FamishedPants

Symphony of Espers

Samuel Howard

S a m u e l H o w a r d

_{30 y/o | Male | 5'9 | 163 lbs | G.E.M.I.N.I}
🗡️

APPEARANCE:

Samuel would not generally stand out in a crowd. He stands at an exceptionally plain height of 5'9 and owns what appears to be a slim build. His one saving grace, a handsome face, is far too often obscured by raven-black locks that stonewall attempts at grooming them to matter significantly. His attire while at his job had always consisted of appropriate suits, but he chooses comfort over style on the rare chances he gets to laze about. Since he obtained his grimoire and began to affiliate himself with G.E.M.I.N.I, he has taken to wearing flashier attire whenever he works with them. Still mostly suits.

Normal Attire

G.E.M.I.N.I Attire

In Stark contrast to his human form, his esper form does anything but blend in with a crowd. When in this form, he assumes a frightening and demonic visage complete with glowy-red eyes and a twisted, perpetual smile. Though not a one for one, the clothing it wears takes inspiration on what Sam is wearing at the moment of transformation. The attire is always fashioned a crimson red and has no true effect other than cosmetic.

Esper Form

GRIMIORE:

A white domino mask with a thin black outline around the eyes. It would look right at home on a caped crusader or even a villain. Despite the lack of string to hold it up, it has no problems staying on the face of one who wears it. It gives off eerie vibes if you stare directly at it for too long.

INSTRUMENT: Stab, Slash

A sword with an extravagant design paired with an equally audacious dagger that is used primarily for parrying. Power resides within both that escapes with each attack, arcane in nature.
GRADE: Bronze
KEYWORD: Dagger, Sword
DAMAGE TYPE: Arcane (dagger), Arcane(sword)
DAMAGE: D
SPEED: D
SENTINEL: D
SPECIAL: The area directly around the blade of each weapon seems to dim, much like the effect around Sam.

STYLE: Paranoia

Samuel forgoes his human form and adopts a demonic appearance that stands a couple of feet taller than him, lightly alters the sound of his voice, and subtly distorts the light around him. Nothing resembling skin can be seen, as anywhere his clothes wouldn't obscure is pitch-black. He may even just be the clothes pulled together by magic of some sort, though he still experiences pain and the like.

GRADE: Bronze
PHYSICAL: E
ARCANE: C
CHAOS: D
SPECIAL: Hullucinate - When he is not in their line of sight and is aware of them, Samuel's voice has a very faint echo and sounds as though it is coming from a person's own mind, though instinctively they still know where it is coming from. Visual confirmation or his obliviousness to your presence removes this effect.

GENRE: Malice

Samuel's magics intend to mask his presence, strip away his opponent's defenses, whittle them down, and force them into disadvantageous situations he can make use of while they can't properly fight back.

GRADE: Silver
ELEMENT: Darkness
NOTES: [Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Extend (2), Trap (0), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4)
SPECIAL: Devious Intent - Enemies recently affected by Sam's Control notes are assaulted by visions of violence, making it hard to concentrate. A delay note with a duration of 1 second is added to the start of their next melody or arcane ability.

LEITMOTIF: Creeping Anxiety

Light around his form dims ever so slightly, just enough to be noticable.

GRADE: Bronze
SPECIAL: Proximity to Samuel in his esper form causes one to feel as though something is amiss, even when there is not. It can be ignored rather easily and does not affect coherent thought.

TRIVIA:

Biography

Samuel was born to a wealthy couple who never seemed to run out of money but was always lacking in affection. He was given any material goods he wanted and was tutored in an instrument but was left under the care of a nanny more often than his parents. His parents expected much of him, though they treated him more like an asset than a child. Because of this, he was rather haughty growing up, thinking himself better than others.

He used his parent's money to buy gifts which he used to obtain friends, made other people do his work for him, and generally acted just like you would expect a spoiled brat to.

Shortly after he entered high school, a few friends of his got together with him and had a movie night. Samuel became enthralled by the ending of a sports movie they watched. He saw the protagonist, in a final game, score an impossible play that let them win the game. He was treated like some sort of hero, with everyone jumping in excitement, singing his praises, and even getting a kiss! Oh, that was the sort of attention he wanted for sure, so he thought it wise to try out for a few different teams in his school.

...They didn't go as planned. He was never too athletic in the past and it came back to bite him in the ass as he underperformed. So he thought about taking on his studies. Someone like him should be the smartest person in the school if he puts his mind to it, right? He ended up struggling to even have passing grades when he removed the people who had been doing his work up to this point.

Being the spoiled rich kid he was, he couldn't just admit that the problem was him, so he lashed out against everyone, including his own friends. One even ended up getting into a fight with him, if you could call it that, and left Samuel both on the floor and a bit more humble. He was left alone and even then he did not receive respite. A tragic accident took his parents and his life turned completely upside down.

He was taken in by his grandmother and the combined stress of everything happening plus a lowered standard of living made their relationship rocky at the start. She put him through a hellish training regime that involved taking out the trash when it was full, cleaning up after himself, and learning how to cook. He could swear he was going to die at first, but somehow he pulled through. He settled into the new lifestyle and began to open up a little more. He formed a strong bond with his grandmother over time.

The Samuel that entered his junior year was a completely different person than the one on freshman year. He became a lot more quiet, reserved, and infinitely more polite. He focused hard on his studies and practiced his instrument of choice (bass guitar) and graduated with no problem.

As an only child, Samuel's eighteenth birthday was a very important date. His parents' deaths left him with a sizable inheritance, more than enough to live off of if he didn't do anything stupid with it. But he didn't want it. He hadn't really earned it, and he was afraid that he might lose this progress as a person if he took it.

So he gave it to his grandmother, who was far more worthy of it than he. He then told her about his intentions of moving out and earning things for himself. While his grandma respected the character needed to make the decision, she made it quite clear she wasn't leaving him out to dry entirely. She would send him a package every year with a bit of fund and a present.

Biography, but this time it's more relevant

Since then, a decade and a couple of years passed and Samuel has a relatively stable job as an office manager and frequents a local nightclub where he plays his bass. Pax Septimus was not his first choice to live, honestly, but he saw an opportunity to progress up the ladder and took it.

Lamentably, Sam was an OC not allowed to stay that way forever. On his thirtieth birthday, Samuel received a package similar to the ones he had received over the years, only this one was on the smaller side. He left for work before opening it, deciding that it made the most sense to open it while he was celebrating. So, he worked the day away and went drinking with a few coworkers at night at the nightclub. He opened his package to find a strange domino mask alongside the money and raised an eyebrow. He felt a chill when his gaze lingered too long, so he threw it back in one of his suit pockets and laughed it off.

By the time he and his coworkers were done, it was well into the AM. Nobody was in a proper state of mind, not even himself, but he called a cab for the others and then began to walk home, citing the short distance between his place and the club for why. This turned out to be a mistake.

Samuel Howard felt a pair of eyes on his back and the wind began to get chillier as he walked, but he couldn't spot anyone when he looked around. Yet he still could swear someone or something was watching him. He tried his best to fight off the looming dread, recalling all the wonderful things about Pax Septimus. Like how it was a safe place and everyone was happy...!

Of course, such delusions do not make for reality, and as if offended by his shoddy attempt at mentally retreating, his stalker revealed itself! It was difficult to see at night, especially as the lights around it began to dim and flicker. Its shape was vaguely humanoid, covered in what appeared to be a living shadow, and held an object of some sort to its side. Its eyes appeared to be made of hellfire and it oozed hostility.

Beyond that, Samuel couldn't see as it suddenly lunged forth to attack him!

Despite his inebriation, he somehow managed to roll to the side and decided immediately to escape, running as fast as he could away from it. But it wasn't long before it caught up and he was forced to avoid another attack. He wasn't quick enough to evade it entirely and took an attack to the side, which sent him tumbling to the floor as the package containing the mask slipped out.

Samuel wasn't in pain, but seeing the blood pour out of his side had caused him to freeze. He looked up at the figure that began to approach him, raising its arm as if to finish the job, mere seconds away. Time seemed to crawl to a close in what he was sure to be his last moments. Overwhelming despair began to claim him as his life flashed before him, reminding him of the life he had lived so far.

...It was sad. He couldn't deny it. How he was. And how he had become. Neither of them would be remembered for anything significant after they passed, and they had never achieved anything of worth. What else could that be but sad?

He understood deep down what had become of him. He was just a coward. The thought of returning to the old, arrogant Samuel was terrifying. He was so scared of returning to those old ways that he confused ambition for greed and rid himself of it. It was so safe to work in an office instead of pursuing an actual career with his bass guitar. He could've stayed and helped his grandma but he fled the home to avoid the responsibility, figuring money he gave her would do the work for him.

The only thing that had changed about him was that he was now driven by fear instead of pride! It was pathetic! And even now, about to die, he would do so because he was too scared to move!

...Damn it! Now just isn't the time to be dead! Grandma slapped the quitter out of me years ago! There's gotta be something...!

His eyes fell upon the mask. It looked unremarkable, compared to what Samuel felt when he observed it. The eerie feeling he had before was amplified far beyond what it exuded earlier. And it was nothing but...

Fear. Unmatched by any other. The assailant standing before him couldn't compare. His impending death was nothing before it. He saw a vision of his life once again crumbling into ash as he lost everything he held dear. Everyone he ever knew dying painfully, cursing his name as they did, including his grandma. It tore him apart.

He concluded:

It was pure evil. Malevolence was given form in the shape of a domino mask. No good should come from it. The day this was removed from the world would be cause for celebration.

...but still, he grabbed for it. Even as terrified as he was, he wasn't about to go back on what he decided! Quitting was out of the question. Quivering in fear just because he was about to be murdered for no reason or because Satan dropped some demonic artifact in front of him wouldn't stop him. He'd at least die trying! And besides, if he didn't, the person trying to kill him might!

