Oros’ neck, wincing a little at the thought. She had in mind she’d have to knock someone out anyway in order to prevent them from using their specialization, but that aside. Then… target a woman’s emotions? … Certain places where they don’t like to be touched… A light blush appeared on Mariette’s cheeks, and she took a heavy breath. [color=077ae6]‘… I do…’[/color] she said, with some awkwardness in her tone of voice. Then, she held her hand forward to command her tentacles, and…! And her tentacles chased into Oros’ armpits, waist and bottom of her feet, others still holding her restrained so she couldn’t escape while her tentacles proceeded to wiggle and attempt to mercilessly tickle her to death…! For someone who was getting tickled within an inch of their life, Oros didn’t look to be too phased by it. Every once and a while she would twitch or wiggle her toes, but she seemed otherwise unphased by the attack. She wasn’t smiling though, so it must have been working. [color=tomato]”Did I stumble into Deviantart, or is this a Touhou fanfiction?”[/color] She sighed. [color=tomato]”Well, that works. Time for the final blow!”[/color] Her grin returned. [color=tomato]”Now that you’ve entirely broken your target's will, you need to enslave them. And the only way to do that is by giving them a kiss! Gotta be on the lips. Really screws with what’s left of their mind, trust me.”[/color] Mariette looked downright confused that her vicious assault had failed to spur any reaction. She knew she was targeting the girl with the most atrocious of tortures… so why didn’t it have any effect? The portal girl frowned as Oros said some more words she didn’t understand, until it was declared it was time for the final blow. [color=077ae6]‘A-a kiss…?’[/color] Mariette winced, looking in alarm at the restrained girl some distance ahead of her. A kiss, really…? W-well, Mariette could imagine that it would be pretty confusing… There was the faintest stir in front of Oros’ face for a second that could have implied a portal was going to open… [color=077ae6]‘… I’ll… take your word for it,’[/color] a somewhat blushing Mariette said, shaking her head over there, deciding she would not take part in that, squeezing Bunny to her chest with one arm. The corners of Oros’s lips started to drop. [color=tomato]”Are you shitting me?”[/color] Her eyebrows settled over her eyelids. [color=tomato]”You’re going to give me blue vulva? Is that it?”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘Blue v…?’[/color] Mariette frowned and looked confused again. [color=077ae6]‘… I’d rather not kiss… Isn’t kissing supposed to be for…’[/color] Mariette said, squeezing Bunny before she mumbled something unintelligible, looking away from Oros awkwardly. [color=tomato]”For what? Spit it out already!”[/color] Oros growled. [color=tomato]”What, you got a girlfriend or-”[/color] Her eyebrows shot upward. [color=tomato]”You do don’t you? The hell is even going on?”[/color] The katana floated in front of Oros and showed her some images. [color=tomato]”Wha?”[/color] The flat of the sword hovered in front of Mariette’s face. In its shean, she could see a moment Mariette had thought was lost to time. She was kissing a magical girl in Justine’s fortress. That one girl with the magically healing kisses: Nancy. [color=tomato]”Who is this woman?”[/color] Mariette winced a bit at the growl. No, she didn’t have a girlfriend. Mariette had sort of expected that Oros could return the sword to herself without trouble but… [color=077ae6]‘Wha…’[/color] Mariette looked a bit surprised. [color=077ae6]‘… How could you possibly… see that…?’[/color] she asked, in honest alarm. Not because it was an embarrassing scene, but because the existence of that kind of scrying was potentially outrageously ruinous. [color=tomato]”Oh right, I didn’t tell you about that!”[/color] Oros mood seemed to entirely change when asked about her sword. [color=tomato]”That’s Endless Eclipse, he’s a gift from my patron. He lets me see all kinds of shit.”[/color] The sword spun in the air. [color=tomato]”I figured you didn’t want to kiss me because you had a girlfriend, so I just asked ol’ Eclipse here ‘who’s the last girl Mariette kissed?’ and I got this image of you going in for the kill, haha, rawr!”[/color] She flexed her fingers like a tiger’s claw. [color=tomato]”I think there are a few limitations in how it works, like if you had kissed in a place I was unfamiliar with, or we never met, it probably would have been a lot more vague. Like, maybe it would have shown you kissing a silhouette or some shit. Fortunately I know a bit about you and I’ve been to Justine’s old crib.”[/color] Oros chuckled, then sighed. [color=tomato]”Oh well.”[/color] She blinked. [color=tomato]”So um, are you going to tell me, or?”[/color] That was… an outrageously dangerous power. The kind of power that could so easily destroy Mariette’s whole operation, if she got the sense to ask about it. So… [color=077ae6]‘… Yes, I was going to tell you about it, as soon as… whatever we were just doing was over,’[/color] Mariette said, having her tentacles place down Oros again, sliding off her and back into Mariette’s shadow. Best make sure she never has reason to ask. [color=077ae6]‘Once upon a time, Justine von Visceral had a plan to conduct a ritual to rid this world of love. She killed numerous members of Penrose to do so and made an attempt on my life, after I had unknowingly been used to accomplish the preparations of the plan. I proceeded to assist in her defeat in the Overcity. But perhaps, you already know this?’