FamishedPants

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

E m i l y

"Wait, what color is my hair? Is it a sort of red? Or like a strange brown? Oh, now I'm going to be stuck thinking about that..."

Lucifer

The unfavorable results had begun to take their toll on Emily. She was beginning to consider the possibility of simply giving up for now and finding a place to settle down for the night. The people in Penrose seemed to be upset. Given the constant activity in the city, it probably made sense, though. Even if humans were to rationalize that a monster attack was a gas leak, or destruction was caused by faulty equipment, or whatever else they could come up with, they were still victims of loss. They probably lost loved ones, or property, or prized possessions, who could really say? Maybe they were justified for their bitterness?

Or maybe they were just jerks.

In any case, the fact that Annabelle replied favorably to her request was both unexpected and a relief. A wide, genuine smile was Emily's response, and she immediately bowed out of respect. "Thank you, miss! Even if it doesn't turn out to be the same place, I appreciate your kindness!" a few more quick bows were given, before she followed along behind the girl. "Ah, I'm Emily Ackerson. If there's anything I can do to show my gratitude, let me know!"

Re: Zero: The High Council

---

It only made sense for Alistair to go along with the jovial stranger that appeared in the window. The man had a smile that could brighten anybody's day and a smooth, buttery voice that risked inducing eargasms. Logically, there was no reason for Alistair to trust the man, but deep down, Alistair knew he could trust this friendly individual with his life. Was this true charisma? The man had no reason to offer them sanctuary, especially considering where they were. To him, the three could very well just be dangerous criminals on the run. So the fact that this man would put himself at risk in order to give a helping hand was commendable.

It almost made him regret his decision to abandon that monk who'd lept onto that wolf.

Almost.

Had he not done so, he wouldn't have gotten to experience this fateful meeting with someone he might consider soon calling a friend, were things to keep up this way. And honestly, Alistair wasn't obligated to deal with a giant fucking shadow wolf mere minutes after arriving in this land, unwillingly. Particularly not with this strange cast of characters he was bunched with. The Shadow Man from earlier was REALLY bad at setting up dates with his daughter.

"We appreciate the assistance," he made sure to tell Donovan on the cart ride. "If there's anything I can do to repay you, don't hesitate to ask it of me."

With that out of the way, Alistair noted the cart had come to a stop. Along with the rest of its passengers, he hopped off and looked around to find that a rather sizeable group had formed around here. And with the clothing some of them were wearing, he couldn't help but wonder if these people were natives of this land. He carefully gave people a look over until his inspection was interrupted by Flame, who had been rather friendly with one of the guys they'd met.

"Alistair, meet my boyfriend, Ashton. Yes, I'm a f*g**t; sorry about that. Ashton, meet Alistair, he managed to get us out of our initial destination and back to you."

There was a long pause before Alistair slowly raised his eyebrow at the eccentric introduction, clearly not too sure how to respond. But after a few seconds to think, he replied. "...right. Well, it is good that you found someone you know. And now we know we're not alone here, which is probably a good sign." Archibald was still trying to look over the people in the area as he spoke, and his eyes caught on a certain man who seemed of Asian heritage and he found himself staring because of the familiar feeling he felt when looking at him.

Had he seen this man before?

Now, this was going to bug him. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't call it just yet. But he was certain he'd seen this man somewhere before, and considering how long they'd been in this world, it could have only meant Alistair'd seen him on Earth, not this weird place. His thoughts were temporarily interrupted when the kind man, apparently known as 'Doctor Donovan', offered to pay for a set of clothes for each of them.

Was this man even human? Normally, Alistair would have been skeptical of this much generousity, but the man felt genuine.

"That's fine, but I don't nee--" Alistair was going to turn down his kindness on account of being quite wealthy, but realized part way that his wealth pointless here. He coughed into his hand, then continued, "...I suppose it would be rude to turn down the offer," he answered, "Thank you, again, Doctor Donovan" he nodded towards the kind doctor. Alistair Archibald would not leave this debt unpaid.

