Ariamis
With a majority of the magical girl clashes done, many magical girls and boys set about doubling back and sweeping out the shambles left in their wake. So going on a beat was pretty standard fare for Shane at this point. Most of the time it was to keep monsters from creeping back into areas that had been cleared. The extra work wasn’t exactly being helped by the fact that Beacon were keeping a lot of the monster girls off the streets that would otherwise assist. Wasn’t like he was alone in keeping things from devolving further, simply less presence was all. Things were beginning to slow down more which was good. Could get back to socializing again. Cindy being out of the picture kind of left things up in the air as to where things would go though. At least Penny was far less likely to start a war. Vendettas were such a pain.
Being on the other side of town it would take Shane a while to head back to the Sanctuary. He’d been a little scarce there lately and with everything as it was they could probably stand to have a few more peacekeepers, Could only keep so many people bottled up before tensions would inherently rise. On his way back though...
*THUNK*
Lillia had not exactly been watching where she was going, frankly speaking, though that meeting with a ‘coworker’ of her patron who was pulling operations out of the Penrose area had given her a...couple of odd magic coins? Not normal ones, not even the Ebon Mint’s stuff either. It was an alien sight, but once they’d been explained to her she’d made use of them to empower herself somewhat.
Beyond that, however, it had been a long day of monster killing. She was new to the area, but with all of the Beacon Ascendancy presence and the issues otherwise it wasn’t as if she’d really run into anyone else yet. Not so much as a conversation or a “hey get off my territory” kind of thing. At least she’d been able to stay busy, but all work and no play was not exactly fun. Also didn’t help her learn any more about what had been happening here either.
“Oh! Sorry dude, you ok?”
Not expecting to literally run into someone the boy fell over but pretty quickly rolled to his feet. His first reaction was to take a defensive stance but a short glance pretty quickly told him that the girl he’d run into was not necessarily a threat so he stood up relaxed. He didn’t really react much to her appearance seeing as she wore almost nothing with a clearly overdeveloped body. He did offer a slight smile though. ”I’ll be alright. Don’t think I’ve seen you around before. You new to Penrose?” Though most people didn’t really know him all that well, he had more info about people in the city than one might think. Details weren’t so solid but he knew of a number of people.
Lillia lightly chuckled, letting one hand rest on her hip as the other dangled by her side.
“Basically. Been trying to get the lay of the land here, buuuuuuut with so few people here it gets kinda’ dull,” she said, giving a small one-armed shrug before continuing on in an easygoing tone, “Though with a reaction like that, it’d almost seem like you ran into some kind of monster, eh?”
Her voice was slightly teasing near the end, though the small smirk on her face seemed to inject a certain lightheartedness to her words.
The boy made an over exaggerated shrug. ”You never know in Penrose. Lot of people getting offed lately. Not that I can think of anyone that would see me as a thorn in their side, but ‘guilty by association’ is a thing. You don’t strike me as that type though. Sometimes it feels like something of a rarity these days.” He would wave one finger in the air. ”I digress. There are more people running around than you might think. They’re all kind of doing their own thing though. Planning, scheming, fighting, and surviving.”
Walking a little bit aways where he could see a bit more of the city he would shake his head. “The old place has been through its paces. Suppose I could try and catch you up if that’s what you really want.” He would look back quizzically. To say that a lot had happened in a few months would be an understatement.
“No problem, but you make it sound as if this place has been a warzone for a while,” the girl said, raising a quizzical eyebrow of her own at Shane, before giving a small sigh, “Though considering what it’s looked like so far I wouldn’t blame you for bein’ careful at least. Specially’ if people are running around in the shadows.
I think I’ll take you up on that offer to catch me up on things. It’d be a good start since I’m here now anyways.”
Chuckling a bit Shane would concede. ”Yeah, warzone might be a bit much. Most of that is pretty recent. The city is a hotspot for over the top horrors and monster queens though.” He would glance around at the empty street around them. ”Since I offered I suppose it’s only fair to let you choose where we talk. Doesn’t particularly matter to me.” He’d say as he turned back to face Lillia.
“Hmm...I saw a diner-looking place a block or two back, why don’t we head there? Could use a bite to eat while we talk things. You cool with that?” she said in return, turning and gesturing for Shane to follow with a grin, “My patron wants me to get to know people anyways, so basically two birds with one stone. Heh.”
