[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/dvSbQ9l.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/qF7CyJb.png[/img] [color=tomato]“It's hard work being a CEO. And speaking of hard things...”[/color] [color=888888]— Oros[/color][/center] With Oros’s newly hired staff putting in the work, there was little Oros had to do to keep things moving smoothly. Aria and Binky were a lucky break, perhaps the luckiest break in all of this. To kill some time, she was walking around at night. Her shoes making light crushing sounds as she walked through the snow. Was it going to be Christmas soon? She felt like that was four or five months ago for some reason. But if that was the case, they should be on the tail end of spring. Well whatever. [color=tomato]"Man."[/color] Oros thought to herself. [color=tomato]"Sure is boring right now. It would be really cool if I could just sorta bump into someone."[/color] And since this is supposed to be a collab, she was bound to bump into someone eventually. That someone being a certain Eliza, albeit untransformed at the moment. [color=gold]"Er, pardon me."[/color] She excused herself, intending to walk past. Eliza didn’t get to take more than a few steps before Oros grabbed her shoulder. [color=tomato]"Wait a second."[/color] Oros walked backwards untill she was in front of Eliza again. [color=tomato]"This meeting of ours was fated by those who write the history of our world."[/color] She retracted her hands and shoved them into her pockets. [color=tomato]"There must be a reason why destiny brought us together."[/color] Eliza comically blinked. Once. Twice. [color=gold]"Uh...I don't know. Fate seems to like pulling fast ones on me, but whatever floats your boat."[/color] She shrugged, then held a hand out for Oros to shake. [color=gold]"I'm Eliza."[/color] [color=tomato]"I know."[/color] Oros took Eliza’s hand and gave it a firm shake, sliding her thumb along her knuckles. [color=tomato]"I’m Oros. But more importantly, what has a girl like you walking around at this hour?"[/color] [color=gold]"To be fair...nothing much. I don't get alot of downtime like this, so there isn't much to do besides hunt monsters or scry on people. Among other things."[/color] The witch looked around. [color=gold]"Though I can't complain. With everything that's happened and will happen, it's good to get [i]some[/i] rest."[/color] [color=tomato]"The future, huh?"[/color] Oros started to grin. [color=tomato]"The past is history, the future is a mystery, and now is a treasure. That’s why it’s called the present."[/color] She chuckled at that increadibly lame bit of philosophy she got out of a fortune cookie. She ate a lot more of those now that she owned an oriental themed hotel. [color=tomato]"Your future can’t be any more bleak than the one I see coming, but lay it on me anyway, I’m curious now."[/color] [color=gold]"See, there's this Christmas party coming up, and concidering how the last shindig ended, I'm worried someone will be stupid enough to crash that too."[/color] Eliza confided to Oros. She crossed her arms. [color=gold]"It's bad enough my boss is worried about things going to Hell-in-a-teapot due to the current power inbalance. And since things aren't even trying to be better, I can see why."[/color] [color=tomato]"Oh, you got a ticket to that too?"[/color] Oros held up the ticket that Emily had given her, turning it over in her hand. [color=tomato]"I dunno. I mean I get it, people like to turn fun things into not-so-fun things. But even when there isn’t a distraction, look at how damn impassive everyone is? Penrose is a shitting crater, and magical girls are still patrolling the place like there’s something here worth protecting.."[/color] Her eyes moved onto Eliza’s. [color=tomato]"Any reason why you hang around here? And don’t say ‘because my patron wants me to,’ because that’s not a real answer. "[/color] Eliza furrowed her brows when she looked back at Oros. [color=gold]"Well someone's gotta keep the two powerhouses here from starting the apocalypse."