Samuel successfully grabbed the mask before he could be finished. He began to 'feel' shadows, owned an unnatural understanding of them, and knew he could now use them. Silhouettes in the shape of hands came from the ground and towered above him, before crashing down on him, dispersing into a dark haze that hid his form.

But when he emerged?

His devilish appearance was more than enough to send his attacker into a full-speed retreat into the shadows, though Samuel wasn't graced with his terrified screams as he did. Considering the emotional rollercoaster that they caused, didn't they earn a whole lot worse than a simple scare? Much to what he felt to be the mask's dismay, Samuel did not choose to pursue the attacker, and instead, his body chose to collapse right then and there as a result of the mix of stress and blood loss. Someone found him and got him to a hospital, and he made a full recovery.

Samuel was strangely confronted by G.E.M.I.N.I before the police could get to him, though that was probably for the better. They introduced him to this new and magical world, and after spending a couple of weeks deciding on how he should approach the situation, he ended up siding with G.E.M.I.N.I and becoming one of its agents.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

@BrokenPromise Why are you mentioning me in a topic that starts with "Maybe it's because my favorite Resident Evil is 6". Please use mentions in a responsible manner, please!

I got collabs to write in, some garbage ESPER RP to look at, a Pathfinder character to make, a Pathfinder crusade to lead, and I really think the last thing I need right now is being reminded that I need to go through Photonmelodies and the Day After. Or that Total Eclipse exists at all. I won't spoiler anything and just hard spoil that entire series right now:



The OP is the only worthwhile thing about it save the character designs.

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

E m i l y

"You should have known the price of evil."

— Emily

Sakura would notice Emily wasn't smiling as he approached her and almost seemed to be devoid of any life or cheerfulness that she was typically known for. Initially, she seemed to be staring at a four-leaf clover pin that she got from the event, but looking even a little closer would reveal she wasn't focused on anything, as if she had accepted the present and then just 'shut off mentally.

And then she heard Sakura's voice.

She nearly jumped from being startled by it, letting out a yelp in the process. It clearly snapped her out of her listless trance, but she neither immediately answered nor looked directly at Sakura. She brought a hand to her lips, touching them with her fingers as though she were recalling the experience, and then, oddly, her expression drastically changed in an instant. It wasn't the picture of fear or sadness, and it certainly was not happiness, either.

A momentary lapse in inhibitions led to her baring her teeth, pulling her arm back, and releasing a wicked slap across the boy's cheek. She was far from physically strong, but the intent and effort were there. It was only after this that she looked up towards him, anger etched into her features. "Stop...!" Emily ordered, the realization that she had just harmed someone dawning on her partway and causing her eyes to open wide. Yet this reaction was fleeting, and she did not move to apologize or back down like one might expect her to. It did calm her a little, though, and so, with hand still raised from the slap, she spoke in a pained voice. "...I don't wan-- I can't speak with you right now, Sakura. Please... leave me alone."

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

J u s t i n e

H e l e w i s a

O l i v e r

---

"It is only natural that with our heart, will, and cooperation that we were dubbed the champions of this contest," Justine proudly declared, humility being left in the snow to suffer a cold, cruel end. Hilaria and Justine both accepted and stowed their coins and for a moment, the two of them proudly admired their contest-winning dragon.

"Mmm?" Helewisa glanced around only to find something was missing. "We had a third, did we not? I wonder where she ran off to?" Hiliaria and Stien had found themselves abandoned by their newest friend, but neither of them seemed upset by this. A party was a chance to mingle and talk to many new people, and not everyone wanted to form a group for the entirety of the party. Lingering on this small fact was pointless when they could instead thrust themselves onto someone else!

Or so that's what Justine decided for the couple as they wondered what to do next. There was a lot of commotion involving sleds which, although it looked fun, was a bit hectic and Helewisa wanted to spend at least a few moments relaxing after nearly nuking a snowfort and being hit by building-sized snowballs. She, along with Justine, was proud of what they had accomplished with Betty, so she felt they deserved a modicum of relaxation. And besides... if they had found a nice, quiet place to enjoy themselves, would Dan really intrude upon them? Surely the positive vibes they would give off would encourage him to look the other way!

"Stien, Stien!" Wisa called out to the energetic girl with a bit of sugar in her voice. She was far from inexperienced, but approaching someone she actually felt close to brought about a bit of a red tint to her cheeks. "Despite our shenanigans thus far, I truly feel as though time has made strangers of us. A-and, I believe it would be a true shame were we to not enjoy ourselves... so..." she struggled to proposition Justine which was new as Helewisa had not struggled with confidence in quite some time. "...would it not make sense to become more... say, 'familiar?'"

Justine was looking off in the distance almost as though she were ruminating on something. "Aye," she said. "Today is a day of celebration! Of enjoyment, is it not? Our lives are full of strife and scarce, comparably, does opportunity to indulge to such an extent present itself before our very gates! Yes... to ignore the calling... to act not when action is needed... such behavior breeds little but regret!"

Even though it was Justine, Helewisa had to admit she wasn't expecting such an encouraging response. A simple 'yes' or 'no' would have sufficed. But she wasn't about to complain. She wrapped her arms around Justine's neck and pressed her chest against her back, almost squealing in delight. "Oh, it pleases me to hear you say so!" she couldn't help but grin and wonder if Aphrodite had blessed her this day. "Then, shall we?"

Her question prompted Justine to turn around and, with a smile etched on her face, she replied. "It brings me such joy to know that you remain ever eager to bring pleasure to others," she gave her hearty laugh. "Very well! Since every moment spent idle is time wasted, we shall depart! I am confident that he shall end up a happier man in the end!"

Stien's statement caused Helewisa to tilt her head. She wasn't sure where this 'he' came from. She was hoping to enjoy an intimate moment with just the two of them, and although such carnal actions were not something she hadn't participated in before... Stien was never the sort for that! She was wholly devoted to one person, and these acts, although she would be proactive in approaching them, were sacred and meant for the one she loved, or so she had always claimed. What happened? Had this horror, bringing about her appearance, tainted her? Helewisa became a bit upset. She knew it was too good to be true that the real Justine was here... but she was still hoping she could trick herself otherwise at least for this party! But now...

"Hear me, oh slothful one!" Justine suddenly called out to a man minding his own business, plugging away at his laptop. "Does it not strike you as disappointing to allow the occasion to go by? Pray tell: what business do you have on that machine that takes precedence over the festivities that are currently ongoing?"

While his friend was outside at the race, Oliver remained at his seat with a glass of ale, typing away at the laptop that came with his backpack. With his clones not only acting as survelance but joining in on the more tamer events, he could have some time to himself without worry.

So when the bold blonde in blue called out to him, he naturally flinched and glanced over. "Eh?? What makes you believe that? Look around you! Just cause I'm here doesn't mean I'm also there, and there as well!" He motioned to some of the other Olivers that were in the lodge. Other than that, he didn't seem phased by the boisterous Justine.

Justine followed his motions and spotted the other figures sharing his same appearance. "Oh," she said. "It would seem appearances can be misleading! Fwahaha!" her response to the blunder was merely to laugh it off.

Helewisa appeared upset, like she was incredibly disappointed with something, but also frustrated. "Stien, you're pestering him," she chided. "He may be doing homework or something of great importance," Wisa warned, looking over to see Oliver's features. Her expression seemed to relax if only a little bit. "Although... I tend to have a difficult time recalling people, but you seem somewhat familiar, Mr....?"

"Oh, it's alright! I was just catching up on stuff like work." Oliver reassured Helewisa with a polite smile. Though his eyes did widen when she asked for his name. "I didn't introduce myself yet did I? Oliver Kyle, good to meet ya!" The optimistic phantom held a hand out for one of them to shake.

"Oliver?" Helewisa repeated, testing the name. It wasn't like she hadn't met an Oliver before, nor was that some unique, rare name. But with a familiar face and that name, she could positively say they'd probably met at least once before. "Hmm, I do believe we've interacted at least once before..."

"Is that so?" Justine turned her head to Wisa before looking back to Oliver with a tilted head. "Another staunch ally of justice, I would hope."

Wisa hesitated to nod, as though she were not entirely certain. "...Vaguely, the recollection of the extermination of monsters comes to mind." Defeating monsters was something most every girl, even if they were a boy and evil. And even if she would tell Stien otherwise, it was not like she had turned down unsavory clients these past few centuries. So she did worry a little bit that Oliver may not be the paragon of good Justine expected her acquaintances to be. "That's... well, I don't think this was recent relative to your average magical girl. At least some decades if not more, so I'm a bit surprised I managed to recall anything about you," her memory had been getting better and coming back as of late. "O-oh, I suppose I went on a tangent," Wisa took his outstretched hand and gave it a shake. "My name is Hilaria," she told him.

Stien smiled once Wisa had finished, looking Oliver in the eyes and exuding a strong, confident presence (as she typically did). "I am known as Justine, though it doesn't bother me if you address me as Stien. It would seem there's another that shares my name and is quite infamous attending this party as well, so that may be ideal," she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "If you truly did assist my dear Wisa, then I am indebted to you as I have been a failure on that front for far too long! Do not hesitate to ask anything reasonable of me, fwahaha!"

"You're not from this century too?" Oliver curiously tilted his head. He thought for a moment. "Yes, you do seem familiar as well. Was it the fight against that one Monster King, or was it the Banshee and her thralls? Hm." He thought aloud. "Regardless, it's good to see ya, Hilaria! And nice to meet ya too, Stein! If you have the time, you should go say hi to Vanhorn too later." He smiled. Oliver didn't want to namedrop Finn outright, but maybe it'll help jog Hilaria's memory. Atleast he hoped it would.

"Verily," Justine responded. "Some six hundred years ago in France, like enough. My dearest Wisa is half again and a century older than I," she frowned. "As many of our sisters perish and are abandoned by their patrons, it is a disheartening sooth to admit that it is not oft to find others who share a similar age."