A quick nod from Shane he would respond. ”I can do that. Where I was going can wait. No real timetable anyway. Lead the way.” He would follow Lillia as they backtracked to the diner.
The two got some stares as they entered and were seated. That wasn’t true. Lillia got all the stares, Shane was just there.
“Well, what’s the situation been?” the girl asked whilst sitting in a booth and motioning Shane over, undeterred by the initial stares as the people in the diner eventually went back to their own business over the following minutes, “Kinda got sent here with just a ‘hey there’s big evil here let’s move in to help clean up’.”
Shane would think about it for a minute. ”Well for the most part right now the issue is more the general stability of the city. Suppose I should start from the beginning though. When I first arrived it was to help fight against an evil girl named Justine Von Viceral. She was out to destroy all love in the world or something like that. Nearly succeeded but a large group of magical girls managed to assault her castle and stop her. The next event was a horror attempting to manifest a portion of itself as a magical girl here on earth. They had a monster king and queen working with them that had managed to mind control several Beacon girls and there was a huge battle at the main graveyard here in Penrose. It was pretty chaotic but that was eventually thwarted.” He would dubble back a bit to fill in more details. Not being part of any big organization he knew less of the internal stuff happening. Having a decent number of connections he had a solid understanding of those events though.
Moving forward he would explain Cindy Ford’s arrival and claim to the city. Some of that tension got derailed with the beach event which apparently left the city largely defenseless for three months. Monsters running amok, the Ascendancy moving in, and things leading up to the assasination of Cindy, declaration of war against Beacon, the riots, and a rise in Mint activity. ”So, at the moment pretty much a free for all. Lots of people making moves to grab their portion of the pie. There are a good number just trying to survive though. A lot of this fighting is pointless in my opinion but convincing people of that is easier said than done.” To bystanders most of what Shane was talking about probably sounded like a show or video game. All kinds of craziness had happened in this city.
“Tch. That bad, huh?”
Lillia let out a small sigh, before lightly shaking her head side to side as she leaned her elbows on the table between them. Eventually, her hand would come up and her chin would come down to rest on them in turn.
“Seems this place has been on ah’ slump for the last while. One crazy after another, leading to basically chaos the Mint and Ascendancy have tried to take advantage of or deal with respectively. Makes me wonder what’s coming next, or at least if the city can withstand any more of this.
The most recent incident I was there for reminds me of Honolulu in 2016, albeit very vaguely though. Most I remember of that day is a party, some talk, then some arguing, a few members of the local Beacon chapter getting into a bar fight on the beach with a visiting demigod asshole of some other local’s patron, sea creatures climbing up on land wielding tridents and nets, and a drunk Cthulhu making out with...never mind...”
The magical girl said the latter part with a straight face, even, as she trailed off and briefly looked out of the window to her left. For a moment she let them wander on the almost empty streets, at least near the diner. At least the cars in the parking lot here were a decent sign of human activity around here though.
“Any big factions or reliable not trying to turn this place into a dumpster fire at least?” she said, her eyes then turning back to Shane once more.
That was a story he wouldn’t mind hearing about some time. Preferably when things weren’t as horrible as they were at the moment. His eyes followed to the outside when the pause came. Soon he was presented with another question. One not as easily answered since he didn’t entirely know.
He would consider the question a little bit as their food would arrive, it had taken a while to explain everything. He ignored the dishes for the moment though. ”Not sure I would call them big. There is the Crimson Cradle which splintered off from the Mint. They at least seem to be intent on keeping some sort of peace. You also don’t cross the Mint like that and be their friends. Not really sure what they think of everyone else but they don’t strike me as evil. There’s also some group of the local Beacon members that appear to be trying to change things. I would say they were having more success before the Ascendancy came in and the mass attack at the rave. I’m worried those efforts may have been undone. Kind of hard to say who is for or against that kind of thing now sadly.” He would pause as he considered a few others in Penrose. ”Don’t know of everyone else. There’s a place they call Sanctuary that a lot of the people Beacon is targeting are hiding out. There are those like us who kind of do their own thing without any specific affiliation. Some others I feel participate but have their own personal gain in mind. It’s about as bad as they come but not entirely hopeless.” He would offer his thoughts.
