Ponn

Symphony on High

Featuring...

The Amazing Ashley, Senile Sokaiya,
and a surprising lack of violence

---

Miss Vanhorn was not the only one who had to worry about political assassins.

Davis Gallo was a somewhat controversial figure. He had inherited a mess of a city and made some big plays to get things back on track. Some of them worked, some of them didn’t, but it left him with a lot of enemies. Some of those enemies even wanted to kill him. Gemini had been monitoring him for a while, and the chances of an attack went up day after day. It wasn’t just humans that wanted him out, there were quite a few monsters as well.

The mayor’s office was near the top floor of a substantially sized building. It wasn’t tall, but it was so grandiose that Ashley might find it dwarfed Von Carnage’s mansion that she had assaulted months ago. But she wouldn’t have her team this time. She would only have Sokaiya, a new recruit. At least new as far as her employ in Gemini was concerned. She was old enough to be someone’s grandma. Though she was just as quick as other espers despite her apparent age.

There wasn’t much time to talk. Apparently Davis’s body guards were doing their best to hold them back, but they wouldn’t last long against monsters. Reports also said there were a few espers assisting them, and there was speculation of this being done by Maverick Alternative.

They had a hallway to cross, then the mayor’s office should be in sight. The sound of gunfire was already filling the halls.

Lately, it seemed to Ashley that no sooner did one crisis end than another began. So it was that only a few short days after dealing with the two monster trains and Binky’s forced betrayal, the Knight of Tomorrow was working to protect the city’s mayor from a less-than-mundane attempt on his life. But that wasn’t all. Instead of her usual team, her only support came in the form of an untested freelancer who had recently decided to join up with G.E.M.I.N.I. Although the high-tech heroine had hoped that if any freelancer decided to become an official agent, it would be one she’d already worked with in the field, at this point, she would take whatever help she could get.

Based on her partner’s hastily skimmed dossier, Ashley had learned that “Tempest” was a melee-oriented esper, with considerable fire-based abilities. Her weapon, in particular, was far better suited to dispatch hostile espers than anything Ashley wielded, but only if they could ascertain the location of said enemies. The last thing Ashley wanted to do was to rush blindly into what sounded like a fairly intense firefight, and while the Knight of Tomorrow had tried to keep from making any judgments based on her partner’s elderly appearance, she only hoped that Tempest’s advanced age was an indication of greater experience and not senility…

“I’ll take point, Tempest,” Ashley informed her partner in a low voice as she crept forward, her energy shield raised and techno-wand at the ready. “I’m going to fire off a spy ray pulse to see what we’re dealing with,” she added, pointing the tip of her wand around the corner of the hall from which the sounds of battle were emanating and discharging a glowing bolt of green energy.

[Gold Projectile][Powerful][AoE][Reveal] = -84 mana

The cool thing about blind firing like this was that Ashley was able to stay out of harm's way and get off an attack. The not so good thing was that Ashley wasn’t targeting anything, and could whiff the whole thing.

And then there was all the noise and light.

”Look out!”

The green ball of energy slammed into something and activated the spy ray pulse. As to be expected, the target that Ashley hit was quite large. In fact, it was the biggest frog man Ashley had ever seen. While the view through the wall couldn’t do it complete justice, it definitely had a sort of aura about it. He had a physique that would put a young Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame. His muscles had muscles, and his bubble butt was trying to swallow the thong he was wearing. Though as toned as his back was, his front was not so. He had a big round belly that, according to Ashley’s spy ray pulse, was filled with several large insects, plastic explosives, and at least two security guards. Her HUD fed her additional information about the monster, such as its great strength but low magic capability, its reliance on physical combat and its tongue, as well as the ability to swallow and regurgitate almost anything it cared to. Otherwise, most of the readout was in line with what Ashley would expect from an elite monster.

”Oh, I see how it is!” The frog pointed down the hall. ”You think it’s okay to attack me because I don’t look like everyone else? Is that it?”

Sokaiya had been following Ashleys lead, waiting for her to take point so they could get to the source of all the fighting.It wasn’t long after Ashley had fired off her spy ray that Sokaiya could make out the form of the angry frog man at the end of the hall that the Knight of Tomorrow had agitated through squinted eyes. “I think you went and made that fellow down there hopping mad, I might have to give him a good whack now deary to get him to calm down” tapping her cane on the floor with a dull thud. It looked like she was going to get into some action far sooner than the old timer had been expecting. But it would beat being stuck playing bingo.

Turning her head as she tried to get a better look at him and to hear what he was angry about. “You should put on some clothes, you kids these days and your scandalous outfits, back in my day if you showed even a little bit of ankle you’d be a real floozy…I already need to get this Gemini girl some proper attire…” giving a disapproving shake of her head at the both of them.

”This is what’s wrong with Pax Septimus!” This time it was a woman’s voice. ”You have a bunch of white, hetronormative, cisgendered asswipes that take offense when something doesn’t look exactly like them!”

”I guess they support killing and eating plants. Maybe we should kill and eat them and see how they like it?”

”Not yet.” A calmer, yet still clearly agitated voice, commanded the others. ”Let me just take stock of what we’re up against.” Without any other warning, blue and pink flames crackled through the air, and a small portal the size of a cell phone opened in front of Ashley and Sokaiya. Through the portal, they could see a heart-irised girl with a puppet looking back at them. ”Ugh, Gemini. Fable isn’t even with them.”

“Huh? What was that?” Sokaiya grumbled as she squinted her old eyes trying to get a better look at the individual within the portal.

“ You know you look familiar…like I’ve seen you somewhere before ... .now where was that again….” scratching her chin as she tried to reminisce and recall where she thought she had seen the individual before. After a brief moment something finally clicked and she pulled an answer from her old memory. “Oh that's right, you showed up at that birthday party now didn’t you, I couldn’t forget you, best clown I ever saw if you ask me, it's good to see you are still hard at work, they don’t make clowns like they use to!”

”We’ll see who the clown is shortly, old maid!”

At first, Ashley had been taken aback when the portal opened in front of them, but she soon found herself trying to suppress a groan of annoyance when Tempest began her less than flattering ramble. That, coupled with said new arrival’s words, almost made the Knight of Tomorrow forget the comment made about her own outfit. While the sci-fi style bodysuit was somewhat revealing, it didn’t show any more skin than a gymnastics leotard or one-piece swimsuit, and Ashley hadn’t really thought much of it until the elderly agent made her disparaging remarks. Still, that slight feeling of embarrassment wasn’t nearly as important as the situation playing out before her, a situation she was still going to do her best to resolve diplomatically, even if the chance of that actually happening was nearly zero…

“I don’t think they’re a clown,” Ashley told her partner, more than a hint of annoyance coloring her voice. “You’re Mary, right?” she asked the newcomer.

”No!” Mary spoke quickly. ”It’s Cthulhya.” xe blushed slightly and ran a hand through xer hair.

“Oh, uh, m-my apologies,” Ashley replied with an awkward frown. “Fable’s mentioned you a few times, but he never told me your esper name.” However, he had explained how they hated to be referred to by gender-specific pronouns, something the high-tech heroine hoped, but doubted, her partner would pick up on. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but he left G.E.M.I.N.I. a short while ago and no one seems to have any idea where he is,” she explained, even as she reflected on how everything seemed to lead back to Finn these days.

”So the rumors are true then. We weren’t going to meet again after all.” Briefly, Mary’s eyes lost focus and xer lower lip quivered. ”It’s not like he wanted to see me again anyway…”

Ashley took a deep breath. Clearly Mary, or rather, Cthulhya had feelings for the young agent, feelings Finn obviously hadn’t reciprocated, but this was neither the time nor place to be getting into any of that. “As for the point at hand, we don’t want to fight you if we can help it, but we can’t just let you kill Mayor Gallo. Look,” she added after a moment. “I don’t exactly agree with a lot of his policies either, but that doesn’t give me or anyone else the right to murder him because of it.”

”Oh yea?” Mary lifted xer head back up. ”Then what gives that guy the right to kill my friends with his disgusting policies? I get that Pax Septimus is a sewer right now, but it’s going to stay a sewer if we don’t take care of the environment. If we have clean air, ethically sourced energy, gender neutral change rooms, and access to free gender affirming surgery!”

Eyes still squinted, Sokaiya turned her fuzzy gaze towards Ashley with a frown. “Are you sure about that deary?” Lifting her cane off the floor as she pointed it towards the portal. “I suppose they haven’t done anything funny yet, but they got those little hearts and everything…I could have sworn I recognized them…don’t think they were named Mary either…” Searching her old memory for further details but drawing a blank. She turned her fuzzy stare back upon the individual in the portal with a doubtful frown.

“Besides what is that thing, some new fangled speaking telegraph?” Her cane pointed at the portal as she thrust it in the air with emphasis towards the portal's direction.

”Shut up!” xe turned to Ashley. Xe seemed to be on the verge of tears. ”You don’t want to fight me? I don’t want to fight you. It’s clear that he liked you enough to talk to you about me.” Xe wiped xer nose. ”So make this right. What can you guys do?”

Old eyes widened in surprise at the rude response from Mary, Sokaiya let out a cranky grumble “They don’t teach manners to these young whippersnappers these days, I ought to tan yer hide…”

What indeed, the Knight of Tomorrow wondered. While Mary was certainly agitated, they made some valid points, and their concern for their friends was entirely understandable. While Ashley wasn’t exactly a certified negotiator, she had settled several disputes back in high school, and she very much wanted to see a peaceful resolution to this current crisis. Unfortunately, her partner seemed likely to be more of a hindrance to that goal than an asset, with the high-tech heroine’s concerns about the elderly agent’s possible senility proving to be terrifyingly valid. Speaking telegraph? How old even is this woman? Sighing, she closed her eyes and did her best to compose herself.

“Well, we can attempt to serve as mediators while you bring your concerns to the mayor,” Ashley began. “You have my condolences on the loss of your friends, but starting a war over it will only make things worse and lead to even more death on both sides. I know it’s not the easiest thing to do,” she continued. “But we need to put faith in democracy and work out our issues via peaceful protests and diplomacy. If you and your friends are willing to stand down, and… uh… regurgitate those two swallowed guards, I’ll try to get the rest of the security team to stand down so that we can have a civilized discussion with Mayor Gallo.”

Some of the crankiness she had felt at being told to shut up had faded.If they wanted to smooth things out without any violence, she had a solution that may solve Mary’s request of what they could do.. “How about this, despite your rudeness, how about I give you a little treat, it is clear you don’t have a proper grandma or else your manners would be much better…and don’t you worry now my deary I haven’t forgotten about you either…” reaching her hand into a pocket scrummaging around in it. Digging deep inside of it for a minute before finding what she was searching for, slowly pulling it free as she held out her right hand palm up with a couple pieces of butterscotch and peppermint hard candies resting in her hand.

“Now if you all want to get along, how about some candy, would you like a butterscotch or a peppermint? Maybe it will even cheer you up sweetie” Offering up first choice towards Mary before she intended to offer second choice to Ashley. Candy usually solved most youngins sadness and cheered them right up, it was a good thing she always carried some around with her at all times just for occasions like these.

“Um… Thanks…?” Ashley told the elderly agent as she slowly took the offered treat and slipped it into a pouch on her utility belt. While a kind gesture, to be sure, this really wasn’t the time for a snack. Yes, the Knight of Tomorrow reflected, Tempest was seeming increasingly senile with each passing second, which was making the high-tech heroine herself increasingly concerned.

Mary’s eyes darted between the treats in “grandma” Sokaiya’s hand and her face. ”If you’re going to offer us anything, could it not be made with child labor or wrapped in something that’s just going to turn up at a landfill?” She closed her eyes and groaned. ”Come around the corner. I’ll see about having Maxwell release his prey.” The portal closed. Sure enough, Ashley could see the security detail getting squeezed out of Maxwell just as her melody wore off. Both Gemini espers could hear the sound of something wet slapping against the floor.

”You guys didn’t taste any better coming back up.”

