FamishedPants

Symphony on High

That Junko avatar is gonna throw me for a loop just about every time I see it.

I'll be throwing up a sheet within the next 3 years, keep an eye out.

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

S a m a n t h a

V i r i d i a n

E m i l y

"You better watch out (for this lazy header)"

— FamishedPants

Cradle was down, but not out. Vestiges of its forces remained here and there. Binky attended the meeting, Sam went with Emily to her home. But even its members' continued existence did not mean that they had a patron. But they were oblivious to what happened to Maura. They were still tied to the cradle, and their powers continued to work. There was no reason to assume something was amiss.

Except there was.

Sam could see shapeless red halos moving around in the distance. Normally Sam noticed these around other cradle agents, but now it seemed like they were alerting her to something out of sight. Something in the walls or just under foot.

Emily was in the middle of recounting an earlier event when she noticed Samantha giving her walls strange looks. She hoped something wasn't on them. "Is there something wrong?" she asked a bit hesitantly.

"..."

Sam only moved her eyes from one halo to the next, slowly standing up from the table she and Emily had been eating at, and her hand dropped to her side. There was a noticeable pause before she answered. "...There might be," she bluntly replied, making a quick pass around the apartment with her Third Eye, particularly the walls and floor, where she was getting the feeling.

All the sudden inspecting was only making Emily more nervous. She vainly tried to help, but since Samantha was being mostly quiet and not explaining anything, she wasn't even on the same search. But she did notice where Sam was looking, and absolute dread filled her expression as she came to a conclusion.

Oh, please tell me there's no rodents or vermin! This place isn't that bad...

And it really wasn't, as far as Sam could tell. But the nebulous shapes coalesced just outside the front door. A hazy smoke soon became a familiar woman. Without an invitation, she opened the front door and stepped inside.

???

”Howdy y’all!” Viridian waved before closing the door behind herself. ”Glad to see yer back on your feet. Gotta say though, I was kinda hopin’ you’d come check on us once you woke up.” She looked to Emily. ”Mind if I speak with yer friend for a moment?”

Emily had made a simple assumption that the person entering her apartment without prior notice was the same now as it had been the last few times, so she was halfway through greeting Hilaria when she turned around and realized she had been wrong, letting out a cute shriek as her face turned pink in embarrassment shortly after she realized this wasn't a normal home invader. "Um," she looked between Sam and Viridian. "I-if you two know each other and she wants to?" she tried her best to answer despite being nonplussed.

"We've known each other for some time now, Emily, and I could go for a pleasant chat," Samantha stepped forward as she reassured Emily, giving Viridian her undivided attention. "Sorry to worry you, and hello, Viridian. I wasn't entirely lucid when I woke up, and I was hoping to clear my head," while her words ended there for Emily, they continued via magicoms. I'll be fine, of course. But... I admit I wasn't eager to learn why Maura isn't responding.

Though she would normally introduce herself, Emily took a moment to calm herself down after the startle while the two talked.

”Doncha worry, pumpkin! I’m just excited to see my friend is all!” The green magical girl tried to reassure Emily. ”Afraid the city life hasn’t rubbed off on me yet. Getin’ unexpected guests was par the course in the south.”

Emily accepted the answer without any distrust, a warm smile directed at Viridian, "Oh, that's okay, honestly! I think it would be nice if Penrose was like that," she motioned for Viridian to come in. "Feel free to take a seat wherever you like. Can I grab you a glass of water? Oh, I also have some soda, too, if you would prefer?"

”A soda would be fine, darlin’!” When Emily left to get her beverage, Viridian reached out towards Sam. ”Maura and her agents were sent to another dimension. They appear to be safe, but it will be some time before they return. Others fled this reality. There are some non-combat personnel that hang around, but you’re the only active agent left in Penrose.” She tapped the cylinder Sam had hidden under her clothes. ”It might be related to that.”

While Emily was trying to be a good host, Samantha was taking in the situation report Viridian had described to her. She blinked twice. Sorry? You said 'only'? Did the dolphin get angry, or have dimensional problems become more commonplace?

”Wish I knew more, darlin’. Mint was transporting an artifact designed to harm Veronica, but it seems it blew up in transit while we were goin’ after it. My shadow magic allowed me to escape the blast, but the others? They ain’t in this world anymore. I can feel ‘em, but they ain’t in kansas anymore.”

She clearly hadn't hid her surprise very well as Emily began to worry about the look on her face. "Sam, is everything alright?"

"...It will be. Just seem to be having a small headache, is all," she looked at Emily. "It occurs to me that I haven't had a drink since I woke up, I could use that glass of water."

"I'll just be one moment," she hurried into the kitchen and began grabbing cups for the three of them.

Samantha reached into her coat, producing the cylinder containing the hunt Veridian was poking at. She read it all the way through for the first time, raising her eyebrow in confusion, then her expression turned to one of disdain. Slay or drive off the Scarlet Stranger...? Veronica? What is this? Mint propaganda? She looked up from the hunt, to Viridian. "Whatever is going on, I'm not so out of it that I can't do my job. If she needs me, I'm there."

”That ain’t mint propaganda, hun. Veronica left Cradle in Maura’s care so that she could avoid the Mint long enough to enact her plan. She didn’t tell me what that was until recently. You know that Su was a familiar turned magical girl? You know that Veronica has a radio tower that lets her broadcast her magic a great distance? She put that intel together and raised herself a magical girl army. Not that she needs one, since anyone who uses a red coin can be brainwashed by her if they come in range of the tower.” Viridian pursed her lips. ”She’s going to cripple Penrose before the wonderland invasion. She needs to be stopped.”

