Temporary

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

@FamishedPants Nemurin did nothing wrong. #WeStanNemurin

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

"I-is that... really what she wants to do?" Ellie asked, pacing back and forth the length of a small backroom, just off and behind from The PI owned corner store, a few miles from The Nerine Vista. The heavy fabric sleeves and wide brimmed sage's hat she called an outfit bobbed up and down in the air with each of her repetitive steps - around the table, over the mess of cables threaded from the back of the computer atop it, past the water cooler, left of the coffee and vending machines, and behind Christine's chair to sneak a glimpse through the glass window of the break room, before manoeuvring back to her side to begin again. "Not that I'm questioning, but isn't that super, super duper risky? Vi-chan might not like it, a-and even if she does, isn't it... y'know... r-really bad?"

Every few laps, Ellie would stop to stare at the computer screen. Christine could hear it, despite her silence - the girl was every moment justifying things in her head, the pros and cons of every word and move. Whether morally it was right, whether the ends justified the means. She would stop and wordlessly scan the open windows, reading each condition and each setting Christine changed or added. The UI had remained much the same to when Ellie had bought it, but she could see in it where the various alterations fell into place: a change in colour here, a rewritten piece of code there. The original script hadn't been difficult to re-programme into a functioning message service, especially with Glimmr to serve as a baseline comparison, but handing it off to Mary to retrofit the Surveyor App's security measures was a nerve wracking experience for her. Christine barely even needed to redirect her vision to tell what the druid was thinking, every emotion she could ever experience was laid bare on Ellie's face.

"They struck first, you get that right?" Christine responded. With a click of her mouse, the software shifted from a series of checkboxes and variable flags to a debug menu of code, underlined with a loading bar which ticked slowly upwards to completion. Christine swivelled in her chair, grazing the side of the table as she turned to face Ellie, whose most recent lap halted in progress. "How many did the Gamma Team lose again, five? Five of your friends and colleagues dead or captured by the hands of The Ascendancy, directly or otherwise. That's enough to justify it. This is already a war, it's been a war for months - just nobody's declared it official yet. That's all this is."

"I-I-I don't know, it feels wrong..." she replied, taking an uneasy step towards the vending machine. The plexiglas panel that sat at its front had been removed, leaving her free to reach in, and pull a bottle of water from the third row from the top, two from the left - C2. A sweat covered hand slick from anxiety twisted at the cap to no avail, sliding around it and adding to her frustration, until a moment of friction caught the ridges, and she pulled the cap from the rim. "M-more importantly, why would Vi-chan sign up to this? She's anti-Beacon and all b-but, wouldn't her popularity take a hit? I know she loves her fans, but without her fame what would she do? I-I, i-if we damage her career, won't she get super mad, she'll - I-I don't, I-"

"Shhhh, it's okay, it's okay," followed Christine's voice, cutting off the steadily increasing panic behind Ellie's voice. She had stepped up from the chair, and crossed the distance between the two before Ellie had noticed. There wasn't enough energy left in her not diverted to her anxiety to resist Christine's grip, which led her backwards and into the chair by the desktop. "If the majority of her audience shares her sentiments, this'll only serve to make her more famous. And anyway, we're appealing to whoever Vi works for. We only need them to agree to the idea, and then it's happy days, okay? So stop worrying."

The sound of wind chimes and party poppers radiated into the room, from the speakers either side of the PC. Ellie panicked, for a moment, but with her hand in Christine, she shrugged it off with a mouthful of water, and looked towards the screen. Elvira would only receive a simple message on Glimmr, from an account that had only abruptly been added as her friend. The account had been made that day, within minutes of sending the message - no prior activity, no profile picture, no friends, no data.

Need help planning your party?
om9j7UnY76gT.56gtPAx1By.pc

C

The link would hold up against any scrutiny - despite its suspicious appearance, it was nothing harmful. If she chose to open it, it would automatically redirect her after a few seconds of loading, to another website. Two messages had been posted in a simplistic messaging service. The website held a white background, with blue trim around the edges of the message and text box. At the top and to the left was a text box to change ones name, and the colour of their text, and beneath it was a box that read No Online Users. The URL, just as simply, read "surveyorboard.net/e6Tym90okIlL/secure". A fair amount of time had been put into creating a secure message system, one which could be accessed by even those outside of The Penrose Independent, who didn't have access to The Surveyor App proper. It made use of many of the same features the inbuilt messenger of the app did, whilst simultaneously providing magically bolstered security of the highest calibre. The Glimmr message would be automatically deleted, and the initial link would become invalid, leading only to "site could not be reached" page, so that only Elvira, Christine, and Ellie had access to the channel.

C: Hey there.
C: Can I take it that you're Vi?

@Rune_Alchemist

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

The Boss had come to feel the time dilation of the beach resort within moments of returning to Penrose. Before she could talk to Sasha, or any of the Agents, before she could acknowledge the colder climate, before she even knew about the movement of The Ascendancy - the months she had missed returned in a fraction of a second. At first it was pain. A sharp, white hot pain, which wracked her body and coursed through her form, threatening to tear her open from the inside out, while all she could do was grit her teeth and bear the brunt of the whiplash. Then it dwindled, from pain to nothing. Vertigo overtook, and everything inside her became weightless and numb.

Sasha had been concerned. The two arrived in the middle of The Nerine Vista, precisely as they had left, but to see her Boss, her friend, display any fraction of pain was a worrying sight. The Boss had assured her otherwise. The deadline hadn't come, and though months of absence had caused a feedback along the tether, there was no danger that the re-connection would fail. It would only take time, time that had to be spent recuperating, learning whatever had happened over the course of the forced vacation.

The moments the signals of The Surveyor App were reestablished for Christine, Rebecca, Olympia, and a number of other girls, the work began. A Magical Girl chef under Sasha, named Amelia, had worked on keeping The Nerine Vista in pristine condition for the eventual return of communication with The Independent, and The Boss was more than thankful. It allowed a safe place of work, especially among the circumstance. The past months had been a mess - with a majority of Independent Agents falling under the Dark Magical Girl and Monster Girl umbrellas, and the suspicion cast with the Janet Howell Trial report, Reporters and Journalists had been hunted down. Over twenty killed, and nearly a dozen captured, with their whereabouts unknown; almost all by The Ascendancy's hand.

The Surveyor Teams had been hard at work over the course of the disappearances, but their operations could only go so far without orders and direct support. The Beta Team had collected data on the numerous supposedly natural disasters that had struck across the city, The Alpha Team had records of an increased undead presence within Penrose, and The Gamma Team reported suspicions that another party had been tapping communications across the city. A huge majority of Magical Girls within the city had gone missing at the same time, and returned at similarly consecutive intervals. And a number of agents had gone incognito, as part of The Independent's Hurricane Protocol, in fear of being hunted. Some had even abandoned the organisation all together. By the time an hour of catching up had passed, The Penrose Independent was weaker than it had ever been.

"One of the shops was destroyed as well. Part of an Ascendancy raid," Sasha concluded, placing a folder onto a table, littered with documents. Christine sat nearby, looking over a set of balance sheets. To her right sat the heads of the three main Surveyor Teams, with documents, tablets, and folders strewn around their individual spaces of the table as well, "War will start soon. I don't think The Ascendancy can win, not with Penrose as it is now. Perhaps a bet on the Mint splinter group-"

"What, are we gonna treat this like a Poker game now or something?" queried a girl to Sasha's left, the head of the Alpha Team. While she wore an embellished, frilly dress, of various reds, pinks, and golds, and over the top of its white and black centre pieces. A number of jewellery pieces ran through the outfit, onto her arms, and through her hair - which cascaded down her back and the chair in a long ponytail, held in place with a large red and white ribbon. In a lot of ways, the girl looked like an idol, and though her words escaped her lips at speeds rivalling the most complex of songs, her expression remained a serious one. Concerned, unimpressed, and severe, "What happened to not gambling with the lives of Agents, huh Boss? Sasha? Working with people like that just puts a bigger Ascendancy target on everyone's backs. You think the Magical Nazis of Beacon care who's innocent and who ain't under the PI umbrella?"

"Effort has to be made to rebuild the ranks. Runner groups are too fractured and fanatical to rely on. We need numbers and equipment," Sasha replied. Compared to her colleague, her words were measured, and deliberate. While the other girl took to formulating her response, Sasha leant across the table, and pulled another folder from amidst the pile, "Besides The Cradle, Cindy Ford has been using Penny Asimov's expanded sanctuary. It has grown a large amount since Olympia last saw it. Penny still owes us a favour, too. If war is going to start, The Penrose Independent should be at the front. The more allies the better."

"Beacon is totally gonna be fragile right now. Betcha you could even incite a revolt. That's why you've got Rebecca, right~?" a second girl suggested, bedecked in a black dress and coy grin, deftly twirling an intricate, wooden stave between her fingers. Where the fabric of her dress met her shoulders, two padded, frilled epaulettes broke free down the top of her arm, in a similar design to the frilled, white, almost feather-like additions to the ends of her sleeves. The hem of her dress, too, matched, with black frills at the end of the barely thigh covering article.

"Is that seriously all you care about, Miri?"

"Cindy's gonna be the priority here," The Boss finally said, raising her head from between her interwoven fingers to address the table. The numbness was still present, eating away at her inside while the tether attempted to fully reconnect. She could feel the emptiness attempting to draw her in, consume every aspect of her existence, for every second she remained idle. It was an arduous task to keep herself stable, "Astrid's right - there'll be no gambling with lives. We shouldn't pursue The Cradle. Between Katelyn wanting to kill one of its members, Veronica as its leader, and their issues with The Mint, they're not worth the risk. Shion tells me Veronica was seen with Sylvia at The Beach, anyway. The Cradle will probably get involved with this regardless. If we've got Cindy at our side, they might ask us for an alliance instead. That's the best case with them."

"You can't be serious. I'm 'right', but you're still going to pick a fight with The Ascendancy? Are you insane?" Astrid began to shout. Yet The Boss displayed no sign of emotion. She had expected her to react, but nothing on her face gave it away. Astrid's face on the other hand was easy to read - she was exasperated, believed herself to be the only sane one at the table, was angry at The Boss for practically outright ignoring her plea, and simultaneously wracked with an inexplicable anxiety, "We try this and fail, it's all of our heads. Not just yours, not just Christine's, not just mine - all of us, from the top down. All those Monster Girls who just wanted somewhere safe to stay and earn some money? Dead. All those Beacon girls you convinced to snitch on their leaders for some extra coin? Dead. They've already started thinning us out, you wanna add more fuel to that fire?!"

"Astrid," The Boss replied, calmly. But though her words were level and measured, she shot Astrid a look. The emotion on her face switched from anger and passion, to something smaller, more afraid. Typically The Boss's stares were anxiety inducing, but the empty void that swirled with her as a result of the issues with the tether exemplified the gaze tenfold, into something violent, calculated, chaotic and vicious. Something Astrid had never seen, ”If I remember correctly, you joined us three years ago, right? A former Beacon Agent from outta town, come to Penrose for a fresh start, because you'd been Excommunicated. You and your friends lost a battle to corruption, and nearly resulted in thousands of deaths. So Beacon killed your sisters, and followed you here.”

”I know you joined for protection, Astrid, I’m trying to give it to you.” she continued, her stare softening into something welcoming, but forlorn. Most conversations with The Boss followed similar patterns. She would start off cold, and severe, but when she’d finished being threatening, it was hard to see her as anything but approachable, ”This is a bigger mess than I expected, and I don’t really know what the right answer is - but I do know something. We’ll be safe when we’re strong. I have a goal for The Penrose Independent, and it needs this organisation to be bigger, and we do that by eating the bigger fish. If we spearhead the assault on The Ascedancy, everyone will want to work with us, from The Mint to the Pro-Equality Beacon Agents - and we’ll keep going until we’re the biggest fish around.”

Astrid opened her mouth to respond, but no words emerged. She stood for a second, washing her gaze across the table, and her colleagues, and then nodded, quietly. A glaze of tears had formed in her eyes, born of painful memories from the past, and she shrunk back into her chair. Both she, and all the others at the table, understood the objective, and everyone looked to everyone else, not sure when to speak or in regards to what, as The Boss flipped through a series of documents in front of her, awaiting the next suggestion.

"I'll get Rebecca on working her way into The Ascendancy's ranks, then," Christine offered, clearing the silence and the air. She was already typing out a message by the time The Boss gave her the nod of approval. Among the suspicion that The Ascendancy could have communications tapped city wide, the messenger function within The Surveyor App had become all the more valuable, "The Beacon Informants might need some incentive to get back to duty, but I'll get Caleb to cover that. You said about The Mint - do you think it's worth having Lee introduce us to Al Scarpe? Maybe The Archive while we're at it?"

"Um, a-as well. Recently, a Magical Girl - or, I guess, Dark Magical Girl? Maybe Monster Girl - a-anyway, she’s called Vi, she’s a Magical Girl who's popular on Glimmr - she's pretty popular, I-I dunno if you've ever heard of her, Boss, popular, and cute, she has a large following, a-and-" the third girl cut herself off. A blush had formed around her cheeks, as she realised how much she was talking, and in an effort to hide it, she had begun to pull the large, wide-brimmed witch hat atop her head down to mask her face, "Sh-she, ah, um... she's been spreading some anti-Beacon propaganda over the past weeks, and recently announced this, uh, party, for all her fans, with a secret location - I've been following her stuff for, um... a while... H-here, just..."

The Witch-esque Magical Girl pulled a tablet out of a large, heavy bag from behind her, and opened a copy of the video Elvira had uploaded, and since deleted. The six girls present each sat in silence, listening and watching, some silently judging, both Vi and their colleague, whilst others considered the words, and their implications - The Boss more so than any of them. Was this girl attempting to incite a battle? Or merely spit in the face of The Ascendancy? In her mind, it sounded like a challenge. 'Come and get us', or something of similar effect.

"I'm assuming you think you know what location she's talking about, Ellie?" when Ellie nodded, The Boss nodded in response. She reached over with a gloved hand, pulling a piece of paper out from amidst her pile - a report compilation of some of the various girls who had arrived in Penrose over the past months, from Monster Girls to Ascendancy Agents. She could feel the cogs in her own brain turning, from deep within the tumultuous chaos and nothingness she called a body, "Alright then. Ellie, you and Christine'll coordinate regarding Elvira and this party. While you're at it, Christine, get in touch with Lee. I'll let you decide what to do with him. Astrid, continue monitoring the undead activity, and take joint control of the Gamma Team's operations while Ellie is busy. Miriam, I'll leave you in charge of Rebecca and the infiltration - don't do anything stupid, understand? Sasha will work with me."

The group of Magical Girls each gave a nod, and in turn, stood from the table, meeting concluded. More would inevitably be discussed in time, but each present understood their mission, and overall goal. One by one, the Surveyor Team Leaders and Christine said their farewells, and took off into the cold, winter streets of Penrose City. The only two who remained were Sasha, and The Boss, sat mere feet apart around the piled high and polluted table of documents. For a while after their colleagues left, there was silence between them.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Sasha finally asked, breaking the silence. Before The Boss could answer, she lifted her chair, and brought it over to practically right next to The Boss's, and sat down, inches away. She had attempted to hide her concern for the entirety of the meeting, but with nobody around to hide it from, she could finally let it out, "I can take over until you return - I would feel better if you returned now than when the time empties."

"No... not yet," The Boss replied, with a sigh. On an instinctual level, she agreed with Sasha. As always, she was right about matters related to her personal life, to a degree of accuracy that even The Boss couldn't attain. Unlike hypothetical others in her situation, she didn't find it strange or creepy. It was comforting. But it wasn't the time to return yet - the tether would stabilise without issue as long as the time limit hadn't ended. As uncomfortable as it was, she could bear it, "There are things I need to take care of while I'm here. I'd probably be gone for... well, a couple of days, I would say. That's too much wasted time."

With a solemn nod, Sasha stood from the table, and walked towards the double doors marking the entrance to the kitchen. Automatically, they swung upon, allowing her entry, while The Boss remained sat, contemplating, lingering in the emptiness of her newfound condition. Her gaze drew towards a large painting on the wall to her left: a rendition of Earth, splintered and cracked, with a ball of bright, blue light, illuminating its spider-webbed flaws from above. Things would get worse before they got better, she imagined. Rarely did she become nervous, but a creep of anxiety pulled itself up her spine, and into the base of her head. There was uncertainty, and dread, and doubt, and a hint of self-consciousness. So many pieces, so many potential moves, and so many objectives. But behind everything, an omnipresent sense of excitement gnawed against her common sense, edging her forward.

"D'you feel this too, Cynthia? How's your tether fairing?" The Boss asked to no one, talking to nothing, and chuckling into the empty air.

---

Surveyor App - 1 New Message // Christine

Christine ^{today at 8:26 PM}
We're gonna have you work your way into The Ascendancy.
The Boss thinks your best bet might by through some new girl, Dawn Astrea.
New recruit of some kind.

Rebecca ^{today at 8:27 PM}
you're fucking kidding

Christine ^{today at 8:27 PM}
Nope.
Miriam will be handling you for the duration.
G-01 got a picture of this "Dawn" just after she entered the city.
[Image File]

The Shinobi slumped backwards in her chair, nearly falling to the floor, accompanied by a long, arduous groan. Rebecca held her phone above her head, still fixated on the messages Christine had just sent her. It was absurd. Signing up to Beacon, becoming the first Tasker - she hadn't expected the extreme and heavy workload that came with it all. The beach resort had made her realise, that she missed her old job in The Penrose Independent. Following designated targets, watching them from afar, and reporting to a higher up if anything out of the ordinary happened. What she wouldn't have given to reclaim that lost career.

It wasn't a particularly far distance from the apartment The PI had set her up with and Beacon Headquarters. The short walk was perhaps the only benefit to the job she had. As Rebecca wandered through the hidden entrance to the building, she could only wonder why it was her that had to deal with it all. Had her family angered an ancient eldritch God who cursed her bloodline, and that curse only decided to activate once she herself had been born? Did she accidentally break some priceless, cursed relic, releasing a malevolent spirit which plagued her with misfortune? Did God hate Scottish people? The answer eluded her, and with every step through Beacon's halls, she descended deeper into the conspiracy theories of her own divination.

When she began to hear voices, she beelined towards them, and quickly deviated her course through the halls along the path of least resistance. She had spent a fair amount of time memorising the layout of the Headquarters - even where she was, a short ways off, she could tell that the voices were in the direction of The Hall of Luminous Valour. Just a short moment after Aurelio himself wandered in, Rebecca too unabashedly entered. The first thing to catch her eye was the sword the girl in front of them wielded. A girl who matched the photo Christine had provided.

"'Th'fuck'am 'Ah walkin' inta' 'ere?" she called aloud, taking a cautionary step back, half an act and half on instinct to seeing a Beacon Agent wielding a weapon in her general direction. Though she hadn't been present for it, Rebecca had heard about The PI Agent purge Beacon had attempted following the trial report. Between that and The Ascendancy being directly responsible for the deaths of Dark Magical and Monster Girl PI Agents, the sight had sparked her adrenaline. Every synapse in her brain told her to flee, but still she sidled up behind Aurelio and beside him, placing herself in full view as best as possible without pushing in front of him, "'Ah'm Rebecca. This where all that Ascendancy shites goin' on? Kinda new just off tha' graveyard thing, didn't get ta' do much before gettin' teleported ta' that fackin' beach and shite. D'you's take, like... I donnae' know, apprentices or anythin' like that? Been feelin' like I ain't doin' me part 'ere."

