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Justine was pleased to see Alicia comply with her request, and smiled sweetly, her eyes cast on Aurelio once he made his voice known, his nervousness having piqued her interest.
[color=bc8dbf]“Oh, Aurelio, is it? You remind me of a certain little pet of mine, only not as...sybaritic. Now, I trust you to take good care in watching over us~”[/color]
Despite her kind words, he could tell she looked upon him not with genuine affection, but like a mere miniature in a war game, to be used and discarded. Nonetheless, Sally and Kimble nodded to Alicia’s orders, Hyun Long sighed, and Leena and FanFan didn’t react aside from a glance of acknowledgement, having seemingly expected the decision.

Justine then cast her ruby gaze back to the Paladin Seraph. She rolled her eyes in an amused way at her followup questions and at how Anaya, who was sitting next to her, seemed to share in her disdain for the monster girl.
[color=bc8dbf]“Oh, them? Why, they’re my business partners, of course,”[/color] she said, gesturing to the tux-clad beastmen with a slender lift of her hand.
[color=bc8dbf]“The Beacon is not the only one to have a stake in this. But you don’t need to worry about them, my dear Alicia; they won’t cause any trouble unless I want them to. And as for them,”[/color] she snapped her fingers, and one of the silhouettes in the darkness stepped forward; it was an unknown monster girl with feral features, and who stared blankly forward.
[color=bc8dbf]“They are my precious little canaries~”[/color] Justine stated, and sensually caressed the brainwashed girl’s neck, eliciting a creepy smile in return.
[color=bc8dbf]“They will relieve you of much suffering, that I can promise you.”[/color]
Most unsettlingly, Alicia discovered that every word Justine spoke was true.

Sakura then spoke up, causing Sonia to glare at the pink-haired girl.
[color=0054a6]"It is pronounced Visceral,"[/color] she stated in a polite, yet subtly menacing tone. However, Justine then lifted her hand in a dismissive manner.
[color=bc8dbf]"It is fine, Sonia."[/color] She gave a mocking smile.
[color=bc8dbf]"I find magical girls who have been recruited at an adolescent age to be quite adorable."[/color]
Sonia bowed, and Justine then giggled at Umbra’s mispronunciation of Pedersen.
[color=bc8dbf]“I’m glad I am not the only one who shares that sentiment~”[/color]
She tapped her long, crimson nail on the table.
[color=bc8dbf]“Anyway, if there’s no further objections, we may start with the operation. But first, Sonia, will you do the honors of equipping our troops with weaponry?”[/color]

[color=0054a6]”Very well.”[/color] She summoned an open box of items on her hands, and placed it on the table. It was immediately apparent to Beacon what the items were for.
[color=0054a6]”Mariette Pedersen’s Bane is broken mirrors and candlelight. Therefore, I have brought hand mirrors with fractured surfaces and candle holders with long-duration candles paired with accompanying lighters. However, because more people arrived than I had expected, there are not enough of these items to give one of everything to everyone. That is why I request that you either take a hand mirror or a candle holder and lighter.”[/color]
Justine took a broken hand mirror and examined it; she was amused to see her smile refracted on the fragmented surface.
[color=bc8dbf]“Fabulous~”[/color]

The Beacon forces also took a single item from the box; FanFan, Hyun Long and Sally took a candle holder, while Leena and Kimble took a hand mirror. Hyun Long however refused the lighter offered to her.
“I have no need for that; I can light this candle with my own power.”
Once Sonia deemed that everyone got a chance to take one of the Bane tools, she continued.
[color=0054a6]”Now, those of you who will accompany lady Justine, place a hand or paw on this table or on someone else who has.”[/color] 
She placed her hand down; bluish-black light subtly emanated from her fingertips.
[color=0054a6]”I will channel my magic through it, and transport us to Mariette’s dimension when you are ready.”[/color]

Sally and Kimble took one last look at Alicia, and then nodded.
“I suppose this is goodbye for now, then,” Sally said, and slapped the hand down enthusiastically. 
“But today I’m feeling like Lady Luck’s smiling on me! So everything’s gonna turn out all right!”
[color=8dc73f]“Yeah, let’s do it!”[/color] Kimble placed her hand down, as did Hyun Long, who seemed very excited.
“May the light of Beacon guide our way!”
Leena leaned back on her chair, while FanFan waved goodbye to the three Beacon girls.
“Good luck out there!”

