[center][h3]Al Mamoon - Museum of Vanity[/h3]
[@Zoey Boey] [@Yankee][/center]

Although there were ample reasons to be careful about barging straight into the lion’s share of the distorted gallery, the Phantom Thieves would not be dissuaded from their course, and they were glad for the extra assistance the two women elected to grant them. Primrose’s magical dances, as learned from prior experience, would continue to give them a vital edge in battle, and they’d already caught a glimpse of what the versatile Tool Gun could accomplish in the hands of an amateur. That Jesse would be capable of providing even greater utility, Joker did not doubt. In a brief but almost ceremonious series of motions the dancer equipped her new trinkets, including a mask that made her fit right at home among the Phantom Thieves and left the bare-faced FBC director as the odd woman out. Nevertheless, the entire group -masked and unmasked alike- made for the grand double doors at the far end of the courtyard. The vivid eyes of its swirling peacock feathers stared ruefully down as the intruders as they pushed their way inside.

The minute they stepped into the Museum of Vanity proper, their senses were assailed by the sheer quantity of gold, even in the entry hall. Whether light or dark, be it patterned in staggered squares on the wall or three-winged spiral on the floor, whatever the shade, it was one lustrous color. From countless hanging banners on the walls the goatee-wearing face of an old man stared out, smugly satisfied in his accomplishments. Neither Primrose nor Jesse recognized the Japanese symbols on the banners, but the Thieves evidently did. “Ugh,” Panther groaned. “The only talent that old coot ever had was ripping people off.”

“Stay on your guard, guys.” Mona warned. “We’ve come a long way since this palace but I’d bet you a boatload of sushi it won’t be just how we remembered it.”

Loosening his shoulder, Skull noted, “It’s gotta be in its own little world at least. So we’re free to cut loose, right?”

Joker nodded to both, and at a brisk run, moved forward into a lobby filled with multicolored couches arranged on diagonals among potted plants. Naturally it took only a few moments to run into security. Around the perimeter of the room a few tenebrous, [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/3/3d/P5_Madarame_Guard.PNG]masked guardsmen[/url] conducted a semi-professional patrol, pacing along specific routes. There was no sign of any ordinary guests, but on a couple of the couches an equally colorful batch of [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yokaiwatch/images/c/c5/Tantroni_Art.png]Tantroni[/url], [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yokaiwatch/images/1/19/SuspicioniArtwork.png]Suspicioni[/url], and [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/yokaiwatch/images/6/62/Contraioni_Art.jpg]Contrarioni[/url] appeared to be in the midst of a heated argument, so the art adorning the walls went unappreciated. If this was anything like he remembered, Joker figured he wouldn’t see anything but Shadows inhabiting this place. On the left and right of the lobby slanted square doorways led in either direction, but a triple row of lasers blocked both.

After a moment's consideration, Joker veered toward the right. “If Madarame has a painter like Fox captive doing his work for him in here, it won’t be out in the open,” he declared. We need to get behind the scenes. Look for staff doors.” While most attention lay on the contentious oni in the middle of the room he led the way to the right. A guard reached the end of its path and turned to head his way, but the dextrous thief darted into cover. How exactly it would conceal him baffled common sense, but somehow he managed to practically disappear into the thin shadow cast by a potted plant, as far as the patrolman was concerned. Even when the guard passed within inches of his shadow it never seemed to notice, as if some supernatural force concealed Joker from its sight or it was just that laser-focused ahead, and it marched right along. Once clear Joker dashed out and made for a vent in the wall, which boasted a conveniently accommodating size. He crouched down and pulled on the grate, but rather than swing open it gave a terrific metallic sound. He winced, knowing it would draw attention. “Difference number one. Vents are sealed.” He glanced at Jesse’s new Tool Gun. “Unless…”

But moving to the next chamber would have to wait. Not only did the two guards come running when they heard the disturbance but the three oni did too. When the monsters ran up the guards melted into pools of shadow, only to reform into a [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/okami/images/f/fb/Demon_nut.png]Demon Nut[/url] that dragged itself across the flawless floor on muscular gray arms, and a hunting wolf spirit [url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/7/71/Makami_-_Nocturne.jpg]Makami[/url] that floated through the air. Together the five monsters faced the six interlopers, letting loose a variety of taunts as they prepared to give them a warm welcome.