@Shifter_Master@Asuras@Ariamis

---

Thalia pulled herself into a hug, rubbing her gloved hands against her shoulders amidst the cold night of Penrose City. Despite her Fire Specialisation, she had sealed herself into her human disguise, letting herself feel the biting chill, and every shiver as a frigid wind tore clean through her jacket and fleece. The disguise felt unusual, like it didn't fit her properly, even despite the fox ears which emerged from her head - a side effect of her corruption. It had been months since she had bothered to utilise it when going outside.

The cold, to her, acted as an anchoring point. Anxiety had wracked her even prior to leaving her most recent lair, which the Meditation Stone Penny had gifted her dealt with, but navigating the streets of Penrose to a store that sold phones while focusing on the polished white stone was beyond her at the best of times. In its absence, Thalia relied on the chill, something distracting from the gnawing in the back of her mind. Something to keep her through the mission without losing control again.

When she finally found a store still open in the dead of winter and night, selling the item of her desire, she stood at the entrance, composing herself for a number of minutes. She wasn't going to lose control, she thought to herself, she could do it. In the midst of psyching herself up, Thalia pulled one of her gloves off and stuffed it into a pocket, instantly feeling the numbness on her skin. With her bare hand, she reached into her fleece, where the Meditation Stone was held. Her thumb brushed across its smooth exterior, and her eyes closed, allowing herself to drift into focus and clarity. And with a deep breath, she stepped into the store.

Instantly, a blast of warm air exploded from the interior, cutting through her clothes harsher than even the cold wind had managed. Momentarily taken aback, she took another deep breath, and cast her gaze around the room - sparce, filled with few perishable goods and food items, no doubt the effects of the past months events. Thalia hadn't learned much, but from what she had gleaned, things had gotten bad since everyone had vanished. Between natural disasters and The Ascendancy marking their claim, a part of her thanked Dan and his beach resort for keeping her - and The Vixen - away from such prime hunting grounds. She wanted to be rid of it, of her, as quickly as possible.

To that end she beelined towards a display of burner phones. She fumbled with the packaging for a second, as her bare hand ran sore and numb with pins and needles from the transition in temperature, but with a seconds composition to calm the trembling along her fingers, she grabbed at the thing, and brought it to the counter - where nobody stood. A tang of anxiety pulsed along her spine, sending a tingle up to the base of her skull, and forcing her hand back into her pocket, to the Meditation Stone she had begun to rely on so heavily since the talk with Penny. It helped, more than she had originally anticipated, and with her eyes closed, she drifted to a centre point. A collective, cumulative 'inside', to her definitive core, and for a moment she was at peace.

"-would'ya look at me? If that's everything Broad, it'll be twenty bucks 'ya hear?" came a voice, severing her connection to the inner point of focus she had attained. Her eyes snapped open, readjusted to the light, and focused on the man who had stepped behind the counter - fairly tall, fairly pale, with a close cut beard and hairstyle, and casual, worn clothing. He seemed annoyed, though not exceptionally so - Thalia couldn't exactly call it unwarranted. She stared for a moment, stunned. That he hadn't bothered to question the set of furry ears atop her head barely came to mind, as her head was flooded with possible responses built up from months of disconnect with conversation.

"S-sorry, I, uh, sorry, sorry... hold on, l-let me just," she sputtered, pulling off the second glove and reaching into the right pocket on her fleece, to pull out a worn, fabric wallet with a velcro strap. Before leaving, she had returned to the old storage unit she had used to keep her hunting equipment in. For once, she thanked her past self - she had wielded enough foresight to place nearly a two year down-payment on it, and everything had remained as she had left it. The bows, the rifles, and the cache of money she had saved up prior to becoming a Magical Girl. With a slightly trembling hand, she pulled a twenty dollar bill from inside, and handed it to him, "Sorry, uh... again. H-have a good evening?"

The man barely responded as she took her awkward leave, and returned to whatever he had been doing before she arrived. And Thalia, phone in hand, stepped out into the cold once more, pulling at the tight plastic packaging with her teeth and nails, attempting against attempt to force it open. For the first minute, she lost the struggle, but then the thing tore open, sending the phone and everything else in the plastic to scatter into the air. About as dexterous as humanly possible, her hands whipped out to catch the phone itself and sim card, whilst the rest of the plastic and assorted items fell to a puddle in the street beneath her - a single instruction manual among them, quickly overtaken with dirty water.

Hey Penny, it's Thalia! I got a new phone, and remembered your number and everything!

Unknown Number

Thalia typed out, smiling near ear to ear as she did so. It had been an eternity it felt like since the two of them had texted. If she hadn't known better, she might have felt like nothing had changed at all.

Hope you don't mind me sending lots of messages? I haven't used a phone in a super long time. It's been even longer since we texted each other on them, so I really wanna catch up with things!

Unknown Number

With a second message send, Thalia took off into the night, heading back to the centre in which her storage unit was held, intending to sleep the night there. A third message already sat typed out in the message box as she walked, but she paused for a moment, and deleted it, to allow Penny the chance to text back first.

@Shifter_Master

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

@EnterTheHero Ari and ERode would probably pick this up anyway, but for Monstrous Form you've gotta have at least two Black Mutations. The only one you've got at the moment is Nonstandard Limbs, while all the others are Greens.

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

Fuckin' Journalists

Name: Eden Campbell

Age (Magical Girl): 5

Age (Before Magical Girl): 22

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Disguised

Undisguised

Specialization:

Darkness, Gravity, and Psychic - Eden's primary Specialisation is Darkness, though in conjunction to the stereotypical applications of the magic, her own monstrous traits convert it into something more aggressive that most wielders of shadows. As with herself, the Darkness Eden exudes takes on the fundamental property of "Consumption" - the essential aspect to the dark that leads it to blanket and smother all it touches. It devours all, becoming a corrosive swarm that sinks deep into objects and beings alike, rending them from the inside out. When confronted with projectiles, or even spells, she possesses the ability to absorb the magic, tapping into the core of her nature to convert that which she destroys back into magical energy, recycled into herself for the purposes of Evolution, or Regeneration, or to be returned to her opponent as concentrated beams of shadow, that erode everything they touch. The only limit to that effect are in itself its nature, as her shadows cannot absorb or reconstitute magic of the Fire, Light, and Lightning Specialisations.

Her second magic takes the form of Gravity. Her magic at its core influences and destroys that which it touches, and that influence can be felt through the distortion of gravity. Manipulating and malforming the world to her will, her favoured usage of Gravity magic is to grant metaphysical weight to herself and objects, both tremendously bolstering her presence on the battlefield, to sow fear into her opponents, but also making up for her lack of offensive physical strength, by crushing enemies under tonnes of force. Additional applications include freedom of flight, making up for her typical lack of agility, as well as the distortion of incoming attacks that could potentially breach her natural fortitude.

With a Ruby Coin, gifted to Eden by her friend and ally Christine West, she has developed a third Specialisation - Psychic. Although the latent uses of the magic weren't ones Eden desired, or had much use of, it grants her a number of additional options for information gathering, even if those paths are the kind of dislikes; forcing individuals to give up secrets unwilling, while effective, is something she finds unsightly. Her skill in magic therefore is something she is greatly thankful for, affording her the magic to manipulate her own mind as well as others. This signature application can divide up her own mind, almost creating a form of parallel processing, allowing her to work through multiple issues, or attacks, at the same time, when otherwise she might become overwhelmed. This method of mental division also affords her parallel spellcasting - the ability to simultaneously prepare and engage multiple difficult or powerful spells, though too many spells cast at once risks an overheat of sorts, in the form of a migraine. Complimenting her style of combat and combined with Awareness, it grants her the capacity to watch individual opponents at all times, notice things that might have otherwise gone overlooked even with her natural abilities, and crush her opposition no matter how many take up the battle.

Weapon:

(Melee): The weapon Eden uses most in combat is a straightsword, 60cm in length, approximately, and dyed black in her magical energy. Instead of being her actual weapon, though, this sword is merely a standard, human blade empowered by her magic. Utilising her Gravity Specialisation, she gives it a certain "weight" to it, in the metaphysical sense, giving it the immensity of a true Magical Girl's weapon without possessing its indestructible nature, nor the power to recall it. Her true weapon is the giant, black clawed arm that stretches out from her back, much like a scorpions tail. Marred with eyes, scales, and other bits of different animals, the claw seems to pulsate with energy, although she rarely uses it for direct combat. Instead it is where she channels her own magical energy, and as such it is the origin for most all of her spells.

Power:

Regeneration: A fundamental part of her kit, Eden possesses an incredibly fast regenerative factor - a gift from her Patron. Her absurdly high amount of mana storage allows her to effectively convert her Patron's energy into her own life force, granting her an vast supply of chances provided she doesn't get absolutely one shot, and still has magical energy to spare. Then again, sometimes even that isn't enough to keep her down.

Third Eye: Eden's all observing, all understanding sense of perception. To some, it could be considered the Well allowing her a peak into the fabric of the world itself, as is its nature. The legacy of an investigator and journalist, she peers into magic itself. Combined with Evolution, it allows her to comprehend, counter, and absorb spells before they have even been cast, as well as pierce through illusions and crush that which casts them. Her encroaching shadows, omniscient gaze, and encompassing gravitas lock off all escapes in the battlefield.

Perks:

Awareness: The honed senses of the journalist once known as Eden Campbell have done dulled for even a moment of her magical existence. With the addition of magic to the formula, they have instead grown even stronger. When it comes to the mundane, she can key into even the tiniest of details - things that others might not notice, or might otherwise be manipulated, magically or mundanely. Smells, tastes, sights, she can identify and reconcile them quickly and efficiently.

Blood Magic: Eden's health pool is a vast one. Fuelled from the inside by a torrent of magical energy, and kept alive by its tumultuous presence, her pool of expendable mana flows beyond just her energy reserves. She can choose to expend her own, extreme quantities of life essence as a substitute for mana in casting spells.

Evolution: The most powerful part of Eden's kit, and the thing she uses most of all. It can be considered a side effect of her Specialisation, a power to consume all. Opponents utilising magic as their first or last lines of defence and or offence should be wary, for engaging ones own Specialisation against Eden is a recipe for death. Eden is capable of cannibalising the magic and spells of others for her own usage in combat; magic utilised against her or allies are extrapolated and converted into her own ability, allowing for complete replication of said spell. Unfortunately, she is only capable of taking and using a single spell at a time, but against multiple enemies all casting spells she is beyond a force to be reckoned with.

Gifted: A signature motif of the girl - to beat an opponent by using their own magic better than they can. Eden is incredibly talented in the usage of magic, and can do things with her powers that others couldn't even dream of. Due to the nature of her cannibalising enemy magic to make it her own, this also extends to the Spells that she utilises from others, allowing her to increase the potency or alter the effects of the spells she steals. This makes her an incredibly diverse, and deadly, adversary to any and all opponents.

Immortality: A spillover from her power of Regeneration, and a gift from The Void Well, Eden is nigh immortal. Of course, "immortal" is something of an exaggeration, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say she is incredibly hard to kill. Even fatal blows, which might ordinarily kill a girl of her same calibre, can be battled through, at least to some degree. Combined with Regeneration, she is a mobile fortress, impregnable in defence and unkillable, even from the inside.

Ally: Eden is accompanied on occasion by a novice Magical Girl by the name of Christine. She is an Ice based girl, contracted to a Puchuu of one kind or another. That said, while she was made by a Puchuu, her loyalty lies to The Penrose Independent, And Eden herself, who makes great usage of the girls connections and powers.

Phylactery: The Void Well itself is the place of Eden's powers, and so too her soul is bound there. The Void Well is a physical place in the world that Eden stumbled upon in life, and through her mistake she became attuned and infused, by it. Rumour speaks it lies somewhere in the wastes of Russia, buried beneath ice and snow by the tonne, though others place it somewhere in Middle America. Eden wont speak of how she found her way there, what happened to those that accompanied her, or what happened to herself, but she does know its location, and what lurks beneath the land. Every year she makes travel there, to renew her link to its halls, but until that place is destroyed, Eden will never die. It is similar to a Soul Gem in that respect, but much more versatile and useful in its effectiveness.

Legacy: Eden is far from a normal Monster Girl by any stretch of the imagination. Due to the nature of her soul, being tied to The Void Well as a Phylactery, she is completely incapable of being purified by normal means. It is physically impossible to convert her back to a normal Magical Girl, no matter who tries. The only way to completely revert her is to purify The Void Well itself, and by extension the thing that lurks within, though that task is much easier said than done. In a similar vein, this ability grants her an increased resistance to debuffs and curses.

Flexibility: Eden's body is very special in comparison to many of the bodies of her fellows. As a part of her Monstrous Form, her body has become extensively flexible, able to twist and contort in ways beyond unnatural to a human body. She can twist in ways that people weren't meant to twist, and bend in ways far, far beyond any accepted or standard range of movement.

---

Monster Girl Features:

Nonstandard Limbs: Eden's Monstrous Form is a lot more subtle than one might think, mainly due to her abilities. Her hands and ears are feline in form, with the former taking the form of paws, and the latter jutting from her head. Both possess white fur, much like her hair in Magical Girl form. The last notable part is her tail, which would normally take the form of large cat tail, but instead appears as though a massive black, clawed hand, covered in eyes, scales, fur, and varying other animalistic traits. Through her Patron's meddling, and the usage of her magic, this tail acts as her true weapon.

Devourer: As the chosen Champion of The Void Well, Eden's traits are somewhat different to those others under its charge. She was one of the first to receive its blessing, and as such, the effect of transformation bolstered the her preexisting mental conditions; combined with her already insatiable hunger for information, she shares in The Well's ravenous need to consume magical energy. It can be satiated through combat, and the usage of her Evolution Perk, but to truly quell it is to feast on energy, the more raw and pure, the better.

Amorphous Body: An incredibly subtle mutation, but a notable one nonetheless. Eden's body is... fluid. She bends in ways that should be physically impossible, and her form when struck appears less like a physical mass and more like a rippling, pulsating mass of something else. She uses this to her advantage in combat both as a scare tactic, and a defensive countermeasure when her magic fails to prevent an attack. Most people don't fare too well when their target simply absorbs their attacks, after all.

Second Specialisation: Something Eden developed through messing with her primary power. Through her meddling she learnt to control the way her Specialisation alters Gravity, and thus she has developed it into a second Specialisation. (See Specialisation for details)

---

Patron: The Penrose Independent (The Void Well - Lesser Force)

Patron Benefits:

Focused: The drive of a journalist is one to be feared above all else in the world of the news. The Well ensures that those contracted with it are much stronger in terms of their own powers by feeding them a constant stream of high quality magical energy of their designated type, siphoned from the etheric energy of the spirits that flock to its halls.

Payment: In spite of being a vastly smaller collective than The Mint, The Penrose Independent has spent a large amount of time developing and building their own resource based infrastructure. Within their loop are countless people of different walks of life, and The Independent makes great use of them. One of these uses is through payment - the Journalists making up The Independent are compensated famously for their work, provided no issue arise during operations. These kinds of rewards are one of the things that create disparity between The Independent and Mint - the Journalists work for reward, rather than paying off their debt; loyalty is ensured by positive reinforcement than negative.

Mana Font: The Void Well is a strange place. It is a spiritual ground where energy accumulates, due to its incessant need to consume more and more. As such it is a place of immense power, and mana, and Eden's Patron has plenty to spare - more than it could ever consume in an aeon. As such, it is shared with her as part of her connection. For as long as her soul is bound to its halls, she can draw from its vast supply of energy for her own personal usage, and she utilises it extensively.

Mystic Might: A spillover from the Mana Font that is her Patron, Eden has way too much magical energy than she knows what to do with. Therefore, she converts some of it into her own power, greatly increasing her magical prowess in return. For increased power, a small sacrifice of limitless energy is a small price to pay.

Magical Overload: Of course, having such extreme amounts of magical energy isn't all sunshine and death rainbows. As a preliminary step to ensure her body could contain and maintain all of that magical energy, The Void Well made her one with it. From the moment of her transformation she was subjected to extreme levels of magical energy - much more than is safe for a magical girl to withstand, let alone a human - all in the hopes of creating one that could survive the blessing of The Void Well.

Patron Drawbacks:

Formless: Though the Well itself is far from “Formless” as of a the conventional sense, that form it possesses can’t move anywhere. Its presence can only be felt through its Champions, and it can only communicate through long distance telepathy. Its physical extension only goes so far as the halls it inhabits, and therefore it relies on the girls contracted with it, and those working for the Independent and Eden, to conduct its bidding.

Limited: The Void Well is far from an immortal entity. While it has vast power and connections, capable of protecting itself from threats, too large an attack may prove more than it can handle. Should the connection to The Void be disrupted, and the halls of The Well be destroyed, the place will collapse, and its powers will be no more. Demolishing the spiritual grounds it sits upon is one way, but another is Purification.

Paranoid: The Lesser Force of The Void Well is incredibly distrustful of other Patrons and Magical Entities, though not or the reasons one might assume. It is fine with them interacting with her Champion, and going about their business. But it's those that stray too close to the Well that is holds distrust for. The only way to kill the Being, and by extension free its Champion's their Monstrous Forms, is to purify the location, expelling the creature for good, or destroy the Well itself. Magical Beings that get too close are driven off by Monsters and powerful Magical Girls that it holds under its command, and it keeps a close, watchful eyes on those suspect.

Big Brother: Though The Well might not be able alter things physically, it is more than capable of watching. This trait is similarly possessed by The Penrose Independent as a whole - the members and operatives of the team are constantly watched, by both The Well and The Independent’s contacts, ensuring missions are completed succinctly and without interferences, and no breaches to the mission statement are committed.

Monstrous Form: The steps the Well took to ensure Eden could hold its vast stores of energy came with the added benefit of converting her into a Monster - a creature of darkness. Her body, mind, and soul warped under the pressure of the energy, thereby converting her into something of a bestial nature. It can't be said that the mutations were terribly harsh on her, though; in fact, one could say that becoming a Monster was more of a blessing than a curse when it comes to her line of duty.

