LuckyBlackCat

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

Jess chose only a slice of quiche, but in truth she didn't care what she ate. As she listened to Roxy on the way back, her fingers tightened around her bag of food. What she'd nearly said, it seemed, had been obvious.

This time, she expressed her thoughts. "Look... Don't worry," she replied, her voice nearly a whisper. "I won't agree to anything that's... that's wrong." She paused, shuddering as she imagined the kind of murky underworld the man would try to drag both of them into. Whatever it was, it would most likely turn out even worse than she thought.

Entering the shop, she frowned. "It's just... Please be honest." All those times he and his underlings had flooded Roxy with terror replayed through her mind as she spoke. "If I upset him, what will happen to you?"

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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@Mangrale @KoL @SimpleWriter @Heartfillia

As Sofia expressed concern about the noise, Freya shrugged. "Ehh, I was just kidding," she reassured her. "I doubt this is normally the quietest of places. It'll all be fine."

Just then, the windows went dark. Freya's eyebrows furrowed. "Ok, maybe all that isn't meant to be happening at once..." Thankfully, Sofia's worries seemed to fade as she dug out her phone and started filming. Freya relaxed, smiling a little. Whatever had happened, she hoped it could be easily fixed, and they could have an enjoyable day out after all.

Rolling her eyes at Abigail about that little salt comment - had she really found that incident amusing? - she turned to Enterprise, who promptly put everyone's minds at ease. When Sofia's excitement grew as she addressed the No.1 pro hero, so did Freya's smile, although a trace of unease shadowed her expression. Yes, Enterprise had quite a record of praiseworthy feats, and Freya knew how easy it was to idolise someone, but that was just it. Heroes were flawed just like anyone else. How many would the class meet during their training, and how many would show them a side other than their public image?

In fact, how many students would turn out not to be the people they seemed?

Which was why she considered following the second group. Peter, Sofia, Renard... Compared to some of her classmates, they gave off an approachable, genuine vibe. Even if she couldn't understand a word of Renard's comment to Sofia, it was nice to see people joking around. Instead of joining them, though, she traipsed after Mr Hayes. Another lecture from Sir Snarks-A-Lot would bring down the mood, and at least they'd all stick reasonably close by anyway.

Watching out for any trip hazards due to Abigail's proximity, she followed the group into the lobby. There, an unexpected sight met her eyes - namely, an empty room. "Well, this definitely isn't meant to happen," she commented, glancing over her shoulder at Renard and Sofia. She turned back round at frantic footsteps, followed by a hurried explanation from one of the workers. Ah well, these things couldn't be helped, Freya thought as she headed towards the guide, ready to start the tour...

An explosion roared through the factory. Freya leapt onto the desk, crouching and staring in the sound's direction. "Uhh, probably nothing, right?" she asked, looking up at Enterprise. If things blew up here all the time, with only other machines caught in the blasts, it most likely wasn't as bad as it sounded. Still, they had to check nobody was hurt. Enterprise and Hayes would know what to do.

Jumping down, she nodded and approached Renard, whose eagerness to begin the tour hadn't lessened any. "Yep, sounds like a plan," she replied, "though I hope everything really is ok..."

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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@SimpleWriter @KoL @Heartfillia

Some people who looked Freya's way might think Renard had accidentally shocked her. With a mewl of surprise and a twitching jump in her seat, she stared at Mr Hayes, eyes wide as they could be. Of course, anyone who knew her well enough would know this was just her natural startled reaction.

She hunched her shoulders as the teacher continued his lecture. Maybe he meant to be encouraging, but one keyword stuck in Freya's mind: Disappoint. A word she'd heard all too often. She thought back to the many robots left stuck in the cars. Would she be able to save real people in that situation, or would she let them down big time?

She sighed, head drooping, as Mr Hayes strode to the back. "Sorry for that," she muttered to Renard, who hadn't said anything to warrant getting in trouble along with her. Trying to push the comments from the teacher and from Eira to the back of her mind, she looked up at Enterprise. No more screw-ups, she told herself. Especially not in front of the principal.

Leaning against the window frame again as the bus moved, she took in Enterprise's stories, at first anyway. It wasn't long before they began to sound just a little exaggerated. Sure they were admirable, but was the director trying to inspire the class, or was she just bragging about being No.1 hero? At least she'd been a great deal less critical than Mr Hayes. Reason enough, Freya supposed, to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the thought of having to reach such dizzying heights was part of the issue.