[center][h3]Ms Fortune[/h3]
[b]Level 4[/b] Nadia (33/40)
[b]Location:[/b] Bottomless Sea
Blazermate's [@Archmage MC], Bowser's [@DracoLunaris], Ace Cadet's [@Yankee], Hat Kid's [@Dawnrider], Sakura's [@Zoey Boey], Frog's [@Dark Cloud], Mirage’s [@Potemking], Mr. L’s [@ModeGone]
[b]Word Count:[/b] [/center]

In the relative dryness of the open seabase door Nadia forced herself to try and pick the lesser of the evils presented to her. Although absent for the conversation with the black-coated stranger on Inkwell Isle and only tangentially informed by a couple offhand remarks, mostly from Sakura, she got plenty of bad vibes from the Maw all on her own. As best she could tell it was a ship that behaved more like a submarine despite its nonsensical enormity, roundness, and construction. It rounded people up, if the ‘Guests’ that the rather too smooth-sounding Tyl Regor differentiated from the evidently pride-inducing ‘Tubemen’ could be called people, but for what purpose he did not let slip. In fact, his mention of tubes and laboratories made it sound as if he’d raised these waddling things like livestock, which maybe accounted for them being so identical? If Nadia didn’t know better, she would have called them clones. Either way he seemed happy to trade them away as part of some unknown arrangement, and any transaction that involved living beings made Nadia remarkably disinclined to trust either the taker or the purveyor.

That, however, led right back around to the original problem: however sketchy these options were, the team would need to at least confront one of them. Arms crossed and lips pursed, Nadia drummed her foot on the metal floor as her tail swished back and forth. By now she felt pretty confident that her team could handle most any foe thrown at them, but from within the hazardous confines of enemy territory deep below dangerous waters? What if another huge sea monster just decided to bash against the Maw or whatever pipes and structures might be down there? Nadia shivered as the cold wind blew across her wet skin, but not just because of the chill. She decided to listen to what the others had to say.

Leaving Shippy and the Abyssals here would be nice if it worked, but it struck Nadia as irresponsible. “We’re not just gonna leave ‘em here to rot, are we?” she asked. “Plus, is it really safe here? Given the size of this place it’s gotta have a ton of dudes, and even those drunks had weapons. Tyler Gore or whatever his name was could have a field day with ‘em.” It was then that Sakura let fly a few details she apparently knew about the Maw, which soured Nadia’s opinion on the dubious craft even further. “Human sacrifice?” she repeated, bewildered by the sheer laughability of it. No way. [i]No way in hell.[/i] And even then she felt only a small portion of the hatred of it that Geralt seemed to. “Pass!”

Bella considered the options given to her, from the practical to the absurd. The very idea of staying put or going home made her unhappy, since that meant turning back on both her newfound friendships and conviction to sulk off somewhere in aimless inaction, all because she couldn’t walk. [i]No.[/i] Determination manifested across her features. She wanted to stay and fight the good fight, whatever the risk. But how to achieve that? Kamek’s idea gave her mixed feelings. “Shrinking?” Her mind instantly wandered to who might carry her and how, and her face reddened. “Well. If there’s no other options, then...I’m okay with that. But I’d rather go under my own power.” Bella clenched her fists. “I don’t want to sit around or run away. I can’t just do nothing, knowing you all are out here risking your lives for the sake of everyone. So however I can, I’m coming with you. Even if I have to crawl across the ground, or have my tail drag me.” Her attached leviathan swung around across the surface of the deck with a heavy creaking, as if to show it was more than big and strong enough to get Bella wherever she needed to go.