---

Fighting Style: Eden's fighting style is unique in that it is entirely based on how the opponent fights. Physically, in terms of strength and dexterity, she is weak, and so close range, one on one brawls are far from comfortable territory for her. Her most comfortable fighting grounds are against enemies that utilise Magic for their combat; due to her nature, and her ability to replicate Specialisations utilised against her, she is capable of taking and using an opponents magic. In combat, she overwhelms her enemies with their own magic, but to a much more powerful extent. In the mean time, she plays on the defensive, utilising her primary Specialisation as a shield, while taking any otherwise unavoidable hits like a tank. From there, she crushes her foe with extensive magical prowess. It can be safe to say that her favourite fighting ground is against multiple, magic reliant foes with which she can obliterate with a huge arsenal of firepower.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 3
MAG: 4
LCK: 2

Stats (Monster Girl):
STR: 4
AGI: 4
VIT: 19
MAG: 20
LCK: 5

Eden Calculations

Underdeveloped: +1 Magic *
Darkness: +2 Magic, +1 Vitality
Melee: +1 Strength, +1 Vitality
Elaborate: +1 Magic
Regeneration:
Third Eye: (Gold Coin)
Legacy: +1 Magic
Evolution: +1 Magic
Gifted: +1 Magic *
Immortality: +1 Vitality
Ally: +1 Magic
Phylactery: +1 Vitality (Silver Coin)

Emergency:
Awareness:
Blood Magic: +1 Vitality

Lesser Force:
Payment:
Focused:
Formless:
Magical Overload/Monstrous Form:
Paranoid:
Big Brother:
Limited:
Mana Font:
Mystic Might: +1 Magic

Amorphous Body: +2 Vitality, (Flexibility) +1 Agility
Second Specialisation: Gravity, +4 Magic
Non-standard Limbs:
Devourer:

Psychic (Ruby Coin): +2 Magic, +2 Luck, -1 Strength, -1 Agility, -1 Magic, -1 Luck

Strength: 4 (+1 Melee, -1 Psychic)
Agility: 4 (+1 Amorphous Body, -1 Psychic)
Vitality: 19 (+1 Darkness, +1 Melee, +1 Blood Magic, +1 Gifted +1 Immortality, +1 Phylactery, +2 Amorphous Body, +7 Coins)
Magic: 20 (+1 Underdeveloped, +2 Darkness, +1 Elaborate, +1 Legacy, +1 Evolution, +2 Gifted, +1 Ally, +1 Mystic Might, +4 Gravity, +1 Coins, +1 Psychic)
Luck: 5 (+1 Psychic)

Coins Total:
N/A

Coin Calculations

Present During The Summer Vacation^tm: 1 Ruby (Gifted by Christine West)

Personality: As a journalist, and a Champion of The Void Well, Eden possesses an innate and hungry drive for uncovering and publishing information. She is intelligent, and cunning, bent on advancing her organisation as much as possible. She is also incredibly confident, and fears nigh nobody, thanks to her extensive powers. However, despite her nature, and job, there is an underlying nature of recklessness in her actions. Beneath her attitude is a layer of what many in England would considering "Chavvy". She does her best to hide it, elongating her sentences and using more extravagant words, but sometimes it slips into her speech whether she likes it or not. Of course, despite this, she is professional, and even with her underlying heritage seeks to uphold said professionalism at all times. Similarly, she has a severe dislike for anything that would seek to obscure the truth, and such Blackmail and threats are far from her kind of language.

History: "Eden Campbell". To most, it would be an incredibly unfamiliar name. A quick google search brings people up to speed though - an English reporter, working under the BBC, who went missing some five years ago. It was never confirmed if she died, as no body was found, but rumour held that she ventured off to America in search of some big news story, related to an ancient spiritual site. Her twitter in the months before the disappearance is rampant with discussions and arguments regarding the topic, and multiple news reports can be found discussing her as insane, and likely dead.

Those five years prior, Eden Campbell was widely regarded as crazy by her fellow reporters. She was removed from certain positions, which only gave her more time to research the location of her quarry. Then, suddenly, she upped and left the country for Middle America in search of The Void Well, a place of power somewhere in the world, where spirits and etheric energy gathers, leaving behind her parents, who died three years later. The Well itself was said to lead unto the depths of reality itself, reaching Chaos, in the Greco-Roman sense of the word. It had never been uncovered, despite several expeditions to find it, and Eden sought to be the very first. It wasn't the fame she was after, it was the idea of finding something so ancient and mysterious that excited it.

Then, four years ago, an organisation started up in Penrose City, called The Penrose Independent. They started out as a small, mundane news outlet, publishing papers in whatever corner shops would take them. But then they started to expand, quickly branching out into stories about The Beacon, fights between Magical Girls, Ebon Mint activities within the city, etcetera. Their readership grew from simple humans to members of the magical world, and, eventually, they grew into one of the most prominent news networks in the city. Presumably, they're a kind of secret organisation, which hires any kind of worker, no matter their Patron. They sell their services to others, buy information for publishing, and stop at nothing to reveal the truth of their stories.

Additional Info: N/A

The Penrose Independent (The Void Well)

Type: Lesser Force

Name: The Void Well, The Penrose Independent

Personality: It’s a Well. It doesn’t have a personality.

History: While the Penrose Independent can be considered a facet of The Void Well, it is not part of its more recent history. Rather, it only came about in the past few years. The Void Well itself has been a part of the world since the advent of creation - a hole through reality, unto nothingness. However, after its sealing beneath the Earth, it has remained hidden, as a lost spiritual grounds radiating with power. In recent years its halls have been uncovered, and now, it is awake.

Resources: The Void Well has more girls under its banner that simply those contracted to it. Specifically, to work for The Void Well doesn't explicitly require one to be contracted with it in the first place. It is more of an allegiance than anything - an allegiance under the banner of The Penrose Independent: a well respected news outlet, primarily focusing on physical and digital newspapers. While some people are contracted to The Well in a similar fashion as Eden, the vast majority of its Journalists are simply random but loyal girls, won over by one means or another.

The Penrose Independent

History: The Penrose Independent only came into existence a few years ago in the form of a small, private journalism network, bent on discovering tidbits and stories. The company was set up under the name Cynthia Martell, but it was founded by Eden Campbell - a journalist who went off the grid a couple years before its founding. They quickly grew into being one of the largest sources of news in Penrose City, with one of the main reasons for their increased popularity being due to their dual coverage - published under the title of "The Penrose Preternatural", they release stories for the magically inclined of the city and world, including Beacon and Ebon Mint movements and activities, large scale skirmishes, etc.

Operations: Although The Penrose Independent is far from as well connected as The Ebon Mint, they have a sizeable pool from which to draw, be it money, items, connections, or something more obscure. Unlike the Mint that trades for debts and information, the Independent intentionally seeks out the information to exploit, rather than buying it. Their motto is to keep the truth truthful, and as such they never engage in blackmail. Keeping information secret goes against their policy, so instead they utilise their renown and built up information as weight against targets. While the Mint works from the shadows, The Independent is an open system, that anyone can contact, work for, or hire.

Additional information: The truth, even against the world, will always prevail.

Ally - Reporter Christine

Name: Christine West

Age (Magical Girl): 1

Age (Before Magical Girl): 15

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Untransformed

Transformed

Monstrous Metamorphosis

Specialization: Ice - While Christine's Specialisation isn't necessarily the most special, she wouldn't change it for anything. As a user of Ice, she is able to instantly chill her surroundings, creating ice spikes of projectile, or even shields, for use in combat. That said, her kit, combined with her Gifted Perk, is a lot more specialised, being geared a lot of closer to trickery and deception. She is capable of creating minor illusions by reflecting light through her ice crystals, allowing for misdirection and confusion, with which she can set up a surprise attack, or escape from combat.

Weapon: Hanging from Chrstine's purple hair are several small, blue crystals, reminiscent of icicle decorations one might find on Christmas Trees. While they look aesthetically pleasing, their primary function are catalysts for her magic. Through them, she is capable of freezing the air around her, and can even use their reflective properties to enhance the tricks she can perform.

Utilising these crystals allows her to freeze her own strands of hair, and in turn manipulate how those crystals move, effectively turning every strand of hair she possesses into a magically infused whip. These can be used to attack from multiple angles, lock off openings that might otherwise be exploitable, or simply act like a poor mans tentacles in a pinch.
(Mystic/Melee)

Power:

Duplication: Perhaps with a kit geared for trickery, it would only be natural that Duplication would find its way into her repertoire. Using ice pillars, she can produce replicate forms of herself, made purely from said ice. These are primarily used for confusion and recon, but she isn't adverse to having them gang up on an enemy from all sides. These duplicates, as they are formed from ice pillars, have the secondary ability to revert back to the ice pillars at a moments notice. This doesn't cost any mana to do, but it does require her to resummon them afterwards. Despite the high mana cost this entails for repeated use, it allows her to trap opponents in what is effectively an ice maze.

Perks:

Gifted: Much like many others, Christine prides herself in the unique techniques she employs during combat with her abilities. Unlike many other Ice based Specialisation users, her kit focuses on deceit, misdirection and trickery, closer to an Illusion Specialisation girl, as well as recon and majority combat with her Duplicates. She isn't adverse to utilising Ice as it is intended, but her naive nature as a newbie Magical Girl leaves her attempting to show off.

Hammerspace Handbag: A small bag, capable of storing almost anything she can fit inside. Due to her role in The Penrose Independent, she mainly does recon work, and as such her bag is filled with various supplies for the missions she goes on; various fake documents, spare cell phones, viewfinders and binoculars, several thousands worth of money, in different monetary systems, etc.

Monstrous Metamorphosis: Although it is rarely seen, Christine does possess as Monstrous Metamorphosis. Despite her belief that she has a firm grip on the reins of her emotions, she is still a new and immature Magical Girl - she can easily lose that grip with too much stress. Though she is monitored by one of the main Psychic users of The Independent, too many emotions bubbling over can bring about the transformation - her form is coated in ice, becoming closer to an elemental than a human, and her thought processes shut down, in favour of primal and baser instincts.

Dual Weapon: As a side effect of her Mystic weapon, the crystals that hang from her hair, Chrstine sometimes, accidentally, freezes the individual locks. At first it was an annoyance, but she quickly learnt to use it, manipulating the ice in her hair to create long whips of frostbite for attacking enemies, effectively giving her another weapon type - melee.

Awareness: Training from The Independent combined with some innate talent gives Chrstine a heightened sense of awareness, capable of observing and understanding her senses much more acutely. Although they have no bearing on the magical world, they make great work of assessing the mundane, which helps greatly through her work as a recon agent.

---

Patron: The Penrose Independent (Puchuu)

Patron Benefits:

Emergency Reinforcements: As a member of The Penrose Independent, Christine has a direct line to many of the members of the group. If she is in significant trouble, or a situation she is ill equipped to handle, she can send out a distress signal specifically associated with herself, and a nearby Independent Girl will be dispatched for assistance.

Well Connected: While Christine herself doesn't make much use of it, The Penrose Independent makes ample use of her true Patron. Despite having a dislike for her, the Puchuu that made her is incredibly well connected. Through one way or another, she was able to secure some of those connections for herself, which she then passed on to the higher ups in The Independent. Sometimes she will make orders herself, but a large portion of the time they will be on the behalf of other members.

Mana Font: The Puchuu that created her might not like her, but it doesn't have many alternatives to choose from when it comes to Magical Girls. Begrudgingly, the critter provides her with a vast supply of mana - enough to satiate the high demands of her kit - for the sole purpose of preventing her inevitable and untimely death.

Supplier: Along the same veins as being Well Connected, the Puchuu that made her is more than just in the know. The connections it wields are vast, spanning countless organisations, countries and ethnicities, built up over years of life. One way or another, the girls it owned died off, leaving it with the scraps it could find. But those connections remained. Christine is capable of obtaining pretty much anything non-magical she could ask for, and as such, she is utilised heavily for supply runs by The Penrose Independent.

Payemnt: The boon of The Penrose Independent. Though some join for security, and a place to stay, many join due to the lack of reward their Patrons give them. Someway, somehow, The Penrose Independent is capable of supplying its members with enough money to make up for their Patron's lack of payment. Functionally, this works to offset Empty Pockets, and thus gives girls the full amount of coins they should receive. For those without Empty Pockets, it acts much the same as Payment does normally, in giving a 25% increase.

Patron Drawbacks:

Cagey: The Puchuu isn't talkative, and doesn't like giving out hints. No doubt it was used to a certain kind of Magical Girl, presumably the ones it created before Christine - the kind that didn't ask too many questions, and were capable enough to deal with threats without external assistance. Christine far from fits that bill, but the Puchuu is stick in its old ways.

Hostile: Along the same vein, the Puchuu has a severe dislike for Christine. She is far from a prime candidate for being a Magical Girl, but after the deaths of the girls that once worked under the critter, it was forced to make do with the best it could find. Christine might have potential, and be decently skilled with the magic she has despite her short time as a Magical Girl, but she is far removed from a top tier girl.

Empty Pockets: The Puchuu might have connections for physical items, but when it comes to magical payment, the river couldn't run drier. Due in part to the loss of all its girls, and in part staunch pride in asking for debts, any and all coin rewards Christine obtains have to come from external sources. This, combined with the hostility her Puchuu displays, is the reason she was convinced to join The Penrose Independent.

---

Fighting Style: Christine focuses primarily on magic when fighting, utilising her wide skill set and high magical power to crush her opponents. Of course, crush is something of a misnomer. Her true skill comes into play through deception; by utilising the ice crystals she forms, she is capable of manipulating the light to create minor illusions, which confound her opponents. With the foe dazed, she goes in for sneak and surprise attacks, capitalising on them being stunned to great efficiency. On the other side of the spectrum in combat, she is not adverse to traditional combat, having her Duplicates gang up and beat the ever loving shit out of her opponent, or locking them with a maze of ice pillars before freezing them entirely.

Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well.
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 3
MAG: 3
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed): These start at 4.
STR: 4
AGI: 5
VIT: 8
MAG: 14
LCK: 4

Calculations

Emergency
1
Overdeveloped: +1 Vitality *
Ice: +2 Magic, +1 Vitality
Mystic: +1 Magic
Skimpy: +1 Agility
Duplication:
Gifted: +1 Magic *
Hammerspace Handbag:
Monstrous Metamorphosis:
Dual Weapon: +1 Vitality
Awareness:

Stats:
STR: 4 (Unchanged)
AGI: 5 (+1 Outfit)
VIT: 8 (+1 Overdeveloped, +1 Ice, +1 Dual Weapon, +1 Coins)
MAG: 14 (+2 Ice, +1 Mystic, +1 Gifted, +6 Coins)
LCK: 4 (Unchanged)

Coins Total:
N/A

Coin Calculations

Present During The Summer Vacation^tm: 1 Ruby (Given to "Eden Campbell")

Personality:

History: Christine was an orphan, brought from Puerto Rico to Penrose by a family that quickly abandoned her. Despite her upbringing, being one of bouncing between care homes and foster families, she didn't turn out as damaged a child as one might have expected. Early on in life she developed in interest in language, and sought to learn English as quickly as possible. When she could speak fluently, she started writing, and became a quote unquote journalist for her schools newspaper.

Of course, thing didn't go well forever. On the way to school one day she found herself caught in the middle of a crisis - something was rampaging through the streets in the middle of the day, upturning cars and smashing into buildings, all the while trampling people under foot. She watched as one, young girl, was brutally crushed by the thing. And she could do nothing but try and run.

But then it appeared. That creature. That small, white, fluffy thing, with hatred dripping from its words and sadness in its eyes. Or at least that was the projection she put onto it. Something about all their girls being dead, something about the next best thing on hand, something else about "I can't believe I have to settle for a third rate like you", and bish bash bosh, she became a Magical Girl.

A short while after being created by the Puchuu, she came to realise the downsides that came with working with it. For the most part, it appeared to display a severe and continuous dislike for her, and similarly refused to pay her in magical means. The combination of these traits led her to seek work elsewhere, eventually culmination in her joining up with The Penrose Independent. They would protect her, pay her, and they offered work in line with the things she was interested in, and good at. For a newbie like Chrstine, it was the best deal she could have gotten.

Incantation: "Things are getting pretty fiery here - I think it's time to cool down!"

Additional Info: TBA

The Penrose Independent

Type: ???

Name: The Penrose Independent

Personality: It’s an organisation. It doesn’t have a personality.

History: The Penrose Independent only came into existence a few years ago in the form of a small, private journalism network, bent on discovering tidbits and stories. The company was set up under the name Cynthia Martell, and quickly grew into being one of the largest sources of news in Penrose City, with one of the main reasons for their increased popularity being due to their dual coverage - published under the title of "The Penrose Preternatural", they release stories for the magically inclined of the city and world, including Beacon and Ebon Mint movements and activities, large scale skirmishes, etc.

Resources: Although The Penrose Independent is far from as well connected as The Ebon Mint, they have a sizeable pool from which to draw, be it money, items, connections, or something more obscure. Unlike the Mint that trades for debts and information, the Independent intentionally seeks out the information to exploit, rather than forcefully obtaining it. Their motto is to keep the truth truthful, and as such they never engage in blackmail. Keeping information secret goes against their policy, so instead they utilise their renown and built up information as weight against targets. While the Mint works from the shadows, The Independent is an open system, that anyone can contact, work for, or hire.

Additional information: N/A

---

Katelyn Everance

Name: Katelyn Everance

Age (Magical Girl): Unknown

Age (Before Magical Girl): Unknown

Gender: Female (Both)

Appearance:

Disguised

Normal

Specialization(s):

Lightning and Air

Weapon:

Railgun: While Katelyn's standard weapon is a relatively nondescript Magari Yari, it is a lot more special. The head of the weapon is removable with enough force channelled through the shaft; by charging electricity through its hollow center, up to the blade head, it can be ejected with enough speed to break the sound barrier, turning it from a simple melee weapon to a deadly long range ballista.
(Melee and Ranged)

Power:

Regeneration: The power of her Patron, influencing that which her followers are. Katelyn has the power of Regeneration, to mend wounds quickly and efficiently. Anything short of instant death can be repaired, all it takes is time, and energy.

Perks:

Sorcery: Katelyn was, during her time with her previous employer, taught a method of mundane magic, that allows her to infer information about the past by touching objects and focusing. She is shown visions that vary in quality and length, which give details about things that have happened to that object, such as who has touched it, or defaced it, or used it, etc.

Dual Weapon: (See Weapon Section for full description)

Enhanced Weapon: That spear she wields, through the manipulation of magic, has become something more powerful than just a spear. It is sharper, with greater heft towards the blade. Through the center runs a hollow shaft from pommel to blade, granting the channelling of energy through it, and the weapon itself has been made much more receptive to her magical energy.

Drifter: From Katelyn's back grow a pair of scaled wings, as part of her Monstrous Form. Due to their size, they aren't particularly useful, though they do granted a limited form of flight, which she bolsters with her Specialisations of Air and Lightning to gain vast amounts of speed.

Gifted: Katelyn's true greatest asset in combat is her own wits and capabilities. As an older Magical Girl, she has had much time to hone her skills and magic. She has developed an extensive array of tricks and powers through her years, placing her a head above her less experienced fellows. Perhaps her most proud achievement in this vein is her own person self support spell, <<The Dragon's Wings>>, which combines her own naturally ridiculous agility with her Lightning and Air Specialisations to enhance her own speed nigh ten fold; her body becomes wreathed in electricity, before she vanishes in a flash of lightning, only to reappear elsewhere, as though she had teleported.