It wasn't hard to see what Samantha was thinking. As Viridian spoke, Sam's expression darkened and her body tensed up. By the time they had mentioned stopping Veronica, Sam was grinding her teeth in unmistakable anger. No. I don’t believe that! She was concerned about that power falling into the wrong hands. That is something the Mint would do, but she wouldn’t. You have to be making some sort of mistake!

”Afraid I ain’t, hun.” Viridian folded her arms. Her smile had disappeared from her face. ”I don’t understand your relationship with her, but if you believe in Veronica so strongly, this might be a good thing.” She placed a hand on Samantha’s shoulder. ”Now now, no need to make a face. How ‘bout you find someone you trust and meet up with her? See how things are and talk it out. If I’m wrong, you can come back to Penrose with her. If I’m right…” She closed her eyes. ”You’ll do what needs to be done.”

Despite her intense glare, Samantha softly placed her hand atop Viridian's. After she had a few moments to ponder Viridian's suggestion, Samantha began to slowly nod her head as the intensity seemed to partially drain away. She didn't exactly look friendly, but then again, when did she? "...Fine. Fine," She peeled the hand off her shoulder in a deliberately slow manner. That sounds like it would be for the best, and I can't imagine you being so confident in it if you didn't believe it. And if you do, then of course Penrose would, which could be problematic. I hate to leave while we have nobody to substitute so I will return as soon as possible. "But if I'm the only active one left... who would I even take...?" she wondered aloud, just in time to notice Emily return with their drinks.

Emily presented the two girls with their cups wearing a concerned expression. "Um," she looked between the two, noticing the tension in Samantha and the lack of smile on Viridian. "...is something the matter? You guys have been kinda quiet, mostly. Is it something I can help with?"

Sam denied her with a shake of her head. "No. I just need to think..." she dismissed the friendly girl's offer, but only momentarily. Her mind raced through all her possibilities and she found...

Almost none

She was beginning to lament her poor people skills as it left her with few options. Veronica and Veridian were both, obviously, not choices, and Trixie was already with Veronica. Even if she completely disbelieved Viridian, she had to account for the slim possibility it was true, which meant assuming Trixie was probably...

Samantha had never felt a sense of dread quite as strong as the one that passed through her at that moment. "...A-actually," She quickly cleared her throat. "You might be able to. How would you feel about leaving Penrose for a short time?"

Emily blinked twice, surprised by the sudden change. "O-oh, um, I don't mind as long as we can be back before rent is due! What is it that you need help with, though?"

Sam looked at Viridian, the woman's words on her mind. If she had to trust someone, nobody made more sense than Emily. She remembered their talk at their park during their first meeting, and how it had helped her

"I just need to squash a nasty rumor going around about my... boss," Samantha said, turning back to Emily. "While I don't believe it, Viridian does, which means I can't ignore it. I expect us to meet with them, speak for a bit, and then come back home. It shouldn't take too long, you definitely shouldn't be missing out on rent." Sam rubbed the back of her neck as she continued. "That said, in the unlikely case that the rumor is true... things will get extremely dangerous."

Emily seemed determined. "Rumors can be harmful, I know that very well. Of course, I'll help, danger or not! I'm sure your boss is a very lovely person!" She gave Sam a curious look. "So what kind of rumors have been spread?"

"Uh... the rumors involve mind control and a potential invasion of Penrose with said people under mind control."

In response to hearing this, Emily blinked. "T-that's certainly a nasty rumor..." She looked over to Viridian, her eyes pleading for help to make sense of what Sam just said.

Viridian let out a long, tired sigh before forcing a smile. ”If you’re goin’ into this with Sam, I guess you need to hear it all. From the beginning’ then!” She popped her soda open. ”I’m Viridian, twin soul to Veronica. When I was created, Veronica left her faction in Maura’s hands. Her faction was Crimson Cradle in case you’re not in the know. The faction’s mission was to liberate Penrose from tyrannical forces. That was primarily the Mint, but Beacon earned her ire as well. I think we can all agree the Ascendancy was not one of the better things Beacon brought to Penrose.” She shook her head. ”But Veronica hadn’t planned for this exchange of power to last forever. She’d been workin’ on ‘Project Wukong’ for a while. She didn’t tell me a lot of the details. Just that it was sure to shake up the power structure around here. So while all ‘yall been hustlin’ in Penrose, distracting the power structure, Veronica was working on her magnum opus. The red coins, the magicom network, it was all a prototype to make an indomitable magical girl army. Anyone who’s used a red coin can’t resist her army, which is all the important folks in Penrose. Even Penny couldn’t stop the invasion.” She took a sip of her soda, which made her smile again. ”The timin’ of the darn thing isn’t ideal, but are we so far gone that we need Veronica to just hijack everyone’s minds? If she were to get a hold of the nexus, free will as we know it may cease to exist!” She sloshed her soda around. ”But if it’s a rumor, no harm no foul.”

The recap had seen Emily's eyes widen as the severity of the situation had likely escalated far beyond what she was expecting. She had her free hand over her heart, her soda had barely been touched. "Y-you're saying all this about your twinned soul?" she sounded concerned. "I'm sure that's not something you would just do..." She went to look at Sam, but the girl wasn't there.

Sam had slipped into the kitchen at some point while Viridian was speaking to drop off her now-empty cup and had been hurrying back to them when she noticed Emily's lost look. "Hmm? You having second thoughts?" she questioned.

"A-absolutely not!" she denied with a shake of her head.

"That is good to hear," Samantha replied. "We should leave right away. I'll be outside," Sam abruptly said, acknowledging Viridian with a nod before leaving out the door without any further words.