“There may be another way,” Peach suggested. She held up the Abyssal spirit taken from link, as well as the unclaimed spirit of Chicago. “Both of these spirits could walk. The Abyssal interfered with Link’s ability to do so, but there’s no guarantee that it’ll affect you the same way, and it might be enough to bring you up to par.”

She steadied herself as Bella practically lunged for her. “Please, then! I’ll take them both. As long as I can stay!”

Peach glanced around for any opposition, but there wasn’t a lot of argument that could be made against the Seaplane Tender’s heartfelt plea. To Bella’s relief the princess nodded, saying, “Go ahead right after we wrap up discussion, then. No need to get off track with a lightshow.”

By that time the conversation had taken a violent turn as the party considered employing force, both against the sealab below and against the Maw that loomed so innocently nearby, swallowing the Guests that toddled up its plank one by one. Sakura dismissed negotiation with Tyl in favor of beating her way through the gauntlet of underwater strongholds, while Bowser had a mind to commandeer the Maw. Nadia weighed the possible conquests. “Well, if we’re gonna fight our way, I’d say we’ve got better odds with the lab than that munk of junk,” she declared, twitching an ear at the Maw. “Even if there’s more goons down there and it takes longer, chances are they’re in the same ballpark as those jokers on guard duty. Technology can do some pretty crazy crap, but I’d take a techy place over a magic ship any day of the week. That thing just feels cursed.” She couldn’t boast a sixth sense capable of picking up on such things, but trusted her guts that the Maw was just no good. 

Then the idea came up of bypassing both the sealab and the Maw to cruise right over the ocean aboard the Atomos. As much as Nadia liked the idea of just nope-ing right out of this whole dilemma, she somehow doubted that such an approach held water. “That’d be too easy,” she grumbled. “I mean, I’d love it, but no way it’d be that easy. I bet we’d get a mile before some gale-force wind swats us down or sea monster grabs hold.” She rubbed her head with a nervous laugh. “Well, I’m not tryin’ to be paranoid or anything. If you think it’ll work, I’m not gonna just go off on my own. But things always seem to go wrong when people decide to waltz down easy street, right? Like karma, or something.”

Bowser’s proposed assault on the Maw aside, it seemed as though everyone wanted to avoid the hungry vessel at all costs. As far as Nadia was concerned, that made for a pretty clear preference, unless people really considered a skip aboard the Atomos as a karmically acceptable option. She wasn’t about to declare the matter settled, though. Instead she watched as the eager Bella took in the two spirits at once, and transformed in a swirl of light.

[center][hider=For Bella]Notable spirit consumed & spirit absorbed:
[b][url=https://azurlane.koumakan.jp/w/images/thumb/1/12/Chicago.png/435px-Chicago.png]Chicago[/url][/b] and [b][url=https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/kancolle/images/c/cd/Light_Cruiser_Tsu-Class_Full.png]Light Cruiser Tsu-Class[/url][/b]
Bella has gotten a bit leaner, with her complexion slightly off-white, but her bust is much larger. Her eyes are split between bright blue below and bright orange above, like a sunset over the sea. Her now platinum blonde hair is shorter, reaching only her shoulders and coiling into ringlets in the front, and atop it she wears a big black skull cap with large teeth on the front. She has a heavy, black metal collar complete with rivets as well. Her sundress has split into a two-piece skirt and halter top that exposes most of her midriff, both white with a few black stripes on one side and a black star on the other. The black metal integration of her tail extends up her spine all the way to her neck. Her shoes/leggings are now rubbery red thigh-highs with wedge heels, but her gloves are enormous gauntlets of mixed red and black with an attached cannon battery apiece. In terms of personality Bella can be colder and crueller, but is also generally more flirty. These spirits confer the Powers [b]Arm Battery[/b], which grants the use of arm cannons, and [b]Land Rover[/b], allowing terrestrial locomotion. They also confer the Weaknesses [b]Cold Below[/b], which amplifies Bella’s Abyssal monstrosity, and [b]Construction Time[/b], reducing the effectiveness of healing on her by 75%[/hider][/center]