Before the man could think about clothing, his thoughts were interrupted by a rather thirsty woman, or rather, the name she had spoken. 'Hiro' also sounded familiar. He looked at the asian man for a moment, then without much consideration for anybody else, particularly the girl who was trying to get his attention, he got a hold of the man's attention and quite bluntly asked, "You wouldn't happen to be that young boxer, would you?" His tone wasn't that of a fanboy who was about to gush at meeting a celebrity, but that was because he was simply asking to clear things up. The weird sense of familiarity would pester him if he didn't get rid of it by confirming whether or not the man was who he thought he was.

But his curiousity served another purpose here: If this man was the boxer Alistair thought he was, then that likely meant that everybody came from the same exact world that he did. And even the smallest bit of clarity on their situation would be appreciated right now.

Re: Zero: The High Council

---

Among the many things in this world Alistair despised, one such thing was being forced to retreat. Alistair Archibald held his pride in high regard, so much could be gathered by how he spoke and how he took being slain by a smug knight, so running away was humiliating. But even despite his arrogance, he was still a rational human being for the most part. He was not a fool. And that's why this situation frustrated him to no end. It made no sense to him to attempt to make battle with this wolf. It was far too big, there wasn't enough time, and they were far too naked and inexperienced with this kind of combat.

Logically, there was no better option than to run from this fight.

And so that's what Alistair decided to do. His vision lingered on the appearance of the knight that earned his ire only for a moment, before his blood boiled in a way that it hadn't done before. He was aware that despite the dangers, he'd fruitlessly throw himself at the woman if he didn't leave immediately. He turned away from the scene and towards the kitchen.

"There's no time to waste, let us get out of here!" he told Flame and the Priest as he started running towards the kitchen.

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Many years ago...

---

"Come on, where is she?"

Clutching tight a small book and walking at a pace that suggested she was in a hurry, a young girl around twelve years of age made her way towards school, her eyes scanning the surrounding area as she did so. She was a taller girl with fair skin, long brown hair, and thick glasses. Her attire consisted of the school district's standard of a polo and khaki shorts. She was a girl that many considered 'plain' or 'boring'.

She continued her search for a few minutes until suddenly she noticed a younger girl wearing the same uniform and attempting to climb a tree. For an instant, her worried expression turned to one of relief, but just as quickly was replaced by an irritated glare. She walked even quicker than before to meet with this young girl. "Jeez! What are you doing up there? I was so worried!" she called out as if she were a mother.

Surprised by the sudden voice, the younger girl let out a cute squeal and then lost her grip on the tree, plummeting to the Earth. Fortunately, the tree wasn't very tall and she wasn't too far up it, to begin with. All the fall left her with was a sore butt. "Huh!? W-w-why are you shouting at me all of the sudden? Ya could've killed me, ya know!" she complained, rubbing her posterior before standing up. She quickly picked up her backpack that she had set down beside the tree and then looked at the older girl. "And it's your fault for taking so long! I got bored!"

"Mom warned you about running off alone." she chided, not buying into the excuse. "And I'm sure she'd do the same about climbing..." the older girl looked at the small tree for a second, "...attempting to climb a tree, no matter how small it is." she corrected. It really was small. It was no more than ten feet tall, so using the word 'climb' to describe scaling it was a generous term.

The smaller girl pouted. "Hmph! Well, she also said your face, so ha!" the younger girl yelled, wearing a triumphant expression, as though she had said something praiseworthy. In response, the older girl narrowed her eyes momentarily before a sigh escaped her lips. She turned back to the sidewalk and began walking without another word.

After realizing that she was having none of that, the younger girl's expression deflated. "W-wait for me!" she cried as she chased after the older girl.

................

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E m i l y

".rood taht hguorht emoc annog si tahw wonk reven uoy ,sraey eno-ytnewt retfa denrael I gniht enO .ecirp a dna yrots a sah ereh ni gnihtyrevE .ssoH giB ,nos ym dna ,nam dlo ym htiw ereh krow I .pohS nwaP ym si siht dna ,nosirraH kciR m'I"

Lucifer

"..."

A lonesome, untransformed Emily Ackerson stood unmoving in front of what remained of a burnt tree with her delicate features forming a pensive frown. Her gaze remained glued to the tree, and every so often, a doleful sigh escaped her lips as memories of the time she spent with her now-deceased sibling came flooding back to her. Even though she had just returned to Penrose, she was beginning to wonder if it was a mistake.