Hilaria nodded. "Mmm, they who triumph over the test of time are a sight for sore eyes. We experience none of the limitations of a human, yet still it is commonplace to find naught but new blood around," she seemed less disturbed by the reality than her friend. "But let us not spoil a celebratory party with such things. About your friend and our past encounter, I do believe we made short work of a banshee! I'm glad time has not made complete strangers of us. Bits and pieces are returning to me as we speak, something I haven't had happen in quite some time!" this seemed to excite Hilaria. "But if you have matters to attend to, we can save this spontaneous reunion another time."

Oliver's smile grew as Hilaria managed to piece things together, if atleast some. Then she asked if they should leave him be. "Hm." The ghost turned to grab his glass of ale, then downed the rest of it in one sitting. "Well, if you have any ideas for what to do, I can hear them out!"

"Admittedly, the two of us were supposed to spend some time relaxing after the amount of effort we spent on a snowdragon," Hilaria explained, looking at Justine who shrugged in response. Turning back to Oliver, she smiled. "It happens that I made my intentions to join the sledding event, but it seems to have started. Is that something that might interest you?" Hilaria glanced at the mug of ale the ghost was drinking from.

Justine grinned. "Your desires lay bare for all to see with such an open expression, Wisa," the flamboyant girl offered her gaze to Oliver after saying this. "Allow me to take my leave if only for a moment. I suspect Wisa is also as parched as I and some ale would slake that thirst." Having explained her objective, Stien left to grab the two girls a drink, leaving the two alone.

Looking around as if searching for something to do, Hilaria suddenly raised a finger. Having obviously thought of something, a small grin appeared on her face. "Or rather than sledding... Might I ask something of you?" she didn't wait for him to answer. "How would you say your singing voice is?"

"We could probably hit the slopes after the race." Oliver shrugged. One of his clones reported seeing Finn participate in the race, so he'd check back on him later. Then Stien excused herself to get some ale for her and Hilaria. He chuckled. Can't blame her, the drinks are good. The ghost turned his laptop off and stuffed it back into his satchel, looking back to Hilaria once she asked her question. His eyebrows rose.

"Singing? I mean, my main game is the drums, but I'd like to think I'm decent." Oliver shrugged again.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Hilaria gave a small clap. "Karaoke is not the first activity one thinks of during a Christmas party, but where there's a good drink, delicious food, handsome men, and beautiful girls, then joyous singing is never far behind!" As she said as much, Justine returned with two mugs filled to the brim and foaming with their drink. She offered one to Hilaria, which she accepted.

"What is this?" Justine asked. "Did my ears deceive me or did I hear speak of singing?" Unlike Hilaria, Justine almost seemed to be on edge speaking about it.

Hilaria nodded. "You are correct! I was just asking Oliver here if he would be interested in karaoke! It's something we could partake in and enjoy whilst we relax and not exert ourselves."

"Karaoke? I am not familiar with this."

"We basically follow lyrics on a screen, it is nothing complex. Doesn't it sound fun?"

"Y-yes, your words do not strike me as false!" Justine tried to seem like she was into the idea. "And this would suit your fancy as well, Oliver?" she examined the boy's expression as she waited for an answer.

Judging by Stien's reaction, she didn't seem as enthusiastic about singing as Hilaria was. It kinda concerned Oliver. "Hey. It's cool if you have stage fright or something, I won't judge." He reassured Justine.

"I-I have no fear of the stage!" Justine protested. "But I lack the same musical talent that my dear Wisa does, and I do not often wish to subject others to performance they are not like to enjoy..."

Helewisa placed a hand on her shoulder. "But what does that matter? I do not wish to sing for other people, even if they are welcome to listen," she told Stien, smiling widely as if she were amused by the reaction. "We would be singing for the entertainment it provides us, nothing more. And if you still hesitate to partake, then you merely need a bit more liquid courage."

Nobody else would know this, but Hilaria had partially repeated something Justine said to her before. It seemed to have the desired effect as Justine's demenor changed back into the confident, proud woman she was. "It is as you say! Yes, forgive the hesitation!" she immediately downed the entire mug she had. "I shall require another, but there shall be glorious, wonderful song today!"

As Justine went to retrieve another drink, Wisa looked at Oliver. "So then, if you are fine with it, then I shall ask Dan if he can help with the setup."

Oliver nodded. "Sounds good."

Hilaria nodded before she called for Dan. He appeared almost immediately with his usual dolphin flair and Hilaria presented their wish for a karaoke set. As expected, the lighthearted fun they wanted to had was more than welcome and he had no problem obliging before wishing them well and returning to what he was doing prior.

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Hilaria cheered once it had been set up. They had set up the set on a TV screen inside the cabin. It had, obviously, two microphones in case anyone wanted to do a duet, but for now Hilaria had grabbed one and was looking through the expansive list of songs she could sing. Since it was a magical construct made by Dan it was sure to have whatever song one could think of. "We have quite the range of songs!" she told them, almost starry-eyed. "With that said, who would care to go first?" she looked at Oliver and Justine.

"Try as I may, I do not fully recall the last time I let myself sing in public. It must have been ages ago as what I do remember is the joyous laughter ringing about through a tavern my brethren and I had occupied. Sooth is it to say that I had become rather intimate with the bottle that night."

Helewisa became almost a beet red and looked shocked. She opened her mouth to speak but Justine continued, seemingly oblivious to Wisa.

"Yes, as pigeon-eyed as I was the details elude me." Once the realization set in that Stien was talking about becoming inebriated, Wisa narrowed her eyes. "But I digress. The reason I bring such up is because I would very much prefer to enjoy another's performance before taking to the stage myself, if the both of you do not mind."

Closing her eyes and exhaling, Wisa recovered and again wore a smile. "What complaint could I have, Stien? Oh, but that just means you'll have a tough act or two to follow," she turned to Oliver and asked a question he could probably see coming from a mile away. "Well, Oliver, would you care to start us off, or should I?"

"Eh, guess I'll start. Only if ya don't laugh at me." Oliver walked up to grab the other microphone. He did feel an air of uncertainty, but promply shrugged it off.

"The courage to attempt something even in face of your fears is an admirable trait. They who would laugh at that are contemptable!" Justine gave what Wisa presumed to be encouragement.

Wisa nodded. "That is correct. It would be rude to ask you up and then make a jest at your expense. Besides, I have bore witness to Stien's singing, so you have little to worry about!"

Pfft-! Alright, alright. Lemme pick a song real quick!"

Time seemed to escape the trio as they enjoyed karaoke and more drinks. Hilaria had a rather beautiful singing voice, nailing higher notes than most could and it was clear she had experience. Meanwhile, Justine sang with all the elegance of nails on a chalkboard, making a clear contrast to her partner. Furthermore, red were the cheeks of both girls who had, at some point, started a competition to see who could tolerate the most alcohol. And despite being quite a few drinks in, they only seemed to now be feeling anything. One could only imagine the sheer bill they would wrack up if they had to pay for this.

As a little more time passed, Oliver began to feel as though his personal space wasn't being respected by Hilaria. It wasn't quite clear to him if it was intentional or not, but it wasn't something he could ignore, especially as Hilaria's outfit wasn't particularly conservative.

But eventually, all good things must end. Or at least be postponed. It soon came time for people to receive gifts from the White Elephant exchange. Wisa and Stien had seemed to be enjoying themselves, and now the blush was a lot more apparent on their faces, as well as the smell of alcohol on their breath. "It's time!" Wisa announced. "I am eager to see what I received!"

And so, they would join everyone else attending the event.

...

...

...

Hilaria had received some form of candy that gave truth to one of her dreams. Seeing the nature of the gift and assuming it worked as stated, she began to feel as though maybe she should have put a bit more 'oomph' into the gift she had given. But the reality was that it was too late to change things. "It looks delicious!" she exclaimed ecstatically with starry eyes, yet putting the candy away for now. "I'll think on it and save it for a time I can better enjoy it."

As Justine was only brought in after it had started, she naturally received nothing, a fact that didn't bother her much.
"Lady Luck has blessed you this day, it would seem. Though I caution you to not spend your present on your gluttony!" Stien heartily laughed, slapping Hilaria on the back a few times.

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

E m i l y

"IDK here's an MMD video with kiss in the title"

— Emily

There was an older-looking computer monitor that suddenly turned on, displaying lines of system checks and a notification that indicated the boot-up sequence. The whir of the cooling fan became more intense as it seems to struggle to turn on again, needing every last bit of effort it could pour into the process. Eventually, the screen hangs on pure black.

*Bump*

"I, like, think it's stuck."

"Are ya being serious? If it ain't one thing it's another with yer confounded machines, ain't it?" the computer was rapped on the top lightly as this Emily whined.

"This is unacceptable!"

Yet again, multiple contingencies had been activated within the confines of Emily's mind. Only this time, they'd been shut down without warning. With no information to go on, it made the recovery process even more difficult than it had been before.

"Like, we're not even getting, like, one of those error messages this time! Totes not okay at all!" One Emily checked her phone and complained at the same time.

The serious Emily glared at the screen. "If you two weren't slacking off, then you would've seen what happened. Our self-proclaimed protector took advantage of us!" she snapped. "The Squints to our Wendy Peffercorn!"

Another Emily growled. "That's some horse pucky! Ya'll tryin' tell me we got blindsided? Unsavory types are tha absolute worst!"

"There's, like, no excuse for being so gross. I just can't even with that sort of person."

"Oh! Um... well, maybe he, uh, didn't mean it...? We were just trying to help him...!" the timid Emily summoned the courage to speak out. The others almost seemed surprised at her statement.

The serious Emily pushed up the glasses she wore. "I suppose I could concede that very well may be a possibility. However, my counterargument is that he is a boy and therefore icky. Besides, you know how they are like."

"Yeah. Def. Next, he'll, like, try to, like, hold our hand or something," she made face twisted in disgust.

A gasp from everyone in the room.

"H-hold hands...? H-he would never..." Shy Emily seemed to be in disbelief.

"Yer screwin' with us, aren'tcha? Ain't no way!"