Sokaiya muttered as she tapped her cane on the floor, pocketing the remaining candy with slight disappointment. “Neither of you grew up with a proper granny, if you did you both would have been excited and wanting to snatch this candy up as fast as you could, I will have to change that..even if that means being your granny myself” hobbling over towards the security guards that had just been spit out by Maxwell. Taking her cane as she gave them each a good poke of her walking stick. “They are still breathing, resting on the job, youngins these days just aren’t built like they use to be…” giving them each a few more taps until she was satisfied they would survive the ordeal of being inside of Maxwell's stomach. They didn’t seem to appreciate that too much.

At least the fighting had stopped. Tensions were still high, obviously. Four security guards had their weapons trained on Maxwell, who was standing in front of some boys holding plants, a mermaid that seemed to float in the air, and a girl whose hair looked like dandelion seeds. Mary was standing at the very back, and was the shortest one present. Then a top-hat wearing puppet on Mary’s hand rose above the crowd.

"Alright guys! It’s all up to you now. Hopefully we can get through this without hurting anyone else!"

“Uh, yeah…” Ashley replied warily. While the strange puppet was somewhat unnerving, the Knight of Tomorrow was still glad the fighting had been deescalated, at least for the moment. The challenge now was getting it to stay that way. “Please hold you fire everyone!” she called as she slowly rounded the corner with her open hands raised, having clipped her techno-wand to her belt. “I’m G.E.M.I.N.I. agent Orion, the Knight of Tomorrow. These… um… people would like to have an audience with the mayor, and I’ve agreed to serve as a mediator. I promise to ensure no harm comes to him, so would you please allow us to pass?”

Before the security detail could speak, Sokaiya interjected. “Who is that top hat wearing fella, I like his style, but he rubs me the wrong way, he could be trouble….” questioning Ashley about the puppet with the good sense of old fashion clothing. But soon after her eyes focused on the puppet with great suspicion as she followed behind Ashley, hobbling her way to her side.

“If any of you stir up trouble now, I’ll have to give ya’ll a good thrashing then give you a good whack over the the head with ole hickory so play nice now and maybe I’ll give you all a little treat” adding to Ashleys remarks to the group before them, still warily side eyeing the top hat wearing puppet. Something about that fellow seemed untrustworthy, and if he tried anything Sokaiya would be prepared to deal with him at a moment's notice.

One of the guards smiled. ”We’ll I wouldn’t mind being treated, but if you want to punish me, that could be even better.”

“Huh? You're going to have to speak up over there, doesn’t anyone talk with some gusto anymore…” Sokaiya’s eyes never left the puppet as she spoke.

The remaining security detail did their best to pretend they hadn’t heard that. ”Right, Gemini...” Naturally, most of the mundane world, and even branches of the government, weren’t entirely clued in about the Government Esper and Monster Intelligence and Neutralization Initiative. Though paranormal aware agents were often stationed where they were needed. Protecting a mayor in a dangerous monster infected location was indeed a place they were needed. Thus, the espers could expect to be taken seriously by the security detail. The mayor elect was another story. ”We’re not exactly dealing with peaceful protesters here. That frog’s tongue is pretty fast, and I’d just as soon not give everyone a clear shot at Mr Gallo. ”

Mary’s little feet scuffed across the floor until she was at the front of the protesters. ”We wouldn’t need to protest if he just met our demands!”

The guard groaned and pointed. ”She-”

”Xe!”

”...Xe was disguised as a little girl and wandered as deep into town hall as they could. Once they were in deep enough, they opened a portal and started their assault from the inside. These are underhanded guerrilla tactics, and not to doubt your skills, but I do not feel confident two espers could shield the mayor from two monsters, two druids, and an esper.”

Mary noisily tapped her foot while turning to Ashley.

​​“What if only you accompany me to see the mayor?” the Knight of Tomorrow asked Mary, while doing her best to push Sokaiya’s concerns about the girl’s puppet, not to mention that one guard’s apparent BDSM fetish, out of her mind. “It’s pretty clear you’re already the spokesperson for this group, so I’m sure you’d be able to convey their various concerns. Everyone else can remain out here until the meeting’s over, and Agent Tempest can ensure that things remain civil,” she added, gesturing to the elderly esper. “Would that be agreeable?”

Tapping her cane on the floor as she turned towards the guard briefly. “I find your lack of faith disturbing, ole Hickory is more than enough to deal with any gorilla’s that may appear, I will hold down the fort out here deary while you give that mayor the whats for, I’ll make sure if rabble-rouser starts stirring up trouble I’ll tan their hides.” Her attention slowly shifting back towards the puppet as she finished speaking, eyes squinting and her grip on her cane tightening.

Leaning closer towards Ashley she whispered “Keep your eyes on him my granddaughter…that one looks like a tricky fella don’t let that top hat fool you….” warily gesturing towards her mortal rival the puppet.

“Uh… R-Right,” Ashley whispered back. Granddaughter? Although she hoped the elderly agent was simply calling her that as a term of endearment, the high-tech heroine had a worrying feeling that probably wasn’t the case…

Mary groaned. ”I think leaving her out here in exchange for me entering with you myself is a great compromise.”

”If you say so.” The guard was about to open the door when Mary stopped him.

”I’d rather not give her any chance to follow us.” With a wave of her hand, a portal leading to the other side of the door opened up before them. Mary allowed Ashly to enter the portal and they both appeared on the other side. There inside was a lavish office with two more security guards flanking Davis.

”Wha-? What’s-” Davis’s eyes passed over Ashley’s Gemini insignia and he calmed down. ”Ah! You’re part of that new anti terrorism unit. I’m not really used to those outfits. They look ridiculous honestly, but it looks like you managed to capture their leader, so it must work!”

Ashley cringed inwardly at Gallo’s comments about her appearance, but she knew that this was neither the time nor place to try and rationalize the seeming impracticality of her esper outfit. “Um, not exactly, your honor,” the Knight of Tomorrow corrected. “We managed to negotiate a ceasefire under the condition that I mediate a discussion between you and Cthulhya, here, regarding their concerns. It is my sincere hope that a peaceful compromise can be reached, and you have my word that I will put forth my best efforts to assist in attaining it,” she added, her voice filled with conviction as she emphatically placed a hand over her chest.

The mayor, slowly, placed his hands on the corner of his desk and pushed himself to his feet. His smile didn’t falter. For a politician he looked a little rough. He had a nine-o'clock shadow and bags under his eyes. ”I’m sorry, I don’t see a name tag. What should I call you?” Once Ashley gave Davis his name, he nodded. ”Orion? Hah, okay. Orion, during my campaign I visited several areas of Pax Septimus. Everywhere from the most exclusive swanky joints, to the poorest slum. I understand not everyone follows the news, who could blame them really? But the one thing that the public is crying out for is safety. They are tired of the violence and tired of being scared. They feel the police are inadequate at their job or corrupt, but I know they are underfunded and overworked. I based my campaign off of that. This is all to say that I don’t mind having an open dialog with anyone.” He waved his hand through the air. ”But I don’t feel like I should be rewarding some cunt who use guerrilla tactics to invade a government office, harm or kill the people protecting it, to pressure a sitting mayor into changing their policies. Ah-hah!” He inhaled sharply. Davis’s smile vanished. ”What am I supposed to tell the families who have been affected by all this violence when I cave as soon as my life is threatened?”

Mary groaned. ”We didn’t kill anyone. And we even gave up two hostages to get this meeting.”

”How considerate of you.”

For her part, Ashley had listened patiently to Gallo’s little speech, but her fists and teeth still clenched upon hearing the Mayor’s excessively vulgar insult towards Mary. Even so, she still managed to otherwise maintain her composure. “Your honor, I feel confident in saying that the safety of everyone in Pax Septimus is G.E.M.I.N.I.’s top priority as well,” the Knight of Tomorrow told the politician in an even tone. “And I agree, negotiating with terrorists who are threatening your life isn’t something that can be condoned. However,” she added, her eyes narrowing behind her glowing visor. “Your life is no longer being threatened. As it stands, your… opponents simply wish to bring their concerns to your attention. The least you can do is hear them out.”

”When dealing with cunning rogues, one’s life is in danger just by being in their presence.” He leaned against his desk and thrust his chin at Mary. ”But go ahead, talk. Maybe you’ll surprise me.”

Mary stepped forward. Xe turned to gaze through Ashley’s emerald visor into her eyes. With a knowing nod, the smallest hint of a smile crossed xer face before xe looked forward. Denny moved in front of her and placed a paw on xer shoulder. "You got this kid, moment of truth!" They nodded at their friend, who moved to xer side before xe spoke.

”Okay, so to start, I think that less money should be allocated to funding the police force. I get that crime happens, but they arrest a disproportionately large number of minorities and marginalized individuals. I think they’re letting their prejudice affect their job. White people have no tact, and they’re everywhere.”

”It differs a bit from precinct to precinct, but whites are the third most common type of officer. Most police officers are Hispanic or black, and do most of the arresting.”

”Yea but they’ve practically been indoctrinated by the whites at that point. Anyway, I think we should defund the police and instead put that money to other ventures. I told Orion here about a few of them, but I think we need to invest in maintaining our parks, building new parks, preserving the forests around the city, moving towards zero emissions by requiring the use of electric cars and non-petroleum power sources with regulations, creating programs to benefit everyone that isn’t a cis white male, use even more regulations to make sure there are gender neutral bathrooms, but also that other bathrooms are accessible to whichever gender someone identifies as, and set aside a fund for assisting those that need gender affirming surgery.”

”Is that it?”

Mary thought. ”It’s a start.”

Davis nodded. Then he turned to Ashley. ”Well, I heard them out. You can escort them outside now, unless you see any common ground between us.”

“Actually, I do,” Ashley replied. “You both seem to want to see the city become a safer and more pleasant place to live, even if you have different ideas for attaining that goal. I understand we need a police force to maintain law and order,” she continued. “But perhaps instead of defunding them, you can reform them by working towards locating and removing any systemic discrimination and corruption that might be present? As for the environmental concerns, while I realize that completely eradicating pollution, and the various other detrimental side effects of industrialization, will be impossible until viable alternative energy sources are fully developed, I still think an effort can be made to maintain at least some of the woodlands on the city’s periphery, while also revitalizing its existing parks. After all, what use is saving the city if it becomes a place no one actually wants to live in?”

Davis chuckled. ”I don’t think there’s that much racism, especially when you consider the arrest statistics. Though that’s certainly something we can, and are, constantly on the lookout for. If we wanted to scale that up we could designate a group to monitor for discrimination and corruption, but that adds a layer of bureaucracy and funnels more into the police sector, which runs counter to bunny ears’s wishes.” He pulled a bottle of jack daniels out of his desk and started to fill a shot glass with it. ”Most of the parks are maintained by charity and volunteer organisations. From what I understand, it works for most parks and at a fraction of what it would cost Pax tax payers. We could do more for the parks in communities where the people are poor or old, or even assist volunteer efforts in those places. So why not? We could do more there. Pax is beautiful and it should stay that way.”

Mary smiled at Ashley, but zer eyes looked bitter. ”You got him to concede a little bit!” Then zee put on zer most scornful face when ze looked at Davis. ”And what about the comfort of all citizens that were born in the wrong body?”

”While that may be an important issue for you, it’s not for an overwhelming majority of people in Pax. Less than a fraction of a percent identify as anything other than their birth gender, and most of them haven’t entered the workforce yet.” His brow furrowed as he spoke. ”I think giving young people money for surgery when they’re going through the most confusing moments of their lives is a mistake. Funding for niche programs like that should be handled at the state or federal level anyway. There’s more than just a few people who can benefit from it then.”

Mary’s tiny body trembled in place. ”So, this is really as far as you’re willing to go? There really is no talking to you?”