Emily stared at the door for a few seconds, taking a big drink from her soda. "I don't think I've seen her this... motivated before," she admitted while turning to Viridian and offering to take her can. "Sorry things are like this. I'm sure it's hard."

”Darlin’? Livin’ in Penrose is hard. No need to throw me a pity party, I feel a lot worse for you.” She crushed her soda can flat and pitched it into the recycling bin. ”As for Sam, yea. She and Veronica have an interesting relationship. It ain’t love, but it ain’t your regular ol’ respect either. It almost transcends all that.” She placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder. ”I can’t pretend to know what will happen, but I do hope things come to a satisfactory conclusion. I’d prefer it if Veronica doesn’t have to die. Partially because I’d stop living, but…” She trailed off. Viridian looked at the door. Sam was right on the other side. She leaned over to Emily and whispered something into her ear before. Standing back up. ”...It would probably be best if she was unconscious, so that I could properly deal with her. Only if it’s necessary, of course.”

"Um, I guess it's at least clear that Sam cares for Veronica. But you're sure it's not love?" she seemed surprised. But she was even more surprised to hear Viridian speaking about Veronica's death so openly. "It won't happen!" she promised. "...I wouldn't be Emily if I killed a sister, let alone two!"

Listening to Viridian whisper to her, she stared at her front door. She nodded when the girl finished telling her something, and her response was just as furtive as Viridian's. "Well... I don't think Sam wants to, either. I can feel she's scared about something, and I think it must be that." she conveyed, returning to a normal speaking voice afterward. "Well, if things turn out poorly, we'll just have to make her come around."

She walked over to her sink and tossed the cup beside Sam's. "But you'll see as much when we get back. For now, um, I think I should probably get going." She held the door open for Viridian.

Samantha was waiting just outside, pushing off of the wall she had chosen to lean against when she saw the door open.

”Don’t need a house sitter?” Viridian laughed at her own joke as she hurried outside. ”Ah, if only the mood was a li’l lighter.” She folded her hands behind her back and looked at Sam. ”I can sense some of the other agents have returned to Cradle’s HQ. I’ll let ‘em know what’s going on. Otherwise, I think I’ve prolonged my stay enough.” She waved to Emily. ”Keep Samantha safe, ya hear?” And with that, she sunk into the shadows.

"Of course!" Emily waved back as Viridian disappeared, noticing Sam had begun to walk away. She hurriedly followed behind her friend, matching her quickened pace. "Wait up, Sam!"

...

...

...

Some minutes after they had separated from Veridian, Samantha hadn't slowed down one bit. Her eyes were focused forward and she hadn't said a word, leaving Emily to follow behind in awkward silence. Even though her expression was neutral, Emily could feel the increasing worry clouding Sam's heart. It only seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"S-Sam?" Emily called out, finally.

She received no answer as her friend continued on.

Emily tried again. "Sam! Hello?"

Evidently lost in thought, Samantha finally moved her eyes away from the way forward, to Emily. "...yes? Is something the matter? Did you forget something?"

Shaking her head, Emily mustered up the courage to pry. "Oh, um, no! I don't need to get anything. It's just... are you okay?" she placed a hand over her heart. "I can sense when people are feeling sad," she explained. "...So, um, I can tell you're thinking about something that is making you even more sad."

Samantha stopped walking. "Is that so?" she remained silent for a moment. "Oh, I suppose it makes sense you would have that..." Samantha looked at Emily and pondered something. She hesitated to speak again at first, but eventually did. "I don't believe in Veronica's betrayal, I really don't. But... I have never been a glass half full sort of person. I am always considering the worst-case scenario for anything, and this is no different."

Emily nodded in understanding. "Even if... what was said about Veronica is true, I'm sure we can make her see reason! She's not just your boss, right? She's important to you. I'm sure that counts for something."

"Maybe. It would be nice if I could believe that. I am her number one agent, after all," there was genuine pride in that statement. It clearly meant something to her. "But if she's doing this, she's doing this for a reason she's mulled over and considered alternatives to," Samantha sighed, then turned and kept walking, motioning for Emily to follow. "Which would mean she probably isn't going to just stop because we tell her mind controlling Penrose is bad."

Emily frowned behind her. "If you mean as much to her as she means to you, I think your words might have more impact than you might think! Sometimes, people tunnel vision when focusing on something they feel really strongly about. I can't say I know why she might want to do all of that, but maybe she just needs someone she knows to talk some sense into her? Sometimes it's more about who the words come from than what the words are."

Emily could see Sam shake her head. "If that were the case, Veridian would have been enough," Sam dismissed the idea.

"Um... I think it's still worth a try, at least. Wouldn't it be best to do everything you can before assuming she's not gonna listen? If you give up before you've even tried that'll only leave one option..."

"...I suppose," Sam replied, keeping her eyes forward again. "But we're only speaking hypothetically right now. Veronica is probably not doing any of that. When we reach her and meet up, I expect her to be irritated. She'll wonder why I went out of my way to meet up with her instead of just asking over magicoms, and then she'll peer into my mind and chide me for being having such unwarranted thoughts. Maybe that's downplaying how upset she'll be..." she shrugged her shoulders. "But at least Trixie will probably be happy to see me."

Emily couldn't follow the conversation entirely. "Um, so what exactly are magicoms? And Veronica can just peer into your mind?" if Sam had turned around she would have seen the confusion on Emily's face. "And Trixie? Is she a friend of yours?"