"Why are you guys surprised?" Serious Emily asked. "He has taken our precious first kiss! We shall not concede any more our of firsts!"

Gal Emily shrugged, pocketing her phone. "Seriously. Like, lets show this creep a thing or three and peace from this place."

"Y-yeah, that's right! We oughta hogtie him up and rough him up a bit!"

"G-guys you can't assume he meant it...." Shy Emily's attempts at calming everyone down had ended in failure, and the others roared a battle cry as they moved to get a better view of the bigger screen in the room that would normally display what the real Emily saw.

Conveniently, the computer restarted, yet again showing the same lines as before, but now with a purpose, Emily.exe moved past the screen where it used to hang.

...

...

...

Back in 'real life', Emily had been motionless for a dozen seconds even after Sakura asked her a question. There was a blank, unresponsive look on her face the whole time, but then as she came back to life, so did the red in her cheeks. It filled up in an instant, and then the light in her eyes returned.

"Give em' a big ol' slap!"

"Like, right across that, cute, girlish face of his!"

Emily's right hand moved in an upward motion for a second, only to pause mid-air.

Serious Emily, meanwhile, sighed in exasperation in response. "We are not operating at maximum capacity! It seems some of our systems are in reduced mode or shut off entirely," she told the rest of her party.

"In American, could ya?"

Serious Emily pressed some buttons, hoping to fix the issue. "Limbs only want to move one way and common sense and speak.exe are both corrupted and unreliable."

"Come again?"

Gal Emily groaned as she became fed up by all of this. "Like, let me explain it to you in, like, the easiest way possible. Emily. No. Work. Gosh, how hard does it gotta be with you?"

"I'm afraid Emily is right. The slap button is grey which means it doesn't work right now. Berate is also grey, but that's not uncommon. Anyway, we don't really have a lot of options here. Delaying only risks putting us into another forced shutdown."

As the 'southern' Emily went to speak, Gal Emily cut her off. "Emily. Faint. Soon. If. More. Stress."

Shy Emily stood up abruptly. "W-we gotta get out of here, then...! O-otherwise..."

It took clear restraint on Serious Emily's behalf, but she pushed the button sounding the retreat. "It seems we have been defeated. For now. But this was only the beginning. We will not fail another time!"

"Well, whatever ya'll say, I suppose. Gotta know when the fold em', after all."

"Like, whatever."

....

....

....

Following a shorter pause before once again resuming, the real Emily stood up, bright of the face. "Gladtoseeyou'reokayUmI'vegottogodosomethingseeya!" Emily quickly fled the scene, unable to process anything else happening in that area presently.

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

J u s t i n e

H e l e w i s a

B e t t y

---

Stien was a bit disappointed to see the majority of the competition flee after they had arrived not too long ago. Would they be considered anymore? Well, Stien was more interested in an entertaining time than she was in any sort of reward. Besides, stealing this spot from Betty because Dalton posted arriving first was good enough for her.

Justine shook her head in disapproval at the kneeling Betty. “You genuflect over such a trifling matter. It is unnecessary.” The blue-clad girl then grinned, offering a hand. “Rather, you have saved me the trouble of proposing the alliance myself. Perhaps I should show veneration instead?” she gave a hearty laugh, pulling Betty back onto her feet. Stien would then give it a firm shake. “You may address me as Justine. My beloved and I strive only to craft the finest and most awe-inspiring man of snow. If you would aid us in this endeavor, we would gladly have you.”

”B-beg pardon?” Betty was pretty sure she misheard this girl’s name. There was only one Justine after all, and she was the enemy. The chances of there being another one present wasn’t very likely. ”I mean, yes!” She clasped Stien’s hand between her own. ”A colossus of some sort would be good! I was even thinking of something, well, bigger still.” She looked back at the castle, and her grip on Stien’s hand got a little tighter. ”Um, anyway! My initial plan was to roll some snowballs down the hill to make them bigger. But it looks like you’ve already made a pretty big one. and Dan just provided me a pretty big pile sooooo...” Her eyes drifted to the massive snow boulder. No adjective she could ascribe to it would do the thing justice; when standing by Stien it was too big to fit inside her field of view. ”Where’s your um, your beloved?”

“Even greater than a colossus? Fwahaha! I like your attitude!” Justine agreed with a pat on Betty’s shoulder, and then looked up at the huge snowball she had been standing next to. “Yes, I believe most would find this one suitable. But I won’t accept it! We can still yet go further beyond!'' She maneuvered behind her snowball and gave it a strong kick that managed not to get lodge in it, which sent it rolling down the hill into the pile of snow Dan had cultivated. “Until even our very competition stands in awe! Fwahaha!”

The snowball was already large, but it was only getting bigger as it rolled down the hill. Betty was quick to run up behind it and dig her finger’s into it’s surface. Because the snow ball was so big, it’s weight naturally meant that it compressed itself as it rolled. So the snow was dense and easy to get a hand hold in. As the snowball tumbled forward, Betty was pulled towards the top of it. Of course, it was just a matter of time before she descended down the other side and risked getting crushed under the snowball’s massive weight. The Cradle agent was quick to bounce to her feet and run. With the snowball rolling away from Stien, Betty just had to run towards her to maintain her balance. But as the snowball got bigger, she had to run faster to stay on top.

…

…

…

Helewisa hadn’t figured anything out about the whereabouts of her obnoxious lover from anybody there and they almost all left before she could question anyone aside from Lily’s group. She was a bit irritated that had to happen at the one moment she would need people there, and Dan had left before she could question him. Wisa mulled over calling Dan over before deciding that Stien was a capable young girl and didn’t need a babysitter. It isn’t like she would manage to hurt somebody here. But still, where did that girl go?

Suddenly, Helewisa heard the distinct and somewhat distant laughter of Justine that answered her question. “Thank goodness!” she sighed in relief. It seemed like she didn’t actually believe Justine could function without a babysitter. She had always been energetic for anyone’s good, after all.

“Wisa! Intercept!”

As Wisa turned around to see what it was Justine was doing, she thought to herself aloud, “Intercept? What does she mean by th---GRGHHHH” Unfortunately, her thought was cut short as a snowball the size of a small moon suddenly crashed into her and assimilated her into its body.

”Oh shoot! Did we hit something?” Betty was still running with her back pointed towards the direction they were rolling in. The only difference now was that she had to jump over a bump in the side of the snow moon once per rotation.

It kept rolling for a fair amount of distance afterward. Soon it lost its momentum and came to a slow stop. Helewisa was not visible, though.

Betty was holding her knees and panting. For all the things magic could do, it didn’t make breathing this dry winter air any easier. Every breath ripped the moisture out of her lungs and stung with a bitter freeze.

…

…

…

Justine wasn’t too far behind the snowball by the time it stopped. She clicked her tongue in disappointment. “You would think after a millennia that one would be more capable of playing ‘catch’. Bah! It is of no importance. I will need to check if she has sullied our ball of snow,” she told Betty, observing the mammoth snowball for a few seconds.

After about half a minute, one could faintly hear something coming from within it, followed by a hand bursting out of the snow near the bottom. Justine grabbed a hold of it and with one strong yank, pulled it out. Naturally, they had snagged one Helewisa, who struggled to get onto her feet while she caught her breath.

"Ha... what is... wrong with... you...!" she gasped. Things were quiet for a few seconds until Wisa could finally breathe normally, at which point she strode up to Stien and grabbed her by her costume. "You failed to tell me where you went, and you made this snowball without me?" Helewisa didn't seem the slightest bit upset about being bulldozed by a runaway snow boulder.

Justine moved Wisa's hands off her before responding in a confident tone. "You seemed so invested in your work that I thought it better to leave you be." Stien grinned, patting Helewisa on the shoulder much as she did to Betty earlier. "I did not mean to vex you so. That is why I began with a little one so that you would not miss out! And behold! I have gained for us an ally with an unyielding spirit!" she motioned towards Betty, who Wisa hadn't registered was there until this point.

Betty was starting to recover from her run when both girls looked in her direction. She smiled and waved to the two, who she could just barely make out given how high up she was. ”Um.” her voice echoed off the distant hills. She was really high up. ”Did you wanna help us make a few more?”

From perturbed to excited, Helewisa's mood switched in an instant. "Of course!" she had to shout so that Betty could hear, before turning and giving Stien a big hug. "But... you said this one was 'small', didn’t you?" Helewisa took some steps back to try to see the very top of it, barely managing. "We might need Dan to make some more snow..."

"Should it come to that, then we will ask for his aid. I would sooner fear the lack of space before I worry about that." Justine glanced up at Betty, smiling. "The view up there is a wonderful one, I assume?" she laughed. "I'm sure it shall be even more so once we complete our masterwork! When you finish admiring it, you should come down and... come to think of it, I don't believe you've graced me with your name?"

By this point, Betty was sliding down the side of the snow ball so that she could meet her companions. ”Oh! I’m sorry! I was just super pumped and-” She took a deep breath. ”Betty.” She extended her hand towards the newest addition to their team.. ”And your name?”

Helewisa offered a smile as she accepted the handshake. “A pleasure. You can call me Hilaria.”

This prompted a weird look from Justine, who confronted her about it. “Why do you insist on doing that?” she asked, a disappointed expression making itself clear. Although Hilaria’s smile became a bit forced, she did not answer Justine, instead finishing the shake as if nothing happened. “Well,” Justine apparently decided to move on. “Now that the introductions are out of the way, what say we get started? We may go over the exact form of the man of snow as we are collecting.”

…

…

…

The collection was proceeding rather smoothly for the trio. Justine created a ball which she rolled around as it got bigger and bigger, Hilaria made use of her ‘boogie board’ by pushing it around almost like a snowplow, and Betty used her superior dexterity to roll up several small balls, which she would then mash into one with the assistance of her wind magic. Still, they had some ways to go before they had enough. At least, that’s what Justine said.

At some point, Justine and Hilaria somehow managed to collide during their task, mostly due to Hilaria not being able to see around the snow she was plowing. Justine looked down upon Hilaria with mild irritation, but more bewilderment. “Is that all you have to show, Wisa?” she asked, noticing the small amount of snow behind her plow. “At what point did you become so lackadaisical?”