No, there are definitely people here in danger. A little nostalgia isn't enough to deter me.

She had lived here in her past life, along with her family, though this was some time ago. Like many others, she had spent her childhood in blissful ignorance of the supernatural elements to the world, content with how things were. But upon becoming a magical girl and seeing the battle being waged behind the scenes, she naturally could not look the other way. And she had no regrets. She did not for one second believe her choice was wrong. But that did not mean she never longed for those peaceful days she could never have back. Not while there were monsters and other threats to people out there. So while she couldn't have her own, peaceful time with her family. Perhaps because of her, someone else could.

That's enough brooding, for now. I suppose I should tour Penrose until Jonald pesters me again.

She wasn't sure where her little bundle of hate was, but he always had a way of finding her when he needed to. It was likely he was spending his time spreading terrible rumors to the other Puchuu in the area, or attempting to locate more information on the Ebon Mint that was active in this place. Maybe he was finding her a place to stay? Unlikely, she would probably have to come up with something on her own as usual. Regardless, Emily was sure he'd eventually return to her side and try to get her to do something she didn't want to do, it was only a matter of time.

The girl decided to walk the streets for now. As she neared a familiar street, she remembered the times she would window shop around here. There were a few cool stores, but it was definitely possible that they'd gone out of business in her absence. But if they had not, then maybe she could use them to brighten her mood a bit? Yes, she thought that'd be a delightful idea. The only problem... was that it'd been so long she had forgotten exactly where this place was. And rather than spending all of her day looking for it, she figured she'd just ask one of the people walking the street. That, however, proved to be more difficult than it seemed, as most people she stopped were "in a hurry" despite walking at a slug's pace. Still, she continued asking people.

"Excuse me, miss," Emily called out to a girl who appeared to be the same age, physically, as her. When she got closer, Emily noticed something off about the girl, though she wasn't sure quite what that was. Maybe the young woman was feeling under the weather? Perhaps it was just her imagination. Her expression was a bit too delighted for her to be sick, after all. So returning to the task at hand, Emily asked her, "There was a pawn shop around here, I'm sure of it. But it's been quite a while since I've been here, so I've kinda lost my way. Would you happen to know where it is?"

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Oh my fucking god op please nerf

GG

♦ A New Era ♦ - A My Hero Academia RP

T o r u

"How many puns about limbs is "too many"?"

Toru Ayanokoji

@Experiment 249 @Lucius Cypher@Silver Carrot

While it would be incorrect to say that Toru's life was dictated by his adherence to a heroic code of sorts, he did have to admit their suggestions were starting to sound rather dubious, coming from students of this particular academy. Make no mistake, Ayanokoji Toru desired little else than to take part in a good, fun prank, but if it had him and others possibly questioning what kind of people they were, then it was brighter to take a step back and think about things.

Unfortunate as it was, his allies did not seem to be capable pranksters. Lysandre... well, despite trying to be a leader, just did not have a good plan, but maybe that was better than his disarmed companion, who quite honestly could've chosen a more heroic way to word that particular suggestion. Toru thought it'd lie solely upon his genius to get them through this trial, but with the sudden appearance of some girl, that might not have been necessary.

"Oh?" Toru raised his eyebrow at her claim about them not being fit for the job. It wasn't like he disagreed with her in regards to the other two, but he had his own reputation to protect! It was offensive to him to say he wasn't good at screwing with people. But if this girl could entertain him, he'd certainly forgive her. Ignoring the pointless remark she made about being the best wire user in the school and focusing on the REAL important subject, he spoke up. "Anybody can make an observation, ya know. Care to throw some fuel in this creative fire? We could use a hand... or, well, two."

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Lucifer

Name: Emily "The Cataclysm" Ackerson, Lucifer

Age (Magical Girl): 15

Age (Before Magical Girl): 15

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Default

Transformed

Specialization:

Fire - Raw, destructive, and overwhelming power in the form of beautiful turqoise flames. When bearing witness to the untameable fire she controls, few dare to question her capability. Extremely simple, yet even more so effective, if one's goal is to incinerate something.