---

Patron: Deity

Patron Benefits:

Divine Competence: It can't be said that her Patron is linked to any notable skills, and thus the effects of the benefit go somewhat to waste. That said, the things she learnt with her previous employer stuck with her, and thanks to some intervention of behalf of her new and current Patron, those skills find themselves with minor enhancements instead. Such things as CQC, tracking, intimidation, deceit, etc.

Paragon: The power of Katelyn's Patron is her own, so to speak. As a being of immense and immeasurable power, her Patron has plenty of energy to spare, and thus uses it to better her Champions as for their time under her charge. Since she is unable to physically effect the material plane, it is through her Champions immense capabilities that she spreads her own presence.

Physical Prowess: A side effect of the Paragon benefit, and a spillover from the immense energy she grants to her Champions. Katelyn's physical capabilities, specifically her agility, are well beyond humans, and a vast number of Magical Girls. She is a head above others in terms of physical attributes, granting her the abilities she needs for her work.

Mana Font: The magical energy her Patron is capable of bestowing is vast and immense. Thanks to Katelyn’s existence as a Monster Girl, she is already used to storing and channeling huge amounts of magical energy - for some, such extremes might be considered toxic, but to her she faces no ill effects. Due to this, she can utilise her abilities ad infinitum, with veritably little effort nor worry.

Supplier: While Katelyn's Patron might be unable to affect the material plane, her followers and Champions can. While it isn't much, one or two follows can be found in most any major city, and as such it is relatively easy to get a hold of them. With some processing time, they can acquire her a lot of material goods with which to use.

Magical Overload: Not a side effect of her Patron, but the reason she is a Magical Girl in the first place. A reminder of her first days, and her old life. From the start she was exposed to more magical energy than was safe, as a human no less. She can hold the amount of magical energy her Patron forces on her for this reason - she's used to it by now.

Patron Drawbacks:

Unknown: Her Patron is... well, no one knows her. She isn't real, not right now. Not ever. But she is, and she's waiting. Only other Deities could even recall her titles, but her name is lost in times long since past. She is one of the oldest entities of the universe, a relic from aeons ago, and a bygone age. Not even her Champions know her name. Just her titles. But those Deities that do know her, two titles stick out more than any other. "She Who Bathes in Eternity", and "The First Eye".

Arrogance: As arrogant as a cosmic entity can be. She isn't one to brag exceptionally, but her confidence in both her own power and the power of her Champions is not to be underestimated. Sometimes she under, or over, estimates people or situations, but her belief is absolute. Those that fail her were simply expendable - their deaths were part of the plan.

Big Brother: No where is safe from the prying eyes of Katelyn's Patron. Her titles as "The First Eye" is not to be underestimated - she has a view into everything that happens everywhere and anywhere in existence, though she watches her Champions most of all. That said, she sees all, no matter where it occurs.

Vendetta: For one reason or another, The Lady has a kind of hatred for the Ebon Mint. It appears to have been a new thing that she has developed, only being prevalent in her actions in the past few years or so. That said, she has set forth something of a movement to dismantle the Mint. The Girls under her charge seek to disrupt Mint activities wherever they occur, including ruining missions, stealing Black Coins, incapacitating or killing operatives, etc. Katelyn doesn’t actively take part in these kinds of operations, but she does seek to prevent their machinations wherever she finds them.

Monstrous Form: Not the fault of current Patron, but something from her old life and employer. Katelyn never became a Magical Girl, per se, but rather she went straight from human to Monster Girl thanks to the way she gained her powers. Her form is permanently shifted to that of a Monster, and more specifically, a dragon. A scaled tail produces from her back, wings sprout from behind, and scales lines her body.

---

Monstrous Mutations:

Non-standard Limbs: Wings and a tail spring free from her back, and scales line her body. Her hands end in claws and horns rise from her head. Her monstrous form is that of a dragon, though of course lacking the fire breath.

Dominator: Katelyn is the leader. It was less expressed in her early years, but now, as an older girl, it comes in full swing. She can't be said to be bossy, but she is stubborn. A lot of the time she intentionally and subtly takes the reigns in situations regardless of what others say, typically without them even realising she's in charge. Other people can't be trusted to make good decisions. You need someone trained, someone disciplined, and someone smart, in order to make a plan successful.

Redirected Magic: The cause of her somewhat average Magical capabilities, Katelyn's magic is intentionally redirected in order to maximise her physical capabilities. Primarily for increasing her already ludicrous agility, it has the benefit of improving both her strength and vitality too, though the cost on her magic is high.

Second Specialisation: The massive amount of Magical Energy she received during her transformation from human to Monster Girl left her soul irreparably twisted, resulting in the formation of a second specialisation: Air. Her kit is purely agility based, and her second magical type only helps with that.

---

Fighting Style: Deadly, quick, and serious. Katelyn is without doubt an experienced girl, and her combat technique proves it. In fights, she makes ample use of both her magic and her weapon, dealing with people at long range with blasts of lightning, while keeping her foes locked into blocking with her extreme speed and her close to medium range weapon. She aims to end fights quickly, striking with intent and drive at the vital parts of the body, and isn't against fighting dirty if it gets her the win in the end.

On the defensive, she is incredibly hard to hit. The combination of her magic, and her natural agility, alongside <<The Dragon's Wings>> makes her much more than a "hard target to hit". She is nigh impossible to get a strike on from long to medium ranges, and while she cant escape from close range as easily, her speed allows for incredibly fast reactionary blocking.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 4
AGI: 6
VIT: 4
MAG: 4
LCK: 3

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 8
AGI: 24
VIT: 9
MAG: 13
LCK: 4

Calculations

Smug:
Average: +1 Agility *
Lightning: +1 Magic, +2 Agility (*)
Melee: +1 Strength, +1 Vitality
Skimpy: +1 Agility
Regeneration:
Gifted: +1 Agility *
Sorcery: +1 Magic *
Dual Weapon: +1 Agility
Drifter: +1 Agility
Enhanced Weapon: +1 Vitality, +1 Agility

Dual Specialisation: +4 Agility
Redirected Magic: -3 Magic, +2 Strength, Vitality, Agility
Nonstandard Limbs:
Dominator:

Divine Competence:
Paragon: +1 Strength, Vitality, Agility *
Unknown:
Arrogance:
Big Brother:
Vendetta:
Physical Prowess: +1 Agility
Mana Font:
Supplier:

Strength: 8 (+4)[+1 Melee, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon]
Agility: 24 (+16)[+1 Average, +2 Lightning, +1 Skimpy, +1 Ranged, +1 Gifted, +1 Drifter, +1 Enhanced Weapon, +4 Air, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon, +1 Physical Prowess, +4 Ruby Coin]
Vitality: 9 (+5)[+1 Melee, +1 Enhanced Weapon, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon]
Magic: 13 (+11)[+1 Lightning, +1 Sorcery, +1 Gifted -3 Redirected Magic, +7 Coins (Initial), +2 Coins (Present)]
Luck: 4 (Unchanged)

Current Coin Total:
1 Silver
15 Bronze

Coin Calculations

Earned:

Driven off a Dark Magical Girl: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Defeated a Magical Girl: 1 Silver, 5 Bronze
Assisted in Defeating Soth: 1 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze
Upheld One's Oath at a Critical Moment: 3 Silver, 2 Bronze

Spent:

1 Ruby: Present During The Summer Vacation^tm, +4 Agility (Spent)
1 Gold, 8 Silver: Earned during The Graveyard Event, spent on +2 Magic.

Personality: Katelyn is obviously an experienced girl. Behind her eyes, her words, and her actions, there is an underlying sense that there is something different in the girl, even to those that have never met her. Like the emotions she displays don't belong in the body of someone so cute, or the ideals she expresses don't match up with the soul that beckons them forward. She is serious, though not hardhearted. She has a compassionate streak, and despite her nature to be in charge of things, she isn't as bossy as one might think from the outset. Along the same vein there is something of a dry sense of humour to her, betraying her true nature as someone who secretly and deep down likes to have fun. At times she can be playful, to those she considers friends, but in combat, her attitude is one of precision focus and deadly reflex; her skill level is easily betrayed by her capabilities, indicating her as one that was trained a great deal to be a killer.

History: Katelyn's life is an always has been shrouded in mystery, since she escaped her previous employers. She doesn't oft talk about the things she's been through, the things she's seen and the things she's done, though whether that's out of fear, shame, or some other emotion is up in the air. That said, it is obvious by the way she acts and the skills she displays that she is a senior Magical Girl with a lot of experience under her belt.

At some point in time between her release from her past employer and the present, though, she met with her current Patron, and through one event or another ended up making a pact with them. It cant be said if it was through desperation or intimidation, but somehow Katelyn ended up as the Champion of the ancient entity known as "She Who Bathes in Eternity", and has been working under her charge since.

Incantation: WHO NEEDS AN INCANTATION?!

Additional Info:

• TBD

She Who Bathes in Eternity

Type: Deity

Name Error : Records Unavailable

Titles: She Who Bathes in Eternity, The First Eye, The Lady, She Who Watches, The Patient Flame

Appearance Error : Records Unavailable

Personality: Note : Second-hand Information
She is a mystery, as far as personality might go. It might be best to call her "volatile". Her curiosity is endless, and she has absolute faith in herself, her Champions and her own machinations, though how much of her schemes are real and how much are psychosis is up for debate. As an ancient being surpassing most every Deity in age, she has seen humanity grow and grow, and thus her wisdom is vast, though she isn't the keenest to share. There is a modicum of underlying frustration behind her actions, however she is typically calm. Keyword typically.

History Error : Records Unavailable

Resources: Note : Second-hand Information
Though she is unable to interfere with the material plane directly, she has the capability to synchronise herself with people and creatures within it. Everyone she creates a pact with becomes her resource, and everything that is her resource is theirs. Everything within her web of control is shared between everyone, and simply being part of her web is enough to indulge in the services her followers provide. For her Champions, this often takes the form of easily accessible supplies.

Additional Information:

---

Thalia Alvoy Requiem

Name: Thalia Alvoy, The Vixen of Penrose

Age (Magical Girl): 8

Age (Before Magical Girl): 24

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Inctive

Active

Specialization:

Oddball (Reactor) and Lightning: Following her usage of a Red Coin, Thalia's Specialisations underwent a particularly heavy change. While the Lightning side of her abilities are relatively standard by way of Magical Girls, creating electricity and granting herself various physical buffs, her especially unique abilities comes in the form of an Oddball Specialisation - self titled as her 'Reactor'.

Like true to life reactors, a fuel source is inserted, and in return energy is generated - in her case, it is a powerful magic which actively converts magical energy into a store of raw kinetic energy, which Thalia can then feedback into her own body or attacks. Its standard operating method is the creation of devastating shock-waves projected from every swing of her sword, but it can be applied to her muscles for immense feats of strength or speed, ejected from an impact site to lessen the blow of an attack, or even produce pseudo-flight with enough continuous energy ejection. A side effect of this magic is that she can passively absorb latent magical energy in the surroundings, and the residual energy produced by the casting of spells, and use it as an alternative source for her Reactor, as opposed to her own store of mana. This method isn't as efficient as using her own store, and leaves her prone to physical side effects like overheating, but allows her to continue fighting even after her magical energy has run dry.

Weapon:

Melee: Thalia's sword, a weapon that gleams a brilliant white across its blade, drenched in Magical Energy. Although merely a melee weapon, it makes an excellent tool for Thalia's magic, combing with her strength to create massive shock-waves which decimate everything in their path.

Power:

Copycat: As The Vixen, she wielded the ability to replicate the magics of other girls. Once, she managed to break free of the limitations cofining her to Specialisation magic, and successfully copied an Overcity Shift. Despite the scrambling of the Red Coin, it only served to heighten her ability of replication - until it could encompass Powers as well. Her physical being is particularly calibrated to absorbing external energies, and her body is capable of rapid adaptation, so that once per combat encounter, Thalia can recreate the Power of another girl, be they friend or foe.

Perks:

Awareness: Her bestial physicality and Third Eye once provided her with great perception, to see and react to even magic before it was cast. Even though she now lacks those aspects of herself, Thalia is still naturally perceptive as a hunter by trade, and with reinforcement by magic, her mundane senses are perhaps better than they ever have been.

Enhanced Sustenance: Thalia's form, though "robotic" would not be far off, takes more cues from the natural than the artificial. She is a being of biotech, consisting of a powerful Mana Fusion Core, which transmits energy across her body via biological wires. She requires very little sleep, does not need to eat, and can survive without oxygen, all thanks to her Reactor.

Flexibility: Though she lacks the bestial nature that once granted her such vast ranges of movement, her new body, and the muscle memories from her previous form, allow her to replicate those feats of dexterity as best as physically possible, without access to a Beast Specialisation.

Gifted: A part of Thalia's identity in combat has always been her abilities, the way she can wield her powers in ways that others couldn't begin to dream of replicating. Even now, altered at a fundamental level, she still retains the key knowledge on how to manipulate her magic in new and powerful ways.

Halfblooded: The deep-seated corruption of The Vixen was something impossible to overwrite, even for a Red Coin. For as long as Thalia remains a Monster Girl, the defence mechanism she put so much faith in over her life will always remain. And so, while it exists, she instead chooses to make use of it; by tapping into the rage, and the darkness of her mind, she can bring force waves of fire from within, to reduce her enemies to ashes.

Leitmotif - Ex Cinere: The flame that burns within Thalia's Reactor grows into an inferno, which threatens to engulf her in an explosion of radiant conflagration. Her sword becomes wreathed with brilliant, blue fire, and her speed multiplies tenfold, until she is nought but a blur upon the battlefield. For every swing of her blade, a wave of white flame rides the shock-wave of her magic, incinerating anything not destroyed by the initial force.

Lure: Despite being a Monster Girl, Thalia has intrinsically manifested into something utterly different. As The Vixen, she committed acts that would, under Beacon's watch, have her executed on sight, and yet she possesses a draw that attracts others. Something to do with her nature, her magic, her unusual reality compared to other Monsters - unless she desires it, she will never be alone, and those that fight beside her feel themselves bolstered.

Reverence: As though to reinforce the unique circumstance Thalia has become, her body has become nothing like most any Monster Girl in existence. She has no need to be sealed, and humans of all kinds feel a sense of calm when near her. It is almost as if she is not corrupted at all - rather, she is something good, almost consecrated.

Monster Girl Features:

Broken Reincarnation: Lothreen, Thalia's Patron, has been missing ever since The Vixen took full control. Despite her absence, she still provides the necessary magical energy for the servant of a God, but without her physical presence, if Thalia were to die, her Reincarnation will longer than any normal Magical Girls, and be marred with difficulties.

Dominator: Thalia is special. She's unique, unlike any Monster Girl that has ever existed. As a wholly new existence, she should be the one people listen to - the special aspects of her powers that she now wields have to have been given to her for a reason, and as a chosen one, why would anyone choose not to follow her?

Second Specialisation: Lightning, a byproduct of her Reactor. Thalia can intentionally overload her Core with Magical Energy, flooding her body with huge amounts of electricity, to create sudden bursts of speed, or blasts of lightning from within.

Amorphous: Thalia's body is strangely flexible, in a way unlike a normal body should do. At one time, that range of movement was associated with her Beast Specialisation, but without it, the retained dexterity is unnatural.

Patron: Lothreen, Goddess of the Hunt

Patron Benefits:

Divine Competence: ???

Magical Overload: ???

Mystic Might: ???

Paragon: ???

Physical Prowess: ???

Patron Drawbacks:

Clueless: ???

Monstrous Form: ???

Paranoid: ???

Trickster: ???

Unknown: Lothreen hasn't been seen in many months. The last time somebody saw her was when she invaded Penny's lair to check on the two of them, followed by a meeting she had with Laat'AlOfan. Where she has been is unknown, and most people who know "The Vixen" have no idea that she has a Patron at all. Similarly, why Lothreen doesn't intervene with Thalia's rampage is unknown.

Fighting Style: Since her magic has become a lot more focused on full frontal assault, so too has Thalia's fighting style. While she had begun taking measures to limit herself to non-lethal damage, and manipulating the fight to her advantage, in her new form she is vastly more offensive. She aims to crush her opponents defences, weaving her way through the battle and striking with brutally powerful blows, until her enemy can no longer muster the strength to fight back. Thanks to some of her innate traits such as Lure and Copycat, she is an exceptionally helpful ally in battle, and an incredibly difficult enemy to combat.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 5
AGI: 7
VIT: 6
MAG: 3
LCK: 2

Stats (Monster Girl):
STR: 12
AGI: 16
VIT: 12
MAG: 17
LCK: 4

Stat Calculations

Average +1 AGI *
Oddball +2 MAG, +1 STR
Melee +1 VIT, +1 STR
Uniform +1 VIT
Copycat
Awareness
Lure +1 MAG *
Reverence +1 MAG
Halfblooded +1 MAG
Leitmotif (5th Perk, Red)
Gifted +1 MAG *
Enhanced Sustenance +1 VIT *

Divine Competence
Paragon +1 STR, AGI, VIT *
Magical Overload
Mystic Might +1 MAG
Physical Prowess +1 AGI
Unknown
Trickster
Monstrous Form
Clueless
Paranoid

Second Specialisation (Lightning +1 MAG, +2 AGI *)
Amorphous +2 VIT, +1 AGI *
Broken Reincarnation
Dominator

STR: 12 (+1 Oddball, +1 Melee, +1 Paragon, +5 Coins 2S 1B)
AGI: 16 (+1 Average, +1 Paragon, +1 Physical Prowess, +1 Flexibility, +2 Lightning, +6 Coins 1S 1G)
VIT: 12 (+1 Melee, +1 Uniform, +1 Enhanced Sustenance, +1 Paragon, +2 Amorphous, +2 Coins 2B)
MAG: 17 (+2 Oddball, +1 Halfblooded, +1 Lure, +1 Reverence, +2 Gifted +1 Mystic Might, +1 Lightning, +5 Coins 1B 1R)
LCK: 4

Coins Total:
5 Silver
4 Bronze

Coin Calculations

Defeated a Monster Girl: 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
Driven Off a Monster Girl: 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Present During The Summer Vacation: 1 Ruby (Spent)

Personality: In the transformation of the Red Coin, Thalia's personality was altered, though not to a massive extent. She still retains her excitable, playful demeanour, and the boundless energy that she wore as a trademark. However, in the rebirthing process she has become a lot of more calculating. She is not as quick to panic, or become angry, and, in many ways, wields a much calmer and more collected attitude. However, with the loss of her desire to hunt, Thalia has become greatly more controlling, and almost overconfident. She believes herself to be unique and powerful in ways that most other Magical Girls couldn't even begin to compare to, to the detriment of how seriously she takes most fights.

History: Since vanishing from Penrose over the course of The Justine Incident, Thalia lost control of her Monstrous Mutation, and gave into her mental desire to kill - attacking Magical Girls and humans alike under a pseudonym coined by The Penrose Independent, "The Vixen of Penrose". Only more recently have the effects of her mental pollution begun to subside, and after the falling through of her deal with The Penrose Independent, she subsequently returned to reconcile with her old friend, Penny Asimov. She used her Ruby Coin to gain an Illusion Specialisation, with the hope of reclaiming some semblance of her personality, but readily abandoned her previous nature with the usage of a Red Coin.