Clearly offended at this affront to her hard work ethic, Hilaria stood up and pointed over towards a large pile of snow she had been pooling together. “You dare suggest I am slothful? How about you pay attention to what I’ve gathered? It's much more than you have!” she claimed strongly.

Justine walked over to the pile, then looked back at her ball. “You say this merely because the form it takes gives one a false impression. Naturally, I have obtained more snow!” she retorted.

Narrowing her eyes, Hilaria took the snow she had grabbed with her plow and added it to her pile, which she then began shaping into a ball much like Justine’s using a combination of manual effort and her gravity spec. Shortly after, a huge ball of snow stood where the pile had been. She crossed her arms and gave a triumphant smirk. “Hmph! As you can now see, I’ve got the most amount of snow!”

Justine silently walked back to her own ball of snow and rolled it over to Hilaria’s so as to compare the two. She had to crawl up to the top of it by this point. “Fwaha! I spoke only the truth, as you will undoubtedly see once you bear witness to the disparity in size between our balls of snow!”

Hilaria climbed up her own ball and when she reached the top, she inspected the difference between them. “How can you be so blind to think yours compares to mine in the least? It’s risible, is what it is!”

Justine’s response came after a moment or two of reflection. “Betty!” she called out, realizing that only a third party could decide this. “We require an arbiter to settle this matter, if you would allow us to use you in such a way.”

”Well.” Betty rolled over to the two on one of her many balls of snow. ”Okay, if it stops the fighting and refocuses your efforts on collecting snow, I’ll do it!” Betty immediately got to work examining the balls of snow. She compared them to one of her much smaller balls of snow. Moments later Betty looked at both balls from the top of the other, as if trying to get both of their perspectives. Finally she hovered in place between both balls and lined them up with the horizon.

While it was true that both balls were big, there was one absolute truth about them Betty would have no trouble spotting. It was, of course, the fact that both of them somehow managed to have snowballs that were…

”They’re the same size!” Betty looked between the two ‘lovers’ ”I think we have enough snow, anyway. everyone’s moved onto the next event. We can’t let our enemies pull too far ahead!” She balled her hands into fists. ”It doesn’t matter who’s plowed more snow or has the bigger balls! What matters is that we crush our opponent’s under our heels! Without that, the biggest pair of balls doesn’t mean anything!”

Justine rewarded Betty’s statement with a chuckle. “It is as you say! It would seem I allowed my competitive spirit to cloud my judgment and it has cost us precious moments. For that, I shall work harder to make up for it,” She hopped off the top of her snowball and landed with elegance. Hilaria followed suit but because she wasn’t as AgIle, her landing was far more plain.

“We should start thinking beyond balls.” Helewisa suggested.

Justine raised an eyebrow. “What do you propose?”

“Well,” Helewisa began. “We have had snowballs on the mind this entire time, but not once did we consider the things that go into making a snowman. You do not just put balls together and call it a day.”

“You are referring to wood, are you not?”

“Precisely!” Hilaria nodded. “We’ll need the biggest, hardest wood we can find. That is the bare-minimum necessary to make sure this guy really is a snowman.” Helewisa gave the snowball another slap. “This guy can fit so much wood, really.”

“Aye, I see that clear as day. But we still require snow. Who do you propose collects the wood?” Justine asked, prompting a smile from Helewisa.

“It is not as if I wish to gloat, but I am quite capable when it comes to handling wood. I’ve experience in small, medium, and big-sized wood,” Wisa claimed. “You wouldn’t believe how many people like building log cabins in remote places.”

Justine smiled. “To settle down in an isolated area with nary a worry in the world… The appeal most certainly doesn’t escape me,” she seemed to be fantasizing about something. “But I shall cease my prattling. I do not have specific experience with handling wood, but I doubt that sort of touch is required.”

”It should be one of you two for sure.” Betty did not like to admit her weaknesses, but if this group was to get closer, she’d have to. ”I was more of a nature watcher than a woodsman. I remember watching some beavers getting wood down by the river. I wanted to join them, but I was worried I’d scare them all off. ” With a sigh, she looked at Stien. ”Um, I would like to roll some snow with Hilaria, if you wouldn’t mind collecting the wood?”

“Oh? I see…” Hilaria almost seemed disappointed. Maybe she really was confident about her skills in wood-handling.

Justine’s smile was wide. “It is the natural choice,” she nodded to Betty. “In that case, I shall not linger any longer. Leave all of the wood to me!” Justine surveyed the area for a suitable tree and then darted off at blinding speed to it, leaving Helewisa and Betty to their task.

Helewisa, sure the giant balls of now weren’t going to roll away without some amount of outside influence, felt safe enough to run over to grab her shield (boogie board). “Stien didn’t make a very convincing case, you know,” she said. “I wonder why you’d choose her? Maybe I’ve caught your eye~?” Hilaria didn’t actually appear to be upset by Betty’s decision and it was pretty obvious she was just joking around. She appeared ready to start plowing again but waited for Betty’s response.

”Huh?” Betty’s eyebrows practically jumped off of her head. ”Oh! No! No, nothing like that!” She waved her hands with a chuckle. ”It’s just that you seem a little easier to talk to is all. Stien seems really um, ambitious. Among other things.” Betty started rolling up another snow ball. ”I didn’t have the heart to tell her why I’m so passionate about this.” She stopped and looked to Hilaria. ”How long can you hold a grudge?”

"That is a strange question, isn't it?" It prompted Hilaria to think on the subject a bit. "It's hard to say with my memory so fragmented," she shoved her 'shield' into the ground and began working, but spoke loud enough for Betty to hear while she did. "At least a few centuries, I would imagine."

”Just centuries?” Betty’s cuckled. She knew that magical girls could live a long time, but surely no one here had been around that long. Right? RIGHT?!?! ”Well, it might be selfish, but a grudge is why making the biggest snow sculpture is important to me.” She broke eye contact with Hilaria to focus on the lump of snow in front of her. They were being so through that there was only sand left behind in some spots. ”It’s Justine.” She confessed. ”I can’t forgive her for what she did to me. It’s just not possible. And when I see her gleefully playing around in the snow, making massive structures, I just-” Betty grunted. Her snow ball was at least twice her size now, and she was still rolling it bigger. ”A-anyway, I didn’t really think that was something to tell your beloved. But I wanted to tell one other soul; I’m really determined to beat Justine. ”

"Justine would certainly find the situation disappointing," Hilaria had already begun forming another pile. "I'm sure she would stubbornly attempt to get you to forgive and forget, too. She is the sort to give everyone a second chance if they'll take it," Helewisa spoke almost as if she were jealous of that. "Her heart is always in the right place, so it was for the better that you avoided letting her know," Hilaria stated. "Even after the dagger has been pulled free, the pain lingers. I know it is difficult to care for much else."

Her pile became difficult to distinguish from a hill before she spoke again. "A fire in the heart is a fire in the heart. If you have strong feelings, even if they're not exactly 'good', it'll still propel you forwards," Hilaria scratched her cheek. "I'm confident that our snowman will be great, is what this old lady is saying," she even chuckled.

”I see.” Betty would never consider Justine von Visceral a forgiving type, but maybe she was towards her closest allies. ”You know her well then? You wouldn’t, um, mind telling me a bit about her, would you?”

Helewisa perked up. "Of course I am! We've known each other since I was... two? Or maybe it was three? In any case, it has been a long time since then and she does not appear to have changed much since we last met," Wisa put a thumb to her chin as she recalled memories that came to her. "But she is very much one to stay true to the image she projects. I doubt I could tell you much you wouldn't already know," she admitted before continuing. "Justine really does not care for subtlety at all. She is extremely prideful and outspoken, and she almost always gets her way. She's beyond competitive. Naturally, the words "Lose" and "Justine" don't often go together and she goes out of her way to ensure that it remains that way. Hmm... was there anything, in particular, you would like to know?"

In truth, there was nothing the Cradle agent wanted to know about Justine. The more she learned about her, the more she hated her. ”Well, maybe one thing.” Betty took a moment to consider how to word this. It was clear that Hilaria sympathized with her, but she was friends with Justine too. ”I guess I’d like to know how to take her down a peg. You know, um, make it feel like we’re on even footing? Got any ideas?” She looked ahead. ”I just have one idea, but I don’t know if you’d wanna help me with it.”

Helewisa couldn't stop grinning, as if something Betty said had entertained her. Whatever it was, she didn't say anything about it. Instead, she shrugged. "All I can really say is that it depends on the plan and how entertaining it might be."

”Um, um!” She had difficulty getting her words out. She was worried she’d be judged for being petty, but Hilaria had been a kindred spirit so far. ”Justine had some people build a castle over there.” She pointed at it. ”We have quite a bit of snow, so I was thinking we could, um, build something over it? Like, make something that totally covers the castle. L-like an explosion!” Her voice was practically trembling with anticipation.

Hilaria couldn't help but tilt her head once Betty brought up a castle. She would sooner form actual, positive relationships with people and allow people who weren't Stien or Isabelle to call her by her real name before she would believe ANYONE could recognize that blight on the snow Stien made was a castle. But then it dawned on her -- Betty wasn't talking about Stien, she was referring to the vampire, Justine! And in that case, everything Helewisa had just said was not true of that Justine. That Justine was, as far as she was aware, not a pleasant person at all.

The correct thing to do in this situation would be to inform Betty that she was mistaken. But that would not be what Hilaria chose to do. Instead, she grinned mischievously. "Ah, yes! It's only natural she would respond to such an over-the-top, flamboyant gesture when her ego is so massive! An explosion would be nice... but it does seem out of place? There was not an abundance of those when castles were in fashion. Mmm, maybe instead we could forge maybe... a giant dragon that overshadows Justine's structure?"

