[@BrokenPromise][@Ariamis][@Card Captor][@FamishedPants][@PlatinumSkink] [hider=Dina] [center] [h3]Dina[/h3] 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 8 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 6 Reinforcement/Beast | Power of Friendship/Avatar True Sight | Reverence | Diehard | Lure | Overcity Shift | Flexibility | Gifted Interdimensional Archipelago | Payment | Keijo Training | Supply | Magical Overload Joy Eater | Lonely | Clueless | Monstruous Form Non Standard Limbs | Builder | Second Specialization(Beast) | Broken Reincarnation [/center][/hider] "Mew?" Dina let a surprising yelp upon Dan's forceful nature taking her away to Mariette, before blinking at the unfamiliar situation. True to her bearings, she kept under a masquerade of poise as she absorbed the situation. She had been literally pulled at the last second. Well, if she had been pulled earlier, Penny’s situation would have erupted, so that was a small blessing. Only just a bit. The situation here was not much better. The group was as heterogeneous as it were. She spotted the Golden Trove people, the decent girl and the ex-harlot among them. And a bunch of others. And just like that, Mariette had been forced to start the play when the vampyr came in with a squad of beacon. Amidst some ranting about a brainwash, apparently. Of course the girl was brainwashed. Well, that wasn’t the term Dina would employ. Pavlovian conditioning would be more likely. Vampyrs needing an invitation to enter was tosh apparently. That girl was starting to pressure, but at least the affirmation to help was in there, nominally. Until one girl, with a bombastic display started doubting things about allies. [i]No way, already bickering?[/i] Dina rolled her eyes as she watched that green girl’s display. Reassuring Mariette would come later. The scene brought a certain deja-vu. People were questioning ambiguous allegiances. Oh the irony. At the Sanctuary, Dina had been the green girl there. But she had taken no pleasure in it. But this girl… was all joy and japes, but her heart and true intentions seemed far more muddled. The tell tale fretting of the would be ambiguous double agent was almost transparent. Dina had a good eye to appraise people, thanks to her power of friendship. Patrons also, more than often not, were far from transparent with their charges. “Bog” She muttered under her breath as she twitched her tail and rolled her ears. She began to focus her power. “Don’t answer that, girl. It’s obvious she’s trying to play her cards at being an information hustler. She probably knows more than you do.” Dina said to Viridian, as she walked towards Lily and Alexander, and snapped her fingers. “Chuchuna of the Ruler’s Menagerie, come forth.” Dina said, summoning a beast upon her presence. Out of seemingly nowhere an humanoid, huge, tall and monstrous came forth, covered in skin and resembling a bipedal gorilla.His kin had many names. Among those were Bigfoot and Yeti. The creature had a sad, somber bearing, but a glint of intelligence and restraint was shown in his eyes. “I know you don’t like fighting, Chuchuna, but we need more time. Go forth into that snowstorm and buy time. Harass, but don’t engage frontally. Try to fetch their candles and mirrors if you can.” Dina said to the Yeti, before attempting to send the Yeti to the snowy battlefield with her key cat-girl doll. Her eyes rested on Lily. “It’s okay, girl. You probably came with kind intentions to this abode, only to be caught in politics and power plays.” She paused. “I also know how it feels to go solo, and need another patron.” She caught a glance at Dan. She indicated Lily to follow into a corner of the room, before addressing her further, touching her shoulder softly. “Whoever that Umukamui or your patron is, it’s nothing important as the fight we’re about to do.” Dina said to Lily, as she drew closer. “And I would be honored to fight with you.” [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zLmcB5Q.png[/img][/center] Lily listened in as Mariette explained the situation, and gave a very slight wave of her hand to Eliza who was the last to arrive, barely lifting it from her chest, before she resumed her attention to the eyepatch-wearing girl. Mariette seemed to have caught her lie, as she felt the stoic girl’s hard gaze upon her, causing her to avert her eyes. Then Alex told her the truth, and she bit her lip in shock. [color=fff200]”A-Alex...”[/color] She spoke, looking at him. It was a sensitive topic, and she hoped that she could discuss the matter more discreetly, when there wasn’t an invading force out for Mariette’s blood, but it seemed they had no choice. Fortunately Alex at least had the courtesy to not mention Ronin by name, but she could only hope Mariette wouldn’t become suspicious of them, and would answer honestly. Lily then gasped under her breath when Mariette admitted to the possibility of her mind having been tampered with; even if she dismissed the topic afterwards to focus on Justine’s attack, the green-haired girl was left with a lump of anxiousness sitting in her stomach. [color=fff200][i]Well, it’s still possible Ronin was mistaken, but…[/i]”[/color] She half-heartedly nodded to Mariette’s request to help her as her allies; even if she disliked the idea of having to fight against some of her friends, she needed to somehow stop them before things went out of control. She lifted her eyes up when tactics were discussed, and then blushed as Mariette suggested she could help with regards to Mariette’s own Bane. [color=fff200][i]Uhh...This is embarrassing. But we’ll do what we can.