Punished GN
Lunarlord34Shortly after the Sanctuary Attack
Back among Janet, Deni, and Eli, there was the bright flash of light, and eventually it simmered down… revealing a pair of young girls, each in an eastern-inspired outfit, one white and blue and the other pink and red. Both still with black hair, and they opened their eyes to look at one another…
The one in the blue immediately grinned and looked down on herself and then over at her sister.
‘Hey, look, Eli! We got older!’
‘… A little older, still underdeveloped, Deni,’ Eli replied with a giggle.
‘Heeeeey, I don’t remember you being as into the Japanese theme as me!’ Deni said, chuckling at the fact Eli was now also dressed eastern-style, this despite both girls being unquestionably western in ethnicity and one having the name “Elizabeth”, that’s like the most western name there is.
‘Call me inspired, a little samurai came to save me,’ Eli responded with her own little chuckle.
‘I didn’t do all the saving!’ Deni turned to Janet again, smiling happily. ‘Thank you, once again.’
‘We are in your debt,’ Eli said, doing a thankful little bow, that is totally in-line with how she’s now dressed.
‘Hey, you totally know what you’re doing, looking like that!’ Deni commented with another chuckle.
‘One can know about a subject without being absorbed by it, Deni,’ Eli replied, before once again chuckling, and now both twins were chuckling among themselves here.
‘Eli, do you think our speech should switch colours?’
‘Maybe, Deni. I kinda liked my green, but basically nothing about me is green anymore.’
‘Maybe, Deni. I kinda liked my green, but basically nothing about me is green anymore.’
While she herself had experienced using a Red Coin she hadn’t yet had the chance to see it second hand. It was moments like this she wished she had Third Eye like her sister. God that wish turned her into such a nerd. She hadn’t been entirely sure how things would turn out. Eli wasn’t the only one to change though as it seemed Deni also underwent the same process. They were very clearly twins again. ”You’re most welcome.” For now she put the unused items back in her pack. “”So now that you’re both free what do you plan to do?” She moved the bag off to the side as she waited for a response.
‘We’re going to save Mariette! However possible!’ Deni said, clutching a fist of intention, eyes on fire with determination.
‘Yeah, there’s that. Then, well, I don’t know exactly…’ Eli said, looking like she’s considering something.
Janet was curious what Eli could be considering. She could probably take a peek with her magic. For now she would leave it alone since it wasn't really her business. Leaning back in her seat she hummed a bit. "Well in that case, maybe you could stay and keep me company while I wait and see if Mariette comes along."
‘Sure! But, would she come along? I mean, I’m not out there saving her right now, and she went through a portal to some void somewhere, I’d guess,’ Deni asked, tilting her head.
‘She’s probably going to come look for me,’ Eli said.
‘She won’t know where to find you, though,’ Deni replied, a bit unsure about that point.
”Jenna left me a note to wait. So I can only assume she dropped a hint somehow.” Sadly she didn’t have much in the way of details.
‘… Mariette is not going to be happy right now. Will she be safe?’ Eli asked, looking a bit worried.
‘I’m gonna assume she has a plan. Seems like they planned for your arrival pretty well!’ Deni answered with a little grin.
The Beacon girl nodded. ”We’ve lost some of the element of surprise at this point. It’s hard to say what Mariette will do from here. I have little contact to the outside. Neither does anyone else, which was the point of choosing this place. If she does show up it is highly likely she will fight back. Your help in managing such so I can work would be appreciated. Since I’ve done it once it should be easier to break Asengav’s grip on Mariette.”
‘Hm, okay,’ Deni said, looking like she was considering something for a bit, and then grinned and shrugged. ‘Eh, may as well check what we can do now in the meantime! If I reach forward and flex my imaginary muscles…’ Deni said, Eli looking on curiously as Deni held her hands forward, and…!
… A gust of wind blew out of her hands, blowing lightly past the current residents of the room, providing a bit of temporary cold.
‘Air!’ Deni called out. ‘We’re air-specialists!’ she called, somewhat in amazement. Eli held out a hand and playfully made some wind spin around in her palm in a mini-vortex.
‘Tihi, so it would seem,’ she replied. ‘We’re still not very magically powerful, so we’ll need to consider how to best apply this.’