”A dragon?” Betty scratched her head. ”Yea! And it can be breathing fire all over the castle!” She pounded her fist into her palm. ”I guess a mushroom shaped cloud would have been kinda hard to do. Well, we should probably start before Stien gets back. Otherwise I don’t think we’ll ever finish. I think she’d be content to build forever.” Betty rolled her snowball towards the castle before shaping it into a giant foot. A mix between the foot of a bird and a reptile, with three large toes that were taller than most men.

"O-oh, that's right. Betty, let's save the tail for last," Hilaria asked, inspecting Betty's work on the foot in detail. She would start working on the other foot a little later, but it would more or less be identical in size and appearance. After both feet had been made, Hilaria took a step back to appreciate their work so far and to see how they should better proceed. "Mmm... should the dragon be standing up straight or bending over the castle? Well, I think that's placing the cart before the horse," she looked at Betty. "Do you prefer western or eastern dragons?"

”I mean, I’m really into Japanese stuff. But I think it would be best if we took advantage of all this snow and made a western style dragon. Have you ever seen puff the magic dragon? Cute movie, that’s kind of what I’m going for with this.” She was rolling the rest of her snowball over to make the lower torso of the dragon. ”He’s got a huge belly and a long skinny neck. And cute little wings. And a biiiig chin!” She looked to Hilaria. ”Have you ever seen it? Pete’s Dragon? The 1977 version, not the remake, I never saw that.”

Hilaria thought about it but soon shook her head. “I spent more time rollerblading than I did watching cinema during that period, if my memory isn’t failing me again,” she explained, beginning to help Betty with the lower half. When it was close to completion, she would effortlessly use some of her own snow to add to the top half, where she would focus on shaping the arms. “I suppose I will try to keep those traits in mind but let me know if I stray too far from what you were thinking. I was imagining a more imposing dragon at first, but I admit that the image of what I assume is a ‘cute’ dragon, incinerating a castle with its unyielding flame, sounds more entertaining. It might even make for more humiliation on Justine’s part.”

”Maybe.” Betty guided the winds towards their sculpture to smooth out its shape.. She ‘cut’ grooves into the dragon’s underbelly to mimic how a cartoon lizard’s stomach is typically drawn. ”I think that it’s important to humiliate justine, but it also has to be something that’s still us, you know?”

Hilaria was still smoothing out the snow that made up the arms, but paused to ask, “What is not ‘us’ about an incredibly big, yet cute dragon? I suppose we could make little slanted snow eyebrows so that he looks angry,” she said as what was hopefully a joke.

”Oh no! I think you’re right. That’s probably not nessisary!” Making the wind behave the way she wanted was not simple work for Betty. She was restricted to only doing a small area at a time, and one that was relatively close to herself. She had to make use of her extreme agility to cover the entire surface of the dragon. It was something she was up to the task of doing, but it took effort. She wasn’t like Sue, who could just summon a typhoon with a casual wave of her hand. ”But you rollerblade, for real?” Betty was about to run off to grab more of her snow boulders.

Hilaria had finished the shape of both arms, which were noticeably small in comparison to its body. Sort of like a tyrannosaurus rex. She shook her head at Betty’s assumption. “Did,” she answered. “Rollerblading hasn’t been especially popular in a decade or two, so I have not been invited in some time. Now it’s just the movies, video games, or the beach,” she sighed, perhaps thinking them as monotonous.

”Well, we should do something like that some time! I used to do it a lot during the summer before, well, becoming a magical girl. But I’d love to do it again! And then we could rent Pete’s dragon and see if it’s as good as I remember it being! I honestly don’t remember anything other than the dragon. We weren’t very rich so we only had a VCR with a few old movies-” Betty coughed, suddenly becoming self aware of how silly she probably looked due to her abundance of excitement. ”I mean, if you want to, that would be cool.”

Hilaria addressed Betty’s unsure invitation with a nod. “I suppose it may be nice to see if I can still move as I did before.” Betty pumped her fist, but tried to hide the gesture.

In the distance, the two would hear the occasional rumbling. It didn’t appear to be from any of the other guests at the party from what they could tell. “She comes,” Helewisa stated, not even bothering to look away from the dragon she was working on, but it appeared she was concentrating on something else entirely. This was made most evident by the fact she began thinking out loud.

“...was there not a plant-based girl attending the party? I hope nothing comes of that... “ Helewisa would sigh, before asking Betty an innocent question. “Do you know who Poison Ivy is, by chance? I believe she gets upset at the sight of hurt nature.”

It took Betty a bit longer to regain her composure, as she was a bit more concerned about the noise. ”You mean from Batman? Yea!” With the torso and arms finished, Betty had moved on to shaping “Puff’s” swan-like neck and head. The jaw was tricky due to it being much larger than the neck. ”Only because I watched the cartoons though, Mom and dad were pretty restrictive about what I could spend my money on.” She cleared her throat. ”But I think Harly Quinn was my favorite batman villain. Only because I found her kind of relatable. ”

“I only ask because there is little doubt in my mind Stien was particularly subtle about her search for suitable wood. Yet now that I have thought about it, her specialization doesn’t dictate her personality. It would be ignorant to assume that she is, as I believe people nowadays call them, a ‘tree hugger’,” she mused. “Not to mention this dimension is fabricated. I suppose I am stressing over a trifle,” she shrugged.

It soon became evident that the jaw wasn’t going to stay in place without some more support. ”We should make the flames, finish the head, then we can work on the tail.” Betty scratched her head. ”Hey! I haven’t done an ice sculpture yet! Maybe we could collect ice blocks and make the flames out of that? Just a rigid ice structure? I wonder if that would be frowned upon...”

“I do not see why it would be. If an argument is brought up we can simply bring up the fact that people use sticks to mimic arms in most cases. The majority of this dragon is still snow,” she said as she moved to inspect the huge jaw this dragon was going to have, and then nodded. “I noticed a lot of girls find a strong jaw on a man rather attractive. But I feel as though we’ve crossed the threshold for Puff here.”

”Heh! Yea, I guess!” The cradle agent rubbed the back of her head.

Hilaria looked at Betty. “About the tail... you don’t mind if we leave that to Stien, do you? It should serve as a pacifier.”

”That sounds reasonable! A wood tail would look kind of cool, maybe?” Betty wasn’t sure how that would work, but she was part of the team, so she had to do part of it. ”Okay then! Let’s get some ice blocks!”

Between the two burly girls and the might of wind and gravity, it wasn’t too hard to get the ice blocks they needed. ”Oh, I didn’t put much thought into how these were supposed to go together.”

Hilaria moved away from the ice they had just retrieved and inspected the dragon’s mouth. “Admittedly, I also did not put as much thought into the application. We could have built around a rough ice skeleton had I done so. Instead, my best guess is to have the spew of flames graze the ground and act as a support,” Hilaria fired off a quick suggestion. “Naturally, if it cannot stand on its own it is a failure, otherwise, I would simply use magic to remedy this.”

Although it was not as loud as earlier, the two would hear a crash in their proximity as a few large logs rolled into a mound of snow, managing to stop. Stien was nowhere to be found initially, but the two would find that she had soundlessly made it behind them. She glanced at the dragon-in-progress silently, before looking at the other two. “This is your work?” she orbited it, inspecting and then noticing something else, which she pointed out. “This as well?” she asked, looking at the castle.

”This, as well?” Betty followed her finger to the castle that was directly beneath the massive dragon. ”Oh! Um, no, It just felt right to have the dragon sieging the castle!.” She looked at Hilaria and then back at the newly arrived. ”Um, sorry for starting without you. I was just getting kind of anxious. B-but we did think that we’d leave the tail for you to finish. Right, Hilaria?”

Helewisa opened her mouth to agree with Betty but was silenced when Justine rose a hand. "Cease," she ordered, turning away from Hilaria. "I do not need to hear another word." Justine was now staring at Betty with a serious look on her face. She emitted a fierce, tense aura. Betty could do little more than cower before such intensity. "You," Stien addressed Betty. "You... were absolutely correct to begin!" Suddenly, Justine laughed. "Fwahaha! I became so enamored with gathering quality materials that I forgot to start building! I suppose I should get started and put my all into the tail, then!" she lept over to the pile of logs, grabbed one as though it required no effort, and then began comparing it to the dragon.

Placing a hand on Betty's shoulder, Hilaria gave a strained smile. "It's on us," is all she said before looking to work on the ice flames.

”R-right.” Betty wobbled a bit as she stood up. ”We should start on that.”

Betty did her best to stack the ice blocks up to the massive dragon. One by one, she rushed the blocks in place and stacked them up to meet “Puff’s” large head. The castle worked to her benefit since it gave her a head start in height, as the flames were going to cascade off the top of the castle anyway. Her superhuman agility also came in handy when she tried to fuse the blocks. She simply rubbed the top most block along it’s lower counterparts to build up enough friction to melt one side of the cube. Then when she stopped, the cold weather would freeze it together into one solid mass. It took several ice blocks to get the height she desired, but it was finally done.

”It’s a little uneven, but I think that works for us!” She used her wind magic to cut away anything that didn’t look like a dragon’s flame. ”How are you making out, Hilaria?”

Glancing over, Betty would notice Hilaria was comparatively behind her in progress. She had managed to stack blocks of ice and fuse them as well, but the act of carving them was less intuitive for her as her gravity spec was not suited for precise cutting. “In hindsight, grabbing an ice pick would have saved me quite a bit of trouble,” she lamented. “Without a tool, I might require help.”

Meanwhile, Justine was hard at work behind the two. She had finished comparing the size of the log she had to the dragon and found it to be lacking. It was decided she would need to somehow lengthen the log in order to prevent it from looking ‘stubby’. Using merely her own two hands, she carved out some of the top of one log and then part of another so that they would fit together.

Betty looked between the two girls before looking back at Hilaria. ”That’s not a problem! I’ll be back shortly with all the basic tools! Actually-” She handed Hilaria a duffle bag. ”I wasn’t sure what I’d need, so I grabbed one of everything. You can use these while I retrieve a second set of tools!” She sprinted off without waiting for as much as a confirmation.