She was just dozing off when the bus pulled up. With a sleepy groan, she stretched and headed outside, suppressing a sigh upon hearing she was to group up with Abigail and Eira, under Mr Hayes' scrutiny no less. Naturally, the people she got along with would be in a separate team. She started on her way towards Mr Hayes' group when something caught her attention. A little wren in a tree. She fixed her gaze on it, muscles tensing as if she were preparing to pounce. Not that she was about to go around chasing birds just because she could, but at least the sight had livened her up. Turning away, she focused instead on Renard's words.

"Chicken? I don't have any of that, but I did bring some crispy seafood snacks, if you..." A crash rang from the factory, interrupting her offer. "Ooo-kay..." She glanced over at the building. "Let's hope that was machinery and not yet another disaster." Although just joking, she couldn't help wondering what else could go wrong today.

Pokemon Spiral

@Zanavy You can do the gym battle right away if you want, seems like we should aim to move things along reasonably soon, but a little more chatting or a training battle first would be fine if you'd prefer. I'm good either way :)

Also, if this makes things easier, @Zanavy @OtomostheCrazy @Noxx here's the Discord link: discord.gg/TprTpvC

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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~ Collab with @Heartfillia ~

@Aviaire @Zaphander @Mangrale @Nyahahameha

Although Freya tried not to show it, she cringed inwardly at Eira's words. "Ehh, just asking," she mumbled. This was just how Eira was. Ever the ice queen. Plus, Freya couldn't exactly blame her for getting snappy, given how the training had gone. Even so, the 'ridiculous' comment stung worse than the salt, so much so that it actually surprised her when several people showed concern.

Right away, Peter presented her with a cold compress and some ointment, presumably for any bruises or sprains. "I'll be alright," she said, glancing from him to the equally shocked Sofia. "It's just my claws. They got messed up earlier, but they grow back pretty fast."

Turning to Renard, who'd abandoned his usual jokey demeanour, Freya gave a soft sigh but decided not to grumble at him. His regret was clear, especially when he offered to help. Holding out her hand, she let him clean away the salt with water. Unfortunately, such an injury was difficult to treat without making a mess. The water flowed over her fingertips, splashing on the floor.

Grimacing, Freya cast her eyes towards the puddle. "Thanks, and it's ok, but we might want to do something about that water. There's been enough bad luck going on already." Before she could take anything from her bag to mop it up, though, Renard was already on it, cleaning the spillage and the salt with his spare shirt.

Exhaling in relief, she headed to a window seat once Renard let her past. "And yep, Gabby's got the right idea," she said to everyone before sitting down. "Seriously, throwing all that at us at once, did they really expect us to breeze through right off the bat?" Resting her elbow on the window frame, she leaned her head against her good hand. She'd never expected hero work to be all that easy, but surely even Sphinx would struggle with every kind of chaos sweeping through the city at the same time... wouldn't she?

Her gaze drifted from the scenery outside to Renard. "Come on over if you want," she called, hoping it would ease his guilt. She knew what it was like to feel like crap over mistakes. She'd messed up worse than anyone, and yet people were being sympathetic, helpful even? Sure it was nice, but not exactly something she knew how to deal with.

Renard moved out of the seat and to the front of the bus, leaning out of the door while holding onto the frame, He looked around to make sure no one was right there and snapped his shirt really quickly to remove the salt before pulling himself back in as Freya finished with what she said, then offered to for him to sit with her.

The way she said it seemed, odd. As if it was almost out of pity. He hesitated for a moment, She did sit literally one seat in front of his. He shrugged. coming to a stop at her seat and reaching over the back to lay his wet shirt over his bag, and slip his water bottle inside. "Who am I to say no?" He said with a small smile.

He turned and slid down the chair into a sitting position next to Freya.I doubt they expected everyone to breeze through it. Hell, I'm sure they did it to show how every single one of us has much to learn. To think they would expect us to all work together and get everything right the first time is ridiculous.

As Renard hesitated, worries crept in on Freya. Maybe his uncertainty was out of guilt, or maybe she'd just made the situation even more awkward. She hadn't meant to sound patronising, if that was how he'd construed her offer. She'd just meant to show she wasn't mad at him. To her relief, Renard smiled and took a seat next to her. Chill out, she told herself, no need to assume you've screwed up all the damn time. Some day, she might actually believe that, although proof of it would help.