[/color] Oros laughed. [color=tomato]"Yea, it seems that Beacon has really pulled ahead of Mint in that regard. The fact that Mint is even considered a superpower at this point is pretty laughable. I think Penny and her sanctuary probably has more going for them than the mint does, at least in terms of a presence in Penrose. But she’s on their side, so I guess they’re pretty much the same thing."[/color] Oros’s laughter died down with a sigh. [color=tomato]"I think people talk enough about that shit though."[/color] She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. [color=tomato]"Wanna do something cool? I own a whole hotel now, got a game room and everything. But if you still wanna hunt monsters, we could go kill a few."[/color] [color=gold]"...Eh, what the heck, I can game a bit. Lead the way."[/color] Eliza shrugged again, stuffing a hand into her pocket. [color=tomato]"That’s cool. I wanna regail you with the tale of my heroic victory over the Mint. Right this way, ma’am!"[/color] [hr] It didn’t take the two more than a few minutes to find their way back into the game room. It hadn’t changed much since Eliza had her going away party with all the Cradle agents earlier. Only now Oros was here, and there was a lot of alcoholic beverages on a catering table that one of Binky’s clones had rolled out. [color=tomato]"…And then Al was all like ‘Wow, you’re pretty strong, even the ace of spades is no match for you borrito!’ Just a FYI I have no idea why he called me a burrito. Probably because I kicked his ass so bad that he had to drop the fake Italian gig. I always knew he was Mexican, but I’m getting side tracked! He handed Betty over to me, and pleaded with me to spare his life."[/color] Oros took a shot. [color=tomato]"Also he had an inept bodyguard that totally wasn’t able to just no-sell my attack because they were on guard."[/color] She burped. [color=tomato]"Pretty cool, huh?"[/color] Eliza appeared dumbfounded at the story, despite knowing that most of it was bull thanks to her light magic. She took a sip of her drink. [color=gold]"Well uh, other than most of the bullshit you made up to look cool, I'm glad you got Betty back for us."[/color] [color=tomato]"Did you just call me out? After I invited you in here to play games and shit?"[/color] Oros stroked her chin. [color=tomato]"I suppose I did bend the truth pretty far that time. There no way anyone wouldn’t instantly understand why they were called a burrito."[/color] Eliza then gave Oros a comical look. [color=gold]"But what's the catch?"[/color] Oros blinked. [color=tomato]"The, the catch?"[/color] She placed her hands on her hips. [color=tomato]"The catch…"[/color] Her eyes drifted from Eliza’s face down the front of her body, to her short-shorts, and finally her exposed legs. [color=tomato]"The… Catch…"[/color] She wiggled her fingers. [color=tomato]"The catch is, that she’s going to help me out."[/color] Oros’s eyes shot up to meet Eliza’s with a smile. [color=tomato]"She has an important job, and nobody can do it but her."[/color] She traced circles with her finger on a nearby pool table. [color=tomato]"But I’m not holding her against her will or anything. Did you want to see her?"[/color] The comical look faded when Eliza was asked if she wanted to see Betty. [color=gold]"Sure. I gotta catch her up on what's happened during her capture."[/color] [color=tomato]"B-but before that..."[/color] Oros took a few steps closer to Eliza. [color=tomato]"I mean, uh, I'm really bad at picking up subtle hints. Was there suppose to be a catch? Was I suppose to ask you to do something for me?"[/color] Her eyes shifted side to side. [color=tomato]"Just asking for a friend is all."[/color] The witch gave her a reassuring smile. [color=gold]"Hey, you're fine! I wasn't sure if you were allied with Cradle or not. Just wanted to make sure you won't stab us in the back or something."[/color] She waved it off, then looked Oros dead in the eye. [color=gold]"You won't stab us in the back...[i]right?[/i]"[/color] The beast girl blinked. [color=tomato]"You’re a light girl, huh? One of those babes that can’t be lied to. Well, not in an obvious manner anyway."[/color] She sighed and folded her arms. [color=tomato]"Gotta say, kinda hurts having an accusation thrown at you after rescuing one of your agents. Guess that’s the world we live in now."