Heat Drain/Vision - Particularly gifted as a Fire-user, Emily can sap flames or heat from the surrounding area, converting it to mana for her own use, so she benefits highly in areas she can set ablaze. She is also able to see heat signatures.

Weapon:

Purgatory - Gauntlets with a demonic appearance. They glow a bright blue and act as a focus for her magics just as good or perhaps even better than any rod or staff could. They also allow her to strike foes that enter melee range, or to defend her from blows.

Power:

Barrage - Excelling at dealing damage in an AOE, Emily can quickly dish out many smaller blasts and fireballs at enemies. And, should she desire, she can turn up the heat by causing her attacks to detonate shortly after being thrown. Clustered foes just make her job easier.

Cleansing Conflagration: Daystar - Emily drains the surrounding area of all heat, and dumps all of her mana into Purgatory, taking a pose with her arms extended. As the surrounding area becomes colder, the gauntlets becomes brighter and brighter until it becomes impossible to even look at her. Finally, she launches a huge beam-like blaze out of her gauntlets, which incinerate anything in its path.

Perks:

Gifted - Able to use Heat Drain/Vision.

Dual Weapon - Her weapon, Purgatory, not only allows her to smash foes, but also helps her cast spells.

Purification Artifact - A small, hand-made doll that, while cute in design, can keep ward against monsters when charged by the cleansing property of Fire.

Blood Magic - By dedication and will alone, Emily is able to sacrifice her own life force to keep fighting, even when she's run out of mana.

Overcity Shift - Sensitive to the presence of the Overcity, Emily has learned how to willingly enter and exit the place. Which has proved helpful in lowering collateral damage on occasion.

Get Out of Jail - There are cases where it is more beneficial to retreat than stand your ground. Knowing this, Emily has an escape plan, though it's not perfect.

Enhanced Weapon - Strong enough to deflect blows for her, and an incredibly good conductor for her magical powers, Purgatory is a fine weapon for her.

Patron:

Type: Puchuu

Name: Jonald

Patron Benefits:

Job Satisfaction - She can't help but feel delighted each time she slays a monster.

Mystic Might - Despite their conflict, Emily can still tap into extra power from the Puchuu.

Mana Font - Read above.

Patron Drawbacks:

Hostile - Jonald is not a friend of Emily's. Misinformation and rumor spreading is the norm with him.

Expendable - Emily is nothing more than a tool, as far Jonald's concerned.

Vendetta - Oddly, Jonald is apparently capable of caring for someone, just not Emily. He loathes the Ebon Mint.

Fighting Style: Unmatched power. Lucifer prefers to incinerate her foes by blasting them with flames and is especially good at clearing waves of lesser monsters. If something doesn't fall to her blasts, then she simply needs to hit them again and again until they do. In the case of close-range combat, she uses Purgatory to deflect blows and will more often than not use the time bought to retreat to a safer distance. That said, she can still do some damage if retreat is impossible.

Untransformed

Stats:
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 3
MAG: 3 +2(+1 Underdeveloped, +1 Gifted) = 5
LCK: 3

Transformed

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 4 + 3(+2 Fist, +1 Enhanced Weapon) = 7
AGI: 4 + 1(+1 Skimpy) = 5
VIT: 4 + 1(+1 Blood Magic) = 5
MAG: 4 + 7 (+1 Underdeveloped, +3 Fire, +1 Gifted, +1 Dual Weapon, +1 Mystic Might, +8 2B 2S) = 19
LCK: 4

Personality: "More monster than a magical girl! Unafraid of incinerating people who get in her way! Cruel, sadistic, and selfish!"

A passionate girl with a fire in her heart that can't be put out, Emily often grabs the attention of everybody around her with her brash, arrogant tone and confidence that she has in spades. She has an indomitable will and refuses to back down when lives are at stake, making her, in a way, a rather ideal magical girl, but most of her positive traits are overshadowed by her sadistic tendencies when dealing her foes. She is known to taunt and talk down to her foes while she burns them to ash, and unfortunately, this tends to feed into the narrative that she is a heartless monster herself, when really that isn't the case.

