BrokenPromise

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

”I’ll never be happy again.”

— Oros

_{@Ponn@PlatinumSkink@Majoras End@FamishedPants}

Joy is fleeting.

When Oros was young, it seemed like she was always happy. She didn’t have many things to worry about in her youth. Her parents took care of all her needs, even if they were seldom present. She was ignorant of the world’s horrors and wanted for nothing. Save maybe a friend, as the farm animals were the closest thing she had to those.

Then she became a magical girl.

Initially, Oros’s newfound freedom made her happier than she had been all her life. She could make friends, stay up late, and do whatever she wanted.But she soon discovered that her freedoms came with responsibilities. Her first taste of that came when Lupa sacrificed herself to eat a mind wiping killing blow,one that was meant for her. What happened to Lupa was fully avoidable and only happened because Oros put herself in danger. But with age came wisdom, or at least understanding. It was just a matter of time before things went south. Much like now, when Oros was trying to be the best date she could manage. It wasn’t enough to stop Eliza from walking off a second time. Emily had been her back up plan, but Oros’s most grave horrors came true when the tater tot kissed her on the lips.

All of Oros’s relationships were temporary. Most people avoided her, and the few that didn’t were pulled out of her life by one set of circumstances or another. They would die, grow to hate her, or worse, she would learn they had been using her the entire time. She yearned for a connection that would last more than a single cycle. But it was not meant to be. Not a single time had Oros been able to jump to a new timeline with anyone at her side.

Oros had forgotten what a lonely, miserable place Penrose was. During the decades where she floated from world to world in hopes of finding a place where Penrose still existed. She had forgotten how painful it was to have people you care about turn their back on you. Oros was reminded of “the outsider” by H.P. Lovecraft, as she felt like the central character at this time.

Nothing happening around Oros seemed to matter. Not Eliza departing, not Emily getting smooched on, Not MDP’s obnoxious droning, and not even Sam and Penny’s bickering. With a sigh, Oros closed her eyes… and her heart stopped beating.

…

…

…

”You have no idea what you’re missing out on Eliza. Probably best you don’t join, I gotta stomp the competition without Amarylis’s help this time!” In truth, Tetrad would really miss Eliza not joining in the fun, but it was worth it to see that dejected look on that annoying pink haired girl’s face. She was pretty sure she was responsible for everything bad that happened to-

Oh...

”Ah well...” Tetrad shrugged her shoulders. ”Guess the heart wants what the heart wants, ey Emily?” Tetrad winked at her friend, totally not upset that she snagged the probably only single guy left in the entire joint.

Tetrad decided to stay out of the thing between Samantha and everyone else. She was a little annoyed that Oros had essentially ended the mission she and Sam were on way prematurely, but with valkyrie bombing the place and clones running everywhere, a big splash was an amusing way to wrap things up.

In this brief moment when Penny, Samantha, Tetrad, Emily, and Sakura were too preoccupied to look at Oros, her eyes opened again. Someone with astute observational skills might have noticed the change, though eye color tends to be one of the easiest details to forget. She turned to MDP. The beast woman managed a smile, but her upper lip twitched once she locked eyes with her.

”That is some annoying dialog to listen to. But if it'll take an apology to make you shut up, here you go...”

Oros practically bear hugged the tiny pink princess. Her petite curves were practically swallowed up by Oros’s form. She was swaddled on all sides by pulsating muscle. If the water hadn’t washed away all the snow, the warmth of her body would have easily melted it away. There was practically no time to react before their lips closed with a vicious kiss. Oros’s fingers eventually found their way to the girl’s spine, at which point she dipped her backwards.

”What the hell? I don't even see a mistletoe.”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

_{Collaby with mayjay yaaaaaaaay!}

Tetrad had visibly deflated after the opposing team was wiped out by what was essentially a single attack. She closed up her deck and slid it back into her vestments. But it was hard for her to stay annoyed. Eliza made the mistake of asking what Keijo was, and her fellow operative power walked over to her position.

”You wanna know what Keijo is? As one of the keijo queens of the last tournament, I’m perfect to explain it to you.” She folded her arms with a huge grin. ”It’s basically water sumo wrestling. You fight on a floating platform in the center of a pool of water. You need to either knock out your opponent or shove them out of bounds. But you can only touch your opponent with your backside and chest!” She patted her hips as she mentioned this. ”And that includes our magic. Buuuuut we are allowed to use our magic in a way that gives us an edge. Like if you had metal magic, you could bounce off some metal springs you made to give your butt smash just a bit more oomph!”

Eliza seemed have frozen up after Tetrad's explanation, her expression a mix between dumbfoundment and sheer anxiety. She blinked silently, putting her hands on her hips, then her chest.

"...Hah. Haha. No." She only uttered, begining to walk away.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

"Just, let me, catch my, breath.”

— Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Tonya “Mac” Murphy

Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity
Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai
Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Overcity Shift, Mystic Artifact

Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta
Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer

STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03
+46
STR: 21 | AGI: 21 | VIT: 21 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20

Earnings this post: Zilch

Remaining: 7 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze
Total: 11 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze

There weren't a lot of places in a realm like this where you could stop and recharge your mana. Turning off her invisibility for a second meant tipping off the dolphin, so mac needed to find a way to keep her mana levels up while also constantly spending mana every second. Even with the regeneration power, it wasn't like Mac's mana was pegged at full all the time. The snow fight wasn't too serious, but it was an expendature of mana that MAc would feel for the remainder of the vacation. She could bite herself to recover some mana, but that had its own drawbacks. The main one being that it was uncomfortable. She wasn't Betty after all. If her mana got too low, she'd just return to Penrose.

She hoped leaving her footprints in the snow wasn't going to be a problem. She was aware of them, but figured with all the running around it wasn't worth covering them up. It probably wasn't worth fussing over.

---

”Hahahaha I'm so random and unpredictable!”

