[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3qYu1n5.png[/img] [color=cfff04]”That'll teach you to do things! Hah!”[/color] [color=888888]— [s]Tonya “Mac” Murphy[/s] IRON MOUSE[/color] [hider=Tonya “Mac” Murphy] [b]Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Cradle Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Overcity Shift, Mystic Artifact Magical Overload, Cradle Supply, Connected, Gifted Item (Aigorost) | Monstrous Form, Exposed, Mercy, Distrust Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer[/b] STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03 +46 STR: 20 | AGI: 20 | VIT: 20 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20 Earnings this post: Zilch Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze [/hider][/center] Fried, baked, char-broiled or blackened, it didn’t really matter how Mac had her prey. Wolves weren’t picky eaters. So long as it was made of meat, they’d eat it. Mac was a magical wolf, and she only required magical sustenance. She used her tongue to clean the sawdust out of her teeth. Her regenerative powers should be working twofold now. While the harm to her body hadn’t been too severe, she did need to keep up mana levels if she was going to keep all of these spells going. That is to say Mac was fine, but how would Iron Mouse react to this? [color=cfff04]”Oh yea? Thanks to you too!”[/color] Iron Mouse hadn’t fared [i]quite[/i] as well as Mac had. She was charred all over and had some burnt hay sticking out of her coat. There were even a few splinters if one cared to look close enough. [color=cfff04]”How am I supposed to stylishly rip up the battlefield when I look like I fell down a chimney?”[/color] Annabelle No.3 had already turned her attention to the club soldiers of course. But now there was a bit of a problem. Mac found herself without any additional orders, and several fronts to engage in. There were tons of people protecting the civilians already, and Annabelle No.3 was trigger happy and dull enough that she’d overwhelm the clubs with little issue. She’d only get hit a second time hanging around her. Assisting Penny was unnecessary to all of her patrons goals, and she hadn’t received word if she should engage Lily or not. What was Mac to do? While she wondered, Beacon arrived. Beacon’s arrival raised several questions. They had been slow to arrive, and did so with the help of… Oh god no. Not her, not again. It was too soon for Mac and MDP to meet again. It was all too much and Mac looked into her sword for answers. [quote]“Wonderland has acknowledged our announcement to give aid to the civilians.” Ishtar answered, though she averted her eyes. “As long as you carry symbols of Beacon on your person and don’t engage the enemy you have diplomatic immunity. However, should Wonderland ignore our treaty and stage a direct attack on you…” She sighed. “...You are permitted to defend yourselves. However, I sincerely hope it won’t come to that.”[/quote] Really now? Did Beacon truly believe that if they kept their hands folded that Wonderland would keep to themselves? That was just one more reason Mac couldn’t stand the lot of them. You’d think a group that was run by the Ascendancy would be a bit more preemptive with Wonderland. But Beacon did so love its lip service. Aglobal, nay, [i]multidimentional[/i] entity like Beacon had no reason to stand by while the innocent were harmed. Fortunately, this was a state of affairs that Mac could deal with. Iron Mouse, blackened as she was, dug into the ground. But she wouldn’t surface for some time. … … … [@Crusader Lord][@Shifter_Master][@Flamelord] Maybe the Beacon girls spilled out of the vehicle, maybe they drove towards their destination, but as they moved towards their objective they would spot a familiar girl behind them. An [url=https://i.pinimg.com/564x/43/a8/be/43a8be64bf354eed16c71178a431a4a9.jpg]old recruit[/url] seemed to have returned to beacon. Suwako Makiyoshi looked just as tired and glum as the last time they saw her. Her small body was shorter than her bow, even when considering the height of her horns. Anyone who had been around Penrose Beacon long enough would remember her calm demeanor. She wasn’t above getting flustered, but she was mellow for a rookie and you really needed to search her face to find out what she was thinking. Right now her brow was crossed. It wasn’t enough to wrinkle the skin on her forehead, but it was just enough to show she was annoyed. Her fiery gaze was cast on the destruction before her. More importantly though, she had her bowstring pulled back. The arrow she was preparing to fire was the size of a man. “This goes against the Beacon code. How can we stand aside while these raiders pillage the homes of the innocent?