While he had been on his way to the Sanctuary, it did occured to him now that he should probably get in contact with the Cradle as well. As he said, they didn’t seem to be the type to make trouble, generally, but he really didn’t know them or their motivations all that well. Also would be worth catching up with Beacon. He had the advantage of not being on their bad side or tied down to any hard line faction. Sadly his best contact, Sylvia, was no longer around.
“Mmm...Mint ties don’t sit well with me. Some decent Beacon people are a breath of fresh air too, and not an alien concept at least either. Not that the Ascendancy helped anything with that stunt, though, so hmm…”
The white-haired girl seemed to think hard, before giving a small shrug and taking a bite of her double cheeseburger. The somewhat greasy slick patty seemed to get the nice charred taste, and complimented the fresh-tasting tomato and lettuce topping it nicely. It was at least helpful to her mood, however, as she put the burger down and casually wiped her mouth with a napkin before looking back up at Shane again.
“Well, I’ll toss you a thought.
With Beacon probably licking wounds and trying to recover, among the other devastations back there, I’d venture there’s a bit of time to just talk to some people around here. Maybe some independent parties around here would be good to try to get on board with, see if Sanctuary has anyone willing to help from there.
Stabilizing this city, even if just enough, for now would mean benefit for others anyways. Steady flow of monsters, but a thriving city to hide in and not a disaster zone. Even some room to make plans, if those here don’t go too overboard.
The problem, it seems, is the loud factions. The Ascendancy. The Ebon Mint. Whoever was in on that plan in the Rave. An excess of monsters. Whittle those down enough, or create a force to counterbalance these temporarily on the local level, and maybe there’s a chance.
Whadda’ ya’ think?”
Reaching out for all of that might be easier said than done, but he did know a number of people that were more independant. At least setting a course would be better than running around with no direction whatsoever. "Certainly worth a try. Could go a long way to showing that some of us are on the same side. Hmm…" He would poke at the steak he had briefly. He was almost sure he could still hear it moo with how rare it was. He did prefer it that way though. "I have a movie night I'm going to. I'll see about getting some more people's contacts and see what I can drum up. I don't usually form up with groups but in this case I think we both agree something has to be done. Hopefully we can avoid the crazy people." He would shake his head briefly before cutting into his own dish.
“Heh...sounds good to me. Better than no plan at least,”
Lillia let a small smirk bubble back up onto her face, just happy that there was something. Well, hope for something. A chance? A plan was better than nothing in her mind, at least, so she’d leave it at that for now. Shane seemed a level headed enough sort at any rate.
With most of the catching up and planning done the two would chit chat about their experiences as they ate. Turned out they’d been in this business around the same amount of time. Learning of Lillia’s magic they would go off on a tangent about dinosaurs and archeology. Shane had a surprisingly broad grasp of various dinosaurs. Part of that was because he’d always found them fascinating. On top of that though his previous experience as a magical Earth girl meant a lot of the fossil record had been within pretty close reach. Oh yeah, and he used to be a boy, before he was a girl, before he was a boy again. That whole mess. All in all it was a pretty good night.
Having been given a fair amount of responsibility thus far with information, Hilde took a little bit of that and spoke with Janet and Jenna about her friend Ronin. She was sure to leave out the part that she was Deni, since the other girl wasn’t sure that Beacon could be trusted. Hilde would leave revealing that to Ronin herself. Since this didn’t appear to be meeting with anyone bad, she had helped defend the Cardinal and fight off the horror after all, the twins agreed to meet in a secure location to see what they could help with if anything. Warding the location before hand would help keep out prying individuals.
The twins would be seated when Ronin arrived and would stand and smile as she entered. ”Hello Ronin. I’m glad you were able to make it. I’m Janet and this is my sister Jenna.” She would gesture to her sister.
”Nice to meet you. We heard you were a big help at the park. I hope we’ll be able to return the favor.” After shaking hands they would all sit. ”So Hilde said you had a friend that needed help with breaking free of some mind manipulation. Correct?” Not having a lot of details they wanted to be sure whatever this was they could actually help with.