Justine simply held the single finger she tapped in place, twirling it in a circle. Shadowy hands then reached from the darkness and touched her shoulders, with one pair even embracing her.
[color=bc8dbf]“Now, wait for a moment. Oh, this will be fun~”[/color]
Once everyone had established physical contact, Sonia’s eyes began to glow. She then blinked, and in a single moment, Justine’s group disappeared from the underground parking lot, leaving Alicia’s group behind. Sonia then lifted her hand up, seemingly focusing on another spell.

[hr]
The very next moment, Justine’s group had appeared in a place that was dark, but not because of a lack of light; what first seemed like stars were actually oval mirrors that floated high in the sky and emanated light, illuminating a gothic mansion in the distance. The mansion was surrounded by a field of deep snow, stretching out to the size of a football stadium. Beyond the snow was nothing but a black void, though a careful eye could see that lone snowflakes landed on the same level as the snowfield, hinting that the ground was solid even beyond the boundaries of the dimension.
Sonia had placed their destination to be a couple of meters above the snow. Kimble immediately created a whirlwind to keep herself and Sally afloat, making sure to catch Aurelio in it as well. Hyun Long landed with a fiery punch straight down, evaporating the immediate area around her of snow and ice.
[color=8dc73f]“-What is this place?”[/color] She asked, looking befuddled, while Sally scoffed.
“It’s like Justine’s castle in the Overcity, but...somehow, it’s even worse!”
Justine herself was unconcerned, having unveiled six large bat wings from her back that she used to float in place. She had her arms crossed, her fangs fully bared as she witnessed Mariette’s abode. Now it was time she made herself known.

[color=bc8dbf]“Mariette Pedersen!”[/color] She raised her voice to the void, and extended a finger forward.
[color=bc8dbf]“The hour of your despair is at hand!”[/color] 

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Lily found herself inadvertently nodding to Alex’s question, as she also wasn’t sure what was exactly going on. Someone was going to attack Mariette? She was reminded of what Ronin messaged her, and her face turned pale.
[color=fff200][i]Could it be true? Is Ronin really going to-[/i][/color]
Before she could really think about the implications, Mariette responded with a negative answer to her question, and she stuck the tip of her tongue out from embarrassment caused by her misunderstanding.
[color=fff200]”Oh, she’s not? Now I feel a bit silly, hah. Sorry, Trixy.”[/color]
Her feelings of shame were swept aside by a shock, her eyes widened when Mariette mentioned a certain acquaintance of theirs.
[color=fff200]”Justine?”[/color]
Her face turned visibly pale, and she instinctively reached to her side where she usually held her phone. Her mind ran amok with scattered thoughts
[color=fff200][i]Oh no. She is. But why? Ronin wouldn’t do something like this. I mean, is she serious about the brainwashing thing?[/i][/color] She looked at Mariette, the dark magical girl’s words passing by her.
[color=fff200][i]Well...She doesn’t look weird. She’s just like she always is. How do you even check for brainwashing in the first place?[/i][/color]
During the entire time Mariette was talking, Lily seemed to stare into the distance, but when she addressed her by name she blinked and looked back at the one-eyed girl with an awkward smile.
[color=fff200]”Oh, umm...”[/color] She glanced at the other girls present, including a Helga with a raised eyebrow and tilted head, and then back at Mariette. She suddenly felt like she had flowers in her stomach.
While she waited, Mariette heard a sound coming from the aquamarine shell she was listening to; it was the gentle sound of ocean waves rising and falling. But then, Mariette also soon heard something else, slightly drowned out by the sounds of the sea; it was Dan’s high-pitched, squeaky snoring. It didn’t last long, however, as the snoring ended with the sound of a popping bubble.
“Oh, Mariette!” She heard Dan speak to her. “I fell asleep, and didn’t realize you were calling! I’ll see you soon!” Then Mariette heard the clack of a very familiar device; she realized Dan had given her a seashell enchanted to work like your run-of-the-mill, regular phone.