”It’s simple.” Davis put away his bottle of jack and swirled his glass. ”Tax payers aren’t leaving Pax because of our gender affirmation programs, lack of trash pickup in parks, or police discrimination. They’re leaving Pax in body bags. In order to stop that, we need to keep the money in the hands of the police. If we move more funding to other projects, we’ll lose more tax payers and the money getting distributed to those projects will shrink too. You want to change my mind? Sell me on it. Tell me how funding anything that you’re suggesting is going to save lives and lower crime.” He downed his shot glass before folding his arms.

Ashley frowned slightly. “He does make a good point,” she told Mary. “And there has to be at least some compromise on your part, or else you won’t be able to accomplish anything at all.”

”Wha?” Mary turned to Ashley and pointed at Davis. ”He’s the mayor! He’s got all the power, decides where the money goes, all I have is a bunch of disgruntled folk creatures that are tired of being neglected!” Ze pouted. ”What could I possibly offer him?”

“Well, he says he wants to make the city safer, so perhaps you and your friends could assist with that?” Ashley suggested. “Also, if you were able to organize this protest, then I’m sure you could organize a volunteer cleanup effort to restore some of the city’s parks and rural areas without having to rely on taxpayer funding,” she added with a hopeful smile.

Mary hung on every word Ashley spoke, as if she was a mystic giving life changing advice. ”Yea…” The corners of zer lips curled into a smile. ”Yea! I think we could make that work! I mean, I can’t leave here empty handed, but if I can get him to put more money to what actually matters, maybe-” Zer hopeful look was suddenly dashed by a realization. But while Ashley could read faces, she needed a melody to read minds. ”Thanks. Let’s try this again.” Ze walked up to Davis’s desk with a look of determination on zir face. ”What if I can get your opponents working for you? I can get way more people prettying up the parks, the best ‘crime watch’ you could ever think of, and best of all, they’ll all vote for you! What do you think about that?”

Then the gunshots started.

---

Once Ashley and Mary had taken their leave, Sokaiya started to walk around the area, looking at various decorations and details that she tapped with her cane. “He could use a better taste in decor, doesn’t anyone have an eye for art anymore” Complaining as she went over to a vase and peered down inside of it, even putting a hand around its rim as she tested its quality. Finding it a little disappointing as she let out a sigh, she finally turned to Mary’s companions now that her tour of the room was completed. Having been in every corner of the room and surveyed it from top to bottom.

“Hey you hippie girl, fishy lady and you other hippie friends, you’ve not said a word since you have gotten here, do you all work for that Vanhorn lady or sumthin? Or are you some other independent group?” Hobbling over to them as she came to a stop right before them, leaning her head and ear as she tilted her head to better hear any response. “If you youngins do know or work for her, I have something I would like her to have, otherwise I’ll just have to go find her myself.”

The dandelion-haired girl smiled brightly. ”I’m a hippy girl!” She giggled in delight at her new nickname. ”She’s definitely who we want to win the election. I think most of us have met her in person, and I even got her to autograph my chest!” She pulled down her shirt just enough to show a signature. It was smudged slightly, and the ink looked old. ”I’m never washing it! But maybe I should go to a tattoo parlor and make it permanent? Then I could take showers again.”

”I also know her well.” The mermaid held out a tiny scrap of cloth. ”This tore off her dress when she was fleeing those nazis a few weeks ago. I plan on returning it to her after she wins the election. I’ve made all of her public appearances.”

”I write to her non-stop, and she writes back to me!” Maxwell pumped his fist in the air.

The two druids looked at each other, then at the old woman. ”We like her policies.”

Squinted eyes moved from speaker to speaker until they came to rest on the two druids. “I see, very well then, that Gallo is a real rapscallion, but you are going about this all wrong, there are other ways to get what you want beyond just violence….now how about a treat for everyone from granny?” digging around in her pocket for a moment as she searched for her sweet treats that had pocketed amongst the various other knickknacks she carried around with her. Once she found what she was after she pulled out a big handful of them as she held out her right hand, once again full with butterscotch and peppermint hard candies. This time however, there was something else amongst the assorted hard candies. A small electronic recording device which sat in the middle of her usual offerings.

The mermaid and seed head recoiled at the sight of candies wrapped in plastic, but the druid boys hopped over to the old woman’s side and picked through her candies. One took a butterscotch, and the other took a peppermint.

”Maybe if he didn’t take money that was rightfully allocated to green energy initiatives and redistributed among donut eaters, we wouldn’t be so quick to try and kill him. Violence begets more violence after all.”

“Now if you really wish to help that Vanhorn lady, you should take this to her, information is just as important if not more important than physical strength, besides she might have a sweet tooth” Gesturing for them to come take the treats from her along with the device to ward off any suspicion the guards in the vicinity may have about what she was doing. Though whether this group of misfit hippies understood what she had done previously and what she was giving to them was another question entirely. But she figured that if they brought it to Vanhorn, she would be able to put two and two together.

After the boys had gotten a few pieces of candy, everything else, including the digital device, was scooped up by a long pink tongue. It rubber banded back into Maxwell’s head, and it all disappeared with a swallow. He brought his finny hand up to his head and saluted. ”It’ll get to her if it costs me my life!”

“I have a great disdain for politics, and politicians especially but after all these long years of life, I want to see something that excites this old lady one more time…”

A certain bodyguard appeared at her side. ”What sort of things excite you, miss?”

“You may be a exhibitionist but you seem like a reliable fella, my little green friend….” tapping her cane on the floor as she slowly turned her squinted gaze upon the bodyguard that had come to her side. “Ain’t nothing you’d know about you whippersnapper, I bet you haven’t ever seen a billiards table in your entire short life, likely never even touched a bingo card, or sat by a radio listening to a ole time radio drama, those would really get you going, I wonder if you even have opened a single book either” lamenting about a bygone era and the forgotten hobbies she found so interesting to even this day.

The guard grinned. ”Actually, I happen to be really good at pool. I also have many fond memories of working with my father in the woodshop, and the radio was always playing. I’d also like to consider myself well read as-Yeowch!”

As she kept tapping her cane on the floor rather impatiently, she ended up jabbing it into the top of the guard's foot with far more force than what would be expected of any regular old granny. However she showed no sign of having done it on purpose, and no realization of what she had done. Oblivious to it as she turned to face the group “as for you hippie girls, y'all really should eat some candy before you go wasting away now, or maybe have some of granny's home cookin’, I’ll put some meat on them bones lickety split.”

But the ‘hippie girls’ were not interested in candy. Largely because Maxwell had eaten it all, but they were too busy laughing at the guard. ”Ah, you deserved that too, you perv!” The seed haired girl continued to laugh.

”What else do you expect from rude losers who rizz up old ladies?” The mermaid added.

”Rizz up?” The guard tried to tap the pain out of his foot. ”That earlier comment was a joke! It’s how I deal with a job where mermaids and giant man-eating frogs try to kill you! No offense was taken by it, as far as I can recall.”

”You could have hurt her feelings.” One of the druids folded his arms.

”Maybe? And if I did, that would be between her and me. I’d apologize and we’d move on.”

The mermaid turned to look at her seed haired friend. ”See this is what I hate about cisnormative, hetronormative cum stains like him. They act all tough, throw microaggressions left and right-”

”When did I throw a microaggression?”

”You called him a man eating frog!”

”He literally ate a man! Not even a minute ago!”

”Maybe he eats girls too?”

The guard’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. ”If he does, then I’ll call it as such.”

”There’s no point talking to these people. What are we really waiting for?” The mermaid started to manifest an orb of water behind her tail, and the guards all raised their weapons.

Letting out a sigh as she gave a small shake of her head not having time for squabble “Now, now, hold your horses before you go and get yourselves hurt now, violence won’t solve a thing for either side, I’d lower those weapons if I were you, especially after what I saw earlier with your colleagues, making a scene that will surely get you lot into hot water.” She tapped her cane on the floor as she addressed the guards. They didn’t react, and why would they? Their “aggression” was merely a reaction to having a spell aimed at them. The old woman turned to the protest group.

“As for you lot, if you go about using violence you will just get seen as a terroristic group and ain’t nobody gonna listen to any of what yall have to say, there are more ways to get what you want while avoiding making it more difficult for yourselves, you already have something that will be more useful than beating up a bunch of guards for what you wish to accomplish, what you lack is proper coordination, strategy and leadership” Shaking her cane at the group as she lectured them right after she had gotten done with the guards. Giving Maxwell a small wink of acknowledgement that he had something that would make this trip of some value without the need of stirring up a fight. “But if any of you persist with this dust up and start a ruckus, I’ll have to tan all of your hides then aint no one will be happy.”

”You don’t have to worry about me, miss!” Maxwell gave the old lady a salute. ”I can’t risk my life here! I need to keep this message safe!”

One of the druids waved their hands in a dismissive manner. ”We haven’t done anything since we got here, and we won’t start. Though some more candy would help ease our nerves.”

The seed haired girl rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips. ”Yea, our ‘strategy’ is really bad. Just look at all the damage we suffered busting into this place!”

The mermaid fretted her brow. ”Are you guys really that spineless? You know what? I think these guards are an embarrassment to themselves, but they are their own worst enemy.” She grit her teeth. ”But I am so sick and fucking tired of old people who think they know better than everyone else!” And with a wave of her tail, Sokaiya was trapped in a bubble filled with water. Slowly suffocating, and slowly floating.

The security guards immediately opened fire. It did little to the mermaid but made her mad. Though before she could retaliate, Maxwell slid in front of her. The incoming gunfire slammed into his buttocks and made them jiggle like jello in an earthquake.

”The hell are you doing!?” The frog yelled at the mermaid.

One of the guards waved his gun at everyone, but didn’t fire a single shot. The druids raised their hands defensively and the seed girl made a suspicious gesture with her hand and then he fired a round beside her. ”Nobody fucking move unless you’re going to free the old lady!”

Meanwhile, the portal leading through the office door was wide open, allowing everyone inside to turn and look out at what was happening.

”What do I think?” Davis growled, continuing his discussion with Mary. ”I think your ability to control them looks a little lacking.” He reached back into his desk for his drink. ”Mind taking care of that?”

It wasn’t clear who Davis was talking to, but the situation needed to be deescalated. The guards had momentarily stopped firing, but Sokaiya was still trapped in a water bubble and it was freaking them out. The look of horror on Mary’s face didn’t make it apparent that ze would act decisively.

“W-What’s going on out here?!” Ashley exclaimed. I should have known tempest would be unable to handle such a delicate situation… she thought ruefully. “We were able to come to an agreement, but all of that will have been for nothing if you start another battle here!” the Knight of Tomorrow told them. “Please release Tempest and stand down. That goes for everyone,” she added, glancing towards the guards.

The young whippersnappers sure didn’t know how to respect their elders. Not to mention no one seemed to be interested in actually getting her out of the water bubble in a fast and proper fashion. They seemed much more interested in asking for them to let her out, rather than getting her out. Sokaiya didn’t have time to be floating around at her age, or to wait for the mermaid to willingly let her out, if she even had any intentions of doing so.

The water around Sokaiya started to bubble as it reacted to the heat emitting from her. She raised her cane up pointing it at the edge of the bubble as it began to emit a glow as she lined it up with the mermaid that had put the bubble around her. She didn’t have time to wait for them to talk things out, she could only hold so much oxygen in her old lungs as she floated, she would have to take matters into her own hands. Using a much more old fashioned and hands on approach to get the job done.

Once she ensured her target was lined up, she unleashed a fiery magma rock blast from the tip of her cane as it exploded out like a volcanic eruption with great force hurtling its projectile from within. If no one else was going to do something then she was going to try to blow through the bubble and free herself from the Mermaid’s trap while also dealing with the Mermaid.
[Diamond Projectile/Full Enhance -180]

Grandma Sokaiya’s eyesight must have been going, because Maxwell had placed himself between the mermaid and the bodyguards, and by extension, herself. Maxwell looked over his shoulder just in time to see the incoming betrayal. It became clear to him now that this esper was no different than the others. Just another old woman who was nice to your face but said nasty things about you behind your back. Because you had a different skin color. Because you had different beliefs. Because you thought that everyone should be allowed to use the woman’s bathroom. As Maxwell’s life flashed before his eyes, he knew he wasn’t going to go alone. The plastic explosives in his stomach would surely detonate. They would kill the druid boys that this hag pretended to care about, and destroy the message he was supposed to carry to Miss Vanhorn.