When Ronin entered, she’d be smiling but still look a bit hesitant as she looked over the two girls in here. ‘Hiiiiii, Janet and Jenna! As you know, I’m Ronin, pleased to meet you!’ She didn’t let that show in her tone of voice, however, as she sounded as excited as ever and happily shook their hands when offered and then sat down where indicated. Then it was immediately onto breaking free of the mind manipulation…
‘Yeah, that. Did Hilde tell whose mind? I did tell her she could tell you about it, but, heh,’ Ronin said, chuckling a bit. ‘… Though, could you start off by telling me what you think of “dark” or “corrupted” kind of people?’
Seemed a recurring topic for a question. It was understandable though. Giving a warm smile she would try and put Ronin's fears to rest. "Well, they're still people which is important to keep in mind. You weren't around when this happened but I was corrupted for a short time myself. I believe more often than not it's the fault of the patron that they're 'corrupted' more than the girl or boy. After that it's a matter of whether it's the patron making someone do what they do or if it's their own prerogative." Janet spoke calmly but simply. Her stance was much more individualistic when it came to actions.
She would answer the original question then. "Hilde did eventually tell us who it was. You want to free Mariette and Eli correct?" She was keeping it professional and didn't really show any signs of anger or bitterness.
Ronin listened, nodding a bit as Janet told about these things. That’s pretty much what Hilde said about their thoughts, yeah. And… once again, now… ‘And the rest of Beacon? Do they share your opinion.’
Anyways, yeah, about who it was… Ronin grinned a bit. ‘Correct~’ she said, and then smiled a bit more. ‘I had a very strange encounter in the Overcity. I can’t tell you what happened in it, for I wasn’t entirely conscious for most of it,’ she said, referring to the time when she was given this form of hers, ‘but I came out on the other side with a bit of information. All the Magical Girls under the wing of Asengav are mind-bent to follow him. They think they’re doing it by their own volition and that they’d never betray him no matter what, he’s their beloved savior, the whole wholesome stick, but in truth they’re mind-bent. They have no choice. Having learned this, there was no way I couldn’t act on it,’ Ronin said, smiling to them.
‘But, like, if they learned that I was trying to “save” them, they’d probably see me as a threat and eliminate me, so, like, don’t let them know? Haha. Anyway!’ Ronin brightened up again. ‘I’ve asked around a bit, and while just stealing them from Asengav appears to be impossible, strong Horror you don’t mess with, I’ve learned anyone with the right set of talents could mend a bent mind. It would need a bit of a ritual slash surgical procedure over a pretty long period of time, but other than that all that’s needed is a powerful enough Empath, Light-user, or Psychic,’ Ronin said, and then grinned widely. ‘So all we got to do is kidnap Mariette! Can’t be that hard, can it?’ She giggled, knowing that wasn’t the case.
Janet would shake her head a bit. ”A few agree, some are lenient. Most haven’t really come around to it yet unfortunately.” She would lean forward with a small glint in her eyes. ”That said, what you’re telling me most don’t necessarily believe is true. Providing proof of some girls being mind-bent would be helpful to waking more up to the plight of others.”
Sitting back up she would drum her fingers. ”We’ve broken someone from another’s mental control before. Our magic is particularly suited for that kind of thing given the right circumstances. Though it’s easier if we have a baseline. I’m not sure a Horror’s control and magical girl’s is the same thing so there may be nuances we won’t know until we encounter it for ourselves.” She would say honestly. There was no promise they could do it. They probably would have to break one of their own rules to make it easier if they were to try. Assuming they could catch the girl first.
Ronin grimaced a bit at that confirmation about Beacon. Oh, well. ‘Ouuugh, proof… How do I prove something like that?’ Ronin questioned, looking up into the roof a bit as, well, that’s impossible. Her own proof was that she’d been mind-bent herself but lost the mind-bending once she was freed from Asengav. ‘Yeah, other than that I know I’m telling the truth, that one’s hard…’
Still, they were ready to give it a shot, if the chance presented itself. That made Ronin grin a bit. ‘I’ve been told you should be able to do it. So, I believe in you. If the chance ever presents itself to you, I know you’ll try.?’ Ronin asked, smiling, albeit internally she’d probably go with Victoria’s attempt first, but in case that didn’t work, this was nice. ‘So, like, think there’s any way we could potentially persuade Beacon not to kill her on sight and try to capture her for an attempt to take away the mind-bending?’