“ The beacon crest on her kimono glimmered as she let loose her arrow. The arrow’s girth was larger than some trees, and could be more easily compared to a battering ram than a nimble arrow. It flew into the club soldiers near Lil and Alex and smashed them back. It didn’t slow up and instead kept going, going deeper and deeper into their ranks. Of course, Alicia’s eyes saw something else. Suwako was not there at all, and everything from her voice to the arrow was an illusion. Though the arrow was fake, it was masking a gravity spell that pushed everything in front of it. “Don’t be timid! Get the civilians out and reclaim their home!” The illusion of Suwako charged towards the frey. “For the people! For Beacon! For the cardinal!” [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/waJPaen.png[/img] [color=violet]"Oh santa baby, hurry down the chimney tonight!"[/color] [color=888888]— Chloe Irving[/color][/center] Sure, Al was an intimidating guy. But after a short conversation, Chloe had gone from having her life threatened to being paid. She’d sigh in relief if she hadn’t already anticipated this outcome. But as far as Chloe’s plans went, that was a mere bump in the road. It really wasn’t in the Mint’s best interest to kill her. Chloe slipped the envelope into her jacket. [color=violet]"Pleasure doing business."[/color] She pushed herself off of Al. Partially because she didn’t want to be covered in cigar ash, but also because leaning against men was not really her thing. Aurora was at least cute enough to warrant her attention. But Al? [color=violet]" I agree I’m not Marilyn Monroe. She died young. That’s not something I plan to do. Though you might become James Dean if you’re not careful."[/color] Chloe leaned up against the wall beside Al, though she made no attempt to look at him. Across from them was a dingy wall. Just some old brickwork that was long overdue for a pressure washing. No windows, and it had been graffitied one too many times. Not by anyone with artistic talent either. [color=violet]"Penrose isn’t a simple place, you know? Not like it was months ago."[/color] She smiled and tipped her head back. [color=violet]"I was excited for it all! I could terrorize people with my ghosts, poison my patron, flirt with Penny, mess around with Beacon girls. The world truly was our oyster. Of course there was always a horror or two waiting in the wings, but that was just a backdrop, curtains on the edge of the stage."[/color] She closed her eyes and reminisce before looking back at Al. [color=violet]"And now? The ascendancy is out in full force, Wonderland’s forces are drawing closer, there isn’t a whole lot one can do on their own anymore. But the Mint doesn’t care about your setbacks. I mean, they’re the type of organization that would threaten you with death if you needed to unexpectedly leave. They might even approach you in some dark alleyway and threaten you with death!"[/color] She leaned her head against Al’s arm. [color=violet]"Even Elvis would have difficulty pleasing the Mint. I can’t imagine the situation is making them very happy. They value control and knowledge above all else, and I can’t say you’ve been a shining example of that recently."[/color] She quickly raised her hands. [color=violet]"Not that it’s your fault of course! You don’t get to choose who you recruit, nor do you decide when the next big bad arrives. The Mint doesn’t let just anyone become a coin broker. They must have had faith in you to give you a crack at Penrose. But that’s just comforting words, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter how long you work for them, we’re all just tools, even the mighty brokers."[/color] She looked up at Al. [color=violet]"But there’s a way out of this for you. Maybe you have an agent that’s proven they’ve got moxy. That they’ve got the skills to lead others and get the job done. Give them a promotion, let them handle Penrose, and you can wash your hands of this. Worst case scenario, that agent gets killed and you’re out an agent. Best case scenario, that agent turned coin broker owes you a pretty big favor."[/color] Chloe looked at her nails. [color=violet]"Saving your rear is wholly something I have the power to do. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be easy, but I understand Penrose and its people better than you and any of the other knuckleheads under you."[/color] With a hop, she left her disguised form and turned into her magical self. This gave her enough of a boost to reach Al’s shoulder. She hung off of his arm while looking into his eyes. [color=violet]"Come on, Al. You gotta know when to fold them, but with me you can go [i]all in[/i]."[/color]