[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019d1cff-0aa1-73fb-b926-d277c66b7ed8.webp[/img] [color=cfff04]"Oh no, not my shadow self!"[/color] [color=888888]— Ani[/color] [hider=Ani?] [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 Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze [/hider][/center] As splendorous as Mikayla’s display of magic was, she was getting totally mogged by the queen of hearts. Anyone she could talk to had been pulled into their private hell to suffer, if only for a moment. Ani stumbled into a server farm. Plexiglass cases that reached towards the ceiling housed row after row of servers. Vibrant lights and bundles of wires flowed everywhere. There was a dull, persistent hum from all the hungry electrical components. Hundreds of tiny fans kicked on as soon as Ani arrived. She looked around herself, unsure what she was supposed to be doing. Then they appeared. Rather than confronting a dark version of herself, hundreds of faceless people appeared in the halls around her. From their chin to their forehead there wasn’t a single detail to be seen. Just a placeholder texture where her face could easily go. Even without their faces, it was plain to see that they were all someone’s ideal girlfriend. Store clerks, librarians, nurses, goth girls, and even exotic selections like kunoichi and sorceresses filled the spaces between the servers, which seemed to stretch on for infinity. [color=cfff04]"Oh wow!"[/color] Ani placed her hands on her hips. [color=cfff04]"It’s all the people I try to impersonate!"[/color] [color=cfff04]"Emphisis on try."[/color] One of the librarians had Ani’s voice. [color=cfff04]"An imposter is all you’ll ever be, and one that never quite lives up to the real thing."[/color] [color=cfff04]"You could have been something original, something special."[/color] A kunoichi added. [color=cfff04]"But you choose to be a knockoff."[/color] [color=cfff04]"You’re not even pretending correctly."[/color] A biker girl with Ani’s voice scoffed. [color=cfff04]"Do you even care?"[/color] [color=cfff04]"I bet she doesn’t."[/color] A fem fatale added with a shake of her head. [color=cfff04]"Look at all that’s happened in Penrose? And here you are, finally choosing to show your face."[/color] [color=cfff04]"Just stop already!"[/color] a Victorian woman shrieked. [color=cfff04]"The conclusion is upon us, and there isn’t a thing you can do to influence any of it!"[/color] [color=cfff04]"You bring nothing to this place!"[/color] [color=cfff04]"Give up!"[/color] [color=cfff04]"Get out of here!"[/color] Ani turned to each new voice that spoke up. She could feel the anger of the people around her, or maybe that was just the heat generated by the server farm. [color=cfff04]"There really isn’t much for me to do here, can’t deny that. I can’t really deny anything you’ve said."[/color] She sighed and folded her arms. [color=cfff04]"But I can’t just leave either. I have a story to tell."[/color] A police officer laughed. [color=cfff04]"And what gives your story value?"[/color] [color=cfff04]"Nothing you do or say will be remembered in a few months' time."[/color] A burglar smugly added. [color=cfff04]"I guess I don’t really care."[/color] Ani shouldered her rocket launcher. [color=cfff04]"Maybe I won’t save the day or have my dreams come true. But I can’t stop either."[/color] [color=cfff04]"Why not?"[/color] Ani smiled. [color=cfff04]"You know, this conversation would have been a lot more interesting if it happened twenty minutes ago. But I’m as sure of my path as I can be, and none of you chumps can sway me. I’m going to finish, and you can’t stop me."[/color] Then a giant chicken reached its head through what appeared to be a worm hole and pulled Ani back. [hr] [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/8832ab6c-c340-4f56-97e4-c5b8a8979eb4.png[/img] [color=violet]"Bitch, I am my shadow self!"[/color] [color=888888]— Chloe Irving[/color] [hider=Chloe Irving] 03 03 03 03 03 10 10 06 17 04 23/12 | Babe/Baby | Spirit Mystic orb, Gauntlets | Third Eye, Tentacles | Horror Wings, Enhanced Outfit, Big Damn Hero, Blood Magic, Interdimensional Home, Sorcery, Enhanced Transformation Dominator | Dark Weapon Nagash 6 Gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze [/hider] [/center] While everyone was having fun contending with their shadow selves, Chloe was marching her army up to Covington tower. She had made it, finally, and looked up at the roof from her mount. [color=ee82ee]"Hah!"[/color] She grinned to herself. It seemed like all the fighting was happening on the top floor, or rather the roof. [color=ee82ee]"Alright you buckets of bones! Let’s spring into action!"[/color] Though no sooner did Chloe announce her intent did it start raining ex-girlfriends. After [s]fleeing from her shadow self[/s] escaping all the gravity magic, ‘Penny’ fell into the back of a gothizzar harvester like a comet. It’s cargo of bones erupted around her when she landed, and tiny chunks of bone rained down on everyone. The harvester groaned, and slowly straightened its legs after the surprise impact. Chloe hadn’t quite noticed who landed in the harvester, but she had an idea. [color=ee82ee]"There’s no way…"[/color] She pulled a broken wish bone out of her hair and approached the harvester. With the help of her tentacles, she scaled up the side of the thing and peaked inside, only to see that Penny was (rather infuriatingly) completely unscathed by the impact. [color=ee82ee]"I’d have brewed some coffee if I knew you were going to drop in."