‘Aaaah, that sucks just a little, though,’ Deni said with a sigh. ‘I really liked being a Reinforcement specialist. Being able to heal others in a pinch, not to mention the self-empowerment and barriers that made for pretty flexible combat… I’m going to miss it.’ So she lamented.
‘Well…’ Eli looked thoughtful and slightly amused for a second, as she manifested something in her hand. ‘Maybe you won’t have to?’ she asked, as she opened her palm for Deni to see, the older twin raising her eyes a bit to look upon the Platinum Coin that Eli held in her hand. Deni gasped, and then grinned happily at her sister.
‘You mean, we could…?’ Deni asked.
‘Yes…’ Eli acknowledged. ‘Let’s get Reinforcement back, as a second specialization.’
Deni grinned so happily and skipped over to hug Eli once again, and Eli hugged around her too, looking kinda proud. ‘Eli, you’re the best…!’ Deni told, so happy.
The two got into position, holding four hands intertwined around the Platinum Coin, nodded to one another, and… the energy dispersed. The power of the Platinum Coin surged through them, making both of them gasp just the slightest. The power settled… and Eli smiled, and Deni grinned. A gust of wind was formed, and a barrier shaped around it. Walls was built around them, and a wind was built to crash against the wall and build around them, creating a little whirlwind contained within a cylinder of reinforcement barriers. Finally, they stopped all magic, and the barriers fell and a gust of wind carried through the apartment.
‘Air and Reinforcement, ey?’ Deni asked with a chuckle.
‘Never heard anything like it, huh?’ Eli responded with a giggle. The two twins giggled among themselves for a bit.
‘Alright. Let’s prepare for Mariette’s potential arrival!’ Deni said, jumping to her feet.
‘Hey, do you happen to have a broken mirror, or a whole one we can break?’ Eli asked Janet, also getting up…
Janet nodded and lifted a small broken mirror from her backpack briefly. ”I was made aware of its effects.”
‘Excellent,’ Eli nodded back. ‘So, with us looking like this, the jig’s going to be up basically immediately, so we’ll need to…’ and then they continued setting up another potential ambush.
”So you want protection from the Djinn Sisters?”
Su, Helga, and Mariette were all gathered together in Su’s office at the golden trove. Shortly after Mariette came to them, they moved to a more secluded location. One where the only prying eyes they had to worry about was those of Boteg. But the dragon did not concern himself with other magical girls much, less they had cheese. But the only thing Su had out was a plate of day old cookies, which sat on a square table for all to take and eat.
”They’re a mysterious lot, that’s for sure. I’m not sure why they would capture Eli, but I wouldn’t put it past them to do something like that either. They can be mischievous pranksters, but I don’t see them doing it for any nefarious purposes.” She stood up. ”Regardless, I’ll come with you. I’m sure Helga wouldn’t mind tagging along, if just to keep an eye on me.”
"You know I'm not letting my eyes off of you, Su."
Helga added standing next to Su, rubbing her arm as it was still sore from the Sanctuary scuffle. Su only sighed in response, but she wore a sly smile.
‘Not necessarily from the Djinn Sisters themselves…’ Mariette corrected. ‘Eli was picked up by Ronin, who’s a member of Crimson Cradle; our allies. She was an insider on the opposing side. From there, I would have just asked Veronica, but when I was in the beach dimension I thought I heard someone saying Eli was with the Djinn Sisters. Thing is, there was nobody there that could possibly have said such a thing. See, me and Eli are friends with the Djinn Sisters, but my organization can’t know or they’d seek to exploit them. So everyone involved here SHOULD be allies. Yet, having just heard this information from an unspecified impossible source that only I seemingly heard scares me. I want to go make sure the Djinn Sisters are safe, but I don’t want to do it alone. Hence, yeah,’ Mariette explained.
‘Thank you. With luck, this isn’t a trap and just… good fortune,’ she said.
”Oh, so Veronica might be involved too? That changes things.” Su folded her arms. ”I don’t think she’d ever do something to aid the Mint, but you know, she has their mind set at the very least. I think it’s smart to go to the dijin sisters first and make sure everything’s okay.” In a swirl of magic, her common clothes were replaced with her magical uniform. ”Do you know where they are?”