But when the flaming rock struck Maxwell’s exposed back, the rock broke apart, sputtered, and smoked. Everyone, monster and guardsman alike, looked at the blundered melody without understanding what exactly happened. Had Sokaiya intended to make a flashy yet ultimately pointless melody like that to draw attention to her, or had the senile old hag forgotten to add a damage component to her melody? The mermaid, frog, and seed head looked absolutely mortified.

”Cool.” One of the druids remarked.

By this point, Mary had come to her senses and walked back into the hall beside Ashley. ”Maxwell! Get her out of there!”

With a nod, the frog man shot his tongue into the water bubble and yanked Sokaiya out. He spared her the fate of seeing what was inside his stomach and instead placed her on the ground beside Ashley before giving the human side a salute. The mermaid and seed head were still in shock. The guards had all lowered their weapons from Ashley’s earlier insistence to do so. It seemed like things were back on track.

Wiping some of the water off as best she could, the remaining bits steaming off of her from the heat, Sokaiya turned her old gaze towards Maxwell. “Dang rapscallions don’t know how to treat their elders any more, can’t trust those dang hippie girls, they can’t even be hippies right anymore, trying to dang near drown me, at least you got some substance to you my little green friend, a true gentleman, you and those two peaceful hood guys, you three are trustable at least” scolding the mermaid and seed head now that she had been freed from her water prison. Relieved that someone had finally done something about it and gotten her out. Finding Maxwell far more reliable and trustworthy than any of the rest.

Mary sighed, exhaustion clear on her face. She gave Ashley a nod before turning back towards the portals leading into Davis’s office.

”And another thing!” She spoke while she walked. ”You may not trust my people to fight crime directly, but what about becoming volunteer firefighters or rescue personnel? If you allocate funds to protect forestlands and our ocean, then you can count on us to ensure we save more tax payers.”

Davis smiled. ”A tempting offer. That guy in a frog suit seems pretty handy with a…rope?”

In the span of mere seconds, Ashley’s visage had gone from a gasp of utter horror, to a weary sigh of relief. Despite everything, it looked like the situation would ultimately be salvageable, a rare occurrence indeed, but a welcome one. “Uh, yeah…” the high-tech heroine replied to the mayor. “I’d imagine he has quite the versatile skill set, to say the least. Thank you for getting my partner out of there,” she told the frog man, who saluted her, before Ashley moved over to kneel next to Sokaiya. “Are you okay, Tempest?” the Knight of Tomorrow inquired.

Using her cane to get to a steady base as she got her wits about her. She turned towards Ashley as she squinted her eyes and lifted up her cane to give Ashley a small whack atop the head with it. “Dang nabbit, I’m fine, no thanks to you, don’t just stand there and yap, youngins these days, if it wasn’t for Maximus I’d still be in that dang thing, you have much to learn don’cha granddaughter” Scolding her for her inaction while she had been trapped in the mermaids water bubble.

Ashley winced as she was whacked, but didn’t say anything in protest. There’d be time later to explain things. Right now, she just wanted to resolve the current situation as swiftly and smoothly as possible. That said, while Sokaiya still hadn’t quite reached Finn’s level of annoyance to deal with, she was coming awfully close…

“Those two rascals oughta be ashamed of themselves, going on about how it's not fair because of this or that, dang hypocrites don’t even realize they are what they are claiming to hate, you don’t sound very accepting of the old folk, yet you blab about wanting everyone to be equal, bunch of numbskulls I tell you what, at least you other three are upstanding gentlemen that I can work with” Gesturing with her cane towards the Mermaid and Seed head voicing her disapproval while complimenting Maxwell and the Druids for good measure.

The seed head was still shocked by what had just transpired, but the mermaid was just as grumpy as before. ”Keep talking, old maid. We’ll see how tough you are once we’re outside.“ The druids didn’t seem especially shaken by what had transpired, but the old woman’s words did little to stir them either. Maxwell on the other hand was absolutely glowing with all the praise he was being heaped with. He dropped to one knee and flexed his biceps.

Meanwhile, the initial discussion seemed to be wrapping up in the other room.

”First off, nothing is going to happen if I don’t stay in office. So remember that all of this is contingent on that.” Davis lifted another finger. ”Secondly, we are going to start out small. I can’t move too many funds around without causing problems. We get a few of your guys in to make things easier on Pax and that’ll free up funds for other projects. If your guys really don’t need to be paid, then I won’t have to go through the effort of establishing another department for the city. I think I already mentioned that I hate extra bureaucracy. We don’t need any more blood sucking cunts in this outfit.”

”That all sounds reasonable.” Mary was noticeably uncomfortable in front of the gruff, haughty man. ”But um, maybe there’s some way you could give me a salary?”

”Do I fucking stutter?” Davis raised an eyebrow. ”The reason why I’m agreeing to do any of this is because it’ll save lives and not cost a lot of money. You said your people would volunteer. I’d need to create a department to get you a salary. Isn’t shifting funding to green projects what you wanted?”

”I-I mean yes, it is.” Ze chuckled nervously. ”But you know, I really wanted that surgery, and since you seem rather insistent on, um, not supporting programs like that, I figured… I could… pay for it with…”

Davis blinked. ”But if I pay you, that’s not going to help everyone else, is it?” He leaned forward. ”Or was it never about everyone else?”

Mary looked over zer shoulder and out the portal. Ze raised zer hand, clearly thinking about closing it, but decided against it. Ze then leaned across the table and whispered something into Davis’s ear. He immediately stood up, and Mary fell backwards into zer seat. ”Please don’t get mad!”

But it was too late. Davis had been mad since this entire exchange started. Now he was enraged. His skin was as red as blood, and you could practically see the smoke pouring out of his ears. He pointed his finger at Mary, though the way she was squirming in her seat, he might have been holding a knife or gun at her instead.

”You cunt! You absolutely rancid cunt! You don’t give a shit about any of this! You were going to kill me to get some surgery done? Do you have any idea how fucking insane that sounds?! How did you get so many people to agree to this stupid stunt of yours!?”

”I-It’s simple. I-It’s like how g-gay and l-lesbian and t-trans rights are all k-kind of-”

”What the fuck do trees and parks have to do with your damn pronouns!?” He drove his fist into his desk, and his shot glass did a flip before landing on its side. ”You’re as wrong as your parents were when they made you! You look like a depressed radish that stayed too long on the discount shelf! You-” Davis stopped when he realized that Mary had been reduced to tears. With a groan, he sunk back into his seat, looking away from the crying person. The body guards didn’t stir, as they were quite accustomed to Davis’s outbursts, though the monsters and druids were a bit more taken back by it. Both rooms were quiet for a time before Davis adjusted his posture. ”...But if you are still serious about this, I can, perhaps, pay you.” Mary was still sobbing, though far less than ze had been. ”I believe earlier I said that I did not want to give money to a confused youth. What I hadn’t mentioned was that at one time, I was one of them.”

With a sniff, Mary lifted their head. ”Eh?” Ze sounded very congested.

”My friends would do this thing where we would get together and talk about what celebrity we’d want to have sex with. I never told them because it made me uncomfortable, and they called me gay. They called me gay so much that I started to believe it. Maybe they were right. If they could so easily talk about such things, maybe the only reason why I couldn’t was because I didn’t like women.” A smile crossed Davis’s face. ”I’d run tests on myself. I’d look at pictures of dudes and babes to see what got a bigger reaction out of me. I’d focus on how my male friends really made me feel. In hindsight it was stupid. The only answer I was willing to accept was the outcome I dreaded, while simultaneously ignoring evidence that pointed to the contrary. Oh yes, I had very good friends.” He laughed. ”And then during my formative years, I went for a jog. While I tried to decide my sexuality, a young girl ran up beside me. I call her a girl, but she was a young woman. Probably a few years older than me at the time. She had been jogging for a while, and she was breathing quite heavily. I found it… enticing. Fortunately she had stopped to wait for a bus, which I wasn’t waiting for, but pretended that I was. We never spoke, and I just listened to her. But eventually her breathing quieted, and before long, the bus showed up.” He waved his hand in the air. ”That broke my friends’ curse on me. I was straight, even if I didn’t have a celebrity I wanted to do things to.”

Mary sniffed again, but said nothing.

”I don’t think that surgery is going to bring you happiness, but the deal interests me enough to entertain your request anyway. I will not use taxpayer funds however. I will pay your salary out of my own pocket. That way we can hold off on adding a new department until it’s really warranted. Does that sound good?” Mary nodded. The two shook hands. ”I’ll be in touch. Please escort everyone outside.”

Mary, still shaken, stood up and walked back into the hallway. With a snap of zer fingers, a portal opened that led outside. After coming out of their shocked state, the mermaid, seed head, and druids left through the portal. Maxwell patted Mary on the back. ”Even if it wasn’t your main objective, I’m glad something is going to be done to preserve the lakes around the city.” With a hop, the naked frog man departed.

The portal witch rubbed their eyes. Then, without looking at the high tech heroine ze said ”Thanks.”

“Y-You’re welcome,” Ashley replied after a moment of stunned silence. While she was glad everything had been resolved relatively peacefully, Mary’s selfish exploitation of her “allies” and Gallo’s exceedingly caustic response to it still left her feeling more than a little disgusted. Turning to the mayor, she added, “Unless there’s anything else, we’ll take our leave now.”

”I think I have it from here.” Davis shuffled through a stack of papers. ”Could someone close the door.”

Another snap, and the portal leading into Davis’s office closed. Aside from a few remaining bodyguards, it was just Mary, Ashley, and Sokaiya. Ze turned to Ashley. There were still unwiped streaks under zer eyes.

”I-I don’t have any human friends. E-everyone thinks im ugly, when I-I’m not an, esper. I don’t work as a girl.” Ze tugged at zer ribbon. ”I-I let Finn call me a girl once. H-he didn’t, but he acted like a gentleman on our date. I thought, anyway. B-but it was too good to be true. Only m-monsters can accept me for what I am. Is it wrong to want others to as well?” Their voice cracked. After taking a moment to get their breath again, they continued. ”W-what’s going to happen to me?”

The last bit of water having steamed from her by this point, Sokaiya turned her head towards the sobbing Mary. Squinting her eyes, she tapped her cane on the floor and hobbled her way over to Mary, standing before them as she took her right hand and used it to lift up Mary’s chin until they were eye to old eye. “I’ll tell you one thing right now youngin, stop feeling sorry for yourself it won’t solve a dang thing, wipe those tears from your eyes and hunker down and get serious about it, nothing changes from sniffling about things, and violence only begets more violence, you need to be more crafty and more genuine, ain’t no one gunna want to support a sniffling liar” Taking her cane as she pointed it at the middle of Mary’s chest now.

“What is most important is what is in that heart of yours, ain’t nuthin gonna happen to you unless you make it happen, it is you and only you that will shape your own destiny, I’ve lived a long hard life, you ain’t always going to be accepted and embraced, but when you do find those that do, embrace them back and accept them back, it don’t matter if they are human or a monster, people are people, you have great potential and skill, that much is obvious to these old eyes, but you are letting yourself be held back by this endless cycle of the current world by playing into it, you won’t always get what you want, but that does not mean it is the end of the world, let this be a new fresh opportunity and don’t let it go to waste” Her eyes never leaving Mary’s until the very end as she used a thumb to wipe away some of the tears from Mary’s cheek, causing them to flinch.

“Now go forth and make the most of it, but I don’t want to see you young rapscallions getting yourself into more trouble without a good solid reason, there is a time and place for everything…” Pulling her hand away as she stepped back tapping her cane on the floor as she did so. Her old eyes had a slight glimmer as she finished giving her elderly advice to the young, confused and conflicted esper before her.