[/color] Oros sighed. [color=tomato]"But to answer your question, I have no desire to stab Cradle in the back. That could change with time, but it seems unlikely."[/color] Oros pulled up a pager and clicked a button on it. The witch frowned. Did she go too far? [color=gold]"Forgive me. It's hard for me to let my guard down these days. Like I said, you're fine."[/color] She apologized. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3Pstn7T.png[/img] [color=A15EC0]“I can't wait to start working for Veronica again and finally put an end to Justine's tyranny!”[/color] [color=888888]— Betty Biohazard[/color][/center] A white and black blur flew into the room and whipped out all three of its massive swords. [color=A15EC0]”Huzzah!”[/color] She turned to look at Eliza. [color=A15EC0]”Hold on a second! You’re a cradle agent!”[/color] [color=tomato]"Betty, Eliza, Eliza, Betty."[/color] Oros waved her hand between the two girls as she introduced them. [color=tomato]"Don’t you guys have mental intercoms or something?"[/color] [color=A15EC0]”Actually, the brainwashing seems to have locked me out of that. I’ve mostly been keeping in touch with Trixy and Tetrad when I get a moment to myself.”[/color] She inched closer to Eliza. [color=A15EC0]”Actually, I think we’ve met before. You were at a few Cradle meetings, right? I don’t think we exchanged many words.”[/color] She nodded. [color=A15EC0]”They didn’t tell me everything but, a lot’s changed, hasn’t it?”[/color] Eliza waved when Betty made her grand entrance. [color=gold]"You didn't miss much. Cindy got assassinated and Penny took her place as queen; the rave was a bust, people got mass murdered. We had to keep Justine and Beacon from killing Mariette and succeeded, not to mention Maura's the new leader now. Oh yeah!"[/color] She pulled out her invitation and copied it, giving the second one to Betty. [color=gold]"There's a Christmas party coming up and I'm sure as hell it's gonna get hijacked, wanna join?[/color] [color=A15EC0]”Um!”[/color] Betty could do little else other than just hold onto the ticket Eliza had handed her. [color=A15EC0]”That sounds like a lot.”[/color] [color=tomato]"At least a year’s worth of posting."[/color] Oros cackled. [color=A15EC0]”Well, I wouldn’t mind hearing about it all in more detail but-”[/color] She ran over to Oros, still holding the ticket. [color=A15EC0]”I’m going to be done with the super important task in time to join the party, right?”[/color] She shrugged. [color=tomato]"I uh, don’t really know when it’s happening. But probably?"[/color] [color=A15EC0]”Yes!”[/color] Betty pulled Oros into a hug. [color=A15EC0]”And I’m going to make sure that whatever evil threatens the party, I’ll make sure to slay it with impunity!”[/color] She still had an arm around Oros when she swung her sword through the air. [color=A15EC0]”Just point out the enemy and I’ll cut them down!”[/color] Eliza chuckled at Betty's optimism. Atleast one of them was confident, even after getting kidnapped. Speaking of... [color=gold]"Did the Mint hurt you any? I can let Maura know to reconnect you to the magicoms but other than that-"[/color] She clicked her tongue at the realization. [color=gold]"Damn, we gotta get more healers with us."[/color] She shook her head. Remedy was out and the twins were dead, what could she do? Maybe one of them had a healing artifact? [color=A15EC0]”Oh I’m fine! I can’t remember much after the rave.”[/color] Betty held up a tiny cracked lantern. [color=A15EC0]”I’ve got this healing artifact though, so my physical injuries have all been taken care of. I was in touch with Veronica long enough to verify I had no problems, just my access to the network is down.”[/color] [color=gold]"Right, I'll see about having Maura get you back online later."[/color] Eliza nodded. She then looked around, then back at the two. [color=gold]"So, now what?"[/color] [color=tomato]"We originally came here to play games, right?"[/color] Oros spread her arms. [color=tomato]"Take your pick."[/color] [color=A15EC0]”Darts!”[/color] Betty prepared to throw one of her daggers at the dart board when Oros offered her a dart. Which she gently removed from her hand. [color=gold]"Fine with me."