Incantation: Unnecessary.

Additional Info:

• The magic of her Ruby Coin was assimilated by the Red Coin, and converted into raw power (Stats)

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

All the necessary and obfuscated information on The Boss's sheet has already been sent to Ari, as per our agreement regarding it.

---

The Boss of The Penrose Independent

Name: The Boss, "Eden Campbell", "Cynthia Martell", "Ma'am"

Age (Magical Girl): 5

Age (Before Magical Girl): ???

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Disguised

Undisguised

???

Specialisation: ??? -

Weapon: ??? -

Power:

???:

???:

Perks:

???:

???:

???:

???:

???:

Ally: "Eden" is accompanied on occasion by a novice Magical Girl by the name of Christine. She is an Ice based girl, contracted to a Puchuu of one kind or another. That said, while she was made by a Puchuu, her loyalty lies to The Penrose Independent, And "Eden" herself, who makes great usage of the girls connections and powers.

???:

Legacy: "Eden" in her Magical Girl form is very obviously corrupted, and heavily so. Due to the nature of her soul and the contract formed with her Patron, she is completely incapable of being purified by normal means. It is physically impossible to convert her back to a normal Magical Girl, no matter who tries. Supposedly, there exists a way to purify her, and by extension the thing that lurks inside her, though that task is much easier said than done. In a similar vein, this ability grants her an increased resistance to debuffs and curses.

???:

---

Monster Girl Features:

???:

???:

???:

???:

---

Patron: The Penrose Independent (???)

Patron Benefits:

???:

Payment: Despite being a vastly smaller collective than The Mint, The Penrose Independent has spent a large amount of time developing and building their own resource based infrastructure. Within their loop are countless people of different walks of life, and The Independent makes great use of them. One of these uses is through payment - the Journalists making up The Independent are compensated famously for their work, provided no issue arise during operations. These kinds of rewards are one of the things that create disparity between The Independent and Mint - the Journalists work for reward, rather than paying off their debt; loyalty is ensured by positive reinforcement than negative.

???:

???:

Magical Overload: Of course, having such extreme amounts of magical energy isn't all sunshine and death rainbows. As a preliminary step to ensure her body could contain and maintain all of that magical energy, her Patron made her one with it. From the moment of her transformation she was subjected to extreme levels of magical energy - much more than is safe for a magical girl to withstand, let alone a human - all in the hopes of creating one that could survive its blessing.

Patron Drawbacks:

???:

???:

???:

???:

Monstrous Form: The steps her Patron took to ensure that "Eden" could hold its vast stores of energy came with the added benefit of converting her into a Monster - a creature of darkness. Her body, mind, and soul warped under the pressure of the energy, thereby transforming her into something of a bestial nature. It can't be said that the mutations were terribly harsh on her, though; in fact, one could say that becoming a Monster was less of a curse, and more a blessing of the abyss.

---

Fighting Style: ???

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 3
AGI: 3
VIT: 3
MAG: 4
LCK: 2

Stats:
STR: 4
AGI: 4
VIT: 18
MAG: 19
LCK: 5

Coins Total:
N/A

Coin Calculations

Present During The Summer Vacation^tm: 1 Ruby (Gifted by Christine West)

Personality: As a journalist she possesses an innate and hungry drive for uncovering and publishing information. She is intelligent, and cunning, bent on advancing her organisation as much as possible. She is also incredibly confident, and fears nigh nobody, thanks to her extensive powers. However, despite her nature, and job, there is an underlying nature of recklessness in her actions. Of course, despite this, she is professional, and seeks to uphold said professionalism at all times. Similarly, she has a severe dislike for anything that would seek to obscure the truth, and as such Blackmail and threats are far from her kind of language.

History: The supposed head of The Penrose Independent. She's been alluded to be many with ties to the organisation, but her true identity and power remains obfuscated to all except a very few.

Additional Info: N/A

Ally - Reporter Christine

Name: Christine West

Age (Magical Girl): 1

Age (Before Magical Girl): 15

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Untransformed

Transformed

Monstrous Metamorphosis

Specialization: Ice - While Christine's Specialisation isn't necessarily the most special, she wouldn't change it for anything. As a user of Ice, she is able to instantly chill her surroundings, creating ice spikes of projectile, or even shields, for use in combat. That said, her kit, combined with her Gifted Perk, is a lot more specialised, being geared a lot of closer to trickery and deception. She is capable of creating minor illusions by reflecting light through her ice crystals, allowing for misdirection and confusion, with which she can set up a surprise attack, or escape from combat.

Weapon: Hanging from Chrstine's purple hair are several small, blue crystals, reminiscent of icicle decorations one might find on Christmas Trees. While they look aesthetically pleasing, their primary function are catalysts for her magic. Through them, she is capable of freezing the air around her, and can even use their reflective properties to enhance the tricks she can perform.

Utilising these crystals allows her to freeze her own strands of hair, and in turn manipulate how those crystals move, effectively turning every strand of hair she possesses into a magically infused whip. These can be used to attack from multiple angles, lock off openings that might otherwise be exploitable, or simply act like a poor mans tentacles in a pinch.
(Mystic/Melee)

Power:

Duplication: Perhaps with a kit geared for trickery, it would only be natural that Duplication would find its way into her repertoire. Using ice pillars, she can produce replicate forms of herself, made purely from said ice. These are primarily used for confusion and recon, but she isn't adverse to having them gang up on an enemy from all sides. These duplicates, as they are formed from ice pillars, have the secondary ability to revert back to the ice pillars at a moments notice. This doesn't cost any mana to do, but it does require her to resummon them afterwards. Despite the high mana cost this entails for repeated use, it allows her to trap opponents in what is effectively an ice maze.

Perks:

Gifted: Much like many others, Christine prides herself in the unique techniques she employs during combat with her abilities. Unlike many other Ice based Specialisation users, her kit focuses on deceit, misdirection and trickery, closer to an Illusion Specialisation girl, as well as recon and majority combat with her Duplicates. She isn't adverse to utilising Ice as it is intended, but her naive nature as a newbie Magical Girl leaves her attempting to show off.

Hammerspace Handbag: A small bag, capable of storing almost anything she can fit inside. Due to her role in The Penrose Independent, she mainly does recon work, and as such her bag is filled with various supplies for the missions she goes on; various fake documents, spare cell phones, viewfinders and binoculars, several thousands worth of money, in different monetary systems, etc.

Monstrous Metamorphosis: Although it is rarely seen, Christine does possess as Monstrous Metamorphosis. Despite her belief that she has a firm grip on the reins of her emotions, she is still a new and immature Magical Girl - she can easily lose that grip with too much stress. Though she is monitored by one of the main Psychic users of The Independent, too many emotions bubbling over can bring about the transformation - her form is coated in ice, becoming closer to an elemental than a human, and her thought processes shut down, in favour of primal and baser instincts.

Dual Weapon: As a side effect of her Mystic weapon, the crystals that hang from her hair, Chrstine sometimes, accidentally, freezes the individual locks. At first it was an annoyance, but she quickly learnt to use it, manipulating the ice in her hair to create long whips of frostbite for attacking enemies, effectively giving her another weapon type - melee.

Awareness: Training from The Independent combined with some innate talent gives Chrstine a heightened sense of awareness, capable of observing and understanding her senses much more acutely. Although they have no bearing on the magical world, they make great work of assessing the mundane, which helps greatly through her work as a recon agent.

---

Patron: The Penrose Independent (Puchuu)

Patron Benefits:

Emergency Reinforcements: As a member of The Penrose Independent, Christine has a direct line to many of the members of the group. If she is in significant trouble, or a situation she is ill equipped to handle, she can send out a distress signal specifically associated with herself, and a nearby Independent Girl will be dispatched for assistance.

Well Connected: While Christine herself doesn't make much use of it, The Penrose Independent makes ample use of her true Patron. Despite having a dislike for her, the Puchuu that made her is incredibly well connected. Through one way or another, she was able to secure some of those connections for herself, which she then passed on to the higher ups in The Independent. Sometimes she will make orders herself, but a large portion of the time they will be on the behalf of other members.

Mana Font: The Puchuu that created her might not like her, but it doesn't have many alternatives to choose from when it comes to Magical Girls. Begrudgingly, the critter provides her with a vast supply of mana - enough to satiate the high demands of her kit - for the sole purpose of preventing her inevitable and untimely death.

Supplier: Along the same veins as being Well Connected, the Puchuu that made her is more than just in the know. The connections it wields are vast, spanning countless organisations, countries and ethnicities, built up over years of life. One way or another, the girls it owned died off, leaving it with the scraps it could find. But those connections remained. Christine is capable of obtaining pretty much anything non-magical she could ask for, and as such, she is utilised heavily for supply runs by The Penrose Independent.

Payemnt: The boon of The Penrose Independent. Though some join for security, and a place to stay, many join due to the lack of reward their Patrons give them. Someway, somehow, The Penrose Independent is capable of supplying its members with enough money to make up for their Patron's lack of payment. Functionally, this works to offset Empty Pockets, and thus gives girls the full amount of coins they should receive. For those without Empty Pockets, it acts much the same as Payment does normally, in giving a 25% increase.

Patron Drawbacks:

Cagey: The Puchuu isn't talkative, and doesn't like giving out hints. No doubt it was used to a certain kind of Magical Girl, presumably the ones it created before Christine - the kind that didn't ask too many questions, and were capable enough to deal with threats without external assistance. Christine far from fits that bill, but the Puchuu is stick in its old ways.

Hostile: Along the same vein, the Puchuu has a severe dislike for Christine. She is far from a prime candidate for being a Magical Girl, but after the deaths of the girls that once worked under the critter, it was forced to make do with the best it could find. Christine might have potential, and be decently skilled with the magic she has despite her short time as a Magical Girl, but she is far removed from a top tier girl.

Empty Pockets: The Puchuu might have connections for physical items, but when it comes to magical payment, the river couldn't run drier. Due in part to the loss of all its girls, and in part staunch pride in asking for debts, any and all coin rewards Christine obtains have to come from external sources. This, combined with the hostility her Puchuu displays, is the reason she was convinced to join The Penrose Independent.

---

Fighting Style: Christine focuses primarily on magic when fighting, utilising her wide skill set and high magical power to crush her opponents. Of course, crush is something of a misnomer. Her true skill comes into play through deception; by utilising the ice crystals she forms, she is capable of manipulating the light to create minor illusions, which confound her opponents. With the foe dazed, she goes in for sneak and surprise attacks, capitalising on them being stunned to great efficiency. On the other side of the spectrum in combat, she is not adverse to traditional combat, having her Duplicates gang up and beat the ever loving shit out of her opponent, or locking them with a maze of ice pillars before freezing them entirely.

Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well.
STR: 2
AGI: 2
VIT: 3
MAG: 3
LCK: 2

Stats (Transformed): These start at 4.
STR: 4
AGI: 5
VIT: 8
MAG: 14
LCK: 4

Calculations

Emergency
1
Overdeveloped: +1 Vitality *
Ice: +2 Magic, +1 Vitality
Mystic: +1 Magic
Skimpy: +1 Agility
Duplication:
Gifted: +1 Magic *
Hammerspace Handbag:
Monstrous Metamorphosis:
Dual Weapon: +1 Vitality
Awareness:

Stats:
STR: 4 (Unchanged)
AGI: 5 (+1 Outfit)
VIT: 8 (+1 Overdeveloped, +1 Ice, +1 Dual Weapon, +1 Coins)
MAG: 14 (+2 Ice, +1 Mystic, +1 Gifted, +6 Coins)
LCK: 4 (Unchanged)

Coins Total:
N/A

Coin Calculations

Present During The Summer Vacation^tm: 1 Ruby (Given to "Eden Campbell")

Personality:

History: Christine was an orphan, brought from Puerto Rico to Penrose by a family that quickly abandoned her. Despite her upbringing, being one of bouncing between care homes and foster families, she didn't turn out as damaged a child as one might have expected. Early on in life she developed in interest in language, and sought to learn English as quickly as possible. When she could speak fluently, she started writing, and became a quote unquote journalist for her schools newspaper.

Of course, thing didn't go well forever. On the way to school one day she found herself caught in the middle of a crisis - something was rampaging through the streets in the middle of the day, upturning cars and smashing into buildings, all the while trampling people under foot. She watched as one, young girl, was brutally crushed by the thing. And she could do nothing but try and run.

But then it appeared. That creature. That small, white, fluffy thing, with hatred dripping from its words and sadness in its eyes. Or at least that was the projection she put onto it. Something about all their girls being dead, something about the next best thing on hand, something else about "I can't believe I have to settle for a third rate like you", and bish bash bosh, she became a Magical Girl.

A short while after being created by the Puchuu, she came to realise the downsides that came with working with it. For the most part, it appeared to display a severe and continuous dislike for her, and similarly refused to pay her in magical means. The combination of these traits led her to seek work elsewhere, eventually culmination in her joining up with The Penrose Independent. They would protect her, pay her, and they offered work in line with the things she was interested in, and good at. For a newbie like Chrstine, it was the best deal she could have gotten.

Incantation: "Things are getting pretty fiery here - I think it's time to cool down!"

Additional Info: TBA

---

Katelyn Everance

Name: Katelyn Everance

Age (Magical Girl): Unknown

Age (Before Magical Girl): Unknown

Gender: Female (Both)

Appearance:

Disguised

Normal

Specialization(s):

Lightning and Air

Weapon:

Railgun: While Katelyn's standard weapon is a relatively nondescript Magari Yari, it is a lot more special. The head of the weapon is removable with enough force channelled through the shaft; by charging electricity through its hollow center, up to the blade head, it can be ejected with enough speed to break the sound barrier, turning it from a simple melee weapon to a deadly long range ballista.
(Melee and Ranged)

Power:

Regeneration: The power of her Patron, influencing that which her followers are. Katelyn has the power of Regeneration, to mend wounds quickly and efficiently. Anything short of instant death can be repaired, all it takes is time, and energy.

Perks:

Sorcery: Katelyn was, during her time with her previous employer, taught a method of mundane magic, that allows her to infer information about the past by touching objects and focusing. She is shown visions that vary in quality and length, which give details about things that have happened to that object, such as who has touched it, or defaced it, or used it, etc.

Dual Weapon: (See Weapon Section for full description)

Enhanced Weapon: That spear she wields, through the manipulation of magic, has become something more powerful than just a spear. It is sharper, with greater heft towards the blade. Through the center runs a hollow shaft from pommel to blade, granting the channelling of energy through it, and the weapon itself has been made much more receptive to her magical energy.

Drifter: From Katelyn's back grow a pair of scaled wings, as part of her Monstrous Form. Due to their size, they aren't particularly useful, though they do granted a limited form of flight, which she bolsters with her Specialisations of Air and Lightning to gain vast amounts of speed.

Gifted: Katelyn's true greatest asset in combat is her own wits and capabilities. As an older Magical Girl, she has had much time to hone her skills and magic. She has developed an extensive array of tricks and powers through her years, placing her a head above her less experienced fellows. Perhaps her most proud achievement in this vein is her own person self support spell, <<The Dragon's Wings>>, which combines her own naturally ridiculous agility with her Lightning and Air Specialisations to enhance her own speed nigh ten fold; her body becomes wreathed in electricity, before she vanishes in a flash of lightning, only to reappear elsewhere, as though she had teleported.

---

Patron: Deity

Patron Benefits:

Divine Competence: It can't be said that her Patron is linked to any notable skills, and thus the effects of the benefit go somewhat to waste. That said, the things she learnt with her previous employer stuck with her, and thanks to some intervention of behalf of her new and current Patron, those skills find themselves with minor enhancements instead. Such things as CQC, tracking, intimidation, deceit, etc.

Paragon: The power of Katelyn's Patron is her own, so to speak. As a being of immense and immeasurable power, her Patron has plenty of energy to spare, and thus uses it to better her Champions as for their time under her charge. Since she is unable to physically effect the material plane, it is through her Champions immense capabilities that she spreads her own presence.

Physical Prowess: A side effect of the Paragon benefit, and a spillover from the immense energy she grants to her Champions. Katelyn's physical capabilities, specifically her agility, are well beyond humans, and a vast number of Magical Girls. She is a head above others in terms of physical attributes, granting her the abilities she needs for her work.

Mana Font: The magical energy her Patron is capable of bestowing is vast and immense. Thanks to Katelyn’s existence as a Monster Girl, she is already used to storing and channeling huge amounts of magical energy - for some, such extremes might be considered toxic, but to her she faces no ill effects. Due to this, she can utilise her abilities ad infinitum, with veritably little effort nor worry.

Supplier: While Katelyn's Patron might be unable to affect the material plane, her followers and Champions can. While it isn't much, one or two follows can be found in most any major city, and as such it is relatively easy to get a hold of them. With some processing time, they can acquire her a lot of material goods with which to use.

Magical Overload: Not a side effect of her Patron, but the reason she is a Magical Girl in the first place. A reminder of her first days, and her old life. From the start she was exposed to more magical energy than was safe, as a human no less. She can hold the amount of magical energy her Patron forces on her for this reason - she's used to it by now.

Patron Drawbacks:

Unknown: Her Patron is... well, no one knows her. She isn't real, not right now. Not ever. But she is, and she's waiting. Only other Deities could even recall her titles, but her name is lost in times long since past. She is one of the oldest entities of the universe, a relic from aeons ago, and a bygone age. Not even her Champions know her name. Just her titles. But those Deities that do know her, two titles stick out more than any other. "She Who Bathes in Eternity", and "The First Eye".

Arrogance: As arrogant as a cosmic entity can be. She isn't one to brag exceptionally, but her confidence in both her own power and the power of her Champions is not to be underestimated. Sometimes she under, or over, estimates people or situations, but her belief is absolute. Those that fail her were simply expendable - their deaths were part of the plan.

Big Brother: No where is safe from the prying eyes of Katelyn's Patron. Her titles as "The First Eye" is not to be underestimated - she has a view into everything that happens everywhere and anywhere in existence, though she watches her Champions most of all. That said, she sees all, no matter where it occurs.

Vendetta: For one reason or another, The Lady has a kind of hatred for the Ebon Mint. It appears to have been a new thing that she has developed, only being prevalent in her actions in the past few years or so. That said, she has set forth something of a movement to dismantle the Mint. The Girls under her charge seek to disrupt Mint activities wherever they occur, including ruining missions, stealing Black Coins, incapacitating or killing operatives, etc. Katelyn doesn’t actively take part in these kinds of operations, but she does seek to prevent their machinations wherever she finds them.

Monstrous Form: Not the fault of current Patron, but something from her old life and employer. Katelyn never became a Magical Girl, per se, but rather she went straight from human to Monster Girl thanks to the way she gained her powers. Her form is permanently shifted to that of a Monster, and more specifically, a dragon. A scaled tail produces from her back, wings sprout from behind, and scales lines her body.

---

Monstrous Mutations:

Non-standard Limbs: Wings and a tail spring free from her back, and scales line her body. Her hands end in claws and horns rise from her head. Her monstrous form is that of a dragon, though of course lacking the fire breath.