— Oros

_{@Ponn@AtomicNut@PlatinumSkink@Majoras End@FamishedPants}

Ahh yes, it was a pretty good day to be Penny. Copying the shit out of Victoria’s abilities, bypassing Eliza’s shadow magic, making a mockery of her old rival Silhouette, Totally ignoring Atomic’s post about the snow bombardment, all while using minimal mana and tilting a few players in the process. It was hard not to feel smug about it. She had herself a good laugh as Oros struggled to push past the outer perimeter. She did display the ability to make Sakura eat the snowballs. Literally eat them, like she held his mouth open so that the soft, cold balls of beautifully frozen ice flakes entered his mouth. Was that too pretentious of a description? Probably. But she had already written it down and had no plans of editing it out. It was staying there.

_{Disclaimer: This is just how Oros thinks Penny thinks.}

But while Oros looked to be going all out to not get hit by snowballs, the fact of the matter was that she was playing a very different game than everyone else. Her goal was not to find the real Penny cowering behind her clones, but to lay waste to the enemy fort. As a pro speedrunner, Oros picked goals in order to achieve the best time for the leaderboards.

”Keep your eyes open, tater-tot! You don’t want to miss this!”

There was no time between Oros extending her hand and a small object appearing under her thumb. This was practically invisible between all the Penny clones throwing snow balls at her and the Valkyrie snow bombardment. The real penny might have been able to detect a radio signal going off, but the magics were too advanced to replicate or alter it. Whatever Oros just did, nobody could stop it.

The gray winter sky opened up to reveal the alien atmosphere that everyone had come to expect from Dan’s summer dimension. To everyone’s horror, a satellite large enough to be visible from the surface was present; It looked like Dan’s head, complete with a sombrero and cheeky little grin. The panels on the satellite whirled menacingly. Something ominous was about to happen.

The mouth on the satellite swung open, and drew in the gray clouds that now covered the planet. They could run, they could hide, they could fear, but they could not escape.

”O former keeper, He who makes and covets joy, bring the warmth of summer to my foes!”

There was a brilliant flash of blue light, and then it happened. Enough water to fill ten Olympic sized swimming pools was blasted out of Dan’s pleased face. The water did not have time to freeze, nor did it burn up while entering the hemisphere. Magic? A likely culprit.

No matter how glorious the snow fort had been, it was no match for five million gallons of water. The warm water practically burned through the fort, dousing everything in its way. Pennies were thrown to and fro, with no room to move out of the way. Though all of Oros’s companions would remain dry, as the water seemed to fall around them instead of into them like it did everyone else.

Once the water had settled, it was about ankle height. Oros trudged forward, holding Sakura in her arms like she was some slain war hero.

”Hah! I wasn’t sure if that was still going to work.” She totally ignored everyone and walked up to Eliza. ”You gotta be really careful sneaking into places. Firstly, stealth never works in this RP, and secondly, you’ll always get spotted for some strange reason if it’s not explicitly mentioned how you’re hiding. But who cares about that shit? You’re too cute to hide under a magic veil anyway.” She cast Sakura aside, who happened to land face down in a giant puddle of water. ”Since we’re all wet, did you guys wanna play Keijo now?” With a single hand, she grabbed the christmas lights that bound Eliza and snapped them with a single tug. Because Oros was "holiday safety conscious," she was careful to not let the exposed wires touch anything wet. She accomplished this by holding the power side of the severed wire as the water drained into the dry sand under the snow.

---

And Shion!

”Gotta pick on all the lurkers..”

— Aria

Aria had enjoyed her interaction with Summer. But it would be weird if she hung around one girl for its entire duration. Their interaction helped ground her in the party. She no longer felt like an outsider. There were people around here who didn’t spend much time in Penrose themselves. She had more in common with everyone than she thought.

But she wasn’t ready to move onto something like ice skating. It felt oddly romantic, and not something that you’d do casually with strangers. Throwing snowballs at people was much more her speed. But there was a simple question left to answer: who to play with?

Summer was 100% out of the question. Not only would her magic likely manifest in scary ways, but Aria was trying to branch out. She also wasn’t too interested in the snowfight fiesta going on, nor did she find any of totally-not-Mariette’s minions worth playing with. She packed a ball of snow into her hand and looked around. There had to be a lone target somewhere. Someone isolated that didn’t look particularly scary. Then she saw them, lurking off to the side away from everyone else. 

A perfect target. 

Aria hopped behind the lodge and inched her way closer to her target. She wasn’t a stealth queen, but at least her skin blended in a bit more with the snow than her red outfit did. 

”Stupid freakin’ ‘party.’ Why couldn’t I have stayed home? Noooo, I had to make that dumb promise and now I’m stuck here and Ko didn’t even come along!” Shion whispered to herself, starting out towards the others in a crouched position.

Man, this person seemed kinda down. A better person might have asked if they were alright. And if she was one of Aria’s customers, she just might have. But 2 silver for participating in a snowball fight was a little too hard to pass up!

”Heyahhhh!”

With a shout that most certainly gave away her position, Aria hurled her snowball at the gloomy girl.

The snowball smashed against Shion’s head, knocking it to face downwards. There was a momentary pause before her head shot up, glaring at the girl who had thrown it at her with an expression that could scare fear itself, the only thing to be feared. 

”Oh.” Aria was definitely feeling something. She wasn’t use to getting looked at like that. But it was hard for her to discern exactly what the feeling was. Her smile slowly, ever so slowly curled into a frown as she took a step backwards. ”Okay then I’ll just-.” she took another step back. ”Just, be on my way now.” she stepped behind the lodge, now fully out of sight. ”Just, on my way..” But as soon as she stepped out of sight, she realized that she hadn’t really participated in a snow fight. This was more like a snow assault, or snow battery. It wasn’t a snow fight unless the girl fought back. But what could Aria do to prompt such a response out of her target. 

”Heyahhhh!”

Just like before, Aria popped out from behind the lodge to launch a second snowball. This, too, struck Shion in the head. Yet she refused to counter attack.

This was a tricky one. But Aria wasn’t going to give up. She had another trick that she was sure would prompt a counter attack.

Aria did not bother hiding this time. She bent over and scoopd up a handfull of snow. Along with it, several butterflies hadcupped the mass of snow to create a shallow dish just above her hands. She was no longer holding a snowball. It was more like a snow custard. a large helping a snow ripe to be smashed into someone’s face. 