”I-I won’t.” They added weakly.

“U-Um, yes,” Ashley added, a bit taken aback by her partner’s little speech. “If you’re just trying to change yourself so drastically simply to fit in, then I’d advise against it. It needs to be something you do for your own well-being, not for others’. If people don’t like or accept you for who you are, then they aren’t the kinds of people you should want to have as friends in the first place,” the Knight of Tomorrow continued. “As for Finn, he’s been going through a lot of problems of his own recently, and while I don’t agree with some of the decisions he’s made, I still care about his well being, and the same goes for you,” she told Mary with an encouraging smile. “While you may have used your allies’ concerns as a way to achieve our own selfish goals, I get the feeling that you still genuinely care about their plight. If you learn from what happened here today and put their needs before your own, I think you could serve as an excellent advocate for them, and someone I’d be more than happy to cooperate with.”

”Y-you would?” Nobody with Mary’s temperament was going to start smiling after getting blasted by Davis, but she didn’t look like a wet rat anymore. There was pride in her posture, and Danny dried her eyes with his little mit. ”O-okay. I wouldn’t say no to a collaboration between us.”

"Boy am I glad that’s over!" Danny grabbed Ashley’s hand and shook it. "That was intense! But you all more or less kept your wits about you! Whew!" Then he shook Sokaiya’s hand. "Boy, you sure are durable for someone with so many wrinkles! That’s a firm handshake too! I wonder what sort of esper’s ideal self looks like that?" With a laugh, Danny swat Sokaiya’s shoulder. Since each of Danny’s hands were powered by one of Mary’s fingers, it was barely enough to be felt. "I’m just jerkin’ yer chain! But you did say Mary looked like a clown, so, we’re even? Oh! But she doesn’t like being called Mary by just anyone."

”It’s fine...”

"Oh that’s good! But um, what about your names? One of you knew Mary’s name, but I don’t believe we ever got around to introductions. I should hear your names before we depart! I’m Danny." The puppet bowed, even removing its top hat in the process.

“You live a long enough life, wrinkles ain’t mean a thing, I been through tougher stuff than this, can’t get by or live this long without some kind of durability, how many espers you see still getting around at my age after all…my name is Sokaiya, make sure you remember it, I don’t wanna go repeating myself now, you youngins these days never remember anything it seems like, as for earlier, I forgot my doggone glasses again, these ole peepers don’t see like they use’ta.” suspiciously eyeing Danny as she still didn’t quite trust the top hat wearing puppet. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, and she wasn’t about to let down her guard.

Ashley glanced down at the puppet, unsure if it was simply speaking via ventriloquism, or if it was a sentient aspect of Mary’s esper form. Whatever it was, it mirrored the high-tech heroine’s own ponderings on why exactly an elderly woman would want to remain as such even in her esper state, although she supposed such an innocuous appearance might serve to take opponents off guard, at the very least. “I’m Agent Orion, the Knight of Tomorrow,” Ashley introduced herself. “I’d, um, rather not reveal my actual identity in a public place like this, but I wouldn’t mind sharing it whenever we’re someplace more private,” she added with a smile.

"Maybe, but just a first name can’t hurt, can it?" Mary wrapped her other arm around the puppet’s eyes, which caused it to flail its tiny arms in retaliation.

”Well, you were both very helpful.” Mary said this while looking exclusively at Ashley. ”I’ll make sure the next time we meet is under better circumstances.” She waved to everyone before stepping into the portal and vanishing from sight. Mary had been “driven off,” and Davis survived the encounter. Their mission was a success.

“Lot of magic tricks, a real trickster that one is, more like a magician than a clown I’d have to say at this point, should’ve worn my glasses today, what a silly mistake.” Poking her cane at where the portal vanished from sight, checking it to see if there was anything there after it had closed. Once she was satisfied there was nothing left behind she brought her cane back down to the ground and tapped it a few times. “Must save a lot of gas money getting round like that all the time, but I tell you what, nothing beats a nice V8 engine and the smell of that classic muscle car as you burn rubber down the ole road.” Shrugging her shoulders as she fondly remembered times long since past.

Her old wizened gaze turning towards Ashley now squinting. “You still have a lotta learn eh deary? I can tell you’re a real idealist, ain’t no shame in that, but someday you will realize the world isn’t so black and white, good and evil, that is all a myth formulated in the moving pictures, makes for some good flicks, but ain’t got real substance outside of that, but you’ll learn as you go, make mistakes, have regrets, that's just the life of a leader.” tapping her cane a few times upon the floor, sounding more like she was trying to give advice then she was trying to lecture this time around. The old esper had been around long enough to understand the approach of the younger espers that were still finding their way. She had once been one of them, she had seen many never find that realization, only to fall victim to the never ending cycle of this world.

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief when Mary departed. We actually managed to resolve things without bloodshed… the Knight of Tomorrow reflected, even as Sokaiya rambled in the background. I was starting to think that was a lost cause. Yet, that feeling of accomplishment soured slightly when her elderly partner’s critique of her performance swiftly returned the high-tech heroine to reality.

“I’m well aware of my relative inexperience,” Ashley replied. “But I’m equally aware that this is reality and not a work of fiction,” she added pointedly. “Although that still doesn’t mean we can’t strive to hold true to our ideals, even in the face of so much ambiguity. I’ve learned from painful experience that rash action and turning to violence at the first opportunity almost never ends well.”

Sokaiya chuckled, shaking her head in response, tapping her cane on the ground a few more times “Oh, deary, I said nothing about violence being the first solution or what was needed today, no, you think too much along the lines of black and white, either talk things out, or violence, those are just two options, but they aren’t the only options, you have to think outside of the box, push into the grey areas, often that is where the answer remains, often undiscovered, underutilized, sure you can sometimes get through things with words alone, but do you think either side today, all those involved are going to adhere to what was determined today? I think not…use that young mind of yours to think beyond the typical black and white, it is not easy, it is ingrained into us through ole folktales, stories, movies, shows all hammering away into youngins minds from the day the are born, that there is only ever good and evil, right and wrong, this way or that way….” mulling her thoughts as she let out a sigh and gave another shake of her head. Her old wizened gaze turned to look at Ashley eye to eye as she tried to convey her true meaning to the much younger esper.

“Ideals are fine, and you claim the title of Knight, lofty aspirations to bring justice and peace, whatever you youngins believe in these days is the same as youngins have always believed, the Knights of times past did not have those chivalrous codes, it was all added to the mystique of them, to elevate them despite much brutality that often goes overlooked, much like today's society would you not agree, the system repeats in its broken never ending cycle, ask yourself, how much progress has been made deary? Are we any better off or different then even a decade ago? Two? Three? Further back? I’ve seen a lot in this long life, this old battered body has done it all, do you want to end up like a old hag like me, it is up to whippersnappers like you I suppose to either repeat the cycle of this broken system, or to bring sustainable change to this forsaken world” ceasing with the tapping of her cane as she reached a old wrinkled hand up to rub her chin.

Listening as Sokaiya continued her senile ramblings, Ashley began to feel the first pangs of a headache coming on. The elderly agent sure was saying a lot, but she really wasn’t making much of a point, aside from spouting vague cliches. As if Finn’s brooding edginess and constant insubordination hadn’t been bad enough…

“I’d be stupid to trust any politician at their word,” the Knight of Tomorrow replied. “But diplomacy was still a better alternative than a bloodbath, and I intend to make sure that both sides keep up their ends of the bargain. I know this city, and this world, isn’t the nicest of places,” she continued. “But if I genuinely thought that things could never improve, then I wouldn’t be putting my life on the line as a G.E.M.I.N.I. agent to begin with.”

Narrowing her old eyes, Sokaiya started to get a bit fussy from Ashley's response and attitude. “Dang nabit, you got those ears stuffed with cotton or sumthing like that, stubborn as a mule you are, you only think of two outcomes, you limit your options, diplomacy is good when both sides actually intend to work together, what I saw today, is a splintered group I tell you what, you think you can keep all those different mindsets together, what that Mary wanted is different from what those two dang hippies want, different from what those fine gentlemen want, it's a mixed bag, and as for that Davis fella he only has a deal with one of them as far as I’m concerned” shaking her head as she felt like she wasn’t making Ashley understand what she was trying to teach.

“Besides that isn’t the dang point anyhow, the point is you need to start thinking outside of the box, don’t limit yourself to two choices, bloodbath or diplomacy, black or white, right or wrong,what you going to do when neither is the right choice, you yungins are too wrapped up in this mythical sense of heroic justice, like your some comic or movie superhero, dang nabit you keep going on like this, you are just going to keep learning the hard way, until you're deader than a ole door knob, you seen plenty of espers lose their life by now I S’pose, ask yourself, what did each of those lives mean, did those sacrifices mean anything, what did they accomplish, that violence didn’t solve a dang thing in most of those cases I bet, just led to more problems down the beaten path, then ask yourself in those cases, how many of them could have been solved by talking, then once you realize neither option wasn’t worth a dang thing and people died, what else could have worked instead” Shrugging her old shoulders as she let out a sigh. It was hard to get through to these yungins these days. They always seemed far too immersed in being whatever made them look the coolest, or made them feel the most heroic. They didn’t consider that there were more ways to get things done. Brute force and talking only could carry you so far. You had to stack the cards in your favor, play the game, roll the dice, take such an approach that you aren’t predictable, and be aware enough to know when to take what approach.

It was why this never ending cycle in Pax Septimus continued, ain’t no one considered the system was broken, that the system may not even be needed. But at Sokaiya’s age, there wasn’t much she could do about it beyond trying to get the yungins to understand and break the mundane black and white view of the world. While doing what she could to make the most of her abilities to further the goal of true peace and prosperity.

Ashley couldn’t keep from wincing as she listened to Sokaiya vomit forth another lengthy diatribe. When it finally came time for her to give a response, she took a deep breath and hoped for the best.

“I already said I don’t see the world as a comic book,” the Knight of Tomorrow reiterated. “And I’m painfully aware that things aren’t anywhere close to being as simplistic as what might be found in a children’s cartoon. But clearly you think I’m blind to the ‘truth’ of this world, so if you have some insights on how this situation should have been handled, then please enlighten me.”

Frowning as she rested her hands on the handle of her cane as she lowered her head for a moment as she mulled over Ashleys response. It was clear that she was still missing the entire point and was only honing in on a few aspects of what Sokaiya was wishing to convey. She seemed far too defensive and impatient, on edge and not interested in listening in the entirety of what was being said.

“If that is what you wish to know, then first don’t just stand there yapping while those two hippies stir up a ruckus, it shouldn’t take that young green gentlemen to be the reason that I got outta that dang water bubble in the first place, if I wanted, I could have put more power and tried to put a hole through them if I saw fit, they weren’t interested in listening to anything or making a deal, you didn’t have to murder them to get me outta there, my little green friend proved that fact and he was with those two hippie brats” Complaining about her earlier inaction and leaving it to Maxwell, who was not affiliated with them to come to the rescue.

“As for that rapscallion that made the deal with that Davis fella, they yanked you around and got you to do what they wanted while leaving you completely in the dark about the real deal they wanted to make, at the end of the day, they got what they wanted and perhaps learned a valuable lesson in the process and will grow from it, but that isn’t going to stop any of the others that showed up here today from stirring up trouble again, you are too impatient, but you youngins usually are, it is obvious enough you don’t care about what this old woman has to say, but does that bleed into dealing with others as well?” her eyes looked up towards Ashley as she mulled her thoughts again and gathered them so she could address the areas that she thought were the most important and concerning.

“Were you happy with how the negotiations finished and the deal that was finally made? You needed to understand what that Mary actually wanted, that the others were just here to be exploited for personal gain, just as much as that Davis fella was only interested in his own personal gain as a politician trying to get good press, you played their game, instead of making them play yours, find their weaknesses, force them to work under your own terms by using those weaknesses, understanding what they both want in reality strengthens your position, all that was accomplished today was those two gaining something, I have reason to believe the green fellow and the other two fine gentlemen will not give us any more trouble, but it's only a matter of time before those two hippie girls stir the pot and we are rushing to clean up that mess” Giving a shrug of her old shoulders as tried to explain her reasoning and the approach she felt was needed for a situation like this. She felt that trouble was only postponed for a period of time, rather than prevented completely.

