[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5r7OTIh.png[/img]
[b][color=Aquamarine]wordcount:[/color][/b] 2,223 (+3) (+5 result EXP) (-1)
[b][color=Aquamarine]Midna: level 3[/color][/b] EXP: [color=Aquamarine]///////////////////////[/color]///////////////// (23/40)
[b][color=Aquamarine]Location:[/color][/b] Sandswept Sky - Sweet Canyon - Parnasse
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Midna had the indecency to turn and look down at Laharl smug as a snake while behind her minion tore the robot’s many heads to pieces in a flurry of devastating crunches. A little too smug, considering she hadn’t actually finished the job. 

[color=Aquamarine]”And that’s how it’s do-”[/color] she began to say, before Mona smashed down on the not quite dead robot behind her, causing the princess to flinch away while reflexively covering her head and dramatically bringing the robot to its end.

[color=Aquamarine]”Goddesses that was close.”[/color] she breathed as she tried to regain her composure, and then agreed the the cat [color=Aquamarine]”Yes, please don’t pull that again”[/color] 

Despite it ending in close shave with a falling vehicle for the princess, the battle had gone decently. Only one casualty among the trapped townspeople and all of their team members had gotten out without a scratch. She glared at the fairy for the risk her big mouth had put everyone in and the death she’d caused, but as her initial admonishment hadn't had much of an effect the look wasn’t going to have much of an impact either. So she sighed and put it aside for now.

Overall the whole escapade had turned out fruitfully and hadn’t just been a heroic waste of time of energy. The boy, who’s final contribution was to be disgusted at the concept of kindness before retreating into a house, looked like he’d be a childish pain if he stuck around at all, and the fairy didn’t seem to be a bit of a nuisance who didn’t know much about the area, but the actual townspeople were helpful enough, offering to allow them to stay as thanks for freeing them. Not that they could stop them from doing so, but this did make things easier and they seemed to have some local expertise, which would be useful later. 

As much as Midna would have preferred to keep going through the night and sleep through the day, she was likely the only one who preferred the dark to the blinding day. Also she was tired too, it had to be said. So the princess did not raise any objections to the idea of getting some rest, or to Primrose’s suggestion they segregate the sleeping places by gender (putting the Medic away from her and the now more dapper Sectonia was probably for the best, even if she did respect him more than she had when they met).

Still, there were a few loose ends to handle first, namely those still trapped in crystal who hadn’t been killed by a flying street lamp. 

[color=Aquamarine]”Guess I’ll keep being the rescuer princess then… actually. Poppie, mind if you help me get the last few people out of the crystals before you take watch?”[/color] she asked, and would direct the robot to a few if she accepted.

The chocolate kangaroo's rescue was rather uneventful, but when she came to the first of what she’d label the travelers she had an idea that was all too clever for her boots. Seeing as they were already helpless and at her mercy, what better time to lay a quick smack down and introduce them to a friend heart, she thought.

Her test subject for this idea was a human clad in [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/b/bc/Nefariousposter_12x18gradient.png]purple armor[/url] with one oversized hand. Frozen in crystal, the man’s nefarious nature wasn't on display, and Midna only realized that the combination of the large lenses on his helmet and the grill on his chest combined to give the appearance of a skull in retrospect. As a result she presumed him to be some kind of knight. In the end it didn't really matter either way. As far as the princess was concerned, she had the element of surprise and nothing she’d met so far could stand up to a good shadow handing, so friend or foe, they were being dealt with smoothly.

She landed in front of the crystal, wound an elbow in a stretch while she brought out her shadow hand and then tapped on the crystal with a shadow claw, shattering it and freeing its captive.

“-this then,” the trapped man finished saying the sentence he’d been saying before being trapped, and before he could adjust to his current situation he was grabbed by Midna’s shadow hand “wow!”

[color=Aquamarine]”Hold still, this’ll only hurt for a second,”[/color] the princess told him, holding him slightly aloft with a shadow hand large as he was and starting to crush him in her grasp while summoning a friend her with her free hands.

“Getting kinda mixed messages here” the villain commented upon seeing the heart, his voice strained yet simultaneously sounding entirely nonplussed about being in the process of being squeezed half to death. 

Then he exploded.

The blast forced Minda’s grip apart, but left the man standing entirely unharmed in its wake.

[color=Aquamarine]”What?! How?”[/color] Midna demanded to know as she stepped back defensively

“Explosion proof suit!” he announced triumphantly, before demonstrating where the explosion had come from by yelling “eat grenade!” and directing the palm of his oversized hand at her and firing a pill shaped explosive out of a hole at its center.

Minda brought her shadow hand in front of her to guard, the shot detonating on the orange energy, but while she was protecting herself the armored villain rushed in, winding up a big punch with that same oversized fist. 

Midna hit the ground with her shadow hand and then used it to push her to the side, letting her slide out the way of the blow. She slid to a halt and then swung the hand around behind her as her opponent’s hit the candy wall of the house with a crunch. He pushed back off the wall as he turned, and moved then to charge again, only for Minda to spray twilight sand in his face.

“Gah pocket sand! That is so cheap!” he complained, wiping at his eyes with one hand while blindly firing a grenade with the other, forcing Midna to guard again rather than attack again.

Or that was his plan. Instead, while the grenade did force Midna to block she was still able to move in other ways, and so the two of them briefly ended up sharing the enclosed space with giant wolfos.

“What! Oh... good dog?” her foe said when he saw it though the sand grains before screaming “Ahhh!” as it bit him on the arm and tossed him across the room into a bookshelf before vanishing back to the twilight realm.