Stopping again, Sam turned to Emily. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know that. To put it shortly, Veronica's powers allow us, the Crimson Cradle, or whomever she decides to share the power with, to speak to each others nonverbally from wherever we are. I could speak to her right now, but I... have decided it's best to wait until we're in person. Anyway, she's also able to read my thoughts due to a contract I signed with her a bit back," Sam broke eye contact momentarily. "...but as far as I'm aware she's only able to read my own. You don't need to worry about your own thoughts. Instead, you should worry about Trixie."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Emily asked.

Sam shook her head and Emily could swear she saw a smile trying to creep onto Sam's face. "That she is... uh, what is the term people on Glimmr use? 'Thirsty'? Well, she's really open about her attraction to people, and she has way too much energy most of the time. She might be a bit overbearing, but if that ends up being the case, one good strike to the solar plexus should work," Sam said nonchalantly suggested. "I don't honestly expect her to flirt in front of her girlfriend though. We haven't seen each other since she left, so I am hoping she'll direct most of her energy towards me."

"Girlf-- OH" Emily suddenly realized it. "I-is she the one you were talking about at the park when we first met?"

Samantha nodded. "Y-yeah," she rubbed the back of her neck and turned a bit pink. "She's a handful to say the least. But... she's also very hardworking when she's motivated, and... really patient, despite her appearances. You two will get along fine, I know it. Just... don't give her your glimmr if you have one. You will live to regret it," as she said this, Samantha once again turned back and continued to walk, her smile fading immediately.

Emily followed behind, mostly silent after the uncharacteristic show of emotion from Samantha. On one hand, she was happy because he saw a side of her friend she didn't get to see much of and it was proof, as far as she was concerned, that there was genunine trust between them. On the other hand, however, was the realization that Samantha might have had everything to lose here. It made too much sense, now, why she was giving off such negative feelings.

Emily became determined more than ever.

That smile... if I'm really her friend, I'll protect it!

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

E m i l y

"Feeling down but not quite out."

— Emily

Penrose was a city that never slept and neither did the monsters that prowled in it, meaning that even when the big players were making their moves, a lot of monsters simply didn't care to wait their turn, or maybe even used it as an opportunity. But Emily was vigilant, especially now that most of Penrose had returned.

Besides that, she would find herself occasionally joining Jonald and his pomegranate-hating 'friend', Laughable-Laura, as they continued their investigation into the whereabouts of the monster that took the lives of the people they loved. But she was no detective and felt rather useless most of the time, with the two others doing their own thing more often than not.

Today was just like many others had been since the party, with her finishing a job against a forgettable monster or two and now heading home. Jonald had left by this point, and Hilaria had not mentioned stopping by her apartment today, so there was no need to rush home. So Emily didn't. She decided to walk, but maybe that wasn't for the best.

Jonald had been assuring her that it was only a matter of time before they could take revenge, but Emily's mind wasn't really on vengeance. It was this weight that sat on her chest that grew heavier each day, ever since that Christmas party.

She had lost two friends that day. Tragically, Samantha had seemingly passed away due to her injuries during the intense Keijo match with Penny. And while that was heartbreaking, while it did cause her grief, it sadly didn't compare to the pain she felt when thinking about Sakura, whom she felt responsible for.

Oh, Sakura... I am so sorry...

How many times had she apologized by now? She felt like a broken record by this point. Each time she thought of the girl, guilt ate at her and she couldn't help it. What else could she do, now?

Needless to say, Emily's flame had begun to dim lately. She could not justify bothering her other friends, like Connie, when she was so disgusted with how she treated Sakura. She wasn't sure she deserved friends if she was going to treat them so poorly over a misunderstanding.

She couldn't even apologize. Sakura was gone. And by the time she came back in about a decade, she would probably hate Emily for not even having the decency to be there as her guardian. For failing her. After all, that's what happened last time she waited for someone. It would be no different now. As long as she kept failing her friends when they needed her, it would always be like that.

But by chance, Emily was brought back to more tangible concerns when she noticed something falling from the sky out of the corner of her eye. "Is that a tombstone?" It was a lot bigger than necessary, but yeah that was. As it neared the ground, it disappeared from view behind buildings separating Emily from where it was going to land. Figuring this could be a fight between magical girls, and naturally wanting to break it up, Emily rushed to the scene.

What she was met with was confusion. No tombstone was anywhere to be seen and nobody was there. It was a vacant street on Penrose, as far as looks were concerned. No, something was off...

And as she thought that, she saw a blurred streak of crimson dart down a nearby alleyway. "Hey, wait up!" Emily cried out, boosting her way over as quickly as she could, reaching it a few seconds after losing track of the person.

When she turned down the alley, she became aware of just how dark it was compared to the street, but even still, she could make out the silhouette of a dark figure in the back of it. She hurriedly entered the alleyway, attempting to grab its attention. "S-sorry if I startled you, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay! I saw this gia-" as Emily took a step, a chill ran down her spine as she noticed there was no heat coming from the figure and she realized that whatever that meant, it probably wasn't good.

Confirming her suspicions was the sudden pain in her back as she was grabbed and slammed against the wall, having been ambushed from behind, despite her not seeing anywhere to hide. But how they got behind Emily wasn't as important as what they were going to do. Emily assumed the worst as she felt something press against her neck, and attempted to bring her gauntlets up in defense, only to notice just how familiar the two red orbs she was now looking into were. "S-Sam, is that you?"

The figure who until now had been strongly pressing Emily into the wall of the alley, and an object into her neck, let up a little bit in response, and the intense shine of her eyes seemed to lessen within seconds. "Sam?" she... questioned. "Yes. You're right, that's right. And you're... Emily?" her eyes widen a smidge as she recognizes the girl. And then a second or two later, she realized she still had something pressed to Emily's throat and backed away, giving her a bit of space.