"And are you sure you didn't just imagine it?" Helga asked as she also transformed. "Horrors can sometimes slip up and cause scary visions and voices. I remember Father doing that occasionally when I was Justine's slave."
‘I know where to look,’ Mariette said, before probably just using Absolute Direction to see if she can find somewhere to open a portal to.
The magical sense of direction pointed the portal girl in the direction of a nearby hotel. Having been told to stay indoors when not in their Dimensional Home, they had booked a room. Despite it being late the two were up and playing a game against one another on a TV.
She didn’t start with actually entering the room. Mariette opened a smaller portal to her friends, through which to only speak through.
‘Violet, Sakura? Is this place safe?’ she began, because that was her first concern. Assuming it was, she’d follow up. ‘I have brought additional friends. They’re Su and Helga. Is that fine?’ she asked, just in case. Assuming everything was fine and the place was confirmed safe, she’d open a bigger portal for them to walk through to said room, Mariette walking through first looking a bit awkward with introducing friend-groups with one another.
The twins confirmed it was safe and fine to have the other two join. And Mariette's concerns over bringing her friends were pretty quickly brushed away. Not even bothering to pause their game they got up and gave the portal girl a hug. "You're safe! We're so glad to see you." After a few seconds they let go and took note of the other two. "... Su, you're not a little bird anymore."
Violet looked at Helga for a bit. There was at least some inclination that she'd been touched by their magic. "Hello Helga. Nice to meet you."
Helga grinned and waved back. “Sup?”
”It’s been a while. When was the last time we met, when Mariette was meeting with Lily?” Su placed a hand on her hip. ”It’s been a few months anyway. I’m trying to keep the bird thing on the down low, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell too many people.”
”Oh, gotcha.” She made a motion like she was zipping her mouth shut before smiling.
‘Ah… yes, I am,’ Mariette awkwardly said as she was hugged by her friends. Yeah, they’d never harm her, she concluded as she gently dared to hug them back before they went back. They exchanged a couple words with Su and Helga, and Mariette was reminded they had, in-fact, seen one another before. That time with Amber… and Deni… Mariette shook her head a little.
‘Violet, Sakura. This, uh, may sound like a strange question, but is Eli with you?’ she asked, looking rather awkward for asking.
If it weren't for the fact that the two didn't know who all else Ronin had recruited they might have been a bit surprised by the question. "Yeah. A friend brought her to us. Your place was attacked?" Sakura confirmed.
Mariette breathed out a little at the confirmation. ‘It was. But, we're fine. Justine and Beacon attacked us together, but we managed to fend them off and escape. I don't have a dimensional home anymore, but I should be fine for the time being,’ she explained. There was more to it, but… ‘This friend. Can you tell me about her?’
"We haven't seen her in a while, but she's a little samurai girl. Really cheerful. You would like her." The two girls smiled a bit. Helga leaned a bit to look behind Violet, a curious look on her face. Violet realized the game was still running and went back to put it on pause.
It was her, Mariette confirmed. ‘Ronin. She’s one of Veronica’s girls. I’m confused as to why she’d drop Eli off with you, but she’s an ally, at the very least. The dimensional home started collapsing and everyone had to evacuate, but Ronin grabbed Eli and disappeared, and I didn’t know where she went. Then a voice that could have come from nobody said somewhere close to me that Eli was with you. It was really odd. Do you have any idea of what that may have been?’ Mariette asked, seeking explanations.
Sakura rubbed her chin a bit. ”Well… I think she was working with some other girls. Maybe one of them left you a clue?” The last bit was somewhat of a guess. She actually didn’t know what had happened in Dan’s dimension so it was hard to say for sure.
Mariette tensed up a little. That was a dangerous answer. It was possible Ronin was working with a hostile third/fourth/fifth party. ‘Where is Eli right now? Why's she not here with you?’ she asked, a little concerned.
Looking a little confused for a moment, Violet answered as she came back. ”In our dimensional home you gave us. It’s safer there than in this place. We still have to do our job and it doesn’t make sense to bring her along after you were just attacked.”
Mariette nodded. Made sense. ‘Alright. Can you open a path?’ she requested.
”Sure thing.” She offered a hand to Mariette while Sakura held out her hands to Su and Helga.