[/color] Eliza casually shrugged, grabbing a few darts and waiting her turn. [hr] [color=A15EC0]”that was really fun!”[/color] She hopped into the air and punched over her head. [color=A15EC0]”I guess I should talk with Maura at some point. First impressions are important!"[/color] [color=tomato]"Guess I can let you go."[/color] Oros bowed to Betty, who returned the gesture before darting out of the game room. Before Eliza could depart with Betty, Oros placed her hand on her shoulder. [color=tomato]"So earlier, you asked if I would back stab you or not. I said I had no intention of doing something like that, but it is important that you realize that my answer was conditional. If you give me reason to betray you, I will."[/color] Oros`s eyes softened. [color=tomato]"But I really like you guys, so I hope you don't break my heart."[/color] She stepped in front of Eliza. [color=tomato]"Speaking of hearts, are uh, in no, going to the party like, 'with' anyone?"[/color] Eliza silently listen to Oros, then calmly smiled. [color=gold]"Now why would I do that on purpose, hm? Maura would have my head if I alienated a possible ally."[/color] When the party was mentioned, her eyebrows rose. [color=gold]"Like a date?? Not really. Why, what's up?"[/color] [color=tomato]"Well, certainly not for a date!"[/color] Oros placed her hands on her hips. [color=tomato]"I was just curious what you were doing."[/color] Before Eliza could call out Oros for lying again, she clarified. [color=tomato]"It’s been a while since I’ve gone to a party or anything of that nature. Wasn’t sure if people were like, showing up with their friends and shit like that."[/color] She looked away. [color=tomato]"But if the person I wanna go with isn’t available… Anyway, we’ll see. It probably doesn’t matter."[/color] Oros walked out of the game room. [color=tomato]"You’d better catch up with Betty. I’ve only known her for a few days, and she seems like the kind of person who has difficulty navigating. Does she even know where Maura is?"[/color] The witch shrugged. [color=gold]"Platonic date then?"[/color] She walked out of the game room behind Oros. When Maura was mentioned, she looked around for any shadows. [color=gold]"As far as I know, Maura likes to lurk through shadow, dark places, yknow? Her type of magic connects them on an interdimentional plane or something."[/color] Eliza explained, calling the necromancer through magicoms just in case. [color=tomato]"I didn’t, actually."[/color] She turned around. [color=tomato]"Also um, I’m going to my office. Is there a reason you’re following me? Do you really want a date that badly?"[/color] Eliza stopped to give Oros an unamused look, despite being the one who idly followed her. [color=gold]"I was just answering your question, toots."[/color] she shook her expression off. [color=gold]"Right, I'm gonna catch up with Betty. See you.[/color] Oros scoffed and rolled her eyes. Eliza hadn’t taken five steps before the beast woman’s voice cut through the air. [color=tomato]"You know what? Fine! You’re not going to stop nagging me anyway, are you?"[/color] Oros pulled out a PDA and scrolled through her busy schedule, which was mostly just stuff that had nothing to do with. [color=tomato]"I’ll go on a date with you since you’re sooooo damn persistent! But I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m a free bird and I do whatever the hell I want."[/color] After scheduling something in, Oros folded her arms. [color=tomato]"So I’ll stop by your place with my magic lotus to pick you up. You can be ready by eight the day of the party, right? "[/color] Once more, Eliza was dumbfounded by the other girl's rantings. But after a second, she broke into a giggle. [color=gold]"Alright, alright, I'll bite."[/color] she pulled her phone out from her pocket. [color=gold]"I should probably give you my number then, so you can let me know when you've arrived."[/color] She smiled. [color=tomato]"Sure thing."[/color] After they exchanged phone numbers, Oros pointed at the door. [color=tomato]"Now get out of here, I’ve got a foot massage in five minutes."[/color] [color=gold]"Right, catch ya later, Oros."[/color] Eliza nodded, and walked out.