"Oh!..." Emily sniffled, before breaking out into tears. "I thought you were dead!" Wasting no time getting rid of that space Sam gave her, she gave the assassin a strong hug, which Sam reluctantly accepted. "What happened to you?" she asked between joyous sobs. Pulling away due to a discomfort in her side, Emily realized she just impaled herself on whatever Sam was holding... or would have, if it was sharp. "*sniffle* and what is that...?"

"Dead... no, not quite," she answered. "Closer than I'd like over a stupid game though..." she bit her lip in frustration as Emily brought up what was poking her. It wasn't her knife, obviously, but instead, it was the canister that Bonnie had left her. "Oh, this? It's..." Sam seemed to struggle to come up with an explanation. In fact, she seemed a lot less... 'sure' of anything at the moment, she sounded like she wasn't entirely there yet. "...a problem, I think. You don't need to worry about it."

When she could finally calm herself enough to let Samantha out of the hug, Emily took a step back and apologized for the outburst. "Um... sorry, it's just that after the party, and after what happened to Sakura, I'm just so glad to see you're okay!"

"Sakura?" she repeated, but the look on Emily's face seemingly told Sam all she needed to know. "She's...? I see... It seems I've missed more than a few things in my absence."

Emily tried to smile as best she could. "...a lot goes on in Penrose. Sometimes it feels like you can't blink without something big happening here. Were you... sleeping this whole time, then?"

"I think that's the best way to put it," she nodded. "And... I haven't been awake for too long." Sam rubbed her temples, then looked around the streets. Spotting nobody nearby, she sighed. "...Would you mind catching me up on anything important that's happened recently? Nobody is returning my calls right now."

"Um, I don't mind at all! But... well, I haven't been social recently so a lot of stuff I know is just what I've heard," she pushed her two index fingers together sheepishly.

"...I would take even gossip at this point over being left in the dark," Sam admitted, raising an eyebrow at Emily's words. "Guess I'm not an expert at it... but what is rushing into an alleyway after some stranger if not social?"

"O-oh, umm! See, there was this really big tombstone falling from the sky and I didn't get a good look at you, so I was wondering if you needed help!" she explained.

Sam shrugged. "Well, it's gone. That's all that matters. You do-"

"Sam?" Samantha seemed to suddenly pause mid-sentence, causing Emily to worry. "Hello?"

"Oh, my apologies... Just a bit of deja vu. Don't worry about it..." she glanced around the alley one final time before looking at Emily. "Mind if we move this somewhere more... pleasant?" she pinched her nose and looked at a nearby trashcan.

Emily nodded. "Yeah, we definitely can. Um, I was headed home, so do you want to stop by my place? I can make quite the mean lasagna if you're hungry."

*GROWL*
"-I."

It seemed Samantha's stomach was quicker than she was with its response. Emily could swear she saw a shade of pink cross Sam's features for a moment. "...if you're offering. I don't think I realized how terribly famished I am." she said, turn away from Emily and exiting the alleyway.

Emily stifled a happy giggle, wiping away the last remains of the happy tears she had cried earlier. "Anything I can do to help!"

Samantha's head tilted downwards, and though Emily couldn't exactly what she was looking at, she felt like it might've been that canister she was holding. As her curiosity led her to wonder what was inside, she just barely caught the end of something Samantha said quietly.

"...-lp, huh."

It was so difficult to hear Emily wasn't sure if Sam even meant to speak at all. Emily was no mind reader, even if sometimes her power of friendship could look like such. Was there something Samantha wanted to say? Well, whatever the case was, Samantha didn't look like she wanted to wait in this alley any longer once she turned around to see why Emily had quieted down.

"Oh, sorry! Yeah, lets go!"

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

S o m e b o d y

"But who?"

— S?

Stats

Age: 16 | Gender: Female | Specialization: Time, Darkness
Powers: Third Eye | Regeneration | Teleportation
Perks: Enhanced Weapon, Enhanced Outfit, Enhanced Transformation, Martial Training, Incognito, Gifted, Awareness
Benefits: Top Aidoru, Cradle Supply, Connected, Retrieval
Drawbacks: Sadistic, Exposed, Penance

STR: 03 | AGI: 03 | VIT: 03 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03

STR: 11 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 15| LCK: 03

At least here, there hadn't been any loud noises in the past few hours. But where was here? "Here" was likely somewhere secluded, somewhere far away from prying eyes, and somewhere quite quiet.

At least until now.

Suddenly and without warning, a cacophony erupted.

Was that the sound of glass shattering? And yet, no broken windows nearby.

"...ust need to do it long enough to be treate--!?"

What was supposed to be the corpse of a magical girl peacefully resting on a bed or table suddenly started speaking before cutting herself off prematurely, confused as she sat up to take in her surroundings. She couldn't immediately recognize them or the weird costume she was wearing. And come to think of it, she realized that she...

...didn't really know much?

Trying to piece together her thoughts was difficult, it felt like there was a fog in her head that would obscure anything she tried to bring to the forefront of her mind. For some reason, she felt like she should be at a beach right now, but as for why, she wasn't sure.

Well, nothing happening at a beach was that important, probably. For now, she figured she should focus on remembering what she could. Her name, for example, could be an easier starting point, so she concentrated on recalling it. No more time than a second passed before she found a name she felt a lot of positive emotion towards.

Trixy?

Positive emotions, but for some reason that didn't seem right. And neither did other names that popped up. She wasn't a Veronica or a Veridian, nor was she an Emily or a Penny.