After Mariette was done with her call, Lily had gathered her courage to speak.
[color=fff200]”Y-Yeah.You see, I...I wanted to talk to you about something, but...I didn’t know you were this busy. It’s not that big of a deal or anything.”[/color]
That was when Mariette felt it the first time. It manifested as both a quiet echo of Lily’s words, and also as a nearly invisible shadowy aura that surrounded her for a fleeting moment before it disappeared. There was no mistaking the ominous signs; she detected a lie.

[hr]
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Helga scoffed at Mariette’s warning, annoyed by the lack of thought she had seemingly put into accommodating her allies. She turned to Sam when Su spoke to her, and then glanced at Mariette.
“Listen up Mariette; if one of those traps goes off and hurts Su in any way, I’ll make you pay ten-fold.” She then went to Su, taking her hand as she asked Samantha: “So, how do these keys and traps work, anyhow? Do we need to swipe it in front of them like a keycard?”

[hr]
The Sanctuary population collectively gasped in unison as Penny announced her loyalty, and stared with wide eyes as she pulled a bright light from her chest; the ShineSpark. Resembling a pure white crystal globe, with electricity running inside it like a plasma lamp and also across its surface, it had successfully grabbed everyone’s attention, allowing Nuncio to disappear into the masses without anyone noticing. 

The majority was silent, seemingly unsure how to react. Many were shocked to hear that Beacon knew about their Sanctuary’s location, but continued listening without too much noise. The monster and dark magical girls among then who previously had approached the purifying goods had stopped, surprised by this development. 
“But I thought...Can we still purify ourselves?”  “So she’s rejecting Beacon...” “Is this going to cause a war?”

However, the louder voices were in the minority, especially those following Dina’s lead.

“She really does care for us! Woohoo!” 

“Yes, destroy the lightbulb of oppression! Show the lanternheads not to mess with us!”

Even the plant girl who previously lashed out against Penny seemed to regret what she had done, and dropped down to her knees, her face bruised by the beating she had received.
“I-Is it true? Oh crap, I should have believed...”

But then, Dina voiced her opinion, and most of her followers were awed by the wisdom in her words. “She’s right...We first gotta get a real shelter.” “The nazis are gonna stomp all over us once they find out, right? I-I don’t want to die!” “I think Dina would make a better queen, but that’s just me...” However, a minority didn’t appreciate her hesitation in ending the affiliation with Beacon, or were confused. “Why are you giving it back? Crush it with your iron fist!” “What’s a Beckoner? Can you eat it?” 
Once again, plenty of voices clamored out, but not to an aggressive degree like previously; it was full of concerned debate and expressions of fear, but it was much more civil than when Penny spoke alone to the crowd, showing Dina’s ability to quell the more feral aspects of their populace even after she had left. But regardless of whether Penny would renounce Beacon or wait it out to ensure better defenses, she had gained her respect as Queen back in the eyes of the populace.

Soon after she did, Dina heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
“Dina! We were called!” The Lesser Force then appeared with the pop of a bubble, accompanied by Hilaria.
“Smiling Sisters, assemble!”
Before the cat girl could so much as meow, the dolphin had taken her hand and whisked her away. Soon enough, the three of them arrived in Mariette’s office. “Hello there, Mariette!”
 The dolphin enthusiastically waved his fin. “It’s ya boi, Dan the Dolphin!”

[hr]
Rachel nodded, having crossed her arms before her. “I see. I hoped that you would have something more concrete to report on Penny’s movements, but I suppose she keeps herself guarded even to the likes of Cindy.” She eyed Janet in particular, before returning back to her paperwork. “Due to the terrorist incident, the Ascendancy is currently working at under the minimum capacity in terms of manpower. Thus, I have been forced to make a few changes. One of these is taking over your research department.” She handed a paper over to them; it was a notice signed by her. “White Coins by themselves are useful, but we need something more efficient. Since you have proven yourselves capable of imbuing purifying qualities into Coins, you can do the same for weapons; ones that can purify targets struck by them in a single hit. You will hereby dedicate 40% of your time and resources to developing these kinds of weapons, and I expect the first prototype to be up for review by two weeks. Am I clear?”