Helewisa found herself, duffel bag in hand, with a lingering gaze in the direction Betty ran off to before the sound of Justine’s antics finally entered her mind. She turned to face her body toward the proud girl while also plunging a hand into the bag and searching for a pick. “How goes it, Stien?” Wisa moved her eyes up from the bag, noticing, finally, what Stien was doing. She frowned. “Is that going to hold alright?”

“Assuredly!”

Shrugging, Wisa decided to make use of the tools Betty had given her and began working on carving out the details of the flames in the ice with a confident hand. It would be plain to see that she had more than a little experience with the task. However, it was not long before the sound of her picking away at the ice ceased. She glanced around the area, particularly for any sign of Betty, before speaking up. “...are you real, Stien?” she asked in a low, uncharacteristically insecure voice.

The noise Justine was making from moving giant logs suddenly stopped. “I admit that I do not have an answer prepared for that question, my dear Wisa.” Noticing the tone right away, Justine’s response was not as jovial as she had been up to this point. Helewisa didn’t break the short silence that came as Stien thought about it. “In this moment, I, Justine Rufina, am constructing a dragon made of snow, wood, and ice with my beloved. If there is some cloaked meaning behind your inquiry, then it has escaped me.”

“No,” Hilaria shook her head even though Justine couldn’t see it. “Forget I ever asked, it was naught more than a doltish thought.” Wisa gave a forced chuckle and then the sound of the pick against ice could be heard once more as she returned to work on the flames. It wasn’t long before Betty returned with her own tools.

…

…

…

The finishing touch was a pair of tiny wings made out of two halves of an ice block that Betty pushed into the dragon’s back. With the wings in place, the trio stepped away from their work to examine it. A multi-material snowdragon with a wooden tail and frigid breath stood before them. At the very least, they had made the largest “snowman” in the area.

”I think that’s mission accomplished!” Betty folded her fingers together and stretched her arms. ”You guys up for skating? It’s probably the closest thing they have to rollerblading around here..”

With a wide smile after seeing the fruits of their labor, Justine stood with a puffed-out chest. “I doubt the sincerity of any person who claims this dragon does not leave them in awe,” she then gave a hearty laugh. “Although this was an entertaining task itself, I would think we have earned ourselves a share of time doing something more relaxing. Skating it is!” she agreed, eying Hilaria. “Unless you have any complaints with the idea?”

“None at all, Stien. But I may be a bit rusty so I’m worried I’ll slip and fall,” Wisa added. “It has been a couple of decades since I’ve skated on ice, I think.”

“Fwahaha! You jest, do you?” Justine slapped a knee. “One or two scrapped knees are nothing new to you! Tell me. Are you still clad in bandages more often than not? A fortune we’ve spent on supplies to support you and your blunders!”

Helewisa could only sigh in response to Justine’s laughter as it filled the air. But she did not seem angry in the least that her girlfriend had brought up an embarrassing point about her. Instead, she gave a playful slug to Justine’s shoulder and encouraged her to concentrate on the new task at hand, and so the three of them would set off with the intention of skating.

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

S a m a n t h a

"No number 1 victory royale for this fort (to)night"

— Sam

The snowball fight had been progressing in a normal manner for far too long. As she and Tetrad approached the side of the fort, they were met with a few stationary Pennys. Expecting as much, Sam had instructed Tetrad to 'fire' off a few balls as soon as they had approached, leading to an advantageous situation.

Of course, Sam knew something was up. Nothing went to plan, not around here, anyway. "I sense... a disturbance," she eerily told Tetrad as they fought to enter the fort. But it wasn't enough, as only seconds later, the colossal Dan in the sky reenacted a scene from Independence Day and wiped the fort off the face of the Earth (or Dan's dimension, I suppose) in a blast of pressurized water.

Samantha found herself bracing for impact against the ensuing wave, but it proved to be unnecessary as the water ignored her and Tetrad. The fact the water from this satellite seemingly had some sort of I.F.F system didn't surprise her as much as it should have. Actually, Samantha found herself feeling quite blasé about the escalation and subsequent destruction. "Does that count as a successful mission, then?" she asked Tetrad, before noticing one other person.

With a sigh, she began walking over to a terrified Emily, who was certainly not taking Hammer of Dan as well as Sam was. The sound of Sam's trudging snapped Emily out of her clinched pose, and she looked around before speaking in a shaky tone. "A-are we dead?" she saw Sam shake her head in response, then became even more panicked. "W-where's Eliza?"

"There." Sam pointed at the 'heroine' who used excessive force in a snowball fight, who seemed rather proud of herself. Emily only breathed in relief when she saw the still-living tree (or Eliza, if you're a square like Emily), whom she tried to wave down.

It was about this time that Magical Dream Princess decided to, hard to understand-ably, get upset over Oros' tryhard approach to the snow fort battle. Emily frowned since seeing conflict was always unpleasant for her. However, Samantha simply did not see the problem with what had transpired, so she crossed her arms and joined in on the 'conversation' being held by MDP and Oros after exiting the ruins of the fort.

"There would have to be a defined set of rules for it to be considered 'cheating', wouldn't there?" Samantha shook her head. "I saw no such thing. Besides, snow is just an altered form of water anyway, is it not? Should we really be bothering with technicalities like this?"

"Um, but Sam, that's doesn't me--" Emily was silenced by Sam raising a hand. She sighed in resignation.

Samantha took her raised hand and pointed at the potential drowning victim, which drew Emily's attention towards Sakura. Naturally, the kind girl rushed over to help Sakura up, leaving Sam to continue. She looked at Penny this time and it was only then Sam showed any bit of surprise on her features. "You're with this strange-speaking girl?" she asked bluntly. "Then perhaps you could let her know that kidnapping someone and tree-ting them like they're a plant is also not really 'nicey wicey'?"

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

J u s t i n e

"The technology behind missles is quite captivating!"

— Stien

Stats

Age: ??? | Gender: Female | Specialization: Laughter
Powers: Courage, Justice, Will
Perks: Distinct Laugh, Dominating Presence, Devourer
Benefits: Her presence
Drawbacks: None

STR: Strong | AGI: Fast | VIT: ?? | MAG: ?? | LCK: High

How many castles had Helewisa seen in her long time on this planet? As she wondered this, she recalled more memories that had been buried deep within.

Her life had begun with her being little more than a starving, lost child who yet retained an idealist nature despite her circumstances along with her sister, Isabella. But she was always envious of the wealthy nobles who wore clean, expensive clothing and jewelry, ate the most delicious foods and lived in the gorgeous castles they did. Had they comfortable beds to rest their heads upon every night instead of the cold cobblestone of the streets? Was their every night filled with warmth? No, they did not. They were as safe and happy as could be. That's what castles, in all honestly, were to Helewisa: comfort and safety.

They were beautiful! They were lavish! They took armies to bring down!

Yet... the same could not be said of Helewisa's castle, made hastily from the surrounding snow.

Helewisa found herself struggling not to frown as she beheld what she and Justine had unleashed upon this undeserving dimension. It was far from pretty, looking about as well as you'd expect a 3-year-old to make, but they didn't have that sort of excuse. Honestly, it was impressive that they could even make a piled-up bunch of snow look bad, but it was just sitting there with random patches of snow that Justine claimed to serve as 'detail', though it was doubtful anyone would agree. They even supposedly had a retracted 'drawbridge' that was just two lines in the wall Justine drew with her finger.

But beauty was in the eye of the beholder, and as far as Justine was concerned, this was the single greatest thing ever conceived.

"Hark!" Justine ordered the battlefield. "Bear witness to the epitome of craftsmanship that is our sturdy castle, and despair! Formidable are our defenses, and unyielding be our spirit!" she roared with laughter before dipping behind its ugly walls and taking a handful of snow which she formed into a ball.

Helewisa was wonder how her simple request to make a cute snow castle turned into this abomination when suddenly she felt an instinctual, terrible feeling within the pit of her stomach. She hurriedly checked on Stien, noticing her building a stockpile of snowballs. The act itself did not seem suspicious in the least, yet the feeling lingered. "We shouldn't sit around too long. At the end of the day, we're using snow, not stone." Considering their entrance to the battlefield, it made sense that they had received fire from the other participants. Their walls held tight, for now.

Stien looked up, smiling at Helewisa's statement. "Verily!" she nodded, then stood up and peeked out of their castle at the people who would serve as their opponents. She and Helewisa witnessed Mayra's huge snowball be sucked out of thin air by a portal, and Stien in particular seemed disappointed at the result. But it there had been enough waiting. Now was the time for an offensive!

Stien readied her snowball to be flung at whomever was closest. That was when Hilaria suddenly remembered something. "Stien, how old were you again?" Helewisa asked, a sense of dread building.

The answer borrowed some of Stien's attention from the battlefield. "You do not recall that, either?" she asked. It seemed to cause her some amount of pain but she perked up rather quick. "I suppose that if you are having trouble recalling your name, then that only makes sense," she reasoned. "In any case, I haven't got two decades left before I reach my eighth century upon this beautiful world." Stien ducked behind their wall as a snowball from Penny zoomed over head. "Such dexterity! A moment later and I'd have lost my head!" she cheered over it, before again addressing Helewisa. "Are you going to attempt to bring age up when you're flustered like you did before? It was futile then and it will be now."

"Perish the thought!" Wisa seemed embarrassed, probably recalling childish attempts from long ago. "...so, you wouldn't have happened to been living a quiet life since the incident at Beacon, would you?"

Justine frowned. "Are you referring to my death?" Stien received a nod in response. She shook her head. "It served as inspiration to better myself if anything," she explained. "It taught me that without power, one cannot protect anything, let alone the ones they love. So I would not classify my life since that point as 'quiet'."

"So then it would be wise to assume you've been gaining power as you've aged?"