She was a S-

-amantha?
-ilhouette?
-hade?

She was something that started with an S, but she wasn't sure what. Two of those didn't really seem like names, but they were important to her in a way she didn't currently understand, so she found it impossible to settle on any of them.

Maybe someone else knows who I am?

The girl finally made a motion to stand up but found her legs doing their best impression of jelly. This, in turn, caused her to finally pay attention to how her body felt: so very weak, and she stifled a groan as a dulled pulse of pain shot through her body. It felt more like she was remembering pain than actually experiencing it, but that didn't mean it was pleasant.

Still, she managed to pull herself back to her feet and brace herself against a nearby wall as she regained her strength. Over the next couple of minutes, she not only regained enough strength to move relatively normally, but big chunks of her memory started to return to her, the fog in her head starting to lift.

At one point, she had been a contract killer whose superpowers only existed when people told exaggerated stories about him. Sure, he was efficient and clean, but he'd still die like anyone else. It wasn't until a local magical girl had unfortunately been a part of a hit of his that he ever learned about the existence of the supernatural. And even then, it was only because the Mint wasn't a fan of losing assets that still had value to them.

The Mint...

She had worked under them willingly, unwilling to make an enemy of them while she was still new to the idea that magic truly existed. Nowadays, it almost seems silly that someone could be so ignorant. But not only that, it's in the Mint where one of those other names comes up.

Veronica.

Her boss, and the person she trusts the most. In a way, it's laughable. There had never been a point in time where she trusted the Mint, but, perhaps since their first fight, she had always placed a high amount of trust in Veronica. A lot of respect, too.

She was very capable, a woman who knew exactly how to get what they wanted, when they wanted, without anyone ever knowing. And unlike her, Veronica was a natural leader. She could be charismatic when she desired, threatening when she needed, and with ambition one could have envied. Unlike herself, Veronica was constantly moving forward.

The girl put two fingers to her lips, the memory of the contract they made together surfacing.

Veronica was her... boss? friend? rival? more?

Well, whatever she was, she was not anymore. But that wasn't Veronica's fault, was it? Still, it was true that Veronica was important to her, and still was. She never really had to doubt her loyalty to Veronica, even if she felt her heart pull her towards someone else.

And of course, that someone else was Trixy.

She could almost laugh at herself for mistaking that name for her own. Could someone even be less like her if they had tried? As far as she was originally concerned, Trixy was just some lecherous idiot. Couldn't keep her lust hidden, and often screwed around. Her post count alone could attest to how well they shouldn't match.

And yet, Trixy was her first date.

Of course, she fully intended on breaking up after it, even had it not ended with her nearly joining the many who died that day.

They weren't supposed to go out seriously. She went into it expecting the relationship to fail because they were pointless. It was supposed to just be her concrete proof that forming actual relationships was pointless, seeing people as things beyond allies, neutrals, and foes, was pointless. Veronica was the sole exception, and everyone else had to be surface-level at deepest.

But that changed after she recovered from the incident at the rave. Why was it so hard to just do what she had set out to, and break up with the girl? It shouldn't have mattered how she would take it, and that second date she promised shouldn't have mattered, either. But they were causing her to pause, to avoid talking or speaking to Trixy, and to stall. To hesitate.

She wasn't one to hesitate. I mean read her fucking transformation incantation dude

Thankfully, she was able to understand herself a bit better after having a lengthy talk with another magical girl in the park. She realized she'd been too prideful to admit, even to herself, that she was terrified of forming actual relationships due to her inexperience with them.

Once she could do that, and once she could work up the courage to speak to Trixy again, she pursued that second date. From that point, she even found childishly mocking the Ascendency to be entertaining, not pointless.

But of course, her story hadn't ended there. She had only just started to open up, to understand herself better. But she still had a job as Cradle's top agent, and there was some unfinished business in Penrose that caused her to stay, even when the two people most important to her left the city.

Aside from a nosey little rat she had noticed and intended to deal with, the main reason she stayed behind was to attend the party that the girl from the park, Emily, had wanted her to go to. It was the least she could do after that, and so she attended.

...ah, that's why I felt like I needed to be at the beach.

She recalled the last moment before she fell unconscious.

Despite using her trump card, winning the match of Keijo was not in the stars for her. As upsetting as that was, more important, was the fact that "do or die" moves like hers did not actually care if you were able to "do" and would still make you "die" if you weren't careful.

She had developed a contingency for such things... but it was her first attempt at actually performing it.

She intended to place herself in Stasis as it's considerably easier and less taxing to do than normal, to buy some extra minutes for help to arrive and treat her.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, what happened was that she was far too injured and exhausted to execute this attempt perfectly, lost consciousness at the worst possible time, and accidentally kept herself frozen for a lot longer than she intended.

She kinda wished she didn't remember that part, but at least she could remember almost everything that happened.

It's frustrating, but I must've been off my mark. I sincerely doubt I was like that for years or anything but I'll have to be especially careful in the future. I suppose I should be looking for Maura, and figuring out what's gone on since I failed.

Strangely, however, she got a really bad feeling.

Why does it feel like I'm really late for something...?

Synphony on Highschool

I'll have a sheet and a waifu up tomorrow at the latest.

Symphony of Espers

I suppose that's enough for a ramble. Enjoy the rest of your holiday.

@BrokenPromise

Don't tell me what to do.

Symphony of Espers

S a m u e l

"Still feeling that burn."