Helga took a look at Su, and nodded in confirmation before taking Sakura’s hand. “Cool game you got there, by the way. Might pick one up myself.” Su also took Sakura’s hand, but remained quiet as she watched Mariette and Violet.
Mariette swallowed a bit as Violet offered a hand to her. For some reason, she found herself hesitating to take it. It felt really awkward within her, too, because Violet was her friend. Yet… ‘… I’m… I’m considering the possibility that the voice told me to go here as a trap. But that makes no sense. Nobody should know I’m friends with you but am hiding it from my companions, and as such would not bring my forces. Yet, it all feels so weird. Why would Ronin give Eli to you, not just bring her back to me? I’m worried Ronin may have been working for a third party, and Eli may be trapped, and the activation may be my presence. I… don’t want to endanger anyone here. … Is there any way you can bring her out somewhere safe, so I may inspect her?’ Mariette asked, trying to figure out a solution for her doubts.
After a moment of listening Violet put her hands on her hips. She briefly looked hurt, but sighed, this was Mariette they were talking about. Seeing her sisters frustration, Sakura spoke up. "It's alright Violet. Mariette, you know we can't go against you or Eli right? That was the point of the wishes you made. I know friends outside your circle aren't really your thing. They're not ours much either, but we wouldn't let anyone hurt you. I have Third Eye, if Ronin or someone she's working for set up a trap then I would see it. The point of our Dimensional Home is to keep people out so they can't just bring in anyone they want. We let her in because we trust her." She glanced at the others there. "How about this. I can take Su in first and she can turn the place upside down if she wants."
”If it’s of any assurance, I can certainly go in first.” Su didn’t let go of Sakura’s hand. ”I’m not worried. I doubt they would do anything with Helga standing here anyway.” She grinned.
Mariette winced a little at Violet looking hurt. She didn’t mean that. Sakura spoke, and a somewhat panicked Mariette looked over, listening to the end intently. ‘I… I know you wouldn’t, I’m just worried someone is using you… but you’re right. Third Eye… I forgot about Third Eye,’ Mariette nodded. She then looked over to Su as she said that. ‘I… I specifically didn’t suggest that because it felt like I’d be saying you’re expendable, and you aren’t… but if you would, that would make me feel a lot better,’ she said, blushing the slightest as she nods to Su.
No one was objecting at this point so Sakura let go of Helga’s hand. ”Alright then. We’ll be right back.” She smiled and waved as she and Su disappeared.
Arriving in the Djinn’s dimensional home, Su would find the space was filled with luxurious seating and lounging furniture, drapes lined the walls and window, and pillows everywhere. There was only one other figure in the room, and that was the slime girl Eli. ”Here we are.” She gestured Su to feel free to look around.
Eli’s seated in one of said lounging furniture, looking as tense as a girl comprised of slime could be, then when someone showed up she lifted her gaze and blinked with a bit of confusion at Su.
The hotel manager ignored Eli’s presence for now. She wandered over to the drapes and pushed them off to the side before looking behind them. ”No assassins here.” She pushed a pillow with her foot. ”Or here.” Su scratched her chin. ”Hmmm, I don’t think I would be able to find anything dangerous in here even if there was something to worry about.” She placed her hands together. ”But Deni has to be in here somewhere.” A massive burst of wind shot out from Su in all directions. It wasn’t strong enough to be destructive, but it was mighty enough to move every pillow and drape in sight. No one under or behind any of them. Now it was just a mess.
Eli floundered just a bit from the gust of wind that just blew through the room, gripping the place she was seated. Then, though, she peered at Su. ‘Um, Su? Are you… here to help?’ she asked, just for confirmation.
Su turned to look at Eli. ”Yes.” She said, not looking like someone who just shoved every piece of movable furniture against the wall. ”Is there something you need?”
Eli nodded, her lips spreading… into a bit of a grin. A very Deni-like grin on Eli’s face. ‘I’m right here. Just a little something to make her lower her guard,’ she said.
”This is why I was going to ignore you.” Su folded her arms. ”If Mariette asks if I saw Eli in here, what am I supposed to say?”
Sakura was scooting one of the chairs back and trying to locate the right pillows that had been scattered. She paused for a moment and looked in Deni’s direction, then at Su. ”I see Eli. And if she asks if Eli was here, then yes. She WAS here.”