He started to pull himself up, only to be grabbed by a shadow hand and smashed head first into the opposite wall, before Midna pulled him back into much the same position they’d started in, him held in her grip before him and a friend heart in her hand.

“Really, squeeze again? really? We both know how this ends-” he mocked despite his bruised face and bleeding nose before the princess hefted the heart and prepped to throw, “Hey wait no what are you doing with that!”

He exploded again but rather than flinch away the princess hurled the heart at the wounded man., then she stepped back as the smoke cleared, leaving him standing there with a look of revelation on his face. 

[color=Aquamarine]”You remember now? That this world is wrong? We don't need to fight any more”[/color] Midna asked/told him, stepping back but holding a defensive posture still just in case.

“Urgh. yeah.” he agreed, dropping the rest of his own combat ready stance that hadn't been wipe by the flash of memory.

[color=Aquamarine]”Good,”[/color] she nodded before calling out [color=Aquamarine]”WE’RE OK IN HERE, JUST DEALING WITH A GALEEMING!”[/color] to levy any concerns of any people rushing to her aid. Over all the close range fight had taken moments, leaving little time for it to disrupt anyone else's evening, baring waking up any quick sleepers.

“Galeeming huh...” the man said, one arm crossed over his chest, supporting his elbow as he contemplatively rubbed his chin. 

[color=Aquamarine]”Yes, its-.”[/color] 

“No no, let me guess,” he told her, raising a hand to stop her. He thought for a moment, then took a look outside at those of their diverse team that were still visible. Then he stepped back into the room and after giving it a few more moments seemed to put everything together “So... Your a princess-”

[color=Aquamarine]”Yes but how-”[/color] 

“No one else would wear something that garish crown on their head” 

[color=Aquamarine]”It’s more of a helmet. Or a mask. And it wasn't always gold”[/color] Midna explained, but it didn't real matter, he'd guessed correctly

“But I’m still right right? Right. So you're a princess, and you and your little band of heroes are traipsing around the land hunting down some mcguffins or lieutenants or something to collect or deal with and then your going to take the fight to some big bad evil guy in-order to put everything back to normal right? and while your at it you’re freeing people who have been put under the influence or hypnosis or spell or mind control or whatever of this guy and recruiting everyone that seems useful, like me, to your cause?”

[color=Aquamarine]”I... Yes? Do you want to help”[/color] Midna asked, a bit take a back by this somewhat accurate deduction.

The man snorted and then burst out laughing with a nefarious canter “gahahahahahahahahahahahah- Me? No. No way. No”  he shook his head “Look thanks for freeing me. Twice I guess. But I don’t owe you or the world putting my life on the line to fight… whatever did this just because you did me a favor, alright? I’ve got my own stuff to deal with now, people I need to find. You know how it is.”

[color=Aquamarine]”I get worrying about your own but-”[/color] Midna began, thinking she could relate to his attitude but he rudely cut her off again.

“Nah don’t give me some bigger picture crap. Look. I’m not a hero. I’m a bad guy. A damn good one too. Now I’m not going to stop you, and hey, maybe I’ll repay the favor some point down the line when I've got my shit together. But right now, I’ve got stuff to deal with and I’m not joining up on your little quest. I’m sure you can handle it, Hero’s always do,” He told her, before raising a hand to his ear and activating some kind of transmitter on his helmet.

“Hey. Becky. This is Crow. Come in Becky. Or anyone really. Random minions? Someone pick up the damn phone already!” he said into it, getting more and more frustrated as the silence or static coming from it carried on carrying on.

[color=Aquamarine]”That’s probably not going to work”[/color] Midna told him 

“Like hell it is. I don't care what the worlds like now-”

[color=Aquamarine]”big messed up amalgamation of basically every world ever, and maybe every time too, all mushed together into a dangerous and violent patchwork quilt by a giant glowball with rainbow wings that's also the sun”[/color] 

“Wow really? Ok that's pretty wack. Still not helping. Look, the Sovereign’s the greatest airship. An epic flying fortress of my own design. Doesn't matter if the world is a big patchwork or on fire or something, it'll be out there and Becky, my secretary, will have kept it and my minions together… I just need a better signal is all, hang on,” the man, who hadn’t introduced himself as such but was presumably called Crow, said before stepping outside and trying to climb onto the roof. 

“Give me a leg up will you” he asked, before being roughly shoved up onto it by Minda’s shadow hand “you really like to manhandle people with that thing huh. Or woman handle, I guess. Anyway. Hey. Becky. Please do your damn job and pick up already!”

[color=Aquamarine]”You’re fooling yourself. Trust me. But you can yell at the sky all night if you want for all I care. Or don't actually, the rest of us are going to get some sleep”[/color] Midna called up at him, before throwing up her hands in frustration as he flipped her off and kept trying to contact his ship. Sighing exasperatedly she turned, washed her hands of the whole situation, and left him to it.

Having had wretched luck with the non animal people in town Minda decided to call it a day. It sounded like people were already dealing with the others anyway. 

The princess was directed to the house where Primrose had set herself down to sleep by its owner, and then found herself a room/corner to herself. After piling up her slippers, knee-socks, earrings, singular Spaulder (it did not like being on it's own, threatening to destabilize if it was, but seemed happy enough to be off her if it was nestled among her things) and the fused shadow to one side she settled down to rest. Lacking an improvised bed sheet like Primrose had, she instead summoned one of her wolfos and used its curled up form and her own long waist wrap to make a somewhat cramped but very soft and warm stickiness free sleeping area.

It was a nostalgic night’s rest.