[/i]”[/color] She gave the most fleeting of glances to Alex, and took the communicator offered to her, setting it to her ear. She was slightly startled by the voice that suddenly came out of it, and took Alex’ hand, her other hand lifted up to the earpiece. Alexander gave Lily’s hand a light reassuring squeeze. “[color=aba000]I’m not really an expert on love, so I’m not sure if what we have is ‘true love’ or just normal ‘love’. Nor am I sure what the difference is. The movies I watched that mentioned it never really went into detail about it...but then again, what would Hollywood know about true love anyway?[/color]” [color=fff200][i]H-Hi, Miss Companion! I’m Lily, and I’ll be helping Mariette,[/i]”[/color] she answered back, probably looking like a doofus to everyone else. For the rest of Mariette’s briefing, Lily occasionally managed to listen, while at other times she was caught up in her own feelings of doubts and fears. It was at this time that she looked around, and noticed other people, such as Dan, Hilaria, and a catgirl she hasn’t seen before. Not only was she pretty like a princess, she also acted like one, with perfect posture and mannerisms. Lily had seen plenty of ojou-like characters in anime and such, but she seemed to evoke the very image of one. However, the dolphin’s inclusion baffled her, as she didn’t expect the jovial, if strange, being to ally himself with Mariette. She did gasp when Mariette mentioned her emergency plan of collapsing the dimension, her eyes wide. When Mariette ended her speech, Lily spoke up. [color=fff200]”You can’t collapse the dimension, Mariette.”[/color] She realized what she blurted out, and continued with a shake of her head: [color=fff200]”I mean, even if you’re desperate, that’s still too much! It’s too risky!”[/color] “[color=aba000]I’m not an expert on spatial related things, but that sounds like it could have some serious consequences for other nearby dimensions.[/color]” Alexander added “[color=aba000]I mean, won't we feel some kind of backlash from that in other dimensions?[/color]” That was when Eli informed them of Justine’s arrival, causing her to gasp again. [color=fff200]”Beacon...Does that mean-”[/color] She didn’t have much time to think of the implications, as another green-haired girl with a bigger presence made herself known, stepping out with the kind of bounce that immediately reminded her of Veronica. She seemed friendly enough at first, but her true colors quickly showed when she addressed Lily. Suffice to say, she was devastated by the truths she had revealed. [color=fff200]”B-But...How did you...”[/color] Lily had believed she had been quiet about Ixion, only bringing it up with trusted friends. But it seemed even that wasn’t enough to hide it from the likes of a busty bully like Viridian. And she even mentioned her new Patron engaging in illicit dealings. She wanted to deny the claims as lies and slander, and state that Umukamui wasn’t a Patron like that. But she didn’t have any evidence to prove otherwise. Her mouth was wavy as she visibly gained a big drop of sweat on her brow, looking nervous; even she started to have doubts about her Patron. Were the claims true? She was tongue tied, with no idea what she could say. Sensing her distress, Alexander took a step in front of Lily, in an attempt to protect her But then, she heard a new voice that advised her not to answer, and was shocked to see that it was the catgirl who spoke. [color=fff200]”What do you mean?”[/color] Lily responded, and then watched as she summoned a monster right before her very eyes, frightening her. [color=fff200]”Kiyah! A monster!”[/color] She exclaimed as she summoned her magical weapon, but then lowered it once it was apparent it wouldn’t harm anyone in the office. After the yeti left, Lily sighed in relief with a hand on her chest. [color=fff200]”Phew...That really spooked me. I’ve never seen someone summon a beast up close like that.”[/color] Dina gestured for Lily and Alex to talk, and Lily followed her to the back of the room where they could converse without bothering the others. She continued listening to Dina as she spoke to her, surprised by how insightful she was about her and her recent circumstances. So she had also been a Solo magical girl? Lily found herself drawn to the catgirl’s accepting smile, and gave a slight smile of her own back. [color=fff200]”Thank you for speaking up for me. I got taken by surprise there, heh.”[/color] She offered her hand in a handshake. [color=fff200]”I’m Lily Lightning, and this is Alex,”[/color] she said, gesturing to her boyfriend. [color=fff200]”We’re Mariette’s friends.”[/color] “[color=aba000]Alexander,[/color]” Alexander corrected as he also offered his hand “[color=aba000]But nobody actually calls me that...for some reason.[/color]” [color=fff200]”Well, I thought you’d like Alex more,”[/color] Lily spoke with a cute pout. [color=fff200]”But I can call you Alexander if that’s what you’d prefer.,”[/color] Alexander shrugged “[color=aba000]Eh, it doesn’t really matter anymore. It [i]used[/i] to bug me, but I got used to it and don’t really care anymore. It’s just kind of weird how everyone we meet seems to use the nickname ‘Alex’ instead of my actual name.