[/color] Mariette asked, with a slightly tilted head. [color=077ae6]‘Now she’s back, and I am expecting her to attack my Interdimensional Home when she has sufficiently prepared to do so. I am somewhat gathering allies to resist the attack…’[/color] she said, then peered at Oros’ blade. [color=077ae6]‘Tell me. If you desired to find Justine telling someone about her plan, or to find her telling someone [i]when[/i] she’ll strike, would you be able to?’[/color] Mariette asked. Because… really powerful scrying. Oros shook out all of her limbs and stood up. There was a crystal growth on her shoulder. Much like the crystal BAMF they fought, it seemed that Oros was going to try regrowing her arm. [color=tomato]”I’m familiar with Justine, yes.”[/color] Oros walked towards her blade. [color=tomato]”Endless Eclipse works better when you’re hunting for visual clues. If she told someone the time, you’re shit out of luck. But we might be able to see who she talked to, or if she wrote a specific date as part of a letter.”[/color] Oros chuckled. [color=tomato]”Assuming this all happened in a place I can divine. The grand magistrate is pretty good at making sure critical information like that never gets found.”[/color] She picked up her katana. [color=tomato]”Oh, I should also note that beyond my own familiarity with a person or situation, it’s also helpful if [i]others[/i] have witnessed what I’m trying to search for. One of the reasons your kiss was so easy to find was because forty-something girls were watching it. It wasn’t a secret. If Justine gave a resounding speech to a collection of magical girls, we might get something.”[/color] Oros peered into the blade. Justine’s image showed up. The vampire opened her mouth to speak when Oros lowered her sword. [color=tomato]”Hey!”[/color] Oros pointed at Mariette. [color=tomato]”Do you think I’m a simp or something? This wasn’t what we were talking about! That girl you locked lips with.”[/color] She pointed at her hair. [color=tomato]”I have pink hair too! Do you prefer bob cuts? Is that it?”[/color] Oros sprouted a tentacle that grabbed her hair and held it up for her katana. Mariette nodded to the explanation, inwardly relieved. With those limitations, Oros would be hard-pressed to discover certain sensitive information. And, even if she could find the location and time, she'd be hard-pressed to find out what was actually going on. Still, seemed like Oros wasn't going to let the matter of the kiss go… [color=077ae6]‘At the time you viewed, I had depleted my mana in battle. The girl I kissed had the ability to replenish the mana of those she kissed. I decided it was not the time to be picky about who I kiss, and had my mana replenished in case I needed it, as we were behind enemy lines. … That's it,’[/color] Mariette explained, a bit perturbed that she actually had to explain that kiss to someone. Oros held her sword against her hair a bit longer before releasing a resigned sigh. [color=tomato]”I see.”[/color] Her eyes were cast at the ground. [color=tomato]”The only reason why it happened at all was because of extreme circumstances. You were in danger.”[/color] Oros lifted her head. She was grinning from ear to ear. [color=tomato]”A bit like now, really.”[/color] Mariette frowned a little bit. [color=077ae6]‘… A little bit like now, yes,’[/color] she replied, a reply that worked regardless of which of the two possible meanings Oros could have meant that Mariette could think of. [color=tomato]”Now [i]that’s[/i] more like it.”[/color] Oros’s crystal stump had turned into a crystal upper arm, and was still growing. Without breaking eye contact with Mariette, she sheathed her sword and held her hand up to her face. A bottle of “Pizzazz Breath” appeared in her hand, which she promptly shot into her mouth before shoving it into her clothes. Then she tiptoed over to Mariette so that they couldn’t have been more than a foot away from each other. She took a moment to examine Mariette’s facial features before relaxing her face. The crazy smile was gone, and the miko appeared to be in a state of tranquility. She closed her eyes and moved her face closer to Mariette’s, cupping her lips for a kiss as she did so. She only came about ninety percent of the way however. Mariette had a bit-longer-than-a-split-second decision to make. [sub][sub][sub]unlike her player that took better part of a week[/sub][/sub][/sub] When Oros closed her eyes, Mariette silently stepped aside. She’d just avoid that for this moment. [color=077ae6]‘I’m afraid that’s not a reward I want to give out ahead of time,’[/color] Mariette said, breathing out. [color=077ae6]‘Kisses are special things, after all.’[/color] Oros’s eyes shot open and she turned to Mariette. [color=tomato]”Excuse me?”[/color] She stood up straight. [color=tomato]”So you gave me your phone number, but your intention this entire time was just-”[/color] Her entire body trembled. Mariette found herself taking a step backwards all on her own. [color=tomato]”You can’t just play with my heart!”[/color] A low gurgling sound in Oros’s throat grew louder until it became a growl. Then just a moment later, it turned into a roar. [color=tomato]”You’ve tempted me, there’s no going back now!”[/color] Oros lunged For Mariette with both arms extended. Her new arm had just finished healing, and was ready for a test drive. [color=077ae6]‘??????’