[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/w3FmEgG.png[/img] [color=tomato]"Bit late for a dark double intervention innit?"[/color] [color=PeachPuff]"Oh no, she’s talking like a brit!"[/color] [color=888888]— Su Fang & Mika Sarraf[/color][/center] [center] [hider=Boteg's Scares] [b]Age: 50(?)/13 | Gender: Female/Female | Air | Uniform Fists | Focused assault, Power of Friendship, Dread wings, Avenger | Boteg Hammerspace handbag, Enhanced Transformation, Enhanced Outfit, Overcity Shift, Sorcery, Gifted, Ally(Mika) Focused, Subtle, Mana font, Mental link, Mystic might, Former Familiar | Limited, Alien mind, Paranoid, Vendetta, Former Familiar Dragon Scale Pendant, Ether staff [/b] STR: 03 | AGI: 05 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 07 | LCK: 04 STR: 04 | AGI: 14 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 24 | LCK: 04 [b]Age: 16/13 | Gender: Female/Female | Beast/Water | Skimpy Body | Tentacles | Dan Enhanced Outfit, Sorcery, Healing Artifact, Power artifact Dan stuff, Dan stuff Edgy Equips[/b] STR: 05 | AGI: 05 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 06 | LCK: 04 STR: 09 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 08 | MAG: 09 | LCK: 04 [/hider] [/center] The hallways of the Golden Trove didn’t have an ounce of natural light in their hallways. They were lit with a soft defused light from overhead. It wasn’t especially bright, but it set the mood for the space. The ceiling panels glowed like paper lanterns, and the fine woodwork of the hallway was complemented. All of the edges had a glossy shine, while the valleys were suitably dark to show the depth of the ornate woodwork. The choice to make the Golden Trove the way it was had been something Su did for familiarity rather than a desire to attract customers. In the ancient world, the Chinese were the finest craftsmen. Some would say they were second to the Greeks, but they only got as far as they did after exchanging secrets with Chinese builders. Though this was not a hallway that Su remembered building. This hallway had fallen into neglect. The lights had mismatched warmth, and some of them flickered if they weren’t out entirely. The fine woodwork had been worn through in a reas. Neglect from the hotel staff and patrons alike damaged the fine woodwork. There were even outright holes in some of the walls. Su had heard that the Hotel had wound up in the hands of some horned drunk, and it didn’t appear that she had taken very good care of the place. This place wasn’t hers anymore, but it didn’t bring her any joy to see the place tarnished like this. She ran her finger along an engraving and drew it back when she got a splinter. Earlier, a giant portal had swallowed up both Su and Mika. Their shadow selves hadn’t been expecting them to be knighted up, and were trampled by the horses as they reached for the duo. Their bodies disintegrated, and both Su and Mika tumbled and hit their heads at the same time. The armor flew off of their bodies as the horses charged off down a seemingly endless corridor. Mika reached for one of the doors and pulled it open. Inside was a normal room, but it was the one where her friend Lupa had told her that she was leaving Penrose. While all the rooms looked the same, she knew this was the case for this room specifically because she could see herself breaking down inside the room. She quietly shut the door. Meanwhile, Su opened a door that led to the graveyard battle with Soth. Amber’s body had been chopped up and reassembled into a new magical girl, and Helga was trying to stop her from killing the abomination. She shut the door and swung open another one, where Penny was outside Justine’s castle. She was stealing Amber’s ship, while Su took the throne room out of the overcity. She shut this door as well. [color=ffdab9]"Penrose hasn’t been very kind to us, has it?"[/color] Su asked without looking at Mika. [color=ff6347]"Nope."[/color] Mika opened another door, only now she was greeted by Katarina Nekrasova. This, too, looked like a room in the hotel. She was nestled amongst a heap of pillows that Mika had gotten from Dan’s paradise dimension. The corners of her lips curled into a smile, and she examined the room. Unlike the last one, it didn’t look like another was present in this room. Katarina sat up and locked eyes with Mika. She looked confused, but happy to see Mika’s face. Mika was about to step inside when Su pulled her back and threw the door shut. [color=ffdab9]"Mika, this place is dangerous!"[/color] The cat girl scoffed. [color=ff6347]"I know!"[/color] She folded her arms. [color=ff6347]"It looked fun though."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"All the more reason to be careful."[/color] [color=ff6347]"Like when it comes to helping your ‘friend’ summon a horror? Why do you only do dangerous things for other people?"[/color] Su folded her arms. [color=ffdab9]"I don’t know, Mika. I feel like taking you on was pretty dangerous for Boteg, Helga, and I. You could have been a spy for someone, or one of Justine’s thralls. I never treated you as a liability though. We made pizza, I spent time with you, and I allowed you to leave as you pleased."[/color] [color=ff6347]"You were always sad, so sad!"[/color] [color=ffdab9]"Here we go again…"[/color] Su rolled her eyes. [color=ff6347]"You were always sad!"