”Heyahhhh!”

Aria broke into a charge and ran towards Shion. While most clowns on TV throw custard pies, the truth is pies aren’t too aerodynamic and are better suited for close range splatting. even magical improv snow pies are this way, especially so.

But Aria would never land a hit on her mark.

Suddenly, a valkyrie bombing run covered the area in snow. massive snow payloads blew up all over the place. Anyone who had seen vintage footage of a live bombing run would have no problem drawing comparisons to the scene and what was happening all around Aria. Then like a hawk going after its prey, a shadow dove into the snow and took off. When the carnage stopped, all that was left was Shion piled up to her shoulders in snow. Something had gotten Aria. But that worked out just fine for Shion. The one good thing that happened at this party was that someone who wouldn’t stop bullying her got their cumupin’s.

Table Top DnD

I mean there's an entire subforum dedicated to that, so probably not.

Call To Action: Marginalized Groups Must Be Recognized In The Rules

All the same, I can understand Zombiedude101's frustration. He was just trying to discuss things (albite more passionately than I would), and he was publicly told by a mod that he "won't be able to just give you a talking to" next time for simply arguing his point with examples.

And this is really the crux of what I was talking about earlier. All someone has to do is get upset that someone used a word they didn't like and then the mods will show up to "correct" what would be a non-issue in any other case. I don't like it when people talk about straight white guys like they are all privileged ass holes. Nor do I like it when people bash anime fans, men/boys who like to do girly things like knit and cook, etc. But I tolerate it because if we made a rule against anything that could possibly offend someone, regardless how small the minority, we wouldn't be able to talk to each other.

Call To Action: Marginalized Groups Must Be Recognized In The Rules

And when the new rules come up, I won't be able to just give you a talking to. So just keep it in mind.

@POOHEAD189

So the rule changes are coming forum side as well?

Call To Action: Marginalized Groups Must Be Recognized In The Rules

You're preaching to the choir, @Zombiedude101. I think the rules as they presently are do a perfect job of protecting all guild members without making anyone feel unsafe. I'm unsure why they wouldn't work on discord, but without seeing the offending posts I can't really judge.

Call To Action: Marginalized Groups Must Be Recognized In The Rules

I just want specifics on what's been going on and how a solution would be done because other sites have overreacted to issues like these in the past and overcorrected in a way that punishes people who aren't even part of the problem. I'd hate to see that happen on the Guild.

@Dagger

This really isn't being stressed enough in this discussion. I'd like to expand on it.

Like most of the non-discord-going-forum-goers, I don't know what it's like on discord. If bigotry is prevalent on discord, than it should probably be addressed. But make no mistake about it: changing the rules is nothing to be taken lightly. It's not as simple as "don't be a bigot" and then everyone engages in healthy conversation in total comfort. People outside the minority will have extra pressure placed on them to conform to the new rules. For some this won't be a problem. But it's very easy to take things out of context, and you can easily create a situation where people get banned for some perfectly innocent banter.

An example of this is that I have a friend who very casually calls things gay. As in "Sounds gay, I'm in" or sometimes just responds with "gay" to an observation I made. I would think that if these rules were implemented, it would be very easy for someone to call him out on this behavior and get him banned. And for what? A comment that was done purely for amusement? He plays gay characters! The real problem is that once these rules get implemented on discord, it wouldn't be too hard to also have them moved onto the forum as well. I don't know how the guild was before my arrival 4-5 years ago, but things have been pretty tame during my stay. Minus the bot invasion but w/e.

Historically, Mahz made this forum so that people didn't have to roleplay on sites with heavy administration. If there's a problem, the community is expected to report it to a mod, who then has the authority to do something about it. This has created a forum community that knows how to look after itself. People treat each other with respect for the most part, and we can speak without fear of getting hammered by a moderator who's in the mood to use their power. What few times people go to far, mods are called in, and the problem is dealt with. Maybe it doesn't work on discord, I wouldn't know.

I think I speak for everyone when I say we're fine with altering the rules to make people feel safer. What I'm not okay with is altering the rules in such a way that it makes the majority of posters feel less safe to speak, and that's what a rule change will do if not handled with the utmost care.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

A Metrick Frack-ton of Magical Girls

_{And a magical boy cameo!}

”...But I'm posting, so I get to write the header quote.”

— Ultra Instinct Lord of Change

As Eliza left the two Ascendancy members, she would, if she hadn't noticed it when dealing with Violette and Rachel, see a shadow trailing her that seemingly 'scurried' towards her. Stopping a couple of feet or so away, it bubbled and a black tar-covered figure emerged from it. The tar dripped away at a rapid pace until all that was left was Samantha.

She struggled to contain a shiver as she was not particularly covered with her outfit. Still, she addressed Eliza in a neutral tone. "Rare is it to have a... civil conversation with one of 'them'," she noted. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh?" Eliza turned to look at Sam. She crossed her arms. "To be fair, the fact that they haven't seen me beforehand contributed to that." She shrugged, and when asked how she was feeling, she rose a brow. "Hah, I should be asking you guys the same question. Weeell, right now I'm waiting on Oros to get back. But other than that I'm...actually not tired. For once." Eliza blinked at the realization.

"I hope you'll understand my frustration. But I don't feel proud of the outburst," Sam rubbed her neck awkwardly. "Anyway, I doubt many of us would feel too comfortable during a meeting like that, so it is good to see that the Ascendancy isn't bothering you too much. Especially given who you saw there," she warned. "Rachel is as zealous and dangerous as you can get from that faction. Thankfully, you don't need to learn that the way I did." Sam's mostly neutral expression wasn't enough to cover the shame she felt as she recalled that memory.

The witch sighed. "It's understandable, Sam. Hell, when Maura told me about you-know-what, my first instinct was to facepalm. But there are more important things to focus on now, and there shouldn't be anyone besides me having outbursts of anger." Eliza patted Sam's back, making a quick jacket out of dark and light magic to cover her up, seeing how uncomfortable she appeared to be.

"Besides, as long as Rachel and her goons don't realize who I work for, I could try and get some info out of them. Anaya can get me out of trouble, if anything happens." Eliza explained through magicoms. She didn't want to risk anyone overhearing.