Dominator: Katelyn is the leader. It was less expressed in her early years, but now, as an older girl, it comes in full swing. She can't be said to be bossy, but she is stubborn. A lot of the time she intentionally and subtly takes the reigns in situations regardless of what others say, typically without them even realising she's in charge. Other people can't be trusted to make good decisions. You need someone trained, someone disciplined, and someone smart, in order to make a plan successful.

Redirected Magic: The cause of her somewhat average Magical capabilities, Katelyn's magic is intentionally redirected in order to maximise her physical capabilities. Primarily for increasing her already ludicrous agility, it has the benefit of improving both her strength and vitality too, though the cost on her magic is high.

Second Specialisation: The massive amount of Magical Energy she received during her transformation from human to Monster Girl left her soul irreparably twisted, resulting in the formation of a second specialisation: Air. Her kit is purely agility based, and her second magical type only helps with that.

---

Fighting Style: Deadly, quick, and serious. Katelyn is without doubt an experienced girl, and her combat technique proves it. In fights, she makes ample use of both her magic and her weapon, dealing with people at long range with blasts of lightning, while keeping her foes locked into blocking with her extreme speed and her close to medium range weapon. She aims to end fights quickly, striking with intent and drive at the vital parts of the body, and isn't against fighting dirty if it gets her the win in the end.

On the defensive, she is incredibly hard to hit. The combination of her magic, and her natural agility, alongside <<The Dragon's Wings>> makes her much more than a "hard target to hit". She is nigh impossible to get a strike on from long to medium ranges, and while she cant escape from close range as easily, her speed allows for incredibly fast reactionary blocking.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 4
AGI: 6
VIT: 4
MAG: 4
LCK: 3

Stats (Transformed):
STR: 8
AGI: 24
VIT: 9
MAG: 10
LCK: 4

Calculations

Smug:
Average: +1 Agility *
Lightning: +1 Magic, +2 Agility (*)
Melee: +1 Strength, +1 Vitality
Skimpy: +1 Agility
Regeneration:
Gifted: +1 Agility *
Sorcery: +1 Magic *
Dual Weapon: +1 Agility
Drifter: +1 Agility
Enhanced Weapon: +1 Vitality, +1 Agility

Dual Specialisation: +4 Agility
Redirected Magic: -3 Magic, +2 Strength, Vitality, Agility
Nonstandard Limbs:
Dominator:

Divine Competence:
Paragon: +1 Strength, Vitality, Agility *
Unknown:
Arrogance:
Big Brother:
Vendetta:
Physical Prowess: +1 Agility
Mana Font:
Supplier:

Strength: 8 (+4)[+1 Melee, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon]
Agility: 24 (+16)[+1 Average, +2 Lightning, +1 Skimpy, +1 Ranged, +1 Gifted, +1 Drifter, +1 Enhanced Weapon, +4 Air, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon, +1 Physical Prowess, +4 Ruby Coin]
Vitality: 9 (+5)[+1 Melee, +1 Enhanced Weapon, +2 Redirected Magic, +1 Paragon]
Magic: 10 (+9)[+1 Lightning, +1 Sorcery, -3 Redirected Magic, +7 Coins]
Luck: 4 (Unchanged)

Coins Total:
1 Gold
13 Silver
13 Bronze

Coin Calculations

Driven off a Dark Magical Girl: 1 Silver, 2 Bronze
Defeated a Magical Girl: 1 Silver, 5 Bronze
Assisted in Defeating Soth: 1 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze
Upheld One's Oath at a Critical Moment: 3 Silver
Present During The Summer Vacation^tm: 1 Ruby (Spent)

Personality: Katelyn is obviously an experienced girl. Behind her eyes, her words, and her actions, there is an underlying sense that there is something different in the girl, even to those that have never met her. Like the emotions she displays don't belong in the body of someone so cute, or the ideals she expresses don't match up with the soul that beckons them forward. She is serious, though not hardhearted. She has a compassionate streak, and despite her nature to be in charge of things, she isn't as bossy as one might think from the outset. Along the same vein there is something of a dry sense of humour to her, betraying her true nature as someone who secretly and deep down likes to have fun. At times she can be playful, to those she considers friends, but in combat, her attitude is one of precision focus and deadly reflex; her skill level is easily betrayed by her capabilities, indicating her as one that was trained a great deal to be a killer.

History: Katelyn's life is an always has been shrouded in mystery, since she escaped her previous employers. She doesn't oft talk about the things she's been through, the things she's seen and the things she's done, though whether that's out of fear, shame, or some other emotion is up in the air. That said, it is obvious by the way she acts and the skills she displays that she is a senior Magical Girl with a lot of experience under her belt.

At some point in time between her release from her past employer and the present, though, she met with her current Patron, and through one event or another ended up making a pact with them. It cant be said if it was through desperation or intimidation, but somehow Katelyn ended up as the Champion of the ancient entity known as "She Who Bathes in Eternity", and has been working under her charge since.

Incantation: WHO NEEDS AN INCANTATION?!

Additional Info:

• TBD

She Who Bathes in Eternity

Type: Deity

Name Error : Records Unavailable

Titles: She Who Bathes in Eternity, The First Eye, The Lady, She Who Watches, The Patient Flame

Appearance Error : Records Unavailable

Personality: Note : Second-hand Information
She is a mystery, as far as personality might go. It might be best to call her "volatile". Her curiosity is endless, and she has absolute faith in herself, her Champions and her own machinations, though how much of her schemes are real and how much are psychosis is up for debate. As an ancient being surpassing most every Deity in age, she has seen humanity grow and grow, and thus her wisdom is vast, though she isn't the keenest to share. There is a modicum of underlying frustration behind her actions, however she is typically calm. Keyword typically.

History Error : Records Unavailable

Resources: Note : Second-hand Information
Though she is unable to interfere with the material plane directly, she has the capability to synchronise herself with people and creatures within it. Everyone she creates a pact with becomes her resource, and everything that is her resource is theirs. Everything within her web of control is shared between everyone, and simply being part of her web is enough to indulge in the services her followers provide. For her Champions, this often takes the form of easily accessible supplies.

Additional Information:

---

Combat NPCs

The Ironclad Chef

Name: Sasha Kasparov, "The Ironclad Chef"

Age (Magical Girl): 9

Age (Before Magical Girl): 33

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Untransformed

Transformed

Specialization: Metal

Weapon:

Sasha Kasparov is a living weapon. Her body may be flesh, but her magic ensures that it does not stay that way. Combining her magic with her body, Sasha becomes a physical artillery unit, capable of wielding devastating physical blows, and fire off powerful ranged weaponry. (Fist and Ranged)

Power:

Nuclear Winter: Sasha's killing blow. It pools her entire mana reserve into a single, devastating explosion, capable of destroying dozens of city blocks in a single strike. Its intensity can be varied, and its power can be tempered so very little is actually destroyed, but it uses the same amount of magical energy regardless.

Perks:

Gifted: Sasha can take the Metal Specialisation to a different level thanks to her traits and experience. Unlike other girls, she uses this magic internally, and transforms her own body into a machine worthy to stand at the vanguard of the Russian Army. Her body becomes encased in steel, and her arms transform into high powered artillery.

Dual Weapon: Part warmachine and part artillery, Sasha is the best of both worlds.

Training: Her long standing dream was always to become a chef. A spillover from being her Patron, Sasha is extensively trained in the culinary arts, and her restaurant, the Nerine Vista, is considered one of the best in Penrose City, having even been awarded a Michelin Star.

Money: A supplementary income provided by The Independent to be put directly into the bank account of the Nerine Vista.

Blood Magic: A sort of last ditch ability of Sasha's - the ability to turn her own life force into mana. Against foes which can withstand her devastating assaults, this can be entirely necessary.

Enhanced Outfit: To call it an Enhanced Outfit is a misnomer. Sasha can harden her own skin into steel, effectively making it as strong as, and making up for her otherwise weak durability. Many attacks simply glide off her metal armour, creating an ironclad defence - hence her nickname.

Martial Training: Something gifted by The Penrose Independent alongside The Nerine Vista. She wanted to ensure that Sasha was physically up to par for the role she would have to play in the future, and taught her a wide array of combat techniques to improve her skills.

Patron: Ratatouille, God of Food, Cooking, and Restaurants (The Penrose Independent)

Patron Benefits:

Paragon: While not necessary for Chefs, Ratatouille makes sure that his champions are in peak physical form. They may be Chefs, but they are also Magical Girls, and they have other jobs to do.

Divine Competence: As a God of cooking, it only makes sense that his talent be passed onto his champions. Those that follow him gain a massive boost in their cooking talent, and become excellent chefs over time with plenty of practice, and guidance from Ratatouille himself.

Mystic Might: Sometimes, just beating things doesn't cut it. Magic is always needed.

Mana Font: Equally, Sasha is given a huge supply of mana to use how she sees fit, allowing her to create ammunition for her artillery near enough indefinitely.

Physical Prowess: Some spillover from her Paragon, Sasha is very physically strong, especially when combined with her magic.

Payemnt: The boon of The Penrose Independent. Though some join for security, and a place to stay, many join due to the lack of reward their Patrons give them. Someway, somehow, The Penrose Independent is capable of supplying its members with enough money to make up for their Patron's lack of payment. Functionally, this works to offset Empty Pockets, and thus gives girls the full amount of coins they should receive. For those without Empty Pockets, it acts much the same as Payment does normally, in giving a 25% increase.

Patron Drawbacks:

Clueless: Ratatouille makes magical girls, but in reality he hasn't a clue about the magical world. He has his own self contained universe of food, and scarcely appreciates that the real world isn't actually like that.

Empty Pockets: He can pay you in ingredients, but if ya want magical currency, you're shit out of luck.

Loud: He's Magical Gordon Ramsay.

Big Brother: Always watching over his champions shoulders, ensuring that they keep the recipe in mind and follow it properly. He hates to see a dish messed up, and adamantly insists that his champions be perfect in both execution and presentation.

Fighting Style: Sasha isn't called The Ironclad Chef for nothing. She may be lacking in durability, but her magic more than makes up for it. Using her Specialisation, she coats her body in steel, and alters her limbs to turn her into an literal tank. She can take hits like there is no tomorrow, and dish them back twice as hard with fists or hot lead, and her high mana capacity allows her to keep up the assault for a long time. She might be quite slow, and her attacks tend to be somewhat inaccurate, but when she hits she hits like a truck.

Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well.
STR: 8
AGI: 5
VIT: 6
MAG: 5
LCK: 4

Stats (Transformed): These start at 4.
STR: 19
AGI: 6
VIT: 6
MAG: 14
LCK: 4

Calculations

Emergency:
Overdeveloped: +1 Strength *
Metal: +3 Strength
Fist: +2 Strength
Elaborate: +1 Magic
Killing Blow: +1 Strength
Gifted: +1 Strength *
Dual Weapon: +1 Agility
Money:
Training: (Cooking +100)
Blood Magic: +1 Vitality
Enhanced Outfit: +1 Magic
Martial Training: +1 Strength *

Deity:
Paragon: +1 Strength, Agility, Vitality *
Divine Competence: (Cooking +50)
Mystic Might: +1 Magic
Physical Prowess: +1 Strength
Mana Font:
Clueless:
Empty Pockets:
Loud:
Big Brother:

Strength: 19 (Overdeveloped +1, Metal +3, Fist +2, K.B. +1, Gifted +1, Martial Training +1, Paragon +1, Physical Prowess +1, Coins +4)
Agility: 6 (Dual Weapon +1, Paragon +1)
Vitality: 6 (Blood Magic +1, Paragon +1)
Magic: 14 (Elaborate +1, Enhanced Outfit +1, Mystic Might +1, Coins +7)
Luck: 4 (Unchanged)

Coins Total:
N/A

Coin Calculations

N/A: N/A

Personality:

History: Originally from Russia, Sasha met Her when she immigrated to America in hopes of fulfilling her dream of becoming an award winning chef. While there, though, she got caught up in a monster attack, only to be pulled from the scene by a strange girl in a patchwork hat and coat. She called herself <<Error: REDACTED>>, and invited her to join "The Penrose Independent". Following her joining, Sasha realised that the group had no members besides the two of them, and another girl called "Cynthia". When Sasha revealed her wish to her new friend, She set about and made in come true, by seeking out a God, and helping Sasha form a contract with them. In exchange for the powers, and the restaurant The Nerine Vista, She only asked that Sasha be by her side until Her goal came to fruition.

It has been 4 years since then.

Incantation: "Без труда́ не вытащишь и рыбку из пруда́." ("Without effort, you can not even pull a fish out of the pond.")

Journalist Rebecca Suthers

Name: Rebecca Suthers

Age (Magical Girl): 1

Age (Before Magical Girl): 19

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Untransformed - Rebecca (Right), Charlotte (Left)

Transformed

Specialization: Darkness

Weapon:

Rebecca's original weapon was called Severance, and was a standard, medium length Katana. According to her Patron, it was forged by a Metal Specialisation Girl, and better conducts magic than traditional steel does. It allowed her to more easily use her standard combat methods, which involved channelling curses into the weapon itself, to be activated upon connecting. (Mystic and Melee)

Power:

Twinned Soul: Rebecca Suthers has a Twin Soul called Charlotte Suthers. The two are quite similar, and both share an insatiable curiosity, but Rebecca is clearly the more competent of the two - especially seeing as Charlotte was recently suspended from The Penrose Independent and placed on training leave following an incident regarding Beacon and one of her news articles.

Perks:

Martial Training: Gift from her Patron, something of a spillover from their divine competence. As a Combat God, Rebecca has a fair and keen understanding of how to handle herself in a fight, and the various tactics that go into every move made.

Enhanced Transformation: Rebecca barely needs any time at all to change between her Untransformed and Transformed states. Consider it being constantly prepared for battle.

Flexibility: Thanks to her extensive training, Rebecca has aptly learnt how to bend and contort her body in ways that, before becoming a Magical Girl, even in her much, much younger years, she never thought could be physically possible. Tends to help a good deal in combat when avoiding close and long range attacks.

Soul Jar: Rebecca has a small, cross shaped earring on her left ear. This acts as her Soul Jar, the place where he soul is located. A large portion of her training was dedicated to keeping that thing safe, as breaking it would cause he to die immediately.

Dual Weapon: The blade she wields with forged, apparently, out of a metal that can resonate with and channel magical energy. What kind of metal it is, and how exactly it works, is unknown to her.

Gifted: Rebecca's magic is a lot more flexible, and unique, than others, even within her own Specialisation group. She has been taking some pointers from The Boss, and understands a good deal about how to better utilise her magic. One of these techniques is the ability to inflict curses upon her own weapon, which are transferred unto the target ones the blade makes contact with their flesh.

Sorcery: A mundane sort of magic, something to keep her occupied and fit for service when untransformed. She knows a relatively primitive form of runecarving, and specialises in remote inscribing and activation.

Fake Parents:

Patron: Beacon (The Penrose Independent)

Patron Benefits:

Perfect Life:

Spark:

Payemnt: The boon of The Penrose Independent. Though some join for security, and a place to stay, many join due to the lack of reward their Patrons give them. Someway, somehow, The Penrose Independent is capable of supplying its members with enough money to make up for their Patron's lack of payment. Functionally, this works to offset Empty Pockets, and thus gives girls the full amount of coins they should receive. For those without Empty Pockets, it acts much the same as Payment does normally, in giving a 25% increase.

Patron Drawbacks:

Vow:

Excommnunication:

Fighting Style: Rebecca is a traditional, but strong fighter. She holds her ground, evading and striking with precision, and lacing her attacks with debilitating debuffs, before going in and finishing her kill. When that doesn't work, her Specialisation has a fair capacity for tactical retreats and recuperation, not to mention sneak attacks, though the latter her God detests quite immensely.

Stats (Untransformed): These start at 3. CYOA options indicate if they apply out of costume as well.
STR: 5
AGI: 4
VIT: 5
MAG: 3
LCK: 3

Stats (Transformed): These start at 4.
STR: 4
AGI: 7
VIT: 12
MAG: 11
LCK: 3

Calculations

1
Overdeveloped +1 Vitality *
Darkness +2 Magic, +1 Vitality
Mystic +1 Magic
Uniform +1 Vitality
Twinned Soul -1 All
Martial Training +1 Strength *
Enhanced Transformation +1 Vitality
Flexibility +1 Agility
Soul Jar
Sorcery +1 Magic *
Gifted +1 Vitality
Dual Weapon +1 Vitality

Perfect Life:
Spark:
Vow:
Excommunication:

Strength: 4 (-1 Twinned Soul, +1 Martial Training)
Agility: 7 (-1 Twinned Soul, +1 Flexibility, +3 Bronze)
Vitality: 12 (+1 Overdeveloped, +1 Darkness, +1 Uniform, -1 Twinned Soul, +1 Enhanced Transformation, +1 Gifted, +1 Dual Weapon, +3 Silver)
Magic: 11 (+2 Darkness, +1 Mystic, -1 Twinned Soul, +1 Sorcery +4 Gold)
Luck: 3 (-1 Twinned Soul)

Coins Total:
3 Gold, 14 Silver, 17 Bronze

Coin Calculations

Defeated an Elite Monster 2x: 2 Gold, 4 Silver (+3 Silver for Payment)
Defeated a Magical Girl: 1 Silver, 5 Bronze (+2 Bronze for Payment)
Defeated Minions: 2 Bronze
Helped Defeat Soth: 1 Gold, 4 Silver, 6 Bronze (+2 Silver, 2 Bronze for Payment)

Personality: A harsh, outspoken, and straight to the point girl. Rebecca still has the stereotypical Scottish spunk that makes her entertaining to talk to, often lacing her words inadvertently with odd pronunciation and curses. She holds an insatiable curiosity, one of the things that landed her the position of Journalist in the first place, and also what allowed her to become the first Tasker in the Penrose Independent. She is mostly fearless, though she is scared of The Boss, and near enough follows her orders to the letter where she can.

History: Rebecca is a Scottish immigrant to Penrose City. Bravaan chose her due to an impending crisis that he accidentally sent on of his girls into, and watched as she was slaughtered after he overestimated her potential. Following her ascension, she and her newly created sister, Charlotte, destroyed the crisis Bravaan had failed to stop. However, she discovered quickly that the world she lived in wasn't one Bravaan could aptly allow her to live in. He wanted her to fight constantly, and could barely provide any good magical income to help her get by. She wanted to do good in the world, and so did her sister, and thus the two sought out a group that could pay them, and would allow them to do good: The Penrose Independent. Eventually, the two were raised to the rank of Journalist, and then Tracker, but following Charlotte's suspension, Rebecca was forced to take over as one of the main Trackers of The Vixen of Penrose.

In recent days, Rebecca has been promoted from Tracker to Tasker, following the incident with The Timberwolves and Lee Richards. She was set on a mission by The Boss to fulfil Lee's deal of alerting The Beacon to the existence of Runners, and if possible, join the ranks of The Beacon as The Boss's personal knight.

Incantation:

Additional Info: Anything you want to tell about your character such as their favorite color, hobbies and anything else that doesn't fit into the rest of the sheet.

