[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/dIXIuEs.png[/img] And her new pal! [color=ade81b]”this is why we don’t trust Meetingwords!”[/color] [color=888888]— Betty “Biohazard” Barton[/color] [/center] Betty was starting to enjoy the party of a fashion. Helaria and Stien were odd fellows, but were enjoyable to be around. The situation in cradle hadn’t resolved itself, but it didn’t weigh on her mind too much. The activities in the present were starting to draw her attention away from her thoughts. Though she would keep an eye on Justine from a distance. Just in case. She had made herself a snowball to sit on. Roll anything dense enough and you can turn it into a seat. That went for snow too. It was fortunate that her outfit was water proof, otherwise her body heat would probably melt the snow and then she’d have a wet butt for the rest of the party. Some might find it strange that anyone would just sit on a snowball when there was so much to do, but Betty wasn’t much for talking to people for long periods of time. It was fun to talk to people outside of Cradle, but she did need to take a break to drink some coco after spending too much time submerged in conversation. Besides, if she was going to beat Justine, she needed to keep her stamina up. With everyone scattered around the area, it was easy for [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/833352380698329162/855244357845123082/on_Twitter.png]Finn[/url] to go about unnoticed. How long he had been at the party was unclear, but he had remained outside for the most part; acting as a spectator for the events. Even now he was watching the snowflakes fall, a snowbun perched perfectly on his head. A moment of calm he'd make the most of, before heading back to work. [b]"Hm. Don't think I can smoke out here, can I?"[/b] He asked no one in particular, feeling through his sleeves; his hammerspace handbag, for a cigar or something. But then Dan announced the next event. Odd set of rules for a race, but regardless, Finn would walk over to watch. [color=ade81b]”A race is starting?!?”[/color] Betty still had her ice skates on from her ice skating she did with Hilaria and Stien, which turned into a hocky game somehow. She kicked off her ice skates and forced her feet into her boots as fast as she could. Fortunately they were slip-ons, so it wasn’t too hard to manage. But now she needed a ride. That was when she realized she hadn’t made an ice sculpture yet. Well, not one made entirely out of ice. [color=ade81b]”Alright Betty, this is going to be kind of silly, but that’s the name of the game, right?”[/color] She quickly took to the ice block with a chainsaw and cut a wedge out of the bottom of it to make it sort of resemble a sled. She didn’t have a way to steer it, but her wind magic should be enough for what little maneuvering she needed. Provided the thing didn’t just cave in half. [color=ade81b]”Well, it’ll have to work!”[/color] She ran over to the start line and set down her sled. While she waited for the race to start, Once she noticed Justine was in attendance, Betty started to make her sled look more like a sled. She used her ice carving tools to give herself a place to put her hands, and made the face of the sled a bit more pointed. With that done, she started to engrave spirals along both side of it. While she was doing this, she noticed a spectator who was looking directly at her. Or at least it seemed like it. Regardless, Betty was looking right back at him. Finn tensed up as soon as he noticed someone was looking at him. Oh great. He was staring, wasn't he? Maybe the whole ice sled thing was strange, but he didn't want to be rude! He glanced from side to side, then nervously waved at the girl. [b]"U-Uhm, please don't mind me, I was just a bit curious about your creation there!"[/b] Finn explained. [b]"Doooo you need help with it? I don't know how long until the race starts so..."[/b] [color=ade81b]”Oh!”[/color] Betty looked back at her sled. [color=ade81b]”No, that’s not necessary. I think I have it under control.”[/color] She looked back up at the boy. [color=ade81b]”Wait, did you need something to ride on?”[/color] Betty looked back at her sledding ice sculpture. [color=ade81b]”I [i]think[/i] there’s room for you on here. I don’t think you’re heavy enough to break it.”