"I appreciate it." Samantha thanked her for the clothing. It had effect almost immediately and the shivers soon seemed to disappear. Breathing out, Sam didn't quite look like she liked the idea of people getting near Rachel, but she didn't protest. "Just trust your instincts if you believe things are going south. It'll keep you alive." Samantha advised, adjusting the jacket Eliza provided her so that it was more comfortable. Clearing her throat, she opted to change the subject despite bringing it up. "If you don't mind my asking, how are you attached to Oros, exactly?"

"Uh...Oros is my date. Not even I know how that happened."

When the fact that Oros and Eliza were on a date, Sam raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" she looked off to the side for a moment. "Well, considering my relationship with Trixy, I guess it isn't near as surprising. But..." It was faint, but when she was thinking about Trixy, there was almost a smile on her face. "...surprising isn't a bad thing."

Sam looked towards where she last saw Emily, narrowing her eyes. "That said, Oros is in for a surprise if she keeps Emily for too long. I hope you can excuse my rudeness, but I don't believe she's the best influence for Emily."

Eliza chuckled. "Look at you, being the mom friend of the group!" She joked. "I know she's eccentric, but I'm sure she'll be nice to her. I can always scry in if you're concerned." She smiled to Sam. "And understood, on that end."

"M-mom friend?" Sam repeated in surprise, struggling to maintain composure. "I-it's just that since we came together that I should keep an eye out! That's all," she tried to downplay it. She looked away from Eliza for a second, only to spot someone of note. Standing next to the exit of the building (and next to what appeared to be a body?) was Tetrad, but more importantly past that was Emily. It wasn't possible to hear them from this distance.

Samantha turned back to Eliza. "I believe that's Emily over there, so Oros shouldn't be too far away," she mentioned. "That reminds me. Have you met Emily?"

Eliza only shook her head in response.

"She is a pretty cheerful girl for the most part." Samantha informed Eliza, beginning to walk towards Emily and whoever was around her. "It would not surprise me if she went out of her way to track you down later," she joked. "From what I've seen and experienced, she's quite eager to befriend anyone she can. That would normally put me off but... well, she hasn't ever made me doubt those intentions aren't genuine."

Meanwhile...

Emily could be seen leaning over the man on the ground. She seemed beyond worried as she pulled him to his feet and even help pat off anything that might've stuck to him. After asking if he was alright, Emily turned to Tetrad, and surprisingly accepted the drink. "I-I'm old enough!" she proclaimed. Eliza and Samantha wouldn't be able to hear it, but she also muttered, "...the Rave was a one-time thing..." under her breath. The drink she took out of the cup was small enough that 'sip' was a generous term.

Before she could reply to Tetrad what was undoubtedly going to be a 'yes' to playing in the snow, she noticed the pair of Sam and El pulling up approaching. "Sam!" she met with them and, to Sam's dismay, gave her a spontaneous hug, making sure not to spill her drink in the process. "Oros wanted to do something later if you're up for it! Oh, but we'll have to find Betty and... Eliza?"

"Well, do I have news for you," Sam replied in a monotone, but then she realized the drink in Emily's hand. "Hey, what do you have there?" Ignoring the memory of Eliza's earlier comment about her being a mom friend, she still asked this.

In what was perhaps the slyest social maneuver ever seen, Emily skillfully changed the subject. "F-forgitaboutit! A-anyway, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Eliza waved. "Emily, right? I haven't gotten to introduce myself properly. I'm Eliza! And I got a feeling you already know Oros." She held out a hand for Emily to shake.

"Eliza? Oh, isn't that a coincidence! Like I just said, Oros is looking for you!" she swapped her drink over to the other hand so she could shake with her dominant hand. "But yes, I'm Emily! Feel free to call me Em if you want." she looked back towards Tetrad, who was hanging around outside. "Oh, um, were either of you interested in a snowball fight?"

Samantha nodded as if it was already in agreement. "Sure. But you what about Oros? Eliza was looking for her, actually."

"You were?" Emily asked the girl. "Oh, um... well, I didn't see exactly where she went since I was paying more attention to who she bulldozed..."

"Eh, I can wait on her a little longer." Eliza shrugged. "A snowball fight sounds fun though! I may need the practice."

”Hey! Whatchu talkin’ bout Eliza?” Tetrad walked back into the doorway. ”Isn’t your whole deal that you know every- AHHHHH!” She hopped backwards. ”What happened to that strangely beautiful boy-girl!?” Tetrad had almost finished her first drink, and was noticably red in the face.

Eliza shrugged once again, with an eyebrow raised. "She went off to talk to someone too. I'm not gonna intru- Are you already drunk???" She asked back, noticing how red in the face Tetrad was.

”Are you?!?!?!” She pointed at Sakura with both hands. ”How did this happen? Isn't Dan suppose to be protecting us from things like this?”

A snow-covered Oros stepped into the lodge. ”Hey El! Looks like-whomga carrot!” Oros pointed at Sakura. ”What happened to her!?”

Though the others were too distracted to notice it, Oros' question had caused Emily to narrow her eyes for a second.

”I don't knowwwwwww!” Tetrad pouted.

”Well we have to do something! Like, uh, mouth-to-mouth or some shit! That always seems to work.” Oros folded her arms. ”I'd do it, but I'm on a date with El right now. That means my lips can only touch hers for the duration of this date, even if it's an emergency!" She looked to the witch. ”That means you're out too!!

"I don't think mouth-to-mouth is the right treatment for someone who got trampled, looks like." Eliza explained, sitting Sakura down to the nearest seat to check for any wounds. "We should look for stuff like head trauma or broken bones. Hey, how many fingers am I holding up right now?" She asked the feminine fellow, holding up three fingers.

"I also do not see how mouth-to-mouth helps here," Samantha commented.

Emily set her glass down so that she could search Sakura's head for any signs of damage but not before taking a drink. "Oh, I hope you're alright..." she worried.

Despite Eliza voicing her doubts about the idea, Oros didn’t stop pursuing it. ”And Sam is out too, since she’s got a girl friend. Which means if someone’s going to give her mouth to mouth, it’s gotta be Em or Rad.”