Seemed there was some misunderstanding. Jenna would speak up. ”We’re not saying we take them to Beacon before they’re freed. That would be after. That would be the proof.”
Ronin giggled loudly. ‘That’d do it!’
”Right.” She would smile. ”Then the question would be if we can even get a hold of them long enough to help. And it would need to be somewhere safe.” She would muse. The twins themselves didn’t have a particularly good place to do this type of thing that wasn't Beacon.
‘… I… do have a place I could take them, though I’ve sworn only to take them there if I’m bringing them, not sure about bringing you along with. Probably fine, I’ve just promised not to abuse my permission to open a path to the place, heh~’ Ronin said, chuckling a little awkwardly.
That was understandable. ”Well, if you require permission for that then let them know beforehand. We’re not really about trespassing on other people’s property.” She would smirk just a bit. ”We’re also aware that not everyone may want someone from Beacon around. It’s an unfortunate fact given the organization's history.”
‘Oh, absolutely. I’ll ask them as soon as I can,’ Ronin said, nodding about that.
”Sounds good then. We will make preparations in case we’re needed.” She would make a few mental notes to herself and Cindy. The other girl likely knew a few useful things in that regard.
With that business out of the way the two twins seemed to lighten up a bit more. This kind of stuff was sketchy at best. ”Is there anything else you would like to talk about?” She would say with a smile.
Ronin considered for a bit, then decided, yeah, probably should bring that up. ‘The following is probably best not too many people know. Justine would probably have my head if she learned I’ve been talking about it, hahaha,’ Ronin laughed a bit, needing to explain that, fast. ‘… So, Justine forcibly recruited me as she intends to engage Mariette. That’s partly why I’ve been so serious about this. Whenever she attacks, I’m going to do my best to save them, even when I’m supposedly on the attacker’s side. I… just wanted to say that. It’s probably not something you can do anything about, but it’s a piece of information; Justine intends to attack Mariette’s Interdimensional Home. Probably won’t actually be seen in this world, but the outcome will definitely be felt,’ Ronin said, biting together a bit. ‘If I get them out of there, I will call you. If you want to, I could also give you a message saying when the attack is… as soon as it approaches,’ she finished.
Listening to what Ronin had to say the two girls wouldn’t react too significantly. They knew there was going to be an attack and everything. What’s more, Cindy had an agreement with Mariette as well which put them in a very weird spot. ”We’ve heard rumor of something like that. We have mixed feelings about it. We’ll do our best to keep Mariette and Eli safe so they can be freed. Obviously we’re in a somewhat awkward position either way.” The two would sigh almost in unison.
‘Alright! Aside from that…’ Ronin smiled a little, knowing there wasn’t much they couldn’t do about that, so switch of subject a little. ‘How’s Cindy?’
Janet would smirk for a moment. Hilde had mentioned she’d told Ronin about Cindy. Given that she was hired to protect the lightning girl though it was alright in this case. They did have to give her a lecture about loose lips though. She could do what she wanted but it was potentially dangerous. Janet’s appearance would change and the transformed girl would look over the little samurai. ”...I am well. As well as can be expected anyhow.” She would cross her legs and sit up proper.
‘Woah,’ Ronin made a light exclamation of amazement as Janet changed, which was then switched to grinning pretty widely at Cindy.
‘I’m happy you are! A strange situation to find yourself in, but it beats being dead. eh?’ Ronin giggled just a little. ‘I’m sorry I failed to protect you. That aside! What you up to now? Is there anything I could do to help?’ Ronin asked, very intentionally changing to way more upbeat after a single somber apology.
Looking rather curiously at Ronin for a moment she would dismiss the worry. ”I’ve come to terms with my situation. The performance of your duties notwithstanding, I was betrayed by another.” It didn’t take much to guess who she was referring to. ”As to my affairs it has largely been acclimating and finding my new place among Penrose.” She was pleased to hear that the other girl wanted to help though. Ronin as far as she could tell had few if no ulterior motives.
