[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/81IEtdI.png[/img] [/center] [hr] [color=Gold]“[i]See?[/i] I told ya you’d enjoy it!”[/color] Dana said with a happy laugh as she and Penny walked back to their dorm after the ball had concluded. [color=Gold]“Yeah, she’s really somethin’ else,”[/color] the cheerful Norban agreed when the discussion moved to the subject of Nicole’s rather magnetic personality. [color=Gold]“Oh! But you wanna hear somethin’ that’s [i]really[/i] crazy?!”[/color] she asked with an excited gleam in her eyes. [color=Gold]“Noah told me that the officers are gonna get to work with actual, real-life [i]giant robots![/i] Isn’t that awesome?!”[/color] Penny had agreed that it was, in fact, [i]very[/i] awesome, and the two had spent the remainder of the evening geeking out about the new machines’ potential capabilities. Unfortunately, hard information on the robots would prove difficult to come by, and sadly, but perhaps predictably, Noah was unable to gain permission for the two Ars Magi to see the drones in person. He did, however, manage to acquire tickets to see the new Magical Maid Altea movie, something Dana knew her bespectacled roommate would certainly be interested in. Penny had indeed been interested, but she had also been somewhat hesitant about going on a double date. For her part, Dana wasn’t really the romantic type herself (at least not on the level of the redheaded whirlwind that was Nicole). No, she just enjoyed making new friends and doing fun things with them. Thus, she had done her best to assuage her roommate’s trepidations, although, as Dana soon discovered, Penny’s social anxiety wouldn’t be the [i]only[/i] thing the bespectacled Ars Magi had to worry about… As it transpired, about a week before their double date, the gung-ho Siscian had taken part in a 2-on-1 sparing match against a veteran Ars Magi, a match that had left her a bruised and battered mess. Dana discovered just [i]how[/i] bad a shape Penny was in when she tried to give her roommate a friendly hug upon her return to the dorm, which saw the normally tough as nails Penny flinch in pain at the relatively mild contact. [color=Gold]“Oh crap! Are you okay?!”[/color] Dana asked, her voice filled with concern as she quickly released her roommate. Penny went on to explain everything, after which Dana offered to reduce her bespectacled friend’s pain as best as she could. Even with the minimal amount of magic she could employ in her mundane state, the upbeat Norban managed to take away most of the soreness, although Penny would still be moving rather slowly for the next several days. Thankfully, by the time of their double date, she had almost fully recovered, and Dana eagerly led her to where Noah and Dima had agreed to pick them up. The movie itself (although nowhere near as action packed as a Guardian Gunslinger Alexis film) was a lot of fun, and after it had concluded, the quartet decided to go out to a nearby pizza place for dinner. While waiting for their meal, Dana and Noah paid a visit to the restaurant’s small arcade. Dana had been to the place before, on one of her various outings with Nicole, and although it was rather small, it was still the only arcade in the city that had one of her favorite games ever- Area 51. The light gun game was nearly two centuries old, but this particular example looked as though it had probably been made during a resurgence in appreciation for classic arcade games, shortly before the First Void War. The fact that it had survived the apocalyptic conflict, and the following hundred and seventeen years, was nothing short of a miracle, and Dana couldn’t help but wonder at the journey it had taken to get to its current location. [color=Gold]“So, care for a game?”[/color] Dana asked, pointing her thumb at the archaic machine. [color=Gold]“I promise I’ll go easy on ya!”[/color] she added with a playful grin. To Dana’s surprise, Noah proved to be quite the skilled marksman, and the massive cadet had little trouble keeping pace with his diminutive date. Not that it bothered Dana. The cheerful Norban enjoyed the challenge. [color=Gold]“Wow! You’re really good at this!”[/color] she told him with an exuberant laugh. [color=Gold]“Those Voids wouldn’t stand a chance if the two of us ever teamed up!”[/color] The remainder of the evening went smoothly enough, and almost before Dana even realized it, she and Penny were back at their dorm. Despite Penny’s initial reluctance, it was clear that the bespectacled girl had enjoyed herself, probably due in no small part to the outing’s relaxed atmosphere. Much like Dana herself, Noah and Dima had been content to keep things at the level of simple friendship, and although someone like Nicole might be disappointed at the lack of romantic elements, Dana knew Penny was glad the evening had been mostly devoid of them. Indeed, the Siscian had said as much herself, when Nicole met them the moment they passed through the dorm’s entrance, wanting to know [i]everything.[/i] [color=Gold][i]She really [b]is[/b] like a big sister….[/i][/color] Dana had reflected with a giggle. It was also unsurprising to learn that Nicole had received an invitation to go out with the Duodecim girl she’d met at the ball, something Penny had wasted no time poking fun at. Dana couldn’t help but laugh at her roommate’s overly dramatic teasing. [color=Gold]“Hey, Nicole’s welcome to her fairy tale,”[/color] the upbeat Norban told her roommate. [color=Gold]“[i]I’m[/i] more interested in an action/adventure story!”[/color] she added excitedly. [color=Gold]“Noah’s one heck of a shot, and I’d love to get the chance to fight alongside him!”[/color] As it happened, an opportunity for just such a paring arrived only a few days later… [hr] Sitting in the briefing hall, Dana’s anticipation grew with each passing second. [color=Gold][i]Oh sweet! So we’re gonna be fighting the new robots?![/i][/color] the energetic Ars Magi thought to herself, a gleeful smile spreading across her face as Instructor Drier continued to enumerate the details of the upcoming training mission. [color=Gold][i]And I’ll get to team up with Noah, too?! This is gonna be SO awesome![/i][/color] [hr] Unfortunately, the actual mission would prove to be somewhat disappointing in that regard, for while they would indeed be teaming up with a trio of officers, Noah and Dima were not among them. However, one of their friends, Garnier, [i]was[/i] present, and despite her slight disappointment, Dana cheerfully greeted the bespectacled cadet. In addition, none other than Nicole’s new paramour appeared to be leading the officer contingent, and a small smile crept across Dana’s face as she glanced at her redheaded teammate. [color=Gold]“It’s good to see your amazing luck is as strong as ever,”[/color] she noted playfully, before Penny followed up with a “warning” not to flirt during the mission. Talk then turned to strategy and tactics, with Penny mentioning a few possible courses of action. [color=Gold]“It’s probably best if I hang back with the officers and provide some covering fire,”[/color] Dana suggested. [color=Gold]“I should also be able to knock out a few of the drones’ optics before they realize they’re under attack, which should give you guys a better chance of takin’ ‘em out up close. Hey, Garnier,”[/color] she asked the bespectacled cadet as a thought occurred to her. [color=Gold]“Got any idea what these things are armed with?”[/color]