[/color]” Dina’s ear perked up as she smiled somewhat catlike, before resuming her neutral polite visage once more, and offering a most elegant handshake. She would have offered a curtsy, but these folk seemed more about modern etiquette than most. “The names of a flower and of a conqueror. Fitting.” Dina said. “I’m Dina Denisova. Currently helping Sanctuary building a rapport and one of Dan’s girls.” Her gaze rested on the both. “This must be hard on you, to deal with such… harsh matters on top of a maze of lies that is politics and reputation. Fortunately for you, right now, with a Vampyr at the door the only reputation we ought to care about is whether you will stick to fighting, sell us out, or leave. And your emotions are written in your face. You’d make a very poor spy indeed.” Dina quipped, drawing even closer, almost nuzzling Lily’s neck with her cheek. Lily cheered up from what she interpreted was a compliment. [color=fff200]”Thank you! Your name is also super cute.[/color] She nodded to Dina’s statement about political intrigue, looking a bit tired. [color=fff200]”Yeah, but that’s what you get when you live in Penrose. It didn’t help that monsters swarmed the place in winter, and caused some jerks to come here and cause trouble,”[/color] she said, puffing up her cheeks. Afterwards, she reluctantly agreed to being too open with her feelings, and she held her arm. [color=fff200]”Well, I’m honest when I say I want to help Mariette...I just don’t know how...”[/color] That was when Dina took a more intimate approach, causing Lily to freeze up, her face red like a tomato. [color=fff200]”Ahh!”[/color] However, she didn’t push the catgirl away, and simply let her continue her speech. “That girl, Mariette is warped. Even I can see that. Magic does also queer things, and I have the inkling suspicious her original age was fairly younger. Possibly a lost, mistreated child, easy prey for unscrupulous patrons.” The catgirl said. “Do not fret about that, we will cross that bridge when it comes. And addressing your patron too.” She paused. “So worry only whether you will flee Beacon or stay, Lily. I won’t judge either decision. I wish I could flee, alas. I would hate to die a dog’s death… but that child, Mariette… needs motherly care. And time is of the essence, Lily, Xander.” Alexander raised an eyebrow “[color=aba000]Xander? That’s new.[/color]” Lily’s lips parted, as if to say something, but instead she simply stared forward, thinking. [color=fff200]”O-Okay...You’re right.”[/color] She finally had the will to gently push Dina away. [color=fff200]”Let’s do our best in stopping Justine, Dina. You can count on me!”[/color] She then blinked, and pulled out her phone. [color=fff200]”By the way, can we exchange phone numbers? Just in case either of us gets into trouble, you know? And, uh, you seem like a fun girl to talk to, tee hee~”[/color] She giggled slightly from her embarrassment. “[color=aba000]This feels weird[/color]” Alexander commented “[color=aba000]Last time I had to deal with Justine, I was on the invading force. Now it’s the other way around, and there’s even more political nonsense. Thinking back to how everyone put aside faction based disputes to work together to stop her, I can’t help but feel like we’re moving backwards here. It’s actually kind of sad.[/color]” He sighed “Such is life. But time is of essence. We should talk of this later.” Dina said, before addressing Lily. “My phone? Huh… just a sec.” She said as she brought her phone, and tried to extract a number… only to show a couple of male stud pics and a gif video about a nyancat. “...maybe later. Let’s get to it.” Lily eagerly looked at Dina’s phone while clutching her own, only to reel back with shock from Dina’s fumble. [color=fff200]”Yeah, that’s fine with me, haha!”[/color] She responded, perhaps a bit too fast to be normal. [color=fff200]”Anyway, I now feel so much better than before!”[/color] She gave a little hug to Dina before stepping off. [color=fff200]”I hope that after this we can be good friends. Bye for now!”[/color] She then went back to Mariette’s side of the office. [color=fff200]”Hey Mariette, which way is to the roof, or somewhere else really high? I think I’d be able to help the best with a wide view around the mansion.”[/color] “[color=aba000]There aren’t a whole lot of us here Lily. So if you do pick a high point and snipe, you’re probably going to be up there alone. Are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own?[/color] Alexander asked worriedly. Lily looked back to Alex with an unsure look. [color=fff200]”Don’t worry, Lexander!”[/color] She gave a bright smile. [color=fff200]”If I spot trouble, I’ll just run back here to you. Anyone trying to pursue me will be caught in the traps Mariette mentioned.”[/color] Alexander raised an eyebrow “[color=aba000]’Lexander’? Is that actually a thing?[/color]” he quickly dismissed that line of thought with a sigh “[color=aba000]Just...be careful, okay? Don’t take any stupid risks.[/color]” Dina for the most part, silently nodded and then addressed the rest of the people around Mariette. “Hope you do not mind me staying besides Mariette as healer. I can provide mythological summons on demand, stronger than normal beasts. Also, miss Su… do you think we could infuse those runes in mirrors so that they explode and can’t be used against Mariette?”