[/color] [b]"Oh- Wait what?"[/b] Finn's eyes widened when Betty offered to let him ride with her. As much as he'd want to turn her down, he thought for a moment. [b]"...Are you sure?"[/b] [color=ade81b]”Well yea!”[/color] Betty clenched her hand into a fist. [color=ade81b]”The race is going to start shortly, so you might as well hitch a ride with me!”[/color] She moved over so that Finn could get on. [color=ade81b]”Not like we’re trying to get first here.”[/color] [b]"Well, okay then!"[/b] With a subtle grin, Finn walked over to sit down behind Betty. [color=C41E3A]"Guess I should introduce myself first. I'm Finn, Finn Vanhorn!"[/color] He held a hand out for his new teammate to shake. [color=ade81b]”Betty Barton!”[/color] She shook his hand. [color=ade81b]”I’ve been out of commission for a while, but I don’t remember hearing anyone talk about a boy with an eye patch. Are you new in Penrose?”[/color] Finn hovered a hand over the festive eyepatch he wore. Sure, his christmas outfit was a bit subtle, but atleast he wasn't in a santa suit. That seemed to be a running theme with the dress-code... [color=C41E3A]"Yes, actually! A friend of mine, Evelyn, invited me. Well, me and my partner, but he's probably busy getting drunk off ale right now."[/color] He chuckled, though his expression came off as comical. [color=C41E3A]"Seems like a quiet town, atleast when we arrived. Heard the big-wigs were acting up again like, a month ago, so it's nice to see things calm."[/color] [color=ade81b]”In my experience, it never stays that way.”[/color] Betty had her eyes on Dan’s (clone?) the entire time to make sure they didn’t miss the start. [color=ade81b]”But that’s really nice that you have an um, partner. Maybe after the race I can meet them.”[/color] [color=C41E3A]"Er, it's not like [i]that[/i] if you're wondering![/color] Finn clarified. [color=C41E3A]"Oliver's just my best friend. Even if we're not working, we sometimes hang out together. I'm...not exactly a people-person, if that isn't obvious. I tend to stick by those I know."[/color] He grimaced. [color=C41E3A]"So how's thing for you, Bets? You did mention Penrose doesn't stay calm for long."[/color] [color=ade81b]”Yea it’s um, chaotic. In case you couldn’t tell by all of the um, construction.”[/color] Betty sighed. [color=ade81b]”It’s not easy being the good guys. But we manage to stop doomsday from cropping up when it’s going to happen.”[/color] She tapped the insignia on her shoulder. [color=ade81b]”I doubt that symbol has much meaning outside of Penrose, but most everyone in Crimson Cradle wears it. We’re after real change, when we aren’t busy saving the world anyway.”[/color] Finn stared at the insignia, tilting his head in curiosity. [color=C41E3A]"Crimson Cradle? I haven't heard of an organization like that in a long time. Must be recent. But it'll be nice to have someone actually keeping things in check! What's it like?"[/color] Seemed Betty's caught his attention. [color=ade81b]”It was excellent. Now it’s-”[/color] Betty groaned. [color=ade81b]”Now it’s had a change in leadership. The new head is trying her best, but I dunno. I don’t think Maura is bad, but when you’ve grown to love the old boss, the new girl just can’t compare, you know?”[/color] The boy listened closely, nodding along until Maura was mentioned. His eyes (eye?) widened. [color=C41E3A]"Wait. WHAT!?"[/color] Finn quickly grabbed the snowbun on his head and gently set it down, the small bun calmly bouncing away. [color=C41E3A]"Did you just say your new boss was Maura?? [i]Maura Natalie???[/i]"[/color] Betty recoiled when Finn raised his voice. [color=ade81b]”Um, I don't know her last name. She's got really dark hair, red eyes, pale skin, Kind of gothic looking?”[/color] The boy quickly nodded his head. [color=C41E3A]"That's her, that's her!"[/color] He groaned, burying his head into his hands. [color=C41E3A]"Does nobody tell me things anymore?? I know I've been a bit of a recluse for the past few centuries, but they can atleast send me a goddamn memo that something's changed!"[/color] He mumbled. Feeling like he owed Betty an explanation, he looked back up to her. [color=C41E3A]"Maura's my patron too. Actually, it's more like I was accidentally her first magical kid."