At her friend's response, she nodded. "Yeah, but still, they could have gone easier on us," she muttered. "Both during and after the training. Was that kind of lecture really called for?" Even if the lesson had been meant as constructive, a test of everyone's limits for the purpose of surpassing them, it reminded Freya of having the bar set too high just to be told she couldn't reach it.

She shrugged. "Oh well. Like I'm gonna let it get to me."

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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@Heartfillia @Aviaire @KoL @Nyahahameha

Just as Freya made to leave, something landed over her head. She flailed as the towel obscured her vision. Pulling it down around her shoulders, she saw Renard greeting her with a grin. While she wasn't exactly in the mood to get teased over the incident, she knew he'd mean no harm by it, and she wasn't going to complain about a warm towel. In fact, she couldn't help resting her head against her uninjured shoulder, enjoying the heat that radiated from the fabric.

"Prrrrr... thanks, prrrrr..." She was tempted to lay the towel on the ground and sleep on it, but that would mean missing the visit, and it wouldn't be worth getting moaned at again. "You know..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You did well to stay out of that. I know we've got to train up and all, but talk about overkill."

With that, she headed to the changing room. While not as averse to water as an actual cat, being soaked for too long irritated her, so she made the shower a quick one before throwing on her usual clothes. Even so, it turned out the other students had been faster. Trudging back out to see most of them had already piled onto the bus, she groaned. This was rather a lot of rushing around for one day.

Of course, once on the bus herself, it turned out there'd been nothing to worry about. The driver had yet to arrive, which suited her just fine, though her more eager classmates were likely to get bored. Relaxing once more, she glanced around at the students, her gaze settling on Eira, one of the few not involved in conversation.

"Hey Eira," she called, traipsing forward. "Everthing ok now? ... Aah!"

It was right as she passed close by Abigail that her foot struck a metal pole. She pitched over, flinging out her arms. "Mrreeeow!" Her injured hand plunged into, of all things, a little pile of salt.

Wincing as the wounds flared up, she rose to her feet, cradling her hand. "Salt?" She frowned down at the burst packet, its contents trodden all over the floor by someone. "Who left that there?"

Kurai Majoko: Dark Magical Girls

♥♠♦♣ Ayumu Harasawa ♥♠♦♣ Phantasmagoria ♥♠♦♣

@SimpleWriter @KoL @Lonewolf685

Ayumu, now dressed in pyjamas instead of cake-covered clothes, smirked at Seyrun's deer-in-the-headlights expression. The new girl didn't know how good she had it, finding out this way. She hadn't been presented a picture-perfect image of magic like so many of them had.

"Aw, well that's kinda rash," she told Machiko. "Let's at least give her a chance." She couldn't deny Seyrun gave off an unsettling feeling, but the Detention Club needed all the allies they could get against Aegis. Standing up, she transformed in a rush of red and black swirls, playing card symbols dancing along them.

Phantasmagoria sauntered over to Seyrun, raising her top hat headband. "Welcome, and thank you for being here tonight!" she said in that dramatic stage voice. "You see, it's a non-stop party, with much more than cakes to feast on. Allow me to demonstrate!"

She put her hat back on and clicked her fingers. In one corner of the room, a shadow welled to life, several skeletal arms and a white mask sprouting from its blob-like body. "No need to be scared, this one can't hurt us," she reassured Seyrun. "Besides, actual Nightmares have more reason to fear us than we have to fear them."

A figure appeared in the other corner, one everybody in the Detention Club save Machiko would recognise as the likeness of Kiru. The illusory dark girl sped at the Nightmare, a maniacal grin on her face as she whirled her ringblade in a blur. Lumps of goo flew everywhere, pooling on the floor. As if reaching for a gourmet snack, the image of Kiru stretched out her hand. The ooze evaporated to black streams, surging into the girl, becoming part of her essence.

"And that," Ayumu announced, the illusions vanishing with a wave of her hand, "is how it works. Hope you enjoyed the show! If you want to experience the real deal..." Her eyes shifted to the catgirl, the slightest steely glint appearing in them. "Just tell our mascot over there."

As adorable as Kuro was, could mascots be fully trusted? Wasn't the entire world of magic just as deceptively cute on the surface? At least this was the Detention Club mascot, hopefully on their side for real. Even so, now the cat could speak, Ayumu had a few questions to ask her later on.