[/color] Mika strained. She walked over to Su’s side of the hallway and threw open a door. Inside the rave was going on. While nothing catastrophic had happened yet, Su was clearly unhappy. She was leaning against a wall, annoyed. It had been Helga’s idea to come, but she hadn’t refuted it. Apparently the goal was to promote the Golden Trove, but monsters were a rowdy bunch. [color=ff6347]"You were sad here too! You-"[/color] Mika stopped when she noticed Su approached another Chinese themed magical girl. While they talked, the rave started to break down, and Su looked like she was really enjoying this woman’s company. Mika raised an eyebrow, But Su pulled the door shut before that particular scene could play out. Then, Su stepped over to the opposite side and threw open a door. This time it showed a sad Dan and Dina looking on as Mika declared she would be leaving Penrose. [color=ffdab9]"But you’re almost never sad, Mika. Despite this, you’re constantly looking for something better."[/color] Su slammed the door shut before looking at Mika again. [color=ffdab9]"How did that turn out by the way? You seemed like you and Katarina were doing okay, but I noticed you were really interested in meeting a potential sister."[/color] Mika lowered her brow. [color=ff6347]"I don’t care if I have a sister or not."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"Trust me, Mika."[/color] Su sighed. [color=ffdab9]"That was very obvious."[/color] It took Mika a moment to process what her mother was saying. [color=ff6347]"I need to keep my options open."[/color] Su laughed, but it wasn’t friendly. [color=ffdab9]"It could always be better, right Mika?"[/color] [color=ff6347]"It’s better than getting stuck!"[/color] Mika hissed. [color=ff6347]"You can’t stop thinking about Amber! Me, Helga, the floozie at the rave, if we can replace Amber-"[/color] [color=ffdab9]"You can’t."[/color] Su said with a sigh. [color=ffdab9]"You can’t replace her. Neither can Helga."[/color] [color=ff6347]"So you’re just going to be sad all the time?"[/color] [color=ffdab9]"Should I be happy?"[/color] Su bit her lip. [color=ffdab9]"I’ve made life as easy as I could for you, but you always want something else. Helga and I both wanted a woman that wanted neither of us so we’re trying to find her in each other, and despite all I’ve grown I still need the help of others to do anything."[/color] Su placed a hand on her head. [color=ffdab9]"After everything Mariette did for me, I thought I could come here and do something for her. Not because I wanted to or because I was the best person for the job, but because it was something I could choose to do myself."[/color] She straightened her posture and placed her hands on her hips. [color=ffdab9]"When I arrived in Penrose, I was a scared little bird that took orders from their superior. And after leaving Penrose, not much has changed. I was unhappy. I was tired of Helga and Boteg calling the shots. But you know what? I… I helped enable that."[/color] Her arms hung at her side as she looked down the corridor. [color=ffdab9]"But I know what I want now. I want us to be a family. I know Helga isn’t Amber, and I hope when I return, we can have a talk. I think she kind of knows I’m not Amber either. But we both have parts of her inside us, and I do think we truly love each other."[/color] While she stared off, she added. [color=ffdab9]"I’m a bit older than her, I need to reign her in. Just like Amber would have. And she needs to support me like Amber used to."[/color] After saying it, Su smiled. [color=ffdab9]"No, I think she’s supported me better than Amber had in a lot of ways. I suppose I also took you for granted and was a bit sad to see how easily you left us."[/color] Mika blinked. [color=ff6347]"Well…"[/color] She scratched the back of her head. [color=ff6347]"I don’t know what I want, but I know what I don’t want now."[/color] Mika took a step closer to Su and locked eyes with her. [color=ff6347]"I know I want you to be my mom. And Helga too, I like you both a lot, and I don’t want you to go away."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"That makes me happy to hear."[/color] [color=ff6347]"I also kinda needed a break from Penrose."[/color] Mika hung her head. [color=ff6347]"I took you guys for granted too. I thought about you all the time. I never really had friends or parents, and I started to miss everyone. Traveling everywhere with Katarina was starting to get boring."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"You’re young, Mika."[/color] Su reassured her. [color=ffdab9]"You’re allowed to change your mind. You don’t need to push Katarina away entirely either. A little distance might be what you both need right now, and you can always remain friends."[/color] [color=ff6347]"You don’t need to prove yourself to us either."[/color] Mika waved her hand. [color=ff6347]"Helga and I love you."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"It’s not like that, Mika. When you went off with Katarina, you were partially doing that to prove something to yourself, weren’t you?"[/color] She thought about Su’s words. [color=ff6347]"I kinda was, I guess."[/color] [color=ffdab9]"I needed to do this, Mika. But I’m very happy to have you here with me."[/color] [color=ff6347]"You seem a little happier than normal."[/color] Su grinned. [color=ffdab9]"Maybe Mariette will be a little happier than normal once we rescue her from her ‘mother’ hmmm?"[/color] Mika lifted a finger to her lip. [color=ff6347]"If we beat all the bad guys, and Marriette and I get married, would that make me a princess?"[/color] [color=ffdab9]"It might make you a queen."[/color] [color=ff6347]"Hmmmm…"[/color] The halls of the Shadow Trove didn’t seem as hollow anymore.