[center][hider=Varjo]Age: 36/18 | Gender: Female/Female | Darkness/Illusion Mystic | Focus Fire | Horror/Ebon Mint Familiar/Sorcery/Awareness/Gifted/Incognito/Enhanced Weapon/ Intuition/Mystic Artifact | Minions/Mystic Might/Gifted Item/Transportation/Supplier/Magical Overload/Non-Exclusivity/Mana Font | Insomnia/Quick Tempered/Mind Bent/Fearsome Reputation/Debt/Betrayal/Monstrous Form 7/7/8/23/6[/hider] [hider=Ilmarinen]Age: 26/17 | Gender: Male/Male | Time/Air Ranged | Prime | Puchuu/Ebon Mint Gifted/Sorcery/Incognito/Overlay/Masculinity | Well Connected/Mystic Might/Physical Prowess/Supplier/Magical Overload/Non Exclusivity/Mana Font | Debt/Betrayal/Monstrous Form/Distracted/Hostile/Clueless | Wings/Chaos Engine/Broken Reincarnation/Second Specialization 5/20/6/18/8[/hider] [hider=Alma]Age: 30/15 | Gender: Female/Female |Beast/Reinforcement Fist | Regeneration | Lesser Force/Ebon Mint Healing Artifact/Martial Training/Mana Channel/Monstrous Metamorphosis/Bestial Magical Overload/Non-exclusivity/Mana Font/Focused/Subtle/ Mystical Might/Physical Prowess | Debt/betrayal/Monstrous Form/Limited/Alien Mind/Rival Force (Gaia)/Formless | Thick Skin/Discordian/Second Specialization/Weakness (Wood) 15/7/9/20/6[/hider] [/center] Seppa all but rolled her eyes as Reaver warned of the potential threat he might bring with him. At least he wasn't insisting on some pointless fight that would only serve to get himself killed. So he had lived up to her very low expectations at last. [i]Relax, tough guy. We've got it under control,'[/i] she told him before waving to Varjo. She cast the spell, wrapping him in shadows before teleporting him to near the group of Mint aligned magical girls. Of course, it looked like Seppa had also mentioned what he had said to the others. Varjo waved to him as she turned on her feet, still grinning eagerly. "Come on, let the Cradle come. We'll send them running back to their mommy for their nap times," she gloated with a toothy grin. She did not fear a fight with them. Ilmarinen nodded along, though less enthusiastic than his companion. "Al would probably not object to us fighting Veronica's pawns. We need a better idea of what she's built anyways." While they debated the merits of fighting the Crimson Cradle posse, Seppa had been keeping an eye on the ongoing battle using her Psychic powers. As such, she was aware of when it resolved, and the general opinions of those involved. "Looks like things are wrapping up in there. They managed to talk penny down. If there's a grudge, I'm not feeling it," she informed Alma. "Tch," Alma grumbled. Her teeth clicked together as her tail agitatedly swished in frustration. "People in this city are way too forgiving." They could do all the manipulation and mind games that they wanted, but when the heavy hitters were so willing to make up it made things very difficult. Well, they had done what they could. Alma calmed herself before looking to her companions. "We should get out of here before they come looking for us. There's no point in lingering now." They would depart, and then plan their next move. She turned and began leading the way in the opposite direction from the Sanctuary, out into the city beyond. This particular act had concluded, but the play was far from over. [@AtomicNut] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/z6cC6JC.png[/img] [hider]Age: 22/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Light Ranged/Melee | Barrage/Third Eye | Beacon Enhanced Outfit/Sorcery/Get Out of Jail/Blood Magic/Wings/Dual Weapon | Shine Spark/Perfect Life/Gifted Item | Vow of Patience/Excommunication 10/9/11/15/7[/hider][/center] The trial had concluded at last. Leaving the courtroom, Alicia's shoulders sagged fro9m the weight of it all. She was tired from the fighting, the lost adrenaline that now pulled her down. She continued to feel the sting of her wounds, though that was perhaps more mental than physical by this point. Then there was the emotional weight, which continued to tug at her mind even now. She knew that she should not harbor regrets over the trial. She had presented her case as best she could, drawn n the facts as she knew them. Perhaps she had been wrong to think the Twins were in league with the Cradle. But all the same, it had looked pretty incriminating from her angle. Ultimately the trial had ended against her favor. Now she just needed to move past that and follow the verdict of the Cardinal. For all that she wanted to do that, it was easier said than done. She continually found herself shocked and dismayed by the local girls who had rallied to defend Mariette. She just couldn't understand how they had been so fooled. Not only that, but as the one in control of this mission she found herself continually replaying events in her head as she made her way down the halls of headquarters. What could she have done better? Continued inside the mansion through the ambush? Blasted their way to the roof? Over and over, again and again. Honestly, if the Twins plan was the one that ultimately ended up working, she wasn't sure how well she would take it. Whatever said plan was. Denied a final confrontation, denied that resolution, and humiliated by the clandestine actions of her own subordinates, it was a galling thought. God, she was going to need to do something to destress later. For now she arrived at her office. Swinging open the door, she stepped into the welcoming atmosphere and moved over to her desk. Writing a report would distract her from the more annoying emotional issues, so that was what she would do. All she could do now was wait and see how things resolved themselves. She could no longer impact how Mariette's story resolved. She just needed to be ready for whatever came next.