She turned back to the newcomer. "So, what do you say? I say it's better to own the darkness..." Her voice took on a trace of wistfulness. "Than to fall for a trick of the light."

Instead of a reply came a juddering smash, followed by a roar that chilled Ayumu to the bones. She leapt out of the way as glass shattered all over the floor. "Ok, this isn't one of mine," she warned, cards at the ready as she stared at the gargantuan creature. Spotting the tiny, mangled carcass between its fangs, she winced. Trustworthy or not, the mascots didn't deserve this. "The real thing's just crashed the party."

As it set its sights on Kuro, Phantasmagoria stepped in front of her. "Why don't you pick some easier prey?" As the magician spoke, three wounded mascots, each one sporting a cracked and dented head, frantically dragged themselves away from the monster. Mere illusions, of course, but maybe they'd distract the Nightmare long enough to give the club the advantage - especially as they swelled and twisted into giant demonic felines, their sinewy bodies more shadow than flesh. They crouched, hissed, then pounced.

Now was the dark girls' chance.

Be my Sanctuary

Jessamyn "Jess" Bailey

"No, no there's no need to be sorry," Jess told Roxy as she followed her into the shop, where the watchers would certainly be. "I'm sorry I got you even more caught up in that world." Maybe they should have accepted right from the start that, despite being an empath and an anchor, being matched up would lead nowhere good. Maybe she really should have stayed a little longer in isolation until someone else could be found. Having been all too aware of Roxy's reluctance, that responsibility had been hers.

When Roxy mentioned what her father planned to do - win her to his side - Jess' eyes widened. "I won't..." she started. She wanted to say she wouldn't let him do that, but realisation silenced her. If she didn't go along with whatever he wanted, Roxy would be likely to suffer for it. Neither of them could escape his control.

"I won't cause any trouble," Jess finally said. "At least, I'll try my best not to."

Mahou Shoujo no Hex Night: A Magical Girl Battle RP

❅❄ Fuyuko Yamazaki ❄❅

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@VitaVitaAR

Shining Fist was right, Fuyuko acknowledged as she took in the words of reassurance. Yes, she needed to help her family, but she couldn't ignore everyone else while doing so. If there was a way she could help stop this threat, she had to do it, and deal with any consequences afterwards.

At least Shining Fist didn't seem too worried, raising her gauntlet in a display of confidence. Maybe teamwork was still possible after all... For now, anyway.

"Well, if you're ok with this," Fuyuko murmured as she reached the forest's edge, "here goes." She retreated into the shadows, snow whirling around her and dispersing. Right after she transformed, her appearance changed again. Flesh dissolved into fog, until in front of Shining Fist floated a wraithlike figure, features indistinct, wisps streaming where hair and clothes once were.

The mist girl drifted up, her movements light and easy for all her emotional burdens. Despite her lack of a body as such, she could still see and hear just as well, the woodland spreading out below her. She skimmed the treetops, cautious to avoid notice as much as possible, and watched for any sign of the masked figure.

My Hero Academia: Another Story

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Freya Leander ~ Cait Sith

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No sooner had Freya managed to tear away the restraint than just like that, the session was over. Chaos dwindled to calm in the span of a second. "Well, I guess the teachers can't complain too much," she muttered as she trudged to the entrance, although knowing Mr Hayes, he could and would.

After the medics had seen to her broken claws and bruised shoulder, she headed over to the other students. Her fingers had stopped bleeding, and the pain had lessened, but the wounds that could hurt the most weren't always physical. Leaning against a wall, she pretended Mr Hayes' criticisms didn't get to her half as much as they really did. Part of what had happened could be chalked up to Abigail's presence, but still... Freya could only imagine what Felicity would say if she'd witnessed that. Not that she should even care what her sister thought, of course. She shouldn't, she didn't...

Oh well, at least now she could find somewhere to sleep. She started towards the exit, then stopped and sighed as the teacher announced they wouldn't get to rest just yet. Typical. As if the class hadn't already been run ragged.

At the sight of who came in, Freya's bored expression became one of surprise. Enterprise. In person. And she'd seen all that. Thankfully, the director's attitude was as far from that of Mr Hayes as it was possible to be. Even more thankfully, it turned out the surprise wasn't anything unnecessarily strenuous or tedious. A visit to a hero clothing company. As long as there was a chance to rest after that, Freya couldn't say she minded.