— Sam

Status

30 | Male | G.E.M.I.N.I | Creeping Anxiety
Rip, Tear | Dagger, Sword | Arcane | Fade
Delusion | Dying Light
Malice | Darkness | Devious Intent
YPINMFMP | Umbral Contingencies
[Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Construction (4), Transplace (8), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4)

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: D | 750

[Bronze Nada(0)[Zilch(0)] = -0

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 10

We succeeded but... it doesn't really feel like it...

Samuel was exhausted by the time he ended up on the stunt bag. Slicing bugs out of the air was quite the workout for the arms, as it happened, and the rest of the events of the day hadn't helped, either. But in the end, it had been for something. The Holy Diver had been felled and Justin no longer could torment people.

His body protested as loud as it could with aches throughout his arms and legs, but the G.E.M.I.N.I agent grit through and took the impressive action of standing up. Or at least the effort he needed to do so made it feel impressive. Hopefully, it wasn't too apparent to everyone around him how ready he was to take a nice week-long nap.

”Kept you waiting, huh?” She folded her arms. ”Seems our enemy was able to predict the Diver’s arrival. But you were able to complete the objective regardless.” Veronica looked over everyone present. ”Where’s Breacher?”

By the time Samuel had realized it was Veronica who showed, Fable and Agent Leroux had already begun telling her of Breacher's fate, and while they did tell Veronica about Breacher, well, Samuel would have been a bit less vulgar in doing so. At the very least, Dr. Moller was generally not inclined to care about those things. Former Office Manager Howard, however? It might have cost the boy an ear.

But those days were behind him. And so, he cast a glance at the two holding the harp and retained a firm grip on his weapons. It was difficult to imagine Su's child suddenly turning on the lot of them, what with her being so integral to the Diver's defeat at the end, so he naturally was keeping an eye on the other, less familiar, girl.

But while Samuel was doing that, Mika approached Moller and, sadly, was forced to confront the sad reality that she had lost her parent in this fight. The experience was sad, but it was also quite frustrating for Samuel.

"..."

When Samuel lost his parents, he felt very little.

It was a shock, sure, but they ultimately weren't people Samuel cared for beyond the money they provided, and it was the parents themselves who wanted to have such a cold relationship with their child. As long as he didn't start too much trouble at school and kept good grades, they would not even pretend to have much interest in anything else about him. How could he love people like that?

In stark contrast to his cold indifference was Mika's genuine pain at Su's death. It was the sort of reaction anyone with a normal, positive relationship with the parents should have. And so, they were nothing alike.

She lost a parent, I merely lost sponsors, after all...

Veronica held her chin. "When she calms down, she could make for a good agent.”

Temporarily, the sorrowful situation left his attention as Dr. Moller made an observation. "Assuming she had little to no experience before today, I would argue that she has shown absurd potential today, not unlike the newest agents," he agreed.

But would her mother want that for her?

As Veronica focused on answering Jacqueline, Samuel turned to the two younger agents, dismissing his demonic transformation. Noticing the reassuring hand on Finn's back, Samuel couldn't help but appreciate this was evidence they were becoming more cohesive as a team. "How reliable you two have proven to be," he glanced in the precinct's direction. "I think she could use friends like that if she were to decide to join G.E.M.I.N.I. And even if she doesn't."

He said this much and returned his attention to the conversation about the harp and the girl. Unfortunately, a person coming out of a behemoth was unprecedented, or at least Dr. Moller herself wasn't familiar with any such situation. That meant they knew laughably little about the girl, but rather conveniently, someone who knew spontaneously appeared.

O-Oros the Mad, here!?

Unfortunately, this individual was Depraved, dangerous, and known for her highly erratic behavior. And she was claiming to know Ashley.

Aside from the obvious surprise and concern, there was a small, unexplainable ire that cropped up in Samuel when he saw Oros, as well as an equally-random nostalgia. He vaguely recalled having a similar feeling about one of the Mavericks back at Justin's manor. Now if only he could figure out why he kept getting these strange flashes of nostalgia.

But it was more important to see what Ashley said, and to see where this interaction was leading. Surely, such a sizable threat and menace to society like Oros didn't show up a mere minute after such an important fight merely by coincidence and for the sole purpose of picking up a date, right?

Symphony of Espers

S a m u e l

"Really feeling that burn right now"

— Sam

Status

30 | Male | G.E.M.I.N.I | Creeping Anxiety
Rip, Tear | Dagger, Sword | Arcane | Fade
Delusion | Dying Light
Malice | Darkness | Devious Intent
YPINMFMP | Umbral Contingencies
[Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Construction (4), Transplace (8), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4)

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: D | 750

[Bronze Nada(0)[Zilch(0)] = -0

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 10

The initial ascent granted by the spectral giraffe, quite frankly, startled Samuel, who still had what happened to Breacher fresh in his mind. But it took merely a heartbeat before Samuel realized he wasn't about to be whisked into the air and crushed, and that Breacher's child had been the one to give them a lift.

"Appreciated"

--or at least that is what Samuel wanted to say. With the cacophony of locust and grunts, some of which were coming from himself, he didn't have the chance, instead spending that breath on yet another stroke of his sword.

As sinister as his grin seemed while fighting, he wasn't sure he could keep this up forever. There were, after all, quite a lot of locust buzzing around, and swords weren't the optimal thing to be using to deal with them. It was exhausting. He could feel his arms burning in disapproval of the sheer amount of swings he was asking of them. It was also difficult for him to tell exactly how helpful he was even being.

It can't be invulnerable, can it?

He chose to cut down more locust, straining himself even harder to keep them off of his allies, hoping this defense would prove beneficial while they desperately sought a way to avoid the coming plague. No time to wait for their cavalry, unfortunately, so things had to be done by the people right here right now. Ashley at least seemed to notice something of importance, though whether it'd lead them to victory remained to be seen.