She had taken care to ensure that Maxwell had gained something of value during the ordeal. Something that Sokaiya hoped would make a far bigger difference at the end of the day compared to the negotiation between Mary and Davis which only had two winners. Half the battle was having knowledge, if Maxwell followed through with delivering her gift to Vanhorn and she used it wisely, played the right cards at the right time, it would shake things up. So it wasn’t a total loss on the day, even if Sokaiya had to stretch the boundaries to make it happen.

Ashley’s eye began to twitch. “Okay, first of all, if you, an esper with fire-based abilities aren’t able to free yourself from a sphere of water, then you probably have no business joining G.E.M.I.N.I., or even being an esper in the first place,” the Knight of Tomorrow told the old woman. “Secondly, I apologize for not being able to read minds, but since you’re apparently capable of doing so, how would you have resolved the situation?” the high-tech heroine inquired, placing her hands on her hips as she glared down at the elderly esper. “Because unless I missed something, you haven't actually provided a single alternative. And thirdly, yes, I am happy with how the negotiations turned out, because nobody died, and both sides came away satisfied with the outcome. Again, I understand what Mary was personally after now, but like I said, I can't read minds, so I had no way of knowing she was using the protest for selfish ends. Though, if you knew, then maybe you could have filled me in before I started negotiating with them?” She took another deep breath. “I don't know what your game is, but mine is keeping the city safe and resolving crises with the least amount of bloodshed. If you have a better way of making that happen then please stop being so cryptic and tell me what it is.”

Chuckling as she gave a curt nod of her head “Oh yes, so satisfied that two of them wanted to drown me, but if you want me to ensure that sort of thing doesn’t happen again, then the next time I won’t be quite so patient or nice if you wanted me to just blow them away and leave a mess all over the place which that Davis fella likely wouldn’t have appreciated” Shrugging her shoulders as she shook her head with a small sigh before bringing her attention back too Ashley.

“You don’t need to read minds, you young whippersnappers these days lack the patience and the creativity, maybe that tight outfit of yours is restricting your blood circulation or sumthing, all fired up and irritated for nothing, none of you yungins can handle any kind of constructive criticism anymore I s’pose, you didn’t have to read any minds to understand that a politician with a history like that Davis fella is only after one thing and that is good publicity regardless of the means to protect his base of support, I don’t need to be a mind reader to tell you any of that deary…you needed to use that to put him off balance,. Make him uncomfortable, appeal to his desires to keep himself as squeaky clean as possible, anything that could potentially cost him future support politically” pausing for a brief moment as she gestured with her cane as her thoughts came to her old mind.

“as for that Mary, and that mastermind that follows that youngin around, first thing that they asked was about another yungin that you both know, followed by them telling you to make it right and asking what you could for for them, they were greedy right from the start, it was about what you could give, just read between the lines, see that Mary wanted to use you as a tool to get something they wanted, it wasn’t about helping out for the greater good for them, the others that came here all desired doing things differently, quite a disjointed group, you needed to spend more time talking with the whole, get a better consensus, try to reign them in, find a compromise amongst that group, have a solid plan, one that would please a PR hungry politician, while also giving the group a more satisfying conclusion, one that those two hippie girls could accept, they hungered for a revolt, a coup, and I doubt they have been pacified for good”

Chuckling again as she was amused by her response as she gave her a smile “Game? My deary, I don’t play games anymore, I’m much too old, what I want is very simple, I’ve lived a long and hard life in this world and system that is a never ending cycle of death, destruction and chaos, all this old woman wishes for is for that cycle to come to an end and a new system put into place that shapes the world into one that isn’t divided into factions that are spinning their wheels endlessly going nowhere, isn’t that such a bad thing?” turning her gaze up above as she let out a small sigh having finished up what she had to say.

“That’s what I want as well,” Ashley replied, her rising exasperation clear in her voice. “And that’s what I’ve been doing my best to attain. I don’t mind getting advice on how to improve as an agent,” she continued. “But it’s not constructive criticism if you don’t actually provide any viable alternatives. Look,” the Knight of Tomorrow added in a tone of tired finality. “I think this discussion has gone on for long enough, you’re dismissed for now. Someone will contact you later to go over your full performance evaluation.”

“Very well, I have some business and errands to tend to, you take care of yourself now and make sure you are taking your vitamins and eating your vegetables…”Sokaiya hobbled away as she took her leave. “Dang whippersnappers these days…don’t know how to treat or speak to their elders anymore…but at least she was fun and entertaining for this old soul…”muttering to herself before letting out a small chuckle at the end, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Once the pair had parted ways, Ashley made a call to Dr. Moller. “Director? This is Agent Orion. I’ve just successfully concluded my assignment with Tempest. Although I will be making a full report when I get back to HQ, I just wanted to inform you that, despite her having exhibited several signs of senility, I believe that our current personnel shortage necessitates the recruitment of less-than-ideal candidates. Therefore, it is my admittedly reluctant decision to approve Tempest for provisional G.E.M.I.N.I. agent status.”

“Senility? In an esper?” Ashley could practically feel Fritzi squinting her eyes on the other side of the coms. “If you don’t think she’s a liability, we can make use of her, yes. I’ll be looking over that report later. Good job, agent Orion.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ashley replied.

I just hope I’m not making a mistake…

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

About fucking time!
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow

Nyxia rolled her eyes as Oros went on to demonstrate exactly why she found the pink-haired pervert so distasteful. “Yeah, have fun with that,” the Neon Tempest replied in a disinterested tone after Oros mentioned she might actually try to convince her that she wasn’t the complete degenerate she seemed to be. “Disgusting freak…” the purple-hued girl added under her breath as she vaporized several more clumps of pitifully weak Miseria that couldn’t even charitably be called an annoyance. However, it wasn’t long before a new challenger appeared to claim Nyxia’s full attention and relegate Oros to the realm of unimportant background noise where she belonged…

First she felt the ground shudder once again, but thoughts of an aftershock were quickly dispelled when she saw the titanic form looming over the city. As someone for whom subtlety was nearly a foreign concept, Nyxia didn’t need Rei to suggest she should engage the recently arrived Giga Miseria. Indeed, upon catching sight of the towering terror, a grin of psychotic glee spread across the Neon Tempest’s face, while her glowing eyes gleamed even brighter in eager anticipation of the combat to come.

“Oh FUCK yes!” Nyxia cried in unabashed delight. “We’ve chewed on these shitty appetizers long enough, baby!” she told her beloved death ray as she ground the last pitiful remnants of an energy beam bisected Miseria into the pavement with her spiked heel. “It’s time to sink our teeth into the MAIN COURSE!!!”

With a peal of deranged laughter, the Neon Tempest used the power gained via the recent slaughter to hyper charge the Omega Obliterator, the enormous energy cannon more than doubling in size and sprouting half a dozen supplementary barrels, which all crackled with arcs of teal lighting, while a rising hum swiftly grew to a shrieking crescendo. An instant later, a massive cylinder of ruinous annihilation lanced forth on a path to blow the bone giant’s multiple heads off.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

And just when I was starting to enjoy myself...
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow

“How thoughtful of you,” Nyxia noted with a smirk after Hizuki explained her reasons for creating the massive light pillar. Hizuki seemed like a nice enough girl, and one she wouldn’t mind slaying Miseria alongside. Unfortunately for the Neon Tempest, she soon found herself being approached by someone who most assuredly was not. Even though she had tried to keep some distance between herself and the rest of the gathering (especially Rei’s highly annoying cat-eared partner), Oros had still chosen to ignore that rather obvious hint and skate over to chat with her…

“That’s probably because I’m not trying to hit on anything with a pulse,” Nyxia sneered in response to the blood witch’s complementing of her Miseria-slaughtering skills. “Or maybe you just suck at this?” she added after a moment’s consideration. Yet, the Neon Tempest knew full well that mere insults would do little to deter someone as relentless as Oros, and so, when the pink-haired pervert started asking about her and Roche’s improved camaraderie, she simply rolled her eyes and gave voice to an annoyed exhale. “Not like it’s any of your fucking business, but I realized that she actually wasn’t the bitchass bully I thought she was. Why the sudden interest, anyway?” the teal-haired girl inquired with a raised eyebrow. “Are ya gonna try an’ convince me you’re not the pathetic, horny as fuck pervert ya look like?”

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

Connie and Mia Stats

Connie

3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3
5 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 5

Oddball: Nightmares | Tentacles

Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Mystic Artifact | Ally | Interdimensional Home

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

---

Mia

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 5

Wood | Barrage

Enhanced Weapon | Dual Weapon | Purification Artifact | Big Red Button

Blessing | Divine Competence | Gifted Item | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Rites| Arrogance | Big Brother | Clueless

Finally ready to set off, Connie and Gaia (and Mister Wister Kitey Witey) followed after Lily on their rainbow unicorns, the enchanted dream creatures easily keeping pace with the lightning-wielding greenette’s motorcycle as it sped across the desert sands. However, it wasn’t long before those sands trailed off into grass covered plains, and it was at this point a cheerful voice sang out from overhead.

“Golly wolly!” Mr. Kite exclaimed. “I see some smokey wokey up ahead!”

Indeed, a pillar of steadily-darkening smoke was now rising up from a forest on the horizon, even as the sound of distant detonations began to ring out. These developments, coupled with the animal trio also pointing in that direction made it quite clear that the forest was where they would find Alexander. Of course, Lily, ever the chatterbox, wasn’t about to let the trip there pass in silence, and so began noting the strangeness of the normally rather reactionary Alicia’s recent take-charge attitude.

“I cannot say I know her very well,” Gaia admitted. “But perhaps she has simply become fed up with these vile fiends’ needlessly cruel buffoonery. I, for one, certainly have.”

“Y-Yeah…” Connie agreed, her shaky voice tinged with worry. “U-Umm… I-If A-Alexander is b-being h-held p-prisoner, then w-why are w-we h-heading t-towards what l-looks like a f-forest f-fire?” she inquired, her mask forming an uncertain frown. “O-Oh, g-gosh!” she gasped a moment later, the pitch black eyes of her mask going wide. “D-D-Do you t-think t-they’re t-trying to b-b-burn him a-alive?!”

“It’s certainly possible,” Gaia conceded. “Although I do not believe it is particularly likely,” she added, giving her frightened friend a reassuring smile. “Far more probable is that Alexander has escaped whatever form of confinement the Wonderlanders placed him in and is now expressing his displeasure at being held captive by them.”

“I-I hope s-so…” Connie replied, still sounding somewhat unsure. A moment later, she gave a yelp of surprise when Mr. Kite sang out once more.

“Alarmy warmy! I spy an army!” the whimsical kite announced. “Friend or foe, I just don’t know!”

“I see it, too,” Gaia noted, her emerald eyes narrowing as she focused on the sizable force heading their way. “Let us be on our guard, everyone,” she advised, conjuring Nature’s Blossom. Although the army was still quite distant, it was growing closer at a fairly rapid pace, and the verdant maiden wanted to ensure their small rescue party was fully prepared for the possibility of combat.