Tetrap moved Emily aside. ”Alright, I think I practiced this in swim class. Just, just get me something to drink.”

Oros didn’t question the quad colored card dealer. She promptly grabbed a stein full of ale and handed it to Tetrad. ”Godspeed, lifesaver! Have as much liquid courage as you need.” She saluted.

”Do patronize me!” She knocked back the mug, and her adam’s apple bulged out of her neck with each gulp.

”You can tell she went to collage.” Oros turned to Emily and Sam. ”I know it’s hard, but we’ve gotta keep our spirits up. Dan’s magic is dependant on our good mood, right?” she smiled at her companions. ”Anyone else want something to drink? We could also have a snowball fight.”

Eliza stood comically dumbfounded for a moment. Was the check-up moot? Did she really have to waste her time like this? And on a date too?! "...OKAY! If nothing else is going to interrupt me before I get a spliting headache," She walked back over and pulled Oros into a hug, resting her head against the other's shoulder. "Sorry for taking so long. And we already agreed on the snowball fight, unless you have any other ideas..." She quietly apologized.

Sam pointed to the 'injured' male. "You guys have been wasting so much time that I'm doubtful he'd still be alive if he needed treatment," she pointed out. "Anyway, does anyone know him? Did they come with anyone?" she asked.

"Samantha, are you joking? You know him!..." Emily asked, before it dawned on her. "O-oh, that's right! This is your first time seeing them since... We made a new friend who helped us out a lot! She helped Sakura become like this. So this is Sakura now."

The assassin blinked. "O-oh, well isn't that lucky for them. I bet it was a happy day for you guys. Anyway, it sounds like we are all having a snowball fight?"

Emily nodded, retrieving the drink she had set down. "Yeah, when we're all ready! Um," she glanced at Sakura. "Hopefully no more accidents happen, though." Emily put the glass up to her lips once more, and when she removed it, her cheeks became slightly flushed.

Oros chuckled. ”She’s a guy now, huh? Guess some people are into that, if the survey is anything to go by.”

”I’m gunna make sure he lives!” Tetrad cried into the heavens. Her face was flushed red, and there were some tears running down her cheeks. ”No one can escape me by retreating into the cold embrace of death!” she leaned over and proceeded to fill his lungs with air.

”…ANYWAY! Yea!” Oros Pulled Eliza closer. ”Looks like it’s a slaughter out there. I say we raid the queen’s fort and take it for ourselves. We can even raise a flag, which I prepared specifically for this occasion.” She shrugged. ”Or we could play a game among ourselves if you don’t feel like utterly crushing our rivals.”

The queen? Penny was out there? It kinda felt pointless if she was currently slaughtering the opposition outside. But at the same time...

Eliza herself hadn't had the chance to go up against Penny, has she?

A mischevious grin tugged at her face. "I'm in."

"I'm so happy we can all play together!" Emily cheered, raising an excited fist to the air in celebration and taking a drink with the other. Her face would twist as the taste got to her but she powered on through. "Yay!"

Sam watched Emily with the smallest trace of concern creeping over her features. It was clear she would be watching Emily closely. "Yeah," she agreed with the rest for now. "Let's show them a good time."

”Time to kick some ass!” Oros picked up Sakura and slung him over her shoulder. ”Well I’ll be, he does weigh a bit more! He really did become a man.”

”What?” Tetrad pointed at Oros. ”Where is he going?”

”I’m not going to leave anyone behind!” Oros patted Eliza on the shoulder. ”If we’re going to play in the snow, we’re all doing it together!” She stomped her way out the door. ”If we’re going to play in the snow, we’re all doing it together!” And with that, Oros marched outside with Eliza in one arm, and Sakura hanging off of her shoulder.

Tetrad clenched her fist tight. ”Wherever he goes, I follow!” She said before following after everyone.

---

When the siege party got to the snowball fight, Oros let go of Eliza and stepped forwards. She surveyed everything that was going on, and nodded.

”I guess we could plan a strategy or something like that.” She grinned. ”But who wants to be that up tight over a little bout in the snow? Let’s take the fort! I’ll hold Aggro!” Oros swung Sakura off of her shoulder and charged towards the “enemy fortification” like a homesick angel. She was using Sakura as a human shield to block any incoming snowballs. ”Let me know when you’re awake, tater tot, this is all for you!” While Oros herself wasn’t throwing any snowballs, Tentacles did surface out of the snow to whip snowballs at the many pennies that were running around.

Tetrad fanned her cards out in front of herself. ”Well, that’s refreshing. Almost as refreshing as a glass of ale!” she turned to Samantha. ”I’ll follow your lead, Samantha. We never went on an operation together, so this is as close as I get.” Tetrad never took her eyes off of Samantha, even as she packed her first snowball.

"I noticed that. A real shame." Samantha nodded, summoning a simple schatten to her side, which would begin making a few snowballs for Sam. "Since they're drawing attention, let's try to flank and see if we can score a few good shots on them." Saying this, Samantha dashed off in a curved path, obviously attempting to strike any Penny clones from the side. Tetrad followed closely behind her.

As they began their assault on the opposing one-man team, Eliza stood back for a moment. She glanced around the battlefield in thought. "Hmmm... Might wanna watch out on using our magic. We could give her the upper hand, and not realize it soon enough." She explained, such was the reason why she didn't use her scrying power. Three pairs of shadowy arms would form as makeshift tentacles, two for making snowballs, and one for juggling them. Eliza would stick with dark magic for now.

She looked to Emily. "Guess you're stuck with me, huh? We can try and take advantage of their intervention to sneak inside the fort, find the real Penny, and take her out. But we'll have to be prepared for anything, got it?"

"Oh, don't say it like that! I'm happy to team up with you!" Emily assured Eliza. She looked a bit conflicted as she made a few snowballs for herself. "I can melt a path through if things get a bit too cramped! Um, but otherwise you'll have to trust my throwing arm." Emily would mention.

Eliza smiled. "You can leave most of the offense to me." With that, she'd use her shadow magic to try and sneak them both inside.