[/color] Finn scratched the back of his head nervously. Betty blinked. [color=ade81b]”Um, yea! I do kind of vaguely remember her talking about you.”[/color] Betty’s eyes shot over to Dan, then the other sleds. [color=ade81b]”Gah! The race started!”[/color] She launched a burst of wind behind herself, and the sled shot forward. Finn looked like he might fall off the back, so Betty grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled it around her stomach. [color=ade81b]”I wasn’t expecting a passenger, so just hold on!”[/color] [color=C41E3A]"Really? I didn't think she'd talk abou- WOAH!!"[/color] The wind boost interupted Finn before he could finish his sentence. When Betty advised him to hold on, he quickly wrapped his other arm around her. [color=C41E3A]"Got it! I'll keep an eye on the other racers!"[/color] [color=ade81b]”Sounds good, just tell me when to-”[/color] Betty hadn’t accounded for a second passenger, and it showed in her ice sled design. The wedge she had cut out of the center of the ice block made it possible for the sled to glide over the snow without packing it all at the front. However, her design wasn’t really up to the task of carrying two people. The center of the sled cracked, which was punctuated by a yelp. [color=ade81b]”Um.”[/color] She parted her legs and tried to put all of the weight on her feet and hands, which were located over the runners. But the crack continued to get bigger. [color=ade81b]”What um, what type of magic do you have?”[/color] Finn cursed under his breath once he noticed the forming crack on the sled. [color=C41E3A]"Uh, Beast magic??"[/color] He answered Betty. Silently hoping he wasn't the cause, he tried to shift his weight as well. [color=ade81b]”Oh really? That kind of cool!”[/color] But it wasn’t as cool as ice magic. The sled cracked in half. Betty had a formidable level of upper body strength. She could hold either side of the sled level so that the runners did their job. But it was something else she had to focus on while they slid down the hill. [color=ade81b]”Hey um, do you think you could act as a rudder or something? I was going to use wind magic to steer, but with the sled cracked the way it is-”[/color] While Betty spoke, a distant tree came closer and closer to the duo. This just keeps getting worse, doesn't it? [color=C41E3A]"Rudder? Oh, yeah gimme a moment!"[/color] With a bit of beast magic, Finn was able to give himself a pair of dragon wings to help steer, adjusting them accordingly. [color=C41E3A]"It's not much, but atleast we can-"[/color] He didn't have enough time to warn Betty about the tree in the road. With a flinch, he grabbed his cane sword from a space in his jacket. (Well, thanks to Dan's magic it was a candy cane, but regardless.) Before they crashed, Finn struck the ground besides them with the weapon, steering the sled away from the tree. [color=ade81b]”Gah!”[/color] While Finn had managed to steer them out of the way, Betty wasn’t really set up to hold two halves of a splintering ice sled. She ended up shifting her weight onto one half of the sled and releasing her hold on the other side. It veered off, but Betty wasn’t watching that half of the sled right now. She was focusing on their balance. [color=ade81b]”Alright, just, um, keep your wings perfectly straight, and I should be able to balance us.”[/color] And Betty [i]did[/i] have great balance. While her hands were still placed along what was left of the sled, she was using her legs as levers, holding them off to the side to adjust the weight distribution as they coasted towards the bottom. Of course with his half of the sled gone, Finn was forced to stand up slightly on whatever surface he had left, only enough to keep balance. One of his arms was wrapped around Betty's shoulders this time, while he held his cane in his free hand. [color=C41E3A]"This is getting a little too cramped for me..."[/color] He muttered, turning his attention on keeping his temporary wings straight. But they were almost at the end of the race, and it seemed like there were some crazy swerves ahead. [color=ade81b]”AHHHHH!”[/color] Betty fired a burst of wind into Finn’s right wing, then his left, then his right again. This caused them to fly from side to side, passing through the flagged gates as required. The final stretch of the race was a straight dive, which caused the wind to really soar under his wings. [color=ade81b]”Finn!”