---

MDP Stats

Magical Dream Princess

3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3
4 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 9

Oddball: Sweet Dreams | Barrage

Wealth and Resources (not while tf'd) | Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Dual Weapon | Natural Aging | Money | Intuition

Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might

Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless

Meanwhile, back at the Mad Hatter’s fortified factory complex, MDP was overjoyed that “Penny” approved of her idea. “Okie dokie~!” the whimsical girl declared with a wink and a playful peace sign salute just before the Mechanical Monarch teleported away. Then she set to work befriending the hat drone. “Like, what’s your namey wamey, Mister Wister Hatty Watty thingy wingy~?” she inquired with a cheerful smile. “Magical Dream Princess’s namey wamey is Magical Dream Princess, and, like, she would just wuv to be friendy wendies with you~! (giggle!) Would you like to be friendy wendies with her~?! Oh~?! You would~?! Yaaay~!” she squealed in delight as the hat drone bobbed up and down while rapidly spinning in place. “Magical Dream Princess wuvs making friendy wendies~! (giggle!) So, like, what thingy wingies do you likey wikey~?! Magical Dream Princess also walso likey wikies glitter witter, and rainbow wainbows, and flower wowers and…”

(nearly a minute later)

“…and dancing wancing, and singing winging songy wongies, and playing waying gamey wamies, like that one over theresie~!” she concluded, her painfully limited attention having been claimed by the small army of chess bots, which were now being engaged by the other magical girls. “Like, Magical Dream Princess plays that gamey wamey lots and lots~!” she told her new friend. “But, like, this version wersion is super duper biggy wiggy~! (giggle!)” So enthralled was the Princess of Dreams by this fascinating sight that she completely forgot about asking her new friend if he knew where the Mad Hatter and the eggs might be found. But that was okay. She was having funsie wunsie, and that was all that really mattered. “Come on~! (giggle!)” she told the hat drone as she dragged it along behind her. “We’ve gotta give those grumpy wumpy kingy wingy thingie wingies huggy wuggies so they’ll, like, totally wotally be our friendy wendies, too~! (giggle!)”

Rushing over to the chess board like the ADHD-addled child on the world’s largest sugar rush that she was, MDP began gleefully hopping from square to square, jumping around each obstacle or bounding over it with the help of a hastily-conjured candy cane stripped spring or smily face trampoline. “Onesie, twosie, comin’ throughsie~! (giggle!)” she sang, tapping the weapons she couldn’t avoid with her whimsical wand and turning them to harmless rubber. Of course, her allies helped, too, but MDP was enjoying herself far too much to notice any of that. A white knight lunged at her with its spear, only for the playful princess to leap atop it, skip along its length, and bound off it with a cheerful wave. “Thanky wankies, horsey worsie~! (giggle!)” she told it, before refocusing on her objective, the white king. With a final bounce, she was hurtling towards the alabaster sovereign, her arms spread wide. “Kingy wiiiiiingy~” she called in an even more sing-song voice than usual. “It’s huggy wuggy time~! (giggle!)”

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

Huh, you actually look kinda tolerable!
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow

It didn’t take long for Nyxia to reach the source of the massive light pillar, but even so, she soon discovered that she was far from the first to arrive. The fact that the club voyeur was present hardly came as a surprise, but the same couldn’t exactly be said for Earthshaker’s presence. Yet, after some thought, she realized it was rather reasonable for the Rule Keeper to want to be on hand to ensure that the other club members’ interactions with the mysterious newcomer wouldn’t get out of hand. More interesting by far, however, was the newcomer herself. Encased in a high-tech suit of armor, with glowing energy wings, she presented an impressive appearance, and if her recent light show was anything to go by, she was impressively powerful as well. That said, she didn’t seem to be acting particularly imposing, let alone snobbishly imperious, instead looking more awkward than anything else. This was actually a very good sign, as far as the Neon Tempest was concerned, since she never much cared about a girl’s affiliation in regard to light or dark, just that they were at least moderately tolerable to be around, and this girl seemed to fit that criteria, at least so far.

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” A grinning Nyxia reassured the armored girl when she noted that the Miseria had begun growing rapidly denser. “It just gives my precious baby more to FEAST ON!!!” she added, giving voice to a peal of unhinged laughter as her enormous death ray unleashed a crackling, writhing cylinder of ruinous energy, which promptly obliterated not only the dense clusters of Miseria, but more than a few of the mosquito monsters feeding upon them as well. “By the way, thanks for drawin’ ‘em all here!” the Neon Tempest told her benefactor during a brief lull in the slaughter. “That fireworks show ya put on was badass as fuck!”

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

---

“Home field advantage” Nicole had said. Perhaps that might have been true in the daylight, but on this tempest-wracked night, Nova Lux’s elaborate gardens seemed just as treacherous and foreboding a labyrinth as the one Guardian Gunslinger Alexis had faced in Season 1, Episode 14- Botanical Battlezone. In fact, Dana half expected a genetically engineered carnivorous plant to lunge for her at any moment, or one of the statues to start opening fire on her teammates with concealed magitech weaponry. Actually, now that she thought about it, armed statues would make for a pretty cool defensive system, and the golden gunslinger made a mental note to speak with the faculty about that idea after the typhoon had passed. As it was, the blinding arcs of lightning and torrential rains propelled by gale force winds were more than enough of an impediment even without the threat of hidden traps, and Dana grit her teeth as she pulled the wide brim of her hat down to cover her face in an attempt to block at least some of the stinging drops of rain that were slashing across it in a seemly endless torrent. Yet, even if her parma was completely soaked, no amount of rain could dampen her spirit.

“Nice of this lightning to help guide our path!” Dana’s jovial voice shouted over the roaring winds as she splashed through yet another puddle. “Even if it’s nothing compared to what you can dish out, Penny!” she added, giving her roommate a stardust-trailing wink. Of course, the smiling sharpshooter was doing her part as well, having conjured a small swarm of glowing stars to orbit the team, but she was never one to sing her own praises when she could boost the spirits of her friends instead.

Soon enough, however, Dana and her teammates would make out another, far brighter source of illumination, a blazing pyre rising up from where the medical wing was located, one promptly joined by an explosion, whose fiery roar seemed to rival the storm’s own peals of thunder. Upon arriving a few moments later, the golden gunslinger gave voice to a gasp of horror at the sight that greeted her. Not only was much of the medical wing set ablaze, but that wasn’t even the worst part. She heard them over the comms mere moments before she caught sight of them with her own eyes: Amanda and Priya’s bloody and battered bodies laying on the waterlogged ground in front of the burning structure, their teammates nowhere to be found. The former wasn’t moving, and Dana prayed she was merely unconscious, but the later…

No sooner had Dana heard Priya’s pained cry than her auric eyes caught a glimpse of movement from within the blazing building behind the injured girl, causing the shining sharpshooter to freeze in her tracks. The figure perched in the second floor window was obviously a hostile Ars Magi, one armed with a sniper rifle of some sort, and while she had yet to open fire, Dana was almost certain that would change the moment she, or any other member of team Radiant Storm dared to move even a centimeter closer. The hostile figure’s choice of weapon made the golden garbed Norban think of Priya’s instructor, the legendary Amara Volkov, but there was no way this was actually her, right? One of the most loyal and respected Ars Magi couldn’t possibly have… No, Dana told herself with fierce determination. This wasn’t the time for what ifs. Her friends were in danger and keeping them safe was what mattered most.

“Watch out, guys!” Dana cautioned the rest of her team. “There’s a sniper in that second floor window!” she added, pointing out the enemy Ars Magi’s location with a gloved finger. “Let’s keep her pinned down while we get Amanda and Priya to safety!”

Not wasting another moment, the golden gunslinger rushed forward, a massive glowing star positioned on her arm like a shield as she fired several auric energy bolts at the shadowy sniper. While Nicole was officially the team’s leader, Dana’s overwhelming concern for her fellow Ars Magi refused to permit her to wait for even a moment before charging to their aid. Indeed, the sight of her friends’ wounded forms called to mind not only Noah, Dima, and the other officers she’d met on Aiya’s yacht, but also Crystal and the rest of Team Kheper. Then, of course, there was Lada, the eccentric scientist whose lab was inside the now set aflame medical wing. Dana had no idea how any of them were faring, but she only hoped they were all okay, and if not, that they at least had comrades-in-arms poised to come to their rescue…

Battle Toyale — Christmas Rumble!

@BrokenPromiseYes.

Battle Toyale — Christmas Rumble!

And just like that, the Orks were in full retreat, a sight that pleased Octolys greatly. More interesting by far, however, was the combat occurring between the mysterious swordswoman and the massive, mask-wearing amalgamation. It would seem the woman possessed considerable agility, augmented by potent hydrokinetic abilities. While clearly no match for the gargantuan creature in a straight up fight, the woman was able to employ her advantages to swiftly acquire the mask and make her equally swift escape. Yes, Octolys reflected, she would be a formidable opponent indeed, were they to cross paths. Yet, perhaps the best path would be one of avoidance, allowing his foes to slaughter each other, while he simply ascended a throne made of their pilled corpses once the last of them had fallen. Although the Orks had fled, the dark-matter Domiarch knew that it would only be a matter of time before the battle hungry creatures regrouped and returned with renewed fury. Thus, he resolved to be elsewhere before that sequence of events could fully transpire.

Setting into motion, Octolys began heading towards the labyrinthian prison’s rear wall, a destination chosen in response to the recent explosive shattering of the facility’s transparent-walled entrance. Under normal circumstances, such a development would offer a means of escape, yet it soon became quite apparent that this was yet another fiendish trap. Indeed, no sooner had the barrier been shattered, then a torrent of liquid had begun streaming through the ruptured portal to swiftly flood the multi-tiered prison’s lowest level. This latest danger was yet another reason why Octolys chose to remain upon the top level of his confinement block, although it also provided an opportunity. The more potential opponents that were swept away by the rising tide, the less opposition he would face when the time eventually came for battle to be joined…

NHTD:ARPWAEHTD (Tower of Eternity)

I love this artwork.

It's super atmospheric.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

It's Tempest Tuesday, bitches!
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow

As has been mentioned many times, Nyxia had never really cared for Rei, but on this particular night, she found herself despising the club’s enigmatic leader even more than usual. There the girl was, standing atop a light post like a total fucking chuuni, giving vague orders and trying to look as cool as possible. Hell, the one-eyed bitch wasn’t even transformed, as if announcing to all who cared to look her way that she didn’t need her mystical abilities in order to be a total badass. Nyxia found it incredibly grating at the best of times, and with the weight of the afternoon’s distressing revelations still pressing heavily upon her mind, it had become almost unbearable. Thankfully, the night had provided the Neon Tempest with no small number of distractions to help with taking her mind off such dark ruminations, if only for a few hours. There was the swarming Miseria, of course, the ever reliable punching bags whose slaughter never failed to bring her great joy, but there was also the night sky itself.

As she stood atop one of Hibusa Town’s taller buildings (to gain both a better vantage point from which to blast Miseria and from which to look down on Rei), Nyxia couldn’t help but note the cluster of billowing storm clouds gathering in the distance above the far side of town. Their contours stood in sharp contrast against the sparkling stars of the otherwise clear sky, lit up as much by the moon’s soft glow as the flashes of intermittent lightning from within the depths of their turbulent forms. It reminded the Neon Tempest of a scene in an anime film she had watched with her brother several years prior. It was one of Makoto Shinkai’s earlier films, one released long before the country had lost its collective mind over Your Name. Yet, as an ardent fan of the director’s work, Kaito had always felt Shinkai’s lesser known, and less well-regarded, works held a particular charm, a rawness that had been lost in the wake of overwhelming commercial success. Nyxia, too, had come to share that sentiment, even if she didn’t entirely agree with his opinion that those early films’ less-than-happy endings were far more accurate portrayals of reality than the more upbeat endings of the director’s most recent fare. After all, if striving against all odds to attain a seemingly impossible goal could only end in failure, then what was she even doing any of this for? No, the Neon Tempest told herself with firm resolve as she glanced over to where the illuminated spire of Hibusa Town’s tallest antenna rose up into the highest heavens in an uncannily similar manner to the iconic tower from yet another of Shinkai’s works. It wasn’t impossible. Not for her. She would get Kaito back, but first, she would force-feed Ashbringer her own intestines, and to do both of those things, she needed to get stronger. Culling the night’s crop of Miseria was sure to assist in attaining that goal, at least, if she was able to find them…

An instant before she was about to fire one of her death ray’s writhing cylinders of annihilation at a nearby cluster of Miseria, Nyxia felt her body suddenly begin to shudder. At first, it was slight, like a shiver brought on due to cold or fright, even if she never experienced such things while transformed. All too quickly, however, the shaking became much more pronounced, and the Neon Tempest realized that she wasn’t the one shaking. It was the very ground itself. It had been quite a few years since she had last experienced an earthquake, but the sensation was unmistakable. Although the trembling subsided in short order, its aftereffects promised to have rather unfortunate implications for the success of the night’s hunt. Although Rei, predictably, didn’t seem especially bothered by the turn of events, Nyxia knew that the power outage brought about by the quake would make locating and exterminating the Miseria all the more difficult…

Bracing herself so as not to unceremoniously plummet over the edge of the roof, Nyxia’s glowing eyes scanned the darkened streets. While some of the club’s members were heeding their leader’s command and mopping up any stragglers, the vast majority of the Miseria had since departed for more lucrative feeding grounds. “Fuck…” the Neon Tempest hissed. “Now we’re gonna need to find a way of gathering up the little shit stains…” She didn’t see her partner yet, but then, she hadn’t exactly been looking for her either, simply figuring Earthshaker would meet up with her sooner or later, as the Rule Keeper usually did. Now, Nyxia began actively scanning her shadowed surroundings for the tribal girl. It wasn’t long before something caught her attention, but it wasn’t Roche.