[@Snowfight People]

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

”Quick break before I resume the speedrun. Remember to subscribe to my Onlyfans for bonus content.”

— Oros

The more Nykannis talked, the less happy Oros looked to be listening to her. The scientist droned on with no end to her barrage of questions in sight. Question after question, flipping from fright, confusion, to rage. All in a very short period of time. Until she finally asked the “discount girl from an underground anime” for her name. Oros sighed. Whatever joy she had upon seeing the girl had turned to ash in her mouth.

”Okay so we gotta get something straight.” She raised her finger, making sure to keep her voice low and quiet. ”I understand, we have one weekly Patron Outpost Surveyor Transcript, better known as a POST, where we get to talk. The temptation to say as much as we can in one of these POSTs is tempting, but I advise against it. We both want to get to the interesting part of this conversation, but it’s a very unnatural way of speaking. ” Oros fret her brow, and her lips curled back to reveal a snarl. ”Moreover, have you given a single thought as to how I’m supposed to respond to any of this shit?” She gestured towards the way she came. ”We’ve got a snowball fight, ice sculpting, snowman making, stage performances, harebringers, and Keijo fights going on! You think anyone can keep track of all that shit and remember some minute details about the balcony space? Did anything even come up in the last POST?” Her brow practically dropped between her eyes. ”I don’t know! The door was open when I came here. Maybe ‘Kayli’ forgot to shut it on her way out. All I know is that if I see a tiny girl, you can bet your ass I’m going to do anything in my power to talk to her. You want to try getting a word in? Fuck you! I’m still responding to your endless wall of banter!” Oros rubbed her nose. ”Maho Hiyajo is best girl! She’s an amazing character and the fact that she’s a loli is just a bonus! You could never compare to her cuteness! Why someone would claim to be smarter than a fictional character is beyond me. And yes, everyone, I see the irony in that statement. Bite me!”

Oros exhaled. ”See? And then we would just take turns throwing increasingly convoluted and difficult to keep up with paragraphs at each other.” She placed a gentle hand on Kate and Nykannis. ”I suggest we start over and make the following conversation a COLLAB to avoid this. You know? ‘Couple Of Lovely Ladies Acting Brashly, COLLAB? Point is, we can progress at our own pace.” She took her hand off of Kate’s shoulder and offered it to Nykannis, and did the reverse with her other arm. Her arms were crossed in front of her with a hand pointed at the only 2 other girls present. ”My name is Oros. If you want to tag a pretentious title on there, you could call me ‘The Manager of the Golden Trove’ or ‘Future Mayor of Penrose,’ but it really isn’t necessary.” She looked into the air. ”Haruko Haruhara was an interesting one. I haven’t seen Fooly Cooly so I can’t say how alike we are. I think I look more like Chii Aruel from Soul Worker. ”

Nykannis was left speechless as their uninvited guest rambled, using obscure terminology even the Monarch of Mad Science was baffled by. POSTS? COLLABS? Details about how protected their balcony was? Wait… Did someone hit this girl with a meta weapon? Or was she some form of reality warper? An edgier, even more in-your-face version of MDP? Nykannis suppressed the urge to shudder. THIS was precisely why she hated mingling with Penrose natives… What was particularly annoying though, was how the girl insulted the way Nykannis talked, and insisted that some half-baked fictional character was better than her, the Monarch of Mad Science! And THEN there was her reason for being here in the first place…

“Hi, Oros,” Kate chuckled as she shook the beast girl’s hand. “It’s nice to meet ya. I gotta say, you’re pretty, uh, unique, but anyone who can rile Nykannis up like that is okay in my book!”

“So, let me get this straight,” Nykannis began, closing her eyes in a (probably futile) attempt to calm herself. “You only came in here because you have some kinda perverse fetish for little girls? Bitch, you are SERIOUSLY FUCKED UP. Oh, and you think I talk weird? That’s rich coming from a rambling nutcase like you,” she added with a sneer as she opened her eyes to glare at Oros. “I mean, your little ‘speech’ lasted 83.478 seconds longer than what I just said. And now you wanna have a pleasant conversation? Well, you’d better have something REALLY interesting to discuss, otherwise you can find out why it’s a REALLY BAD IDEA TO PISS ME OFF!!!”

Oros was frozen in place. Her body was pointed in Kate’s direction, but eyes were locked on Nykannis for the entire duration of her rant. ”One moment.” She smiled at Kate before looking back at the mad scientist. ”We’re starting over, Nyan.” Oros made sure to vocalize her nickname for the doctor like an anime cat girl would. ”But just to get this shit outa the way, I’m not an ‘aqualung.’ Well, no more an aqualung than anyone else here. I think visually we’re all somewhere between 7 and 16? Easy to forget with some of our face claims being so mature looking. Anyway, the point is I find your small shape cute! The only thing I have a burning desire to do is place my hand on top of your head. Several times. I’m on a date anyway.” Her hand started to hover over “Nyan’s” head. ”But interesting topics of conversation? I have those in spades. What would you like to talk about? There’s me, the approaching end of the world, my nose, my two co-managers who are also magical scientists, me, my plans for Penrose, we can even talk about you.” She looked back at Kate. ”Or even you! I wouldn’t mind hearing about you. What are you doing with this small sassy scientist?”

“Well, if you’re talking about right now, I was trying to give her a bit of a vacation, although she hasn’t really been enjoying herself all that much,” Kate replied with a chuckle. “Mostly because Dan’s magic is preventing her from running the kinds of tests she likes. But if you mean how I met her, that’s a pretty interesting story! We were both attending a symposium at the Wright Institute on Kalgan, over in universe 11121945IAF. Nykannis was giving a lecture on Clarke’s Third Law, and I was covering the event as a freelance photographer. I remember most of the speakers being kinda boring, but Nykannis’s enthusiasm was really refreshing! She gets so passionate about things that it’s hard not to share her excitement. So, anyways, I decided to chat with her a bit after her lecture, and that’s when…

…

…

…

…and we’ve been friends ever since! In fact, she even made me this camera,” Kate added, holding up the device. “If you couldn’t tell by the name on the strap.”

”You know I normally can’t stand long stories, but that skip made it really amusing.” Oros grinned.