[/color] Mariette looked positively confused as she backed away, her tentacles lashing out to constrict and stop Oros’s assault, with more force the closer she got, all the while Mariette tried to manifest a portal underneath her feet to get several blocks away from this attack for now…! The tentacles did not stop Oros for long. It was a simple matter for her to draw her sword and cleave through them. The second or so they bought Mariette was enough as she was able to escape through the portal moments before Oros’s outstretched arm could grab her. When Mariette was safely away from Oros, she opened a few portals around the girl so that she could talk to her from a safe distance. But she noticed something strange. The light around Oros was becoming distorted, and a similar anomaly was happening just a few feet over Mariette’s head. [color=077ae6]‘I…’[/color] Mariette started, before she once again tried to drop herself through a portal to an apartment some distance away to avoid the anomaly, her tentacles regrouping to try to deal with the next “attack”. Mariette was still really confused. If she succeeded now, next she'd try to open a path to her Interdimensional Home, just to hide in for a couple minutes. Gravity didn’t seem to be working right, which made it difficult for Mariette to fall into the portal. But the light disturbance over her head went away. Under her eyepatch, she could see Oros sniffing the air. Something had distracted her. [color=tomato]”Reinforcements? Seriously?”[/color] Oros shrugged her shoulders. [color=tomato]”Guess I went in too hard. Whatever.”[/color] A black shadow opened up behind Oros. Mariette’s answer to not falling would be tentacles grabbing onto the other side of the portal and pulling herself through manually, although it’d take a slight moment before realizing. After having gotten partly through and then hearing Oros mention reinforcements, Mariette dared to peek out a bit, significantly alarmed at how it seemed like more than a few could suddenly pursue her past portals all of a sudden. [color=077ae6]‘… I didn’t… mean to play with your heart…? I’m sorry?’[/color] Mariette tried to say, but she wasn’t really sure what it was she was apologizing for and as such the words sounded a bit more like confused questions than actual apologies. Oros pointed at one of the tiny portals that were observing her. [color=tomato]”W-why don’t you just go hide until the next season rolls around, huh?”[/color] Oros walked into the shadow as it collapsed on her. There was no trace of her left, and while Mariette was an expert at locating things, she had no idea where she had gone. [color=077ae6]‘…’[/color] A very confused Mariette was left standing and squeezing Bunny as Oros vanished… who knows where. Huh. That had been… a moderately disastrous attempt at making an ally. She didn’t understand what had gone wrong… She’d later go home and tell the others at the mansion about this event, leading to Jelena laughing in her face and a couple others looking on awkwardly as Eli led Mariette aside to explain the alternate possible meaning of sharing phone numbers like that… [hr] Meanwhile, on a far off dimension, Oros sat in the ruins of some long abandoned building. Behind her was the carcass of a monster she had recently slain. Something covered in scales and talons, but it was hard to identify. The creature had been decapitated, and there was a gaping hole in it’s chest. Oros was tearing out its ribs one at a time and cleaning the meat off of them. [color=tomato]”*Chomp* Can’t believe it.”[/color] Oros muttered between bites. [color=tomato]”Stupid girl, *Chew* stealing Mariette’s first kiss. Stupid *Swallow* reinforcements, always showing up at the *Chomp* wrong time. Stupid *Burp* magistrate, cucking me at every turn.”[/color] She used her sleeve as a handkerchief and blew into it. She sounded like the horn on a ship before it left shore. [hr] [center]...One awkward run-in with Amaryllis, Mika, and Faith later… ...In case anyone was curious about the time frame...[/center] [hr] [center][h1][color=tomato]The Even Better Horror Cosplay Or...os[/color][/h1] [sub][@Ariamis][@AtomicNut][@Ponn][@FamishedPants][@Card Captor][@twave][/sub][/center] [color=tomato]”That so Alex? I didn’t realise you were into- Oh, Lily left.”[/color] Oros noticed that the game of spin the bottle froze as soon as Shoggy embraced Shane. While it was understandable, it was always a shame when a man was too weak to take all of his girl’s kisses. [color=tomato][i]”Gotta keep things moving...”[/i][/color] Oros hadn’t gotten her kiss yet, after all. That was when Shoggy bumped the bottle, causing it to spin and land on [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/20280]Ronin![/url] [color=tomato]”We have a winner!”[/color] Oros approached Ronin, [color=tomato]”Alright you! Now get in there AND PUCKER UP!”[/color] She placed a hand on Ronin’s back and gave her a firm shove towards Shoggy. Perhaps too firm for one as small as Ronin. [color=tomato]”And remember to spin the bottle when you’re done!”[/color] Faith only giggled. [b]”I’m glad everyone’s having so much fun! I’ll have to talk to Ronin once she’s done with that other girl. I had no idea that was her~!”[/b] She turned to Hildie. [b]”Hildiebell! I um, I ran into some of your folks earlier… B-but that’s not important! You’re well I take it?“[/b]