Pondering for a while she would place a finger to one side of her chin. ”I am unsure you can assist me at this time. Much is yet to be seen once more learn of my existence. I believe that shall come soon however. I suppose I will be in need of a messenger of sorts before long. Beacon likely scrutinizes my whereabouts and many of my contacts cannot move about so freely as you.” Seeing that Ronin was solo, she didn’t have to worry quite as much of a patron meddling in what they spoke about. And as previously established Ronin was probably in reasonable standing with Beacon.
Ronin simply nodded at the first couple of things Cindy said, understandable enough, and then she grinned at the potential messenger job. ‘Yes, ma’am! If you find yourself in need of a messenger or otherwise, and under the assumption I’ve not gotten myself killed or something, feel free to give me a call! I’ll see what I can do!’
Nodding with a small smile Cindy would clap her hands.. ”Excellent. There is still much to be done. I feel it shall have to wait until after this event with Justine however. Do be careful. I would hate to hear that you too have fallen.”
”It’s probably time that we get going. We have another meeting to catch. We’ll keep in touch.” She would set down a note with their number. They hated to run but they had someone related to reach.
‘I won’t let you down!’ Ronin told to Cindy, smirking and doing a slight salute to her, and then picked up the note with their number. ‘Got it! Until next time, or until I have a couple of mind-bent souls I need your help with! See you later!’ Ronin told, and then was quick to turn around and skip away, filled with energy and very happy to use them to move right now. She’d been staying in one place for too long already~
Having parted ways, Janet would ring up Mariette after traveling a bit. This dynamic was beginning to get quite messy. They were still in a reasonable position to make things happen at the moment. After a few rings and an answer she would speak up. ”Hello again. Everything is ready. I assume you can see us.” She would speak casually as they walked.
‘I can,’ Mariette replied. ‘If you simply leave the items here, I can pick them up for you. Or do you intend it to work elsewise?’
”Simply a point of reference. Everything is in a small crate North, two blocks over in a warehouse. You’ll find it by a number of pallets. You may pick it up at your leisure.” For a while they’d been transporting and storing the potions in small batches, mostly because carrying out a box would look super sketchy. Hilde helped on a number of occasions to keep the Ascendancy off of them. Coins were much more compact but the potions were quicker to make in this case. A decent amount of the space was used up by padding. They didn't want the contents rattling around or potentially breaking somehow.
‘Very well. Leave it to me, then,’ Mariette said, and then, guess it was time to go to work.
A portal opened underneath the items. It led directly to a floor, so the objects weren’t shifted any, and then the portal simply rose to carry them somewhere else. After that, Mariette opened a path to her Interdimensional Home, and from there to where Olivia was working. Within now, she checked the items that they’d be transporting…
Potions. Mariette had expected White Coins. Olivia, standing up from her desk, walked over to inspect the potions.
‘Oooh. These are the same purifying parts of a White Coin, except without everything else, and as a drinkable liquid instead…’ the magic researcher confirmed as she opened one and inspected the contents of it. She’d already taken apart a White Coin previously and identified the contents, so she knew about that part already. Mariette nodded, and then checked another, slightly different-looking, package. … Okay, so there were White Coins, too. … It really was just mostly the purification, and whole White Coins for those who wanted them. Mariette sighed a little.
‘… Alright. Olivia, dissect these coins and remove the Beacon parts of them. Make it quick, this transfer was supposed to be instantaneous.’
‘Y-yes, my lady,’ Olivia said, taking the first batch of White Coins over to her workspace to try to do very precise work quickly. Mariette was a bit disappointed, when it was like this she couldn’t get the impact she wanted if she’d wanted to go with that other plan she’d considered. … Oh, well.
As had been suggested during their previous conversation, Mariette took one of the purifying potions for herself to store somewhere, to potentially examine and/or actually use on someone in the future if any of her allies suffered a terrible fate, who knows. Potion because the White Coins were a bit too few for her to take one like that. There were only approximately a dozen of them, after all. Meanwhile, Olivia was hard at work, wielding a magic scalpel assisted with her Magical Coin specialty to do her coin surgery…
So, at the location that had been given to Mariette for delivery, a warehouse not far off from the Sanctuary, a portal opened. It was lying on the floor, going nowhere as it was directed downwards. Then, it lifted itself up, providing the wares that were requested for delivery, lying there as if it’d always been there, ready for Penny to pick up.
@Shifter_Master