Thalia Alvoy

Name: Thalia Alvoy

Age (Magical Girl): 8

Age (Before Magical Girl): 24

Gender: Female

Gender (Before Magical Girl): Female

Appearance:

Transformed

Specialization: Beast, Fire, and Illusion

Weapon: A pair of gauntlets created through unknown means, but presumed to be the work of Lothreen. They seem to use a number of components in their creation - specifically, the pair of telescopic daggers Thalia used to wield called "Venari" and "Confio". These are built into a mechanism, which allows her to retract or extend them at will. Their sharpness is not to be underestimated, as well paired with her strength can carve through many tough materials with ease. Similarly, inset into the metal, one on each gauntlet, is a fragment of the red gemstone found on her pendant of the full moon, which act as amplifiers for her magic. (Melee and Mystic)

Power:

Third Eye: The power to see through all. While not necessarily powerful in and of itself, Thalia utilises it to find on coming danger, weakness in her opponents, and the compositions of their spells. Combined with her own keen eyesight, she is able to predict enemy magic usage, and observe the flow of magic in the world. Perfect for targeting powerful foes.

Perks:

Dual Weapon: (See Weapon Details)

Flexibility: As a beast more than human, Thalia's range of movement is far beyond most. She can move in unnatural ways, allowing for better manoeuvrability in combat. Combined with her Specialisation grants her greater speed, befitting a beast of her nature.

Fake Parents: Thalia had two Magical Girls, a Twin Soul, named Charlotte and Isabel, who claimed to be her parents. These two were contract by Lothreen following their execution as traitors to Beacon, and were asked to keep an eye out for Thalia in case she did anything reckless, which she was prone to do. These two girls have since died, though their cause of death is unknown.

Evolution: A side effect developed through extensive usage of her Beast specialisation. Her capability to adapt and change herself has grown to more than just her own physiology - she is capable of mimicking and replicating the magical abilities utilised by other girls. She takes in their energy with her own power, and merges it with herself, allowing her to infuse her capabilities with the powers of others, granting her an even more diverse skill set than before.

Bestial: Thalia has become a creature of pure bestial nature, mimicked both by her appearances and her specialisation. Her form is speckled with areas of fur, overshadowing her skin, even when disguised. She is more nocturnal, and far closer to her monstrous form than her magical girl form than most people should ever be.

Gifted: Over the year and a half she has been a Monster Girl, Thalia has spent a large amount of time honing her magic. She is a head above most other girls in her capabilities and the things that she can do with her magic. The most prevalent of these things is her Beast specialisation, which she uses actively to modify her own physiology on the fly for combat. The same goes for her Fire specialisation, which she combines with these modifications for explosive effects.

The Beast of Penrose: Enough emotional stress is enough to break anyone, and Thalia has been known often to succumb to such external influences. Above even her Monstrous Form is a Monstrous Metamorphosis, where she loses all control besides basal instinct. Her form becomes incomprehensible, closer to a Horror than a creature in its appearance, as her magic goes out of control, changing her into an indescribable beast. In this form all she seeks to do is destroy, and destroy she will do, until everything is rubble before her.

Monster Girl Features:

Nonstandard Limbs: Thalia’s Monstrous Form takes one very reminiscent of a wolf, or fox. To large canine ears sprout from her head, paws replace her hands a feet, and several large and fluffy tails sprout from her back. Of course, there is no way to actually tell which parts of this are her true form and which parts are fabricated through her magic - with each battle her appearances changes, due to the modifications she makes, and therefore the possibility exists that her true form could be entirely different in some or many ways.

Warrior: As a pseudo attempt at atonement, Thalia has been actively limiting her engagement in combat, or hunting, or anything of the sort. In a sense, it is a way for her to strengthen against The Vixen's domineering control, so that in the future, its influence will be weaker. Before her loss of control, this mutation took the form of a desire to hunt, be that animals or monsters, however at The Vixen's behest it mutated further into a bloodlust, only satiable by killing the strongest enemies she could come across. Though this influence lingers, Thalia is working against it, even at the detriment of herself.

Broken Reincarnation: Due to the immense alterations made to her soul, Thalia isn’t able to properly reincarnate like most other girls. Given the right circumstances, she might not reincarnate at all. If she does, it takes a lot of time and a whole lot of convoluted processes before she can be properly incarnate, and then even more time before her memories, skills, traits, and powers properly return.

Second Specialisation: A flame burns in and around Thalia - the power of Fire. Although she hardly uses this in comparison to her Beast Specialisation, it can and does come in handy on occasion. Sometimes a little more firepower is needed than brute strength and agility, and thus her fire magic comes into play.

Patron: Lothreen, Goddess of the Hunt

Patron Benefits:

???: ???

???: ???

???: ???

???: ???

???: ???

Patron Drawbacks:

Unknown: Lothreen hasn't been seen in many months. The last time somebody saw her was when she invaded Penny's lair to check on the two of them, followed by a meeting she had with Laat'AlOfan. Where she has been is unknown, and most people who know "The Vixen" have no idea that she has a Patron at all. Similarly, why Lothreen doesn't intervene with Thalia's rampage is unknown.

???: ???

???: ???

???: ???

???: ???

Fighting Style: Thalia’s has made drastic changes to her method of fighting, almost to the detriment of herself. With the addition of Illusion Magic to her repertoire, she actively plays more passively in battle, and only takes offensive action when the flow of combat is directly in her favour. Additionally, she tries her best to act non-lethally, and tempers her heavy usage of magical abilities as to not kill or maim her opponent. She still applies her magic, altering her own physiology on the fly, granting herself various animalistic traits to better suit the type of enemy she is fighting, while at the same time cannibalising her own enemies powers and making them her own, granting her immense versatility in combat. But her primary goal in combat has changed, from single minded annihilation, to simply ending the fight once the odds are stacked in her favour.

Stats (Untransformed):
STR: 4
AGI: 6
VIT: 3
MAG: 3
LCK: 3

Stats (Monster Girl):
STR: 10
AGI: 15
VIT: 10
MAG: 12
LCK: 4

States (Monstrous Metamorphosis):
STR: 12
AGI: 17
VIT: 12
MAG: 12
LCK: 4

Coins Total:
5 Silver
4 Bronze

Coin Calculations

Defeated a Monster Girl: 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
Driven Off a Monster Girl: 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Present During The Summer Vacation: 1 Ruby (Spent)

Personality: Thalia is trying. The underlying influence of The Vixen still remains within her, threatening to take over at a moments notice, whenever she is unprepared, but she wants nothing more than to be better, for herself, and the sake of her friendship with Penny. Some facets of her mutation remain at the forefront of her essence, and she lacks true control over her mental mutation, but she is doing everything in her power to keep The Vixen from taking back over again.

History: Since vanishing from Penrose over the course of The Justine Incident, Thalia lost control of her Monstrous Mutation, and gave into her mental desire to kill - attacking Magical Girls and humans alike under a pseudonym coined by The Penrose Independent, "The Vixen of Penrose". Only more recently have the effects of her mental pollution begun to subside, and after the falling through of her deal with The Penrose Independent, she subsequently returned to reconcile with her old friend, Penny Asimov. Her mental state remains fragile, but she has no desire to lose control again. The Ruby Coin she acquired has allowed her to, at least symbolically in her mind, reclaim some of her once lost personality in the form of an Illusion Specialisation, allowing her to feel, at least, on the inside, like the tricksy, playful foxgirl from before.

Incantation: Unnecessary.

Additional Info:

• Spent her Ruby Coin on an Illusion Specialisation

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

&

~ Retconned Into Somewhere Or Another ~

A light thud reverberated through the interior of the Earth Bastion, carried through the metal of its construction - the sound of something intentionally quiet landing atop its hull. In the night air, the infiltrators hair and fur danced against a light ocean breeze, the bells that had been formed as part of her swimsuit held firm in her left hand to prevent unwanted noise.

It would be the first time Thalia had properly engaged with Penny Asimov for months - in her mind, their last encounter at Cindy's meetings barely counted. There was a sense of nervousness in her, but furthermore, an underlying, sickening sense of apprehension. The Boss of The Penrose Independent had made her stance painfully clear, enough for even The Vixen to recognise it. There was a good chance that her issues began the moment she fled from Penny's lair those months ago. In some ways, it felt like crawling back to an old flame for forgiveness, and she hated herself for thinking so.

She took another step forward, scanning the top of the Earth Bastion for an opening or hatch. Approaching Penny during the day would have been a smarter, more acceptable way to have gone about things, but in some perverted twist of confidence, Thalia felt more comfortable sneaking her way in, than making the choice to approach her inland. Her ears and tails were low, keeping her form obscured against the moonlight in case anyone on the island chose to look towards the ship. And onwards she pressed.

It wouldn’t take long for Thalia to notice something had gone wrong with her plan, in fact it hardly lasted more than a few steps into the Earth Bastion. For as she crept further into the ship it’s massive engine would start up and the darkened corridors of the ships internal network would light up.

For far above in the ships command deck, still riddled with blankets and pillows, Penny had awoken. She had woken up initially due to the light reverb of the intruders first landing. Paranoia about this place keeping her rest light. Internally she had cursed about not affixing the cloaking artifacts, as at this distance she knew nothing about who it was that landed upon her ship.

Once Thalia had entered however, Penny melded into the Earth Bastion more completely till she was effectively everything and everywhere in relation to her battleship. The lights in the corridors and the starting of the engine reflex due to seeing who it was that had come skulking about in the night.

“Thalia” Penny’s voice echoed out near the fox girl “What are you doing here?” her voice would ask thought there was notable tension in it. At the same time one of the walls ahead of Thalia began to twist and distort and Penny stepped through seamlessly not long after, though her feet never fully detached from the floor and her entire stance was tense and ready for anything.

In the back of Thalia’s mind, the sudden spurring of the Earth Bastion had been enough to suggest that her attempt at stealth had been thwarted. She didn’t care - in a small sense, she was impressed. It had come to her attention that Penny had somehow come to be in possession of the ship, but to see and experience it up close was another thing entirely, though technology had never been her strongest of suits.

Penny’s voice, though, resounding out around her from no source in particular, through her steps off entirely. Thalia had heard similar tones a number of times before; memorised them, even. Fear, distress, anxiety, distrust - she had become well acquainted with the words in which those emotions took refuge, and as the wall before her warped into the form of Penny, she took an instinctual, hesitant step back.

”Me? - I-I’m, not really doing anything, just, y’know, a-admiring the ship, it’s pretty cool and all, and,” Thalia retreated by another step, ears lower, avoiding eye contact, ”...I shouldn’t have come, I’m sorry. She said I had to, and she’s right, but… it’s fine~! I’ll just, uh… h-head out over here, I guess.”

Penny’s readied stance rapidly deteriorated as Thalia slowly backed off, as did her anxiety. In it;s place was something easier to read but harder to deal with “Really?” She couldn’t help but ask as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto her back foot “You decided to sneak into the Earth Bastion, my ship, practically my second Lair, just to look around and now you want to leave?” Penny said calmly, though the anger in her eyes told a different story.

“Fine then” she would say after a moment of tense silence, the corridors moving in response to Penny’s words. The way that Thalia had come from was rapidly changing into a simple straight hall leading out of the Earth Bastion, all the various doorways and turns being smoothed over. “If you want to run away. Again. There you go. I won’t try and stop you this time.” She’d say once she was sure that Thalia had seen the change. “But don’t expect us to still be friends next time we meet if you do”

”Second Lair… it’s nicer than the warehouse,” Thalia replied. Her head turned, and her gaze caught the shifting hallway. She was being deadlocked into a decision - stay, or retreat further. The claustrophobia of the situation was beginning to close in on The Vixen, she could feel it, until her hands clenched into fists to stop them shaking. Without looking at Penny, she stepped backwards up to the hallway wall, and slid down to the floor.

”Did you get some board games like I asked?” As she looked towards Penny, she wrapped her hands around her knees. Along with the joke, Thalia smiled. But the smile was one part of a complex expression, betraying facets of emotions utterly alien to the faces she once wore. More pained, more lonely, more sad, and more manifold - more scared than even the night she ran away.

Silently Penny released the breath she had been holding. She’d been afraid that Thalia would run but she needed the other girl to know that it was the last chance. Needed her to understand that if she ran it was over. She was thankful that it turned out well, but next came the hard part.

Audibly, and visibly Penny took a calming breath placing most of her anger off to the side, she wasn’t calm, but she was measured in her actions. “No” She would respond, her tone weary, as this conversation had the possibility of being exceptionally painful for the mechanical girl. “There hadn’t been much of a point after you ran” She would explain moving to sit across the hallway from her unexpected guest. The hallway expanding as she did, opening up so that both girls had a bit of space to themselves.

“You should see the warehouse now though, spent the last week cleaning up. You’d hardly recognize the place” Penny would add with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes as lurking just beneath the surface was all the hurt and confusion she’d yet to deal with, alongside all the anger. Yet if there was one thing that Penny knew it was that if you pushed too hard things broke.

”Haven’t had much time to play games recently, either,” were Thalia’s only words as Penny wandered over across from her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had seen things going wrong. Being attacked, being exiled - a layer of distrust permeated her like a miasma, no doubt The Vixen’s influence. Moments passed in between Penny’s smile, Thalia clawing at something to say lest the conversation die within moments of beginning.

”Hope you’ve stopped storing your clothes in boxes if it’s cleaned up,” was all Thalia could come up with. With caution, she matched Penny’s smile halfheartedly, eyes trained to the floor away from the girl. Her words were quieter, and dissonant, and superseded with a layer of fear, afraid to voice something that would contract the hallway once more and force her back to the cold ocean breeze. A dull thud resonated through the hall as she leant her head back against the wall, tilted up to gain view of the ceiling, ”Wouldn’t want another girl to stumble onto your little collection, huh? I remember your face from back then, imagine it with one of your closer friends~”

Contrasting Thalia’s skittishness Penny was nearly motionless, her gaze never leaving Thalia as they spoke. Her legs and back were visibly merged with the titanic ship and throughout it part of her attention was diverted into the running of the Earth Bastion to ‘keep her hands busy’ as it were. She would be patient.

“Nope, still got them in boxes” Penny would reply evenly from her spot. There were dozens of things Penny wanted to ask, or more likely scream, the fox girl across from her, but she could see the fear that was near to overwhelming her. “Moved where the boxes are though” She would continue “No one I wouldn't want to see them will be finding them” With all of her clothes being stored in her room at Chloe’s apartment, it was an easy statement to make.

“I’ve got to ask though” Penny would start after a moment of silence, her voice still even but once again weary “Why?” The core of the issue really. The one thing Penny couldn’t understand “Why did you run?” She’d ask plainly keeping all but minor hints of her pain from leaking through. She’d wait a few beats “Or why seek me out now? If the first is too much right now” She desperately wanted her first question to be answered, yet she knew she would be fine not knowing. She’d grown past it, for the most part, thus she also offered a, hopefully, easier path if Thalia needed it.

Thalia hesitated. She couldn’t answer to Penny why she ran; the reason why felt as though it would insult her more than appease her. The indecision was easy to read upon her face, as she grit her teeth and directed her gaze further away. The surroundings remained silent as she thought, blinking back tears and digging her nails into her arms, retreating further into the ball she had formed of herself.

”Eden said to me - talk to Penny, or kill yourself,” she finally said, burying her face into her knees. Her ears fell flat against the top of her hair, and Thalia closed up, blocking line of sight from Penny to her face, and vice versa, ”Turns out suicide is a lot harder when there’s something in your head that wants to live, more than it wants to kill. I-I… didn’t know what else to do after that.”

There would be a moment of silence after that admission. One in which Penny’s heart silently shattered. The look of hurt and sorrow that spread across her face going unnoticed by Thalia due to burying her face. ‘I... suppose that… says everything really’ Penny thought as she grappled with that truth. That talking to her was ranked as a worse situation than killing one’s self.

For a second, Penny slipped away. Seeking refuge within the cold, emotionless, grip of the Engine. Within that second it contemplated tens of millions of ways to terminate Thalia and which would be the most effective.

Two separate things stopped it from initiating the attempt.

“Well” Penny would say her voice and face unchanged from the last time she spoke, and her momentary loss of humanity going unremarked. “Here we are.” The look in her eyes had changed though now completely closed off to Thalia. Not hateful or wrathful, or sorrowful. Just flat indifference. She would continue the conversation. Because she had no way of knowing how that stupid dolphin would react if she went about trying to kill Thalia. And even if Dan did nothing, Thalia wasn’t worth waking up Chloe.

That could come later.

“Mind if I ask who Eden is?”

”The head of that newspaper, the PI. Told me her name was Eden Campbell,” Thalia answered, quietly. She hadn’t noticed any changes in Penny - keeping her face hidden. And as she continued to speak, thinking of the past, she began to cry, ”Sh-she said I was an animal, and she’s right. I-I ran away from you, ‘cause every time that’s happened before, people died. Sometimes they were people I knew and… were my friends. You’re the last person I’d ever want to hurt, but everything I ever do hurts people. So that’s what you do with an animal you can’t control, right..? You put it down.”

“That’s…” Penny would trail off, uncertainty showing through her tightly guarded facade as she processed this latest bit of information. It was at odds with what a lot of what she had been assuming for most of this time and she wanted to believe that things weren’t as bad as she had thought.

But it was difficult, due to having been potentially burned by Thalia already, as well as the situations with Veronica and Alicia, and Penny wasn’t sure if she could handle it again if Thalia was lying to her now. Regardless of her Oath to Beacon.

Yet it was feeling Thalia’s tears hit the floor that tipped the balance. “Thalia” Penny would say softly her gaze critical of the fox girl across from her constantly seeking any hint of deception. “Do you…” she’d pause for a moment trying to determine the softest way to ask “Do you remember what happens when you Redline? Or is it all just blacked out?” She’d ask just as softly, because the answer to that had the potential to change things. Not everything, some damage was too deep to go back to how it had been, but hopefully enough things.

”I remembered the feeling,” Thalia said - distant, uncertain, and trembling. Pulling on the memory of that feeling, the blackened depths with which she associated her Monstrous Metamorphosis and The Vixen, was hard on her. It was something Thalia attempted to forget at all costs, every time it occurred, and though there were no lies in her account, within her voice was a gradually increasing note of anxiety, building with every second it remained in her head, ”I-I think I subconsciously lock away the memories, but I couldn’t get rid of that feeling, like my mind and body were collapsing in on themselves. That I was falling, and being crushed at the same time. I… I had to pick up the pieces and figure out what I’d done whenever I found the bodies. I let you see me like that, and when I woke up I wasn’t in the alley, and a-all I could think about was that feeling, and I, I didn’t know what else to do…”

Penny let her head drop back to the wall behind her, letting out a sigh as she did. “It’s always the smallest things” She would murmur to herself. She wanted to be mad, wanted to be angry, as in the end Veronica had been right. Thalia and Penny had put different weights to how they felt about each other, but the metallic girl couldn’t find it in her to blame Thalia for that, for not trusting Penny as much as Penny had trusted her.