[/color] They weren’t even sliding anymore. Finn was gliding straight for the finish line while Betty held what was left of their ride. [color=C41E3A]"Shitshitshitshitshit!!"[/color] The poor guy panicked when he lost his grip. Luckily his wings kept him from faceplanting into the snow, but he left Betty behind! With the wind still carying him to the finish, Finn turn around to see was was left of their sled. [color=C41E3A]"Aw crap. Sorry about your ride, Bets!"[/color] He called over with a frown. Betty had also crossed the finish line, but no amount of athletic ability, however superhuman, could grant her flight. Betty was buried from head to waist in a snow bank with what remained of the ice sled shattered into ice chunks. There was no response. Once he landed, his beast magic dispated for now, Finn ran over to help Betty out of the snowbank. [color=C41E3A]"I got ya."[/color] Digging some snow away, he pulled her out and helped her stand up. [color=C41E3A]"You good?"[/color] Some snow had stuck to Betty’s hair, but with a quick shake of her head, most of it flew away. [color=ade81b]”Yea, guess I should have been wearing a helmet. Not that snow is all that dense.”[/color] She stepped away from Finn. [color=ade81b]”Now where were we? You said you were Maura’s first magical girl, right? What was she like?”[/color] Betty walked away from the finish line as she spoke, not too interested in sticking around. [color=C41E3A]"Er, boy. But we didn't realize that magical boys were a rarity, so eh."[/color] [color=ade81b]”Oh! I'm sorry! Gosh! I'm just so use to calling us magical girls that- yes! Yes magical boys aren't too common!”[/color] Finn put his cane up, then shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, following Betty. [color=C41E3A]"In order to keep me from dying, she ended up making me into a magical boy. Neither of us knew at that time, so imagine my surprise when I found out I had powers.[/color] He chuckled. [color=C41E3A]"At first it was a one-off deal, during that time I began studying the ins and outs of the magical world and the types of denizens. Might as well take advantage of the situation to learn, right? Anyways I ran into her again after a month, after her little spat against her sisters. I guess she wanted to make they haven't tried to kill me yet."[/color] He shrugged. [color=C41E3A]"Anyways, it didn't seem right just having us two against basically the ancestors of magical girls, so I suggested she became a patron for more magicals such as I. About Maura herself, she did come off as introverted at first, such was the nature of her old job. But I bet she became curious about the living, eventually gaining empathy over those souls she was supposed to reap. She sometimes felt some deaths were unnecessary, undeserved. Even going so far as to revive someone like Oliver from his grave. Maura did eventually open up, going as far as bouncing ideas between me and her. She's an understanding person, and pretty good at fighting too, but she tends to be a bit of a mother hen. I don't like seeing her worry too much."[/color] Finn then turned his head to look at Betty with furrowed brows. [color=C41E3A]"Though there's one thing for certain. You never make Maura, make [i]Death[/i] pissed off. No one knows the extent of a witch's power, not even I do, but the fact that she has connections to literal demons should give us a hint. Maura might be nice, but even she can only take so much before enough's enough."[/color] He shuddered. [color=ade81b]”That's kind of a given.”[/color] Betty folded her arms. [color=ade81b]”Most patrons are pretty scary. Though some work better under pressure.”[/color] It was hard to look at Maura as "death" after she had just been hugged and comforted by her not too long ago. She didn't doubt she could be terrifying, but she wasn't sure anyone could match Veronica's mettle. She seemed so strong, perhaps death failing to invoke the same feelings of power was just a testiment to how strong she really was. [color=ade81b]"I have some friends I'm going to meet up with. Did you wanna come, or do you have other plans?”[/color] [color=C41E3A]"...Eh, sure. Oliver's duplicates are around if anything happens, so I got time."[/color] Finn shrugged again.