Su looked away from the two magical girls and groaned. ”I know, it’s easy enough to talk around. It’s just nerve wracking trying to try to lie to her like this. She’s in pain, and even if we’re all doing what’s best for her, I’m betraying her trust.” After taking a deep breath, she looked back ahead at Deni. ”It’s good to see you, by the way. I’m glad the two of you made it out alright..”
‘Just tell her everything’s going to be alright! It’s going to be, you’ll not be lying!’ “Eli” suggested happily, kicking happily with her legs a bit. Then, at the last bit, she smiled widely again and waved to Su. ‘It was REALLY dangerous for a moment there, but it worked out! I’m happy you’re alive, too!’
”Can we have the reunion later. Su might not like it but I’m skirting on being reprimanded by my patron. I’d rather not be trapped for a hundred years or something.”
Su nodded. ”That’s fine. You can take me back now.” As quickly as she had gone, Su was brought back before Helga, Mariette, and Violet. ”I’m not going to get used to how fast that is.” Helga was slourched on a bean bag chair with a controller in her hands playing the game she noticed before Su left.
“How’d it go, Su?” She asked as she looked back at her, only to quickly return to the screen with a pout as she lost the round. Su closed her eyes and gave her head a shake. ”I turned over everything that moved, and I couldn’t find anything to worry about. If you want to see Eli, you just need to go inside.”
‘How is she…?’ Mariette asked, kind of cautiously.
”I think she’s fine.” Su shrugged her shoulders.
Mariette looked a bit worried for a second. "Think" she's fine? But, a second later she rationalized it. Eli may have just been there and Su didn't particularly pay attention to her, so she didn't know that particular part for sure. Mariette nodded a bit, and then looked to Violet. ‘Alright. Bring me to her.’
Nodding the Djinn Sisters placed their hands on the three other girls and they all transported into the extremely disheveled dimensional home. "Whoa, what a mess." She briefly inspected the space before she started fussing with some of the drapes out of sight.
Helga followed along, hands on her hips as she surveyed the place with a lifted eyebrow. “Fancy digs, but a bit..cluttered, I’d say,” she spoke in a half-mutter.
Mariette would see "Eli" there.
Mariette immediately looked over towards Eli, sitting there so dutifully on the lounging furniture, and breathed out a bit in relief.
‘Eli? Are you alright?’
‘I'm alright…’ Eli replied, and it technically wasn't a lie. She slipped off the furniture onto her legs and walked over, hugging around a surprised Mariette, who eventually took the time to hug her back.
‘I’m happy you’re alright,’ Mariette said, not detecting any traps just yet.
‘Not as happy as I am that you’re alright!’ Eli said, smiling so happily. She then breathed out a bit, with slight regret.
‘I’m genuinely sorry about this.’
Mariette was confused for a bit, before suddenly crying out at the searing pain of the broken mirror appearing. It was like the glass shards sinking into her body and tearing at her soul. Her dark tentacles were about to burst forth to protect her, except some well-placed candles around made those disperse as soon as they manifested.
Helga grunted in surprise, and bared her claws, confused by what was happening. "What the hell?"
Janet had returned, and all the precautions used to retrain Eli before came back to life. Noticing that Su and Helga were there though Janet hesitated to move any closer to the portal girl. Rather than speak what she intended she mentally communicated what she'd done for Eli. Then she requested permission. "I promise I will not harm her. May I?"
‘Go ahead,’ “Eli” confirmed.
Su nodded, wanting to end Mariette’s suffering as soon as possible.
Nodding the Beacon girl moved over to create and maintain a barrier to keep Mariette from lashing out with any other of her magic. Deni's assistance in that regard allowed her to focus more on removing the mind bending. The process was less pleasant for the girl due to the mirror, but thankfully Janet now had some experience removing the horror's touch.
Once Mariette's mind was clear a few minutes later, Janet lay the unconscious girl on a large pillow, extinguished the candles, and left briefly to dispose of the mirror. Back once again she let out a sigh of relief and took a seat. After a few seconds she gave a slight smile. "She will wake soon. The mind bending is gone but Asangav can still locate her outside this place. We'll discuss that more once she's up."