A massive pillar of blindingly bright radiance had suddenly lanced up into the sky near the center of town as if to serve as a consort to the towering, cloud-piercing antenna. While it only lasted a few short seconds, that was more than enough time for the beam’s afterimage to be thoroughly seared into Nyxia’s mind. “Holy fuck…” the Neon Tempest breathed in hushed awe. In all her time as a Magical Girl, she had never seen an expulsion of power quite so spectacular, and, she had to admit, this particular spectacle soundly surpassed even the most intensely powerful of her own ruinous energy beams. Not only that, but whoever had fired it was clearly at least somewhat intelligent. While Nyxia normally didn’t care to fuck around with what other magical girls were doing (like how she’d simply ignored that portal in the back ally she’d leapt over on her way here), the recent light show was obviously intended to attract the Miseria, like moths to the proverbial flame, and that was an opportunity the Neon Tempest wasn’t about to pass up.

“Maybe this’ll be more fun than I thought…” Nyxia mused as she raced off towards the pillar’s point of origin. She had to admit, she was very much looking forward to meeting whoever had fired it…

---

It’s also April Fools Day!
-Stacy

Actually, I think it’s closer to Halloween.
-Ramona

A short while earlier...

“And here we are!” Stacy Sterling (aka Storm Witch Stacy) declared as she stumbled out of the crackling portal. “Huh,” she added a moment later, a puzzled frown forming as she took in her surroundings. “Geopolis looks kinda different from how I remember it…”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this isn’t Geopolis,” Ramona Ralorin (aka Razor Weaver Ramona) observed in her trademark deadpan.

“What makes ya say that?” Stacy inquired, turning her head around to look at her companion.

“I don’t know,” Ramona replied. “Maybe it’s because Geopolis doesn’t have any mountains looming over it, or maybe it’s the fact that all the signs are in Japanese?”

“Holy freaking crap!! You’re totally right!” Stacy exclaimed as she finally noticed those two prominent incongruities. “Man, and I was soooo looking forward to taking that tour of their snowplow museum!”

“Yeah, what a disappointment,” Ramona muttered, before giving voice to a tired sigh. “Well, as far as fuck ups go, this might just be your worst yet. We’re not just in the wrong city, we’re on the wrong continent.”

“But, that’s still crazy awesome!” Stacy insisted. “I mean, I always wanted to visit Japan, and our magic should totally translate things for us, like it did with that Big Foot guy!”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was just a school mascot,” Ramona replied, although Stacy was no longer paying attention.

“Oooh! Look!” she cried in delight. “An arcade! We should totally go in there!”

“You’re forgetting the fact that our money isn’t good here,” Ramona pointed out.

“We can use our magic!” Stacy replied. “I’m sure if I gave the coin machine a little jolt—”

“You’d probably blow up the building,” Ramona cut her off.

“Well, then we can use your magic!” Stacy declared with her typical irrepressibility. “You can send those crazy cool web strings of yours inside the machine and get it to give us the coins! Y’know, just like how you used them to control me like a puppet that one time so I could actually hit what I was shooting at!”

“Did you also forget that normal people can’t see us while we’re transformed?” Ramona inquired. “Don’t you think it’ll look a little odd for the machines to start running through games all by themselves?”

“I guess…” Stacy conceded before rapidly brightening back up. “But I’m sure it’ll totally be fine! Like, when they see all that crazy stuff and suddenly find our names at the top of the score boards, it’ll totally be like an April Fools Day prank!”

“It’s the beginning of October.”

“Well, maybe it is here, but back home it should totally be early April! Y’know, because of timezones and rotation and junk!”

Ramona simply stared at her companion with a blank expression before finally uttering an even more deadpan than normal, “…What.”

“Yeah! Like how on one side of the planet it’s Fall, but on the other side, it’s Spring! Just like how on one side of the world it’s day and on the other side it’s night! I mean, that totally is how it works, right?!”

“Wrong.”

“Huh?”

“That isn’t remotely how it works. For one thing, seasons are only reversed on the northern and southern hemispheres, and even then, the months of the year stay the same. So there’s no way it’s April anywhere on this planet.”

“But maybe it is on another planet!” Stacy suggested. “Or in another universe! Well, anyway, let’s check out that arcade!”

“Fine…” Ramona relented with a weary sigh. “But only because I don’t wanna get rained on…” she added, glancing up at the ominous thunderheads that seemed poised to unleash a torrential downpour at any moment.

Although Stacy was often blissfully unaware of it, her magic had the unfortunate side effect of causing extremely localized storms, especially if she was feeling exceptionally emotional about something. Which was to say, most of the time, and this seemed to be yet another such occasion. Ramona only hoped it wouldn’t end up leaving her soaked, struck by lightning, or worse…

No sooner had they entered the arcade, then Stacy darted over to one of the machines along the back wall. Its cabinet was covered in artwork depicting several robotic warriors in dramatic poses, while a battle between two of the fighters was playing out on the machine’s waiting screen. “Oh sweet!” she cheered gesturing to the machine excitedly. “They’ve got Gearmantic Hearts! Come on!” she insisted as she grabbed the far more sedately moving Ramona and pulled her over. “Let’s play a match!”

“If you insist…” Ramona muttered.

“But, uh, first we need some coins, so, like, if you could get those for us, that’d be great!”

“Yeah, whatever…” Ramona grumbled. “After all, what could possibly go wrong?”

Surprisingly, nothing did go wrong, and soon enough, the multi-limbed patchwork girl had returned with a small fortune in less-than-legally acquired coins. Placing the required amount into Gearmantic Hearts’ coin slots, the game commenced its start up sequence. First, the logo for Covington Arts filled the screen, before the elaborately calligraphed letters gave way to the opening animatic, which succinctly summed up the game’s meager story. Then it was time for the players to choose their respective fighters…

“Okay! So, I think I’m gonna go with Finnegan Fabricant!” Stacy declared, selecting a brooding bishonen pretty boy with a robotic crow perched on his shoulder and wearing a tattered trench coat. “He’s crazy handsome, has really cool moves, and a super tragic backstory that just makes me wanna give him the biggest hug!”

“I guess I’ll take this girl,” Ramona decided, her sullen voice devoid of any hint of enthusiasm as she chose an attractive female android with stark white hair.

“What?!” Stacy exclaimed, her eyes going wide. “But, uh, that’s Penny Pinnacle!”

“So?”

“Well, she’s, like, crazy OP, and she’s banned in all kinds of tournaments and stuff!”

“I was able to select her just fine,” Ramona noted.

“W-Well, yeah…” Stacy conceded hesitantly. “I mean, they didn’t remove her from the game or anything, but…”

“Then I can play her,” Ramona stated flatly.

For a moment, Stacy didn’t say anything, looking rather conflicted on how to proceed. But soon enough, she clenched her fists and her visage took on a look of fierce intensity. “Okay, fine!” she relented. “You’re on! I’ll show ya that I can still beat the game designer’s super busted special snowflake with a balanced character like Finnegan!”

“Knock yourself out,” Ramona replied as the game began.

“I’m gonna knock you out, Ramona!” Stacy shot back as she charged Finnegan into combat.

“I choose violence!” the fabricant declared as he thrusted his glowing energy rapier at Penny, the blade leaving a series of after images behind itself.

At first Penny didn’t move, Ramona’s controls having been locked to represent Finnegan’s manipulation of the very fabric of time to grant himself hyper-accelerated speed. Yet, at the last possible second, Penny leapt above the thrust and over Finnegan himself, leaving after images in her wake as she slammed a supercharged fist into the fabricant’s back.

“Cool power.” the android remarked. “Think I’ll take it.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?!” Finnegan shouted as he got to his feet and conjured a flock of robotic crows from his outstretched palm. “No one can see what’s really going on!”

“Don’t need to see,” Penny replied as she activated her four energy blade tipped spider limbs and sliced each of the robo-crows apart in a rapid flurry of motion. “Just need to win.”

For the next minute and a half, the battle proceeded at a furious pace, Finnegan making rapid jabs with his energy rapier and shooting crackling arcs of bronze lightning at his white haired opponent, while Penny employed her prodigious strength, nanotech mastery over metal, and devastating gauss cannon to keep the fabricant on the very edge of total destruction. However, although Penny was clearly the more powerful fighter, Ramona wasn’t the most experienced player, and Stacy’s expert knowledge of the various strengths and weaknesses of Finnegan’s moveset ultimately allowed her to gain the upper hand.

Leaping above Penny, the fabricant held out an antique golden pocket watch that furiously crackled with writhing tendrils of lighting as he prepared his ultimate attack.

“Time to end this!” Finnegan and Stacy shouted as one, the finishing move an instant away from striking home.

And it was at that exact instant that all the power in the building suddenly went out, immediately followed by a bout of shaking that reverberated for several seconds.

“W-What the…?!” Stacy exclaimed in horror as her seemingly inevitable victory was snatched away at the last possible moment.

“Wow. It looks like you continue to be your own worst enemy,” Ramona observed with a wry smirk.

“That wasn’t me!” Stacy shot back as she held onto the game cabinet in an attempt to maintain her balance. “It must’ve been this stupid earthquake!”

“Then I guess the universe itself didn’t want you to win,” Ramona snarked. “Or maybe Penny’s just too powerful for a ‘balanced’ character like Finnegan to ever beat.”

“She is not!” Stacy protested. “I totally had you on the ropes! I just needed that one last hit!”

“But you didn’t get it,” Ramona told her, pointing out the obvious. “Which means it’s a draw at best. And since I had more HP left,” she added with a smirk. “I think that counts as me being ahead.”

“It does not!” Stacy shot back. “Penny had waaay more HP than Finnegan to start with, so of course she’d have more left before I landed my killing blow!”

“That sounds like the kinda thing a sore loser would say.”

“Oh, whatever!” Stacy grumbled, before grabbing her lighting staff and infusing it with mystic power. “I’ll just recharge the game with a little zap, and then we’ll see who has more HP by the end of the match!”

“I really wouldn’t do that,” Ramona advised. “You’re more likely to completely fry it, and then we’d never be able to have our rematch. _{Well, at least not on this machine…}”

“You’re probably right…” Stacy conceded with a defeated sigh. “So, uh, I guess we should head back home now… Or, maybe we could try going to Geopolis again?!” she suggested, her dour mood brighting considerably in response to this new possibility. “I mean, with all the extra power I can draw on thanks to this storm, I’m sure I can get a super strong lock on it this time!” Before Ramona could protest, the cheerful witch tore open another crackling portal in the arcade’s back corner and gestured to it eagerly. “Come on! If we hurry, we can make it to the snowplow museum before it closes!”

“The anticipation is killing me,” Ramona muttered as she was dragged through the portal, idly wondering where they might wind up this time…