Her priority is the protection of those who cannot fight for themselves, and the eradication of the monsters that would harm them. She wishes nothing more than to help create a world in which people do not have to live in fear of such beings. And because of this, she believes conflict between magical girls to be both pointless and detrimental. She considers each and every single magical girl a sibling of hers and is always willing to help one out, even if most may be afraid of her false reputation. She genuinely feels pain when one of her sisters dies, and is willing to give all girls the benefit of the doubt, despite knowing that some magical girls simply aren't good people.

When she is out of costume, Emily is almost an entirely different being. She loses her spunk and becomes a rather amiable, soft-spoken person. Her benevolent tendencies are highlighted, as she adopts a more maternal figure role, and she actively avoids instigating any violent conflicts. Most people tend to find it difficult to believe she's the very same brash girl.

History: Emily lived with her parents and sibling until one fateful day when a small furry creature appeared and desperately asked for her help, as its magical girl had been seriously injured and was in danger of dying to the monster she was fighting. She had never considered herself brave or heroic at the time, but the sight of a poor girl fighting this danger alone had tugged at her heartstrings and she accepted, becoming a fire-based mahou shoujo. She succeeded in saving the other girl and thus her new life began, and though she could no longer speak to her family, she came to feel rather content with her job with the help of her new friends, blissfully unaware of the true nature of her patron or how the world worked, thinking her job to be nothing more than a dream come true. And though she now knows better, a part of her wishes she could've remained so ignorant.

Regrettably, after some time hunting monsters and protecting the innocent, things came crashing down one by one. She had kept tabs on her old family every so often, but found them dead after an untimely monster attack on their neighborhood she wasn't able to prevent. The damage was, thankfully, quite minimal since another mahou shoujo had defeated the monster, but unable to even avenge her old family, she found it difficult to come to terms with the situation. But things only escalated from there, as before she could even finish mourning for her loss, her partner was killed. Only her patron seems to know exactly what happened, but apparently it was the Ebon Mint's fault and the Puchuu had decided it wanted revenge on the organization via the murder of its agents. One could only guess that the creature had a genuine attachment to the now-deceased magical girl, as it became rather blinded by this desire, which caused conflict between it and Emily when she refused to attack other magical girls unprovoked. Things only deteriorated from there.

She learned her patron Puchuu was a horrible, wretched existence that wasn't beyond petty things like rumor spreading and misinformation. Her idealistic, perfect magical girl world had started to crumble from that point on. But still, she continued to do her best to remove monsters wherever they may be. Even when the rumors had gotten to the point where a lot of her 'sisters' would avoid her like a plague. Despite the constant attempts to mislead her and get her killed by the very patron that made her into a magical girl. It has been a long time since she started her career, so one might consider her a veteran compared to most magical girls. Still, she fights on.

Incantation: "I am the Star of Morning, the Child of Dawn. The Star thrown down to the Earth shall obtain victory!"

Additional Info: If it wasn't apparent, Emily was a bit of a chuuni in her old life. Emily calls her Puchuu Jonald out of spite, it's not the Puchuu's real name.

Re: Zero: The High Council

---

Alistair Archibald was determined to plunge his little piece of glass into the throat of any of these "dire wolf" things as soon as he got the chance, were they to attack him or his posse. Or so he had believed. The truth was, he wasn't expecting the reality that he found himself facing -- that there was one giant monster before them. Big enough that he had his doubts as to the effectiveness of the small glass shank he held.

He had not attempted to call out to the odd, shadow-maid before she had disappeared. The situation was too foreign, too strange for him to instantly make heads or tails of, so he lost his chance. But the -- as far as Alistair was concerned -- arrogant wave she gave to them as she disappeared probably meant she wasn't going to answer any questions even had he asked. She was might've even been relishing their suffering. So all that was left was for Alistair and his gang to deal with the beast in the room. Or more accurately, for Alistair to do it. The kid seemed to have absolute faith in his ability. Not that that'd be a bad thing in a normal situation, mind you.

His, "Alistair, do what you have to do. Ask me whatever is needed and I will do it." line had thrown all responsibility upon the Archibald. How cruel. Was he doing this intentionally? Even a genius such as himself was bound to be caught up in all this random, supernatural bullshit. He wasn't given any time to make sense of it all! Well, whatever. He would much rather die by his own actions than because of someone else.