Nykannis, meanwhile, had remained silent during Kate’s retelling of their first meeting, simply glaring daggers at Oros and grinding her teeth together.

“So,” Kate continued with a grin. “What’s all this about you wanting to become mayor of Penrose? I gotta say, that’s a pretty ballsy move, considering that place is a perpetual shit magnet.”

“Screw that,” Nykannis snapped before Oros could respond. “You mentioned the approaching ‘End of the World’,” she added, addressing the pink-haired girl. “Now, assuming that everything that spews out of your mouth isn’t complete fucking bullshit, are you talking just this planet, or do you mean a complete universal collapse?”

The hotel manager pointed between herself and Nykannis. ”Mind if I…?” She looked away from Kate. ”It’s nothing as severe as the collapse of a multiverse. Just a recurring tragedy that seems to engulf worlds where Penrose exists. Nothing a traverser of realities needs to worry about. Though at the same time, I kind of like challenging myself, so why not see if I can stop it this time? Cucking forces on that level is just the right thing to do!” She looked back at Kate. ”Which ties into the whole mayor thing. I’ve accepted the fact that I’m never going to be able to go toe to toe with the big magical organizations in Penrose. Not with their numbers and everything. So I’m going to go for a political victory with the normies. Can’t really say much more than that right now.”

“A multiversal constant, huh?” Nykannis observed with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that’s another item to add to the list of ‘reasons why I hate that place’. Oh, and good luck on changing things,” she added dryly. “If you’re really up against an omni-dimensional force that hates the fact that Penrose exists, you’re gonna need a LOT more power than what being mayor of that dump’ll give ya.”

Oros shrugged. ”Gotta start somewhere, right? Maybe we can get my patron reinstated as a Co-Gm and-”

“A magical girl mayor…” Kate mused. “I’d say that’s gotta be a first, but I’ve seen way stranger stuff than that. Like, did you know that in some universes, magical girls operate openly?”

”Can’t say I’m all that surprised.” Oros grinned. ”Honestly, the worlds without any magical girls probably fascinate me the most. Well, I guess they exist of a fashion. Though people call them ‘superheroes’ or ‘espers’ or something like that. I wouldn’t mind living in a world without all that bullshit going on. At least for a little while.” She tossed her hand into the air. ”But I know I'd have to come back to Penrose. I dunno if it’s because it’s my original home, all the hot ass, or maybe just because it’s a ‘Realm Portion’ that’s been around for a while.” Oros closed her eyes. ”We’re on page 4 of the COLLAB, so I guess we should make something interesting happen.” When her eyes opened, she was looking at the mad scientist. ”It’s clear that you guys aren’t locals. I’m not even sure if you’re from the same world as everyone else.” Oros cracked her knuckles before resting her fist on her hip. ”So what’s it gunna take to get a scientist and a photographer on my payroll?”

Kate Grinned. “I’m a freelancer, so as long as the money’s good, I'll work for just about anyone,” she told Oros. “Even someone from Penrose,” she added with a chuckle. “Although, seeing how much of a disaster area it currently is, my fee’s gonna be a bit higher than usual.”

Oros puffed out her chest. ”Very well, we’ll have to hammer out specifics later.”

For her part, Nykannis gave the beast girl an arrogant sneer. “Sorry, Pinky, but I’ve already got the best setup I could want in a backwater reality plenum like this,” the mad scientist explained, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “Although… You mentioned two employees of yours who fancy themselves scientists. Let me have a little chat with them to see if they’re not complete amateurs, and if they have anything interesting to offer, we can work out a little quid pro quo arrangement. I borrow them to assist me with something I’m working on, and you can borrow my super-scientific genius for ONE project. That sound good?”

”Mmmm, that might be difficult.” Oros rubbed her chin. ”They are my co-managers at the hotel. While they are both accomplished magi researchers, one runs an artificing shop strictly for their own profit while the other does research for a third party. That sort of stuff isn’t part of the contract. So any ‘squid pro quo’ is going to be between you and them. Furthermore, while I can see you’re cute you haven’t given me any reason to believe you have the big galaxy brain you claim to have. I know what those two are capable of, and you think you’re better than both of them without having ever met them?” Oros chuckled. ”Oh I got it now. Yea, you gotta make me something. And then I’ll arrange a meet up for you three. I’ll grease the wheels a bit of course, just to ensure things go smoothly.”

Nykannis ground her teeth as Oros expressed doubt in her abilities. “Okay, Miss Magical Girl Deadpool, you wanna see why I’m the Queen of the Mad Scientists?!! Why I’m the most brilliant mind this reality plenum has ever seen?!! FINE!!! I’ll make whatever crazy reality shattering invention you want! The more challenging the better! Well, within reason, of course,” she added, her voice taking on a regretful tone. “See, the deal I made with the Grand Magistrates stipulates that I can’t make any major changes to the universal status quo, ESPECIALLY where Penrose is concerned, so, yeah…”

”Yea, they can be sort of a bummer to work around. I find it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission with those dudes. But let’s see…” Oros exhaled and thought. This was her one chance to ask for almost anything. ”Alright, this might be a little crazy, but you’re the queen of maid scientists, right Nyan? Should be possible. You ready?” She nodded. ”I want a back scratcher!” After a short pause, she tipped her head. ”Like, a robot maid! Yea! A cute, robot, maid! Maybe a cat maid? A personal assistant, that’s also a back scratcher and shit!”

“A maid?” Nykannis deadpanned. “All my vast, super-scientific knowledge, and you want me to make you a MAID?!!”

”I trust it will be unlike any robot cat maid I have ever seen!”

“ Fine…” she exhaled in weary resignation. “I’ll make you a damn maid. Cat ears, cat tail, cat collar, fetishistic outfit, the works. So, you want this thing to look organic or mechanical?”