Instead she was just sad at the loss. It was too late to go back. Too much had happened, for the both of them but they could pick up the pieces that still remained and try and start a new. “You carried me away.” Penny would say after a time “I had gotten injured and it looked worse the it was, you Redlined and rather than stay and fight any of the Beacon members that had shown you carried me back to the warehouse” she would explain her gaze distant for the first time in the conversation.

“I had assumed” she let out a weak chuckle at that, remembering an old adage about such “Assumed that you’re transformation was more like mine. I remember everything about my changes, you see, in perfect detail. Everything. Every single thought and reasoning, every bit of physical feedback. Burned into my memory forever more.”

“So I thought we would be able to talk about it when you woke up” Penny’s voice would crack due to the painful memories, but she would just let out a long breath before continuing onwards “But you just panicked and ran, and I had no idea why. I tried to call you for hours afterwards. I waited for you to come back. But you never answered and never came back.” There was no reproval in her tone as she explained things, just an echo of her loss and hurt.

”I shouldn’t have run… i-it’s been so hard,” she sniffled, finally raising her head from her knees to wipe away the tears, a faint, sorrowful smile on her lips at Penny’s account. They too were clearly not lies - Thalia’s eyes were bloodshot red, cheeks flushed, smile unstable and obscured. Her tears were a far cry from the girl she had shown to Penny those months ago, but though exaggerated, they were that much closer to her own truth, paired with her uncharacteristically cagey body language, and pained tone. Her own head fell back against the metal wall behind her, to gaze up at the ceiling, ”When I realised that I’d run away from you, I lost it again. The transformation tried to get me far away, but I-I got caught up in a cycle for most of the day. M-my phone was already gone when I took control back… Lothreen tried to talk me down, but I blamed her for it all and she vanished.”

”From there I’ve got… whole days and weeks missing,” she continued, leaning forward from the wall to nestle her chin into the crack between her knees. Thalia’s gaze half fell onto Penny, not really look at her, but into, through, and beyond her, to something completely other. Her furrowed brow and concentrated until the stare crossed the line between observing her former friend, and trying desperately to visualise something that she had no recollection of, ”I guess the transformation, or something like it… uh… took on a mind of its own? Eden called it ‘The Vixen’, so I suppose they got to know each other. It’s been… fighting me. Winning, u-up until recently. It… doesn’t want to talk to you…”

Penny wasn’t bothered by the intense gaze, too decentralised and too exhausted at the moment for it to really register. “Not surprising, that it’s developed its own self.” She’d say “Or that Lothreen disappeared. They are us minus human plus something else and the Gods have always been fickle.” To say nothing about how Penny herself could track the slow development of the Engine with each time she Redlined.

“You could use a Red coin” She would offer up after a moment of thinking “Or a White. Either of them should be able to help long term” Already her mind was at work for a way to help Thalia. “Short term it depends on if you’re still triggering due to stress and such, but I might have something that can help with that”

Shortly after saying that a small section of the wall would open up near Thalia and a small tray would slide out holding a moderately sized, pale white, oval stone. “It’s a Meditation stone.” She would explain “Focusing on the stone while holding it helps you recenter.”

Removing one of her hands from around her knees, Thalia reached across to the tray, and brought the stone close. For a moment, she sat simply looking at it, running it across her hand, feeling its surface. Since the destruction of Purification Artifacts, she hadn’t used anything of similar nature. Holding something of that calibre brought about a vague sense of nostalgia.

”What are… red and white coins?” she asked, glancing up from the stone cupped in her palm to look back at Penny, ”I haven’t really been able to keep up with stuff recently. I got some bits from The PI, but after that went through… I still don’t know what happened at the graveyard, either. Kinda feels like Penrose has left me behind a bit, ha…”

“Graveyard was the scene of a battle due to a horror nearly being summoned.” Penny would explain broadly “Beacon and anyone who made it there went up against a Monster boy and Monster girl siblings and their brainwashed minions.” She would rub her shoulder in phantom recollection at her own encounter at the graveyard. “We came very close to an apocalypse from what I hear.” She would add with a shrug before moving on.

“The Red and White, on the other hand, are a couple of new Coins that have started to circulate. Red Coins reshuffle your magic, and from what I’ve seen and heard the changes can be very drastic. One of my friends who used one went from being one girl with a water spec into twins with reinforcement and psychic.”

“White Coins are from Beacon and are powerful purifying agents. They break any prior Patron bonds that you might be suffering under and shift them to Beacon itself and come with an upgraded Spark that actively rejects corruptive agents. They are a hell of a trip to use, but not a bad one.”

”Hm…” Thalia uttered, quietly, nodding along to Penny’s explanations and recounts. She took a moment to think. Stone in hand, she didn’t attempt to meditate on it, nor seriously look inwards to herself. She merely thought, for a short amount of time, about the past, and herself, and her Patron, and Eden. And everything that had led up to the past months. By the time Penny had stopped talking, the quietness clung to the space for a brief while longer, as Thalia sat and stared towards the floor.

”I… uh…” she began again, abruptly, after several beats of silence. Her gaze slowly drifted from the floor, away from inside herself and back out towards Penny. Where she had gripped the stone until her knuckles ran white, Thalia loosened her clutch, so that the built up tension could be released, ”...I-I still haven’t said it yet. That I’m sorry for leaving you. Doesn’t… really make up for anything, o-or mean anything right now… What if I just upped and ran away again tomorrow, right? - haha… ha… um… I-I’d be willing, to trying out one of those coins, but I dunno how The Vixen’d react. A-and, before any of that, I just... want you to know I’m sorry.”

Penny didn’t seem bothered by the stretch of silence, content to simply let it reign freely. Still he reaction to Thalia’s words was, if anything, a curious almost non-reaction at first. Her gaze remain locked onto Thalia, as it had been for most of their conversation, but it seemed more distant after hearing what was said, more like she was just staring into space rather than observing.

Slowly her gaze would return to the here and now. When it had returned she would speak.“I believe you and I accept the apology in the spirit that you are giving it” Penny had not yet forgiven Thalia however, and a small part of her wondered if she ever truly would. “If you truly want to try one of the Coins talk to Cindy.” She would go onto say “She’s got a stockpile of Red’s, I believe. That would be the quickest way to get one. Once we get out of here I should be able to get a White coin for you if you need one. It’ll take a day or two however.”

”Can’t believe doing this was this easy.” Thalia said, accompanied by a quiet, light laugh. Her position on the floor shifted a bit, no longing withdrawing entirely into herself as it did so, ”I don’t know what else to say… not sure where to go from here. If you can get a coin, I’ll try it. She won’t like it, though.”

Pushing off from beneath, Thalia slid up the wall behind her, taking to her feet.
”Do you, uh, want this back?” she asked, holding out the meditation stone still clutched in her grasp, ”You probably don’t want me staying on the ship after all, with the whole… ‘losing control’ and ‘lack of trust’ bits, ha.”

Penny just gave a tired smile as her friend stood up, glad that she was feeling better, even if she wasn’t quite sure if she herself was better or worse off just yet. “You can hold on to it” Penny would say gesturing at the stone as she moved to stand as well. “I don’t need it right now. In fact, I bought it because of situations like this” She would say chuckling at the timing of it all. “I’m opening up my lair, and some of the surrounding builds as a sanctuary slash homeless shelter. There are a lot of girls out there that don’t have anywhere to turn to. I’m planning on changing that.” She would explain with quiet conviction.

“So, while your unfortunately right, I can’t say I’m fully comfortable with you staying on the ship” Both for the reason’s Thalia had offered, much more the latter than the former, but also that Penny wasn’t sure how Chloe would react to Thalia. “You’re always welcomed at the warehouse.” She would say honestly, before pausing as something occurred to her “You’ll likely end up there anyway. Cindy offered to help out with the project.”

”Okay, yeah… Thanks,” she replied, with a smile far less pained than before. Being right about their current standings was a harsher reality check than expected, but Thalia had anticipated it since they began talking. The hardest part to come to terms with, was that their previous friendship could never be restored. She had expected that too, though. All that remained was to pick up the pieces, ”Did you ever change your number? I-I’ve got some money at my… uh, current lair. If I get a new phone, could we talk some more?”

“It’s still the same” Penny would confirm, her smile becoming less tired and more relaxed and hopeful “Feel free to give me a call. Anytime” she would add before stepping closer to give Thalia a small hug. She moved slowly, giving the other girl time to back away if she wanted. “You’re still my friend Thalia” Penny would say softly “We’ll get through this”

Wordlessly, Thalia stepped forward, and accepted the embrace. For who knew how many months she had been without affectionate touch, without compassion, and without empathy from another. The last time had been Penny, just hours before she ran. For all the strength she had attempted to muster to deal with the mess she had made, still Thalia felt closer to tears than ever before, in the embrace of the closest friend she had ever known. She didn’t want Penny to see her cry again.

”Well, then,” she said, pulling away from the hug, and quickly turning her back, to keep the tears in her eyes hidden from view, ”I-I’ll see you later~! Kitsune Operative First Class, returning to base!”

And then, she took off, out of the Earth Bastion, and into the night of the resort island.

~

Penny would keep track of Thalia until the foxgirl was out of sight before letting out a silent sigh as her form would break apart and meld back into the Earth Bastion, as back in the command tower her eyes would open. The truth of the matter was that Penny had never left her nest of blankets, or at least her true body had never left. Gently she pulled the still slumbering Chloe closer to her as she resettled into the mass of blankets and pillows.

She would be spending the rest of her night reviewing the conversation that she had just gone through, alongside her normal introspection about how she felt. All together she felt that it had ended well, and had high hopes about the future.

Kimetsu no Yaiba - Shingetsu

---

_{Spirit Pillar Estate}

---

"It's not anything serious you don't think, right?" Kanami asked. She was a small girl, constantly obscured by a grey and black cloak much too big for her stature. Sat on the engawa, wrapped into herself, watching the rain and one of her only friends dance in the courtyard, she seemed to vanish into the thing, with only tufts of white hair and a set of vibrant blue eyes peeking from under its feather-styled hood.

The number of children who numbered among the Demon Slayer Corps had disturbed Kankuro for longer than he could remember, but he respected Kanami's tenacity. Her drive. And, in some ways above all, her skill. Strength wise she was ill fitted for wielding a sword, but over the course of their training together he had time and time again watched her use her speed, size, and silence to her advantage. Her title as First Hummingbird was in every way earned, he believed. Finding himself on the receiving end of her blades in his imagination was a concept he could nought but dread.

"She said 'Old Man'. When isn't it bad news with 'im?" he retorted, punctuated with a wide swing of his spear. He followed with a flourish to act as a feint, then twisted into a thrust, which transitioned quickly into a spin around his waist, and close quarters, shallow cut to the legs. With the Spirit Pillar gone, he had nothing more to do than continue training, until either she returned, or a Crow arrived to give him an order. For the past two weeks, he had been off duty, in order to hone his Breath Style with the Spirit Pillar. The lack of ongoing operations was starting to bore him, though he shunned the thought, "You're worried, I get it. She'll be back soon."

Through the wind, the rain, and the focus of imaginary combat, he barely noticed the sound of a Crow, high above their heads, battered by the ongoing storm. Kanami's head turned to the sound, with speed enough to draw Kankuro's own attention. Though she looked less than imposing, he dexterity and speed in a single moment beyond superseded his own - she was stood and the cloak was parted, arm outstretched into the baleful rain. The hood was down, leaving her shoulder length, grey-white hair to flutter against the sieging winds and the spiral designs of her attire. Even through the blanket of water, the Crow could recognise the action, and dived into the courtyard to grip onto Kanami's arm, and be allowed into the dry expanse of the engawa. Attached to its leg, in a small, wooden housing to prevent water exposure, was a message.

Dm.p w.th.pw u.fAiBi.Ld m.lx f.mws.pp fw.L.tf.gdH.tsh.jXw.tl.lf.p fm.p B.QwQ.Ya.P .pxf.lf.p x.pp .lx r.lsk ot.gix .lx u.gcDC.tnq.p f.g r.lk.mw.t

The Spirit Pillar Estate had over the years developed its own cipher. Written in Latin English, and comprised of over half a dozen variables, the Spirit Pillar herself rarely used it. Despite teaching the key to all those under her, she believed it took much too long to decode, as well as trusted her scouts not to be so careless as to misplace the messages and orders they were sent. Kankuro had a clear view of the message over Kanami's shoulder, who was already deep in thought, shifting each letter mentally. Compared to her, his grasp on the cipher was basic at best, but he could tell that only a small amount of effort had gone into complicating the decryption. The Spirit Pillar wanted it to be read quickly, but only by the people meant to read it. She most likely wanted it burned soon after. After two minutes, it was already decoded, and laid bare for Kankuro.

"Guess I'll take... Ichigo, Shou, Nana, and Hinako. Get Mayuri on alert, will you?" Kankuro instructed, as he turned and ran through the sodden courtyard, towards the living quarters for the other scouts. Over his shoulder, he could see Kanami nod, raise her hood to cover even more of her head than before, and enter into the section of the estate behind her.

---

River Pillar Estate, @Sho Minazuki

---

By the time the Storm Tsuguko had arrived, seven scouts of the Spirit Pillar had already taken up residence in the former River Pillar's Estate. Two were stood at the entrance to the building proper - two extras from the initial unit of five, which Kankuro picked up along the journey to act as guards. Three were inside, including Kankuro himself, inspecting and carefully rooting through every corner and inch of the estate for any evidence that could explain the River Pillar's actions, or convict him of the treason he had been accused of. And around the complex, out of view of the front entrance with the numerous, free roaming Kasugai Crow's that called the River Pillar's Estate their home, two further scouts were attaching messages to a number of the birds, and sending them away. Almost every aspect of their dress was normal, comprised exclusively of the black, standard issue uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps. On their faces, however, they wore white, featureless wooden masks.

The moment Kuuto approached one of the guards, the other ducked into the building. The remaining scout simply stood and listened to the Storm Tsuguko's words, left hand on the scabbard of his blade, not threateningly but on alert. After a couple more moments, the initial scout exited the building, flanked by what was obviously the leader of the investigation party, if only for the chequered grey and black haori over his shoulders. Instead of a sword at his side, he took his steps with a spear, tapping it with every pace like a walking stick.

"I appreciate the offer, Kirizanto Kuuto-san. I'm The First Wolf to Fushigi-sensei. But you're not gonna be able to see anything yet. Standard operating procedure - only the Spirit Pillar can give you permission to enter, and nothing is allowed to the grounds." his words were slightly muffled by the mask, but his tone was clear. And though not in an offensive stance, his body language was clear as well. Regardless that this man was the Tsuguko of the Storm Pillar - Kankuro was the closest thing Yuu had to a Tsuguko. He was prepared to enforce the rules if necessary, but his words maintained that these were orders, and that the Storm Pillar, though senior, did not supersede the Spirit Pillar in rank. With luck, Kuuto would understand, "Fushigi-sensei will be passing through here on her way to the estate to check our progress. She'll give you permission then."

The Promised Children : Eat, or Be Eaten

[ Liverpool, England ]
[ January 25th, 01:00AM ]

---

Fourteen struggled to restrain a small, blossoming smile at her Handler's over-dramatised actions. Even amid a mission, surrounded by hostile forces and moments away from entering into potentially deadly combat, the semblance of jovial attitude in his movements and approach established a well appreciated reprieve. Unable to choose the missions she was sent on, and chained to the mantle of assassin regardless of her own wishes, it was a relished paradigm shift. If not for the dozens of armed men and women about the compound, she may have even laughed. Though difficult, the smile was all she could allow.

For a ways she followed along his path as he motioned her to follow, but towards the end of their journey, she began to hang back. As he counted down, she opted for the high ground; the stacks of crates and aluminium had served as substantial cover, but their verticality was another strength. Two of Fourteen's greatest assets were her genetically enhanced agility, and lithe form - despite the precarious nature of the tower, and the potential sound hazards it posed, she made short work of the climb, and finished perched over behind a ledge someways over three quarters up, keeping the structure between herself and the enemies visual range, in time for her Father to begin his impromptu sermon. She heard their bodies hit the ground, and prepared her own assault.

At the start of the gunfire, Fourteen began to shift her weight, forcing the precarious stack of cargo to readjust to its new load. Then she pulled herself up into a jump, leaping to another ledge a couple feet above, further weakening its stability, until she began to feel the shift. Stacking crate upon crate of illegal goods into multiple metre tall towards was unbearably unsafe. And something Fourteen fully intended to take advantage of, as the pillar split partway up its length, and began to fall, in the general direction of the mercenaries firing upon her Father.

The element of surprise on her side, and her body mostly obscured from enemy view as the tower collapsed, she reached into the waistline of her shorts, and withdrew the pistol she had recovered from earlier. Outgunned or otherwise, Fourteen had the upper-hand - compared to her, these people were just civilians armed with guns, about to be crushed by a monolith of munitions and drugs; easy pickings for her handgun and training, as her ride careened into the ground, scattering the contents and splintered wood across the floor of the compound. On instinct she entered into a roll, sweeping to the side of the impact to avoid the worst of it, and onto the body of a felled mercenary. With a deft movement, Fourteen scooped up the soldier's discarded automatic weapon, and settled it into a usable grip before ducking behind cover once more. Pistol on the floor at her side, she took to opening fire upon the other groups, hoping at least for some modicum of backup before making a proper push on the objective.

The Promised Children : Eat, or Be Eaten

[ Liverpool, England ]
[ January 25th, 01:00AM ]

---

The lack of chance to consume her kills grated on Fourteen as she walked side by side with her Handler. Regardless of their mission, objective, or whatever else he wanted to call it, he had been right in consideration of her attitude to those she killed - she hated being wasteful. Not because she wished to prolong her losing control - although she enjoyed the chance to extend it to four weeks as opposed to two, it was something she could cope with. It was because Fourteen didn't like killing in the first place. But on top of that, deaths in vain were the worst imaginable. If she had to kill, eating would always be her port of call.

Social anxiety, therefore, was a misrepresentation on his part of her personality. It wasn't that she was bashful. Fourteen simply attempted to distance herself from the act of killing as best she could, retreating into herself whenever possible on their outings. Despite the frustration that had begun to build, at her her Handler for forcing her to kill those people in vain, she took some comfort in his voice, and his presence, always at her side. The dissonance wasn't as lonely with him around, and in some capacity she was grateful, all the walk to the docks.

"That would be nice," Fourteen replied, as she cleared and reloaded one of the handguns looted from the bodies previous. She eyed the veritable compound, counting the different men and women she saw by the nuances in their attire, weapons, and other subtle, yet distinguishing features. If there were any killings missions that she could abide by, without emotionally removing herself from the scene, it was those like these. Assassination jobs or there-about's, executing those that weighed upon the scales of evil, and perpetrated sin across their lands. Even if Fourteen wasn't allowed to consume them, their deaths would not be in vain, "If you take point I'll make them all look at me. And if he runs, I'll find him."

But why him, Father?" she asked, hanging back for a second before beginning her assault, "He causes trouble, which makes England weaker, right..? More men like him makes it easier for The Church to do things here, so why do they want him dead when he helps, even if he isn't meaning to? Just because he's bad? I want to kill him because he's bad, but I'm confused..."