You can't be serious. Is this all some sort of test? Does he really want me to bed his daughter that bad? Usually, it's the exact opposite!

Everything was going to be this way, wasn't it? Diamond chins, wolves, bigger wolves, and if they made it through this, there was probably going to be a giant wolf with a diamond chin. If he wasn't so determined to break that chin from earlier, he might've cursed his existence and fallen into an uncharacteristic despair. But he did not. For this was only the start of his journey, and no matter what this cruel deity threw at him, he was determined to smash. Smash that chin, that is.

Even with such determination, he still needed a way past this wolf. Given the growling, it was only a matter of time before it set upon them and tore them to shreds, and sadly, his pathetic shank wasn't going to change that outcome. A beast that size would need a hell of a lot more what they currently have, yet there were no better weapons just lying around. And actually retreating was not a luxury they could afford, either. To turn back now would likely land them right back to square one, and having experienced the Knight's might, Alistair would rather take his chances with the wolf.

Telling was Alistair's expression. It betrayed the difficulty he was having with figuring out a solution, as his lips were forming a frown. But still, he turned to Flame. "We will not turn back," he said, though he spoke in a softer tone so as not to cause the wolf to immediately aggro, if such a thing was possible. "We'll run it down mid lure it over here, and then make a break for the room over there and either escape further in or arm ourselves better. If it's a kitchen, like I think, then it ought to have a spare knife or two."

Beyond the Looking Glass: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

S i l h o u e t t e

and like Veronica I guess.

"Unfortunate that Pants is too lazy to properly give other characters a proper title in the collab posts."

Silhouette

Silhouette was not one to idle around near a hot zone unless there was value in doing so. So the moment Samantha had reached the outside, she quickly transformed and deftly made her way through the streets, actively avoiding any magical girls that may have been lurking around the area. Eventually, she ducked into an alleyway and produced the magical item her employer lent her a month back. Concealing herself and her presence as best she could, she contacted Vermillion Veronica, her trained eye still scanning the area in case anybody showed.

"This is Sil." she began softly, something a bit 'off' with her tone, but perhaps only just barely noticeable to the person on the other side of the 'call'. The truth was that Silhouette had finally started to wonder if introducing herself each time was redundant. Did Veronica have more than one of these devices? If not, then that would mean she had to know who was calling her, so explaining such was wasted breath. Was there magical gem caller ID? But not wanting to do something embarrassing like asking for clarification, Sil quietly cleared her throat and then continued, "I made contact with Chloe Irving, and she was... 'cooperative'. She seems to have been working on a task given to her by her patron.”

Sil could hear the sound of wind on Veronica's side. She had to be in an open area somewhere.”And what was that task, beyond drawing every available magical girl to her location?”

Sil rubbed her breast, or more accurately, the spot where the gem was currently resting in a breast pocket on the inside of her coat. The gem was currently in Stasis, so she wasn't particularly worried about it suddenly exploding or otherwise activating, were there some unseen trick behind it. So, she thought for a moment, and then replied. "It may be best to meet in person for further discussion on this matter," she told Veronica.

Veronica didn't show much emotion over coms, so it was difficult to tell why it was taking her so long to respond. ”Very well, meet me in the park.” And with that, the com went dead.

---

The park had been rebuilt since the last attack several months ago. It wasn't exactly a private place, but that made it that much more difficult for spies or the like to set up. Sometimes the best place to tell a secret was right out where everyone could hear it. ”Sam?” Veronica was sitting on a park bench with a suitcase beside her.

"..."

Samantha seemed to be lost in thought, but this lasted only a moment. Her attention to the real world returned, and so to did the conversation. "Ah, excuse me." she placed her hand into her breast pocket and retrieved the gem from earlier, setting it in Veronica’s outstretched hand. "According to Chloe Irving, this is what her patron has had her developing while she was away." she told her employer in a lower voice. "From what I see and what I was told, it is some sort of steroid that enhances a magical girl's abilities."

”Is that so?” Veronica's gloved fingers coiled around the stone. She drew it closer to her face and looked into the stone's surface. ”Interesting. I can feel something radiating out of it.” She turned the stone over in her hand. ”But what does this have to do with the mint?”