There was a moment of silence until she turned her attention to Su and Helga more directly. "It's good to see you again Su. It's been too long. Have you been doing alright?" Considering the circumstances she seemed a little too eager to exchange pleasantries. Janet did have something of a reputation for not being your typical member of Beacon though.
Su released a breath she didn’t know she was holding and stood up right. ”Janet.” she said with a tired sigh. ”Thank you for doing this for Mariette, if you did indeed do it without any strings attached.” She placed a hand on her hip. ”But I would appreciate it if you didn’t take such a cordial tone with me. You might have been under Justine’s influence when you took Amber’s life, but we’re never going to be just friends. Even if that old scar finally heals, you are still an agent of Beacon, and Helga and I are wanted by them. There’s no point in carrying on like this.”
Helga also scowled, still wary of Janet even as she attempted a friendly conversation.
Janet's demeanor deflated a bit. Why she ever expected a different response was beyond her. Undying optimism perhaps? Hard to say if that was her or the magic causing that. "I'm not sure if I should be depressed or accomplished that I've managed to piss off everyone in such a short amount of time." She would clam up after that. It would probably take her a minute or two to brush off the comment and be back to herself.
”Sure.” Su said to herself. ”Make it all about you.”
Helga glanced at Mariette, who seemed like she was sound asleep. "Man, you Beacon folks are devious." She sighed, and lowered her claws. "Still, it's for the best that she's now released from the Horror. She can make her own decisions now, and not dance to some narcissist's whims."
Deni transformed back into her normal self, which now looked a bit different than previously. A little older. A little more blue in her clothing, since having used the red coin earlier, but it was still definitely her. She’d held Mariette in place during the operation, ready to use Reinforcement magic to detain/keep her healthy. Now, after the procedure, she sighed out happily looking down on the currently passed out Mariette. ‘This… this wouldn’t have been possible without both of you,’ she said. ‘The operation wouldn’t have been possible without Janet’s support, and Mariette wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for the trust she put in Su. Thank you… so much for helping me save her!’ Deni grinned towards them, looking really happy. She was intentionally not commenting on what she just heard the two of them talk about.
Turning her attention away from Su and Helga back to Deni, Janet nodded. "You are welcome. Do you remember the options I gave you and your sister once she woke up?"
‘Yupp! Purifying potion, White Coin or Red Coin,’ Deni replied simply. It was earlier this same day, she wouldn’t forget already.
Janet would set out two potions and a single red coin. "I will leave these with you. I won't bother with the last one since I don't think anyone here would want it anyhow." She said as she closed up her backpack.
‘Alright! Thank you!’ Deni replied happily. ‘Two potions?’ she also asked, a bit curious.
"I made them for those that weren't happy with how they were as a dark or monster girl, but didn't want to join up with Beacon. They don't do anyone any good if I keep them all." She stood up and put on her backpack. "I guess we'll catch up later." Leaving everything they should need for Mariette, Janet disappeared without any other fare.
‘An extra. Alright. Say thanks to Jenna also from us!’ Deni waved happily to Janet as she departed.
Su gave the potions a long stare. ”So that’s them?” After blinking a few times, she tightened her arms. ”I wonder if Mariette is going to have a dramatic change like you did. I wouldn’t think so, given that she’s not a monster.”
‘We used a Red Coin, so me and Eli’s appearance changed more than the potion would, but yea! It supposedly cleanses monster-things and connections to Horrors and so,’ Deni replied.A few moments later Violet and Sakura returned, swapping Janet’s spot out for Eli and bringing her back in. ”Is it done? We’re good?” Glancing around she saw Mariette resting. Looking relieved, she relaxed finally. ”Ah, finally done with that.” She flopped over on a chair.
Sakura eyed one of the potions and examined it with her Third Eye. After a bit she laughed. ”I see the Beacon twins have been making good use of their gifts.” She set it back down.
‘Indeed! Thank you so much for helping us out…!’ Deni told the twins, smiling happily to them. Eli, meanwhile, dashed over to Mariette’s side in concern, kneeling and looking on.
Some time later, the person in the bed jolted. Dark tendrils woke, from the power of the one who recently awoke, ready to lash out-
‘Wait! Mariette, you’re safe!’ Eli cried out, and the tendrils froze. Instead, Mariette lifted her