Stien raised an eyebrow. "What else would I have done, Wisa? Twiddle my thumbs? The monsters and wicked ones do not rest, and niether do I!" she let out a laugh. "But come! We've spoken so many words yet not once have we returned fire. The others must think we view them as beneath our notice! Cease your questions! I am sure we'll be able to sit down and have a nice chat later!"

Justine stood up and went to throw a snowball at one of the Pennys. That was when Helewisa's gut feeling peaked in intensity, and she scrambled to prevent what she knew was about to happen. Just before Stien could release the ball of snow, Wisa knocked her arm off course and thus the ball was flung much to high to hit anything or anyone.

Another loud crackle of thunder, even more audible than the one from earlier, erupted as the bundle of snow sped off into the distance and far from viewing distance. Helewisa had a panicked expression on her face. "Be thee daft!?" she yelled at Stien.

Stien seemed annoyed and oblivious to the dangers. "Of course not. Should anyone be accused of foolishness, Wisa, that would be you! For what purpose would you interrupt my throw? Surely they would derive more enjoyment from a foe that defends itself!"

"For what purp--" she grunted in frustration. By this point, Helewisa was too excited to remember it was Dan's dimension. "How do you claim 'self defense' when your retaliation to a snowball is launching an I.C.B.M!?"

Stien tilted her head. "I.C.B.M?"

"A nuke. I refer to a nuke!"

Justine looked offended. "What makes you suspect I have access to such weaponry, Wisa? It was nothing more than a snowba---"

A loud rumbling came from off in the distance in the direction the snowball had gone, similar to a distant bomb.

Justine adopted a strained, awkward smile. "As I said, snowb--"

Helewisa, fed up with the situation, grabbed Stien's costume by the back and pulled her off her feet and began dragging her away, giving the rest of the people fighting a sincere apology. Stien pumped her fist in the air as she was pulled across the snow, leaving their despicable fort behind. "I pray that thee fight twice as hard in my absence, and I wish a good time for all!" these words were the last thing she spoke before they'd left the field for good.

...

...

...

Helewisa calmed down after a short break and decided that it would be for the best if they avoided returning, even after she realized they couldn't exactly do any damage to other girls. But which event should they join? It had to be something that wouldn't spiral out of control, so Keijo was a no-go, even if people had seemed interested in it. If Stien had any artistic ability whatsoever, Helewisa might've suggested the ice sculpting since it seemed so popular.

"Wisa?" Justine called out. "I have chosen the next activity. Let us depart!"

...

...

...

Helewisa could be found rolling not too far away from where Lily, Alex, and the purified Justine were, working on a snowman all by herself despite not having arrived their by her lonesome.

She happily hummed away at the task but after a short while, looked around the area as if searching for some one and stopped what she was doing. When she couldn't find that someone, she approached the aforementioned group with a bit of worry on her face. "Have any of you spotted Justine recently?" she eyed the former antagonist before it dawned on her who that was. "I'm not referring to the same one standing here, of course." In contrast to how she normally spoke, Helewisa's speech now was rather plain. "I speak of a loud girl who wears blue. She's rather hard to miss."

...

...

...

On her trek to the hill, Betty Barton would hear a strange noise coming from the opposite end of it. It was snow crunching but it wasn't merely the result of footsteps. It almost sounded like... something rolling around?

As she got closer to the crest of the hill, Betty would soon see a gigantic ball of snow begin to peek over, though it would not roll down. A blue-clad girl walked around the side of it, spotting Betty shortly after. "Fwahaha! Now that is the visage of determination if ever I spotted one!" she laughed, spotting the snowball in Betty's hand. "Will you be directing it towards the snowman activity as well?"

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

E m i l y

"Don't eggnog it till ya try it."

— Emily

It would be a lie to say that Emily was all sunshine and roses considering the rather aggressive start Samantha had at the beginning of the party. It also weighed on her that she could not do anything for her friend, and trying while she was ignorant would likely only cause more problems. So, Emily could definitely be in a better mood. Thankfully, Oros knew exactly what could cheer Emily up, and so the eggnog they were now drinking took the edge off. She also appreciated the hug.

When her phone chimed, indicating she had a message, Emily read the text that read:

Lupa
“Hey kiddo! How’s the party?”

Emily's expression lit up. After how suddenly Lupa had left, Emily was glad she was well enough off that she could message her. But the flame-spec did feel a tinge of sadness at the fact she couldn't speak to the girl personally.

Emily
"It's wonderful, thanks for asking! How have you been doing?"

When the Lord of Change sent a text revealing that her own text wouldn't reach Lupa, Emily deflated. She managed to listen to the Lord of Change's explanation of the game and how she could possibly get someone to this party who normally wouldn't be able to attend. Even those who were dead. Naturally, her thoughts dwelled on her deceased sibling, whom she wanted to see more than anyone else in the world. She would give almost anything to reunite with her sister... but at the end of the day, this was a promise made by a horror that was openly looking for despair.

Ignoring a once-in-a-lifetime chance was not an easy thing to do, but she decided it was for the best. Even if she won, it might no be her sister. There would be some catch, like The Monkey's Paw.

That was her justification, but she still needed a distraction. Emily immediately downed a couple of cups of eggnog. She would never hold a candle to Hilaria, but that was quite a bit for Emily to drink in such a short time. "O-oh, I should be a bit more careful..." she did not want to drink too much and get sick, like usual when eggnog was involved. And it was a good thing she slowed down, too, as Oros inquired about what they should do. "Um," Emily thought about keijo and her belly full of eggnog and no food and made the wise decision to avoid that combination. "Maybe we should stick to the harebingers?" she suggested.

Since she was intentionally avoiding the Lord of Change's game, Emily didn't immediately see who had come to the party as a result of it. Instead, as she waited to see what the others wanted to do, she spotted Connie approaching them, and then greeting her.

"Yes, it's me!" she confirmed with a welcoming smile. "And thank you, Connie! You're looking very pretty yourself! It's good to see you!" Elated to meet another friend, Emily's smile only widened. Despite their interactions being minimal, it somehow felt wrong to see just Connie. Curious, Emily tried to spot her other half, only to instead spot someone else instead. "Um, please excuse me!" she asked of the group, hurrying off towards the girl who left the first portal created by the Lord of Change.

"Tetrad? Tetrad!" Emily didn't seem interested in the other girls. "Hey, is it actually you?" If she wasn't stopped, Tetrad would find herself being hugged by the fire spec, as if she had completely forgotten the skepticism she had displayed for the Lord of Change's powers earlier.

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

J u s t i n e

"I descend! Fwahaha!"

— Stien

Stats

Age: ??? | Gender: Female | Specialization: Laughter
Powers: Courage, Justice, Will
Perks: Distinct Laugh, Dominating Presence, Devourer
Benefits: Her presence
Drawbacks: None

STR: Strong | AGI: Fast | VIT: ?? | MAG: ?? | LCK: High

Through the third portal came an unfamiliar young woman wearing an elegant blue dress and a plain red Santa cap. Although she remained mostly expressionless as she quietly observed her nearby surroundings, the girls whom she glanced over would feel an overwhelming strength of will radiating from her as she did so. She would take a few steps forward before her eyes came to rest on the very girl that had wished for her return, Hilaria.

"Stien...?" Hilaria barely had a voice as she called out to the girl in pure disbelief. The moment was a rare one, as the emotion on Hilaria's face was genuine, rather than the whimsical, fabricated norm. Tears began to form in her eyes.

The blue-clad girl took a careful step forward, seemingly unmoved by the imminent mess Hilaria was presumably about to become. Hilaria would pitifully call her name twice more between sobs before Stien's expression snapped into a smirk in less than a second, and she disappeared from sight in even less time with a loud crack that was reminiscent of thunder to a degree, and more than enough to startle the skittish and rattle nearby items.

"FWAHAHA!"

A loud, hearty roar of laughter erupted from beneath Hilaria, who was now partially suspended in the air thanks to an effortless bear hug Stien was giving her. The act had knocked any and all air out of the knight's lungs and so she gasped for air when she was finally released, earning a loud slap on the back from an amused Stien, who laughed yet again.

"Do you persist only to spite those who believe with time comes change, Wisa? Centuries its been! Yet your impression of a baby chick is as flawless as ever!"

Hilaria took a few more moments to gather back the air stolen from her lungs before shaking her head fervently. "H-Hilaria isn't a baby chick...!"

"Hard to believe when you're narrating your own dialogue and forgetting your name! Fwaha! Have you suffered a head injury, perhaps?" Stien seemed to be having the time of her life, and Hilaria began to redden in embarrassment. "Tell me! Why have you adopted a pseudonym, Helewisa? Noble that action is not!"

Hilaria sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "U-um, well... Hilaria did forget her na--"

"FWAHAHA! SO YOU TRULY DID!" Stien slapped her knee. "What a joy! Then allow me to solve the riddle of why you're speaking as you are! Is it because you think you'll do the same thing again?"

"Ye--"

"FWAHAHAHA!"

Stien took a few more moments before she calmed down enough to speak again. "I have been here not five minutes and already you've blessed me with a wonderful time! Are you trying to make up for time lost? Shall I reward you?" she asked, leaning closer to Helewisa, a coquettish grin forming before she planted a firm kiss on the knight's lips. "Were this a more private reunion I would grant you more, but we'll just have to make up for it through other means."

Helewisa was blushing profusely by this point but nodded. "Um, there's some things going on. We could try catching things, join the snowball fights, sled, or even have a competition to make a snowman." Wisa informed Stien, who thought for a moment.

"They all sound so delightful. But that's to be expected when you're with the one you love, so normally I would care not what we do. However..." Stien managed to catch a glimpse at the intense snow fort battle taking place. It clearly piqued her interest. "Shall we start with that? A test of physical prowess amongst other party-goers sounds like it would bring much joy!"

"...sure! I would love to." Helewisa agreed, a small yet warm smile finding its way onto her features.

Moments later, a loud, boisterous laugh preceded the sudden launching of snowballs at any and all other competitors. "FWAHAHAHA, WE DESCEND!" And so, Helewisa and "Justine" joined the snowball fight.