Samantha looked Veronica in the eye. “That stone is a gift, she said. Under the assumption she wasn’t deceiving me, it would appear these gems are made through a process that requires sacrifice, hence the commotion she caused.” Sam explained as she stifled a sigh. “So presumably, that means these stones are her excuse for her absence, and that stone is to excuse it, but whether or not they are an acceptable one is, of course, not up to me. I might have been able to get more out of her, but the robotic magical girl that impeded me aboard the Sky Bastion, Penny, is apparently a friend of hers and was there at the time.” she explained while her gaze drifted elsewhere upon the mention of Penny.

After no more than a second, she returned to looking at Veronica. “Perhaps this is no more than my own excuse, but I did not wish to trigger any sort of violence. I apologize if the results are not to your satisfaction.”

Veronica listened to everything Samantha said, though she avoided making eye contact with her the entire time. It was hard to say if Veronica was disinterested or not, as she would also break eye contact when she wanted to think intently on something. ”At this time, it is difficult to say what her game plan is.” Veronica took hold of Samantha's breast. That was to say her breast pocket, so that she could slide the crystal back inside. ”If she's making something like this, she could be doing anything with it. I am disturbed by the fact that this is the first I'm hearing about it.” She gave a nod to Sil. ”It would be wise to keep an eye on her. I may ask you to have her meet me sometime, but I will give you the order over coms if that is what I wish. Exchanging this information with me in person was wise.” She stared at Sil a bit before speaking again. ”I should note that Penny is an operative of ours now. In fact, we should be meeting up soon. I am not completely sure we can trust her yet, but I would like you to get along with her in the future.”

"Kyaa!"

Despite the stoic, unmovable expression on her face, a much too feminine yelp escaped Silhouette's lips upon the return of the gem, or rather, the moment when Veronica's hand touched her breast... pocket. She looked at Veronica. There was not a single word from her, nor any other movements for a minute. And then, as if to pretend that it never happened, "If that is your wish. I will do my best to work alongside her." she replied nonchalantly.

”For now, you are dismissed.” she reclined in her seat. ”If I need you again, I'll contact you.”

With a nod, the young Assassin got up and left the park. She had completed her assignment and was not given any real new orders, aside from an implied "protect the gem" on account of Veronica giving it back to her. That was easy enough to do since it was on her person. So, as of right now, she was not in a hurry. But one could not tell that with the haste in which she escaped the park. And once she had? She returned to her magical girl form, if only because the town was particularly active today, and kept her eyes open. But in the back of her mind, something nagged at her.

How embarrassing...!

Re: Zero: The High Council

---

The situation the trio found themselves in was supposed to have been better than their last life, but with the appearance of a rather large wolf, such wishes were lost. Alistair clicked his tongue in annoyance as the thing barreled towards the knights, and then quietly looked around the room. At this time, Flame had begun to speak. The young man seemed to be having some sort of nervous fit, or perhaps he was just a fanboy of fantasy? Alistair never bothered with Game of Thrones himself, but he knew impressionable youths often enjoyed it.

Were both of these guys delusional?

Hoping the assumption that they were not was the correct choice, Alistair moved towards the mirror on the dresser, looking at his reflection for a moment. "I doubt any kind of wolf is going to impede that woman back there so we should hurry," he stated, ignoring the gratitude Flame was showing for the moment. His focus was entirely on escaping, and these dogs were nothing more than a hinderance. Maybe these "dire wolves" as Flame had addressed them had some special properties to their attacks, but it was impossible to know without witnessing it, and the last thing Alistair wanted to do was waste time.

Alistair decided to elbow the mirror on the dresser. He found a few sizable pieces and took one, offering the rest to the young man and the preacher. "I'd rather risk it with this damned wolf in the back than face that humiliation, but right now this is the best we can do for protection," he explained. Alistair then decided to head towards the room the wolf had come from. He'd hoped he was only hearing one of them back there, otherwise, things would become a lot more difficult. But he reasoned that it would be pointless to try to hide three men in one room like that. Or, perhaps he was just too prideful to resort to hiding? Either way, he'd made up his mind and set off with a broken piece of mirror as his weapon.