The question caused Oros to stop and think, which Nykannis was pretty sure she didn’t do often. ”If it’s indistinguishable from a living person that’s pretty cool. Who doesn’t want a cute maid? Then again, I can just hire a cat maid easily enough. Having clearly metallic features allows me to show off, but it could be a problem if normies come around.” Oros placed her outstretched hand on top of Nykannis head and gently patted it. ”Nyan? Have you ever noticed that when you go to a fancy restaurant the menus are really small, they don’t make special orders, but the food is always really good regardless? You seem like you know what you’re doing. It doesn’t even have to be a cat girl if it’s awesome!” Her smile got wider as she continued to pat the scientist’s head. ”Is that unreasonable? I could go for something easier if you’d prefer.”

“Easier?” Nykannis spat, as if the very concept was deeply repulsive. Or maybe that was just her response to the sensation of Oros’s hand on the top of her head? Probably both. “You’ve already set the bar so low, it’s practically underground! But I get it, you want me to take this mundane, stereotypical concept and do something creative with it. Okay, I think I have an idea on how we might do that,” she added. Activating a small holographic display and producing a circuit-covered stylus, the mad scientist began drawing up plans and scribbling down notes. “Keeping in mind your various fetishes and need for this thing to be able to interact with normies, here’s what I was thinking.” Manipulating the holodisplay, she pulled out a 3D model of her idea for Oros to examine. “First we have the maid portion. Basic moe, cat girl maid. Shy personality, underdeveloped body, and fully organic, although the ears and tail are fully detachable, in case you need to prove she’s ‘really human’ to any over-inquisitive weebs. I will mention that she incorporates some ridiculously advanced nanotech, allowing for a variety of interesting applications. In particular, she has an energy to matter conversion unit, which should allow her to produce whatever food, drink or other mundane item you want, with the item in question materializing in her hands. Naturally it also works in reverse as well. But you wanted something a little more ‘outside the box’ than just that, right?” she added with a smirk. “Well, that’s where the second part comes in!” Snapping her fingers, there was a bright flash, after which, the 3D model’s appearance had changed significantly. “With a simple command phrase of your choosing, your cat girl maid will become a magical girl. She’ll be a disgustingly kawaii genki girl when she’s in this form, with a VERY cheery personality, great for annoying people you don’t like. While I’ve given her a limited amount of Metaphysical Aetheric Numinosphere Accelerator, she’ll still be a joke compared to what a regular magical girl is capable of, so just keep that in mind if you plan to put her in a combat situation. So, whadya think?”

”Yea, that sounds good! The nanomachines should prevent her from getting hacked or frying due to simple static electricity.” After nodding a few times, Oros looked away from the hologram and at the scientist. ”And this will 100% be able to scratch my back, right?”

“You saw the claws, didn’t you?” Nykannis replied with a wry grin. “Well, if everything meets with your approval, there’s just one last thing to take care of.” Spreading her thumb and forefinger, the mad scientist created a rectangular holographic window in front of Oros. “Sign here,” she instructed, handing the beast girl her stylus.

Oros twirled the stylus in her hand before holding it over the pad. After staring at it for a moment, her expression soured. ”Ehh, I dunno.” She pulled her hand away. ”I mean, we have plenty of Non-Patron Champions, or NPC’s if you’d prefer, back in Penrose. I doubt my patron could handle another one.” With a sigh, she handed the stylus back to the doctor. ”Perhaps another time.” She extended her other hand towards Kate, which had a business card in it. ”If you find yourself in the area, I could definitely put you to use. Though it might be a bit before I have anything worthwhile for you to do. While Penrose might be dangerous, I do have a safe place for you to sleep at least. Our breakfasts are nothing to shit on either.”

“What the hell?!” Nykannis snapped. “Ya make me do all that work, and now you don’t want it?! Well guess what?! I went through the trouble of designing it, so you can bet your ass I’m making it and bringing it with me to my chat with your two ‘scientist’ pals!”

”So my patron won’t have to control it?” Oros reached for the stylus.

Meanwhile, Kate was far more receptive of Oros’s offer. “Thanks,” she told the pink-haired girl with a smile as she took the offered business card. “And here’s my contact info,” she added, handing over her own card. “I gotta say, I’ve been kinda curious about the Golden Trove ever since that one girl on Glimmer gave it such a glowing review.”

”You won’t be disappointed!” Oros said with a wink before sucking the card into her hammer space and looking back at the scientist. ”Gib pen!”

“Your patron?” Nykannis asked with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell do they have to do with anything? You’re the one who’s gonna ‘control it’,” she added, returning the stylus to the now quite insistent Oros. “If it helps, think of it as more of a familiar than a full-fledged magical girl.”

”Oh, that does make sense now.” Oros held the pen. She still didn’t look like she was ready to sign. But her expression softened until she looked sullen. ”Nyan, I do have to admit that you are a genius. You really pumped this concept to 250%. I can also see that while this is far below your abilities and probably a simple thing to do, you’ve become attached enough to it that you can’t allow yourself to not complete it. I know why that is, but that’s not really important.” She handed the stylus back to Nykannis a second time. ”You’re tailoring this creation to me like a fine suit, but you don’t have all the measurements. As an example, I have a hammerspace that lets me carry around all the mundane shit I need. A familiar doesn’t have to do that for me. You probably couldn’t tell by our conversation, but I’m also really good at being annoying. I probably don’t need a familiar that can do that. We just need to spend more time together.” She presented Nykannis with a business card. ”I agree with what you said earlier. You can meet the three of us at the Golden Trove with your maido prototype, or however that works. Binky Is the creator of the red coins you see around Penrose and also co-created the white coins with Beacon. Aria is a member of the Gourd. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”

Nykannis’s eye began to twitch when Oros still refused to sign, but the mad scientist’s expression brightened considerably when the beast girl revealed some VERY interesting information about her two friends. Meeting the source of the new COINS was enticing enough, but add to that a member of the Gourd? This was quite the jackpot…

“Those are some impressive resumes,” Nykannis replied with an approving nod as she took Oros’s card. “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

”Just call ahead, and I’ll set up a nice meeting room for us.” Oros looked off the edge of the balcony. ”Oh, seems I’ve found my mark.” She bowed. ”Maybe we’ll do something fun later, whenever we end up meeting up” After bidding the two farewell, Oros stumbled over the edge of the balcony. had Mia or Connie been there to witness it, they might have realized Oros was just really bad at climbing down from places safely.