He could only trust that what his allies noticed would help them succeed in defeating this abomination. The plague-bringing abomination was certainly awesome, durable, and strong. Not unlike how he imagined himself many years ago. Invincible, as if he were some sort of 'god' above his fellow students. A crime karma would not let go unpunished, and yet it was that very same day he had come to learn something: that even 'gods' can fall.

So what if this one was somewhat taller?

Symphony of Espers

S a m u e l

"Fable chill the fuck out dude this is Monster Hunter not SotC. Horngang where u @?"

— Sam

Status

30 | Male | G.E.M.I.N.I | Creeping Anxiety
Rip, Tear | Dagger, Sword | Arcane | Fade
Delusion | Dying Light
Malice | Darkness | Devious Intent
YPINMFMP | Umbral Contingencies
[Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Construction (4), Transplace (8), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4)

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: D | 750

[Bronze Nada(0)[Zilch(0)] = -0

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 10

Somehow avoiding the nasty hail that fell from above, Samuel managed to catch the apparent end of Justin, hoping that it was the last time they would ever have to see him in anything other than a report. It was far from easy but they had managed to avenge Agent Breacher, which wasn't their main objective but it was important to Samuel.

"Where’s mom?"

Just as Samuel was thinking about Su, a strangely familiar voice asked for its mother. Samuel turned around the see what was obvious an Esper with cat-like features including ears and a tail, sporting attire remisicent of a belly dancer.

That's...?

There was a strong tug at his heartstrings but it wasn't just because of the tragic situation the girl found herself in. It seemed reasonably safe to assume this was likely Su's daughter, which meant she was going to have to learn about her mother's demise sooner or later. A sad thought, but what was really getting at him was the weird sense of relief and familliarity -- similar to how he felt after physically visiting his grandmother after a few years separation.

He pinched his thumb to the side of his index finger and felt a strange sense of loss he couldn't explain, but it had something to do with the girl. This feeling subsided shortly after and, as usual, Samuel had more important things to worry about and so chose to move on.

It seemed Locusts were the current flavor of plague and that meant one less barrier between them and losing firstborns outright. Samuel also had no mana left to assist, meaning he probably wasn't going to be helpful beyond just whacking at the thing, much like it seemed Jacqueline and their newest had set out to do, wasting no time crossing the bridge.

Samuel was last across the feline-construct, swatting away locust where he could. Visibility somehow became worse with the addition of locusts, but he successfully managed to make out the form of Orion, who had begun charging a melody. Fable was ascending the beast in a flamboyant fashion and Jacqueline wasn't really letting herself fall behind, blinking onto the behemoth and going to town on it.

He could not afford the Transplace note necessary to scale the Diver and join Jacqueline and Fable, so he remained in proximity to Ashley. He wasn't sure how effective his attacks might be, but doing anything at all was better than nothing, and his exhaustion was mostly magical in nature, at least for the present.

"Give it everything you have! Lets stop the casualties with this!"

At least he could encourage his allies to do their best.

Symphony of Espers

S a m u e l

"I just wanted to make super sure."

— Sam

Status

30 | Male | G.E.M.I.N.I | Creeping Anxiety
Rip, Tear | Dagger, Sword | Arcane | Fade
Delusion | Dying Light
Malice | Darkness | Devious Intent
YPINMFMP | Umbral Contingencies
[Obfuscate (4)] [Intangible (4)], Damage X (6), Pull (2), Dispel (6), Mana Burn (6), Restrain (4), Construction (4), Transplace (8), Piercing (2), Full Enhance (4)

DAMAGE: C | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: D | 750

[Bronze Self(4)[Intangible(4)] = -32
[If:Foe(0)][Silver Projectile(9)Damage X(6) = -108

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 10

Samuel got maybe two steps into his sprint before a sudden compulsion prevented him from moving another inch. He willed his body to struggle against it but his attempts were in vain, much to his consternation. Things really weren't looking great.

That really is a merciless ability...

Then, just as suddenly as it had came, it went. Justin's ability was no longer affecting him, providing the opportunity to escape. Samuel took the chance without a word, not even sparing a glance back to see what had caused Justin pause, barely managing to survive.

But he wasn't out of trouble just yet.

It wasn't until he suddenly felt a pull from behind and a sharp pain around his neck that he understood his scarf had been caught. Worse was that it wasn't just caught... it was being reeled in towards walls meant to crush him, while the newest plague caused painful boils to form all around his body.

With a shortage of time and scarf, Samuel cast a melody on himself at great cost. The blisters erupted in pain that made it hard to think, but it wasn't like Samuel hadn't literally been set on fire before, so he was able to grit through it and successfully cast his melody.

Now intangible, Samuel pulled away from the wall and made some distance between he and it, running behind the ventilation unit. Now, with a bit of breathing room, he was able to confirm that it was Jacqueline and Ashley who helped him, and that they were now being targeted by the vampire.

He moved around the ventilation unit to get a better view of the battle, as the sound hail falling became louder and louder. They really needed to get inside, but they also really needed to kill Justin before he killed Ashley -- something he Jacqueline clearly noticed as she was trailing right behind him as Justin attempted to run Ashley down.

"He doesn't know when to quit..."

Samuel pointed his sword at Justin, a pitch-black viper constricting the entirety of the hilt up to the tip of the blade. It opened its mouth as energy began to build at the tip of its tongue. Knowing the pain that was going to come with the melody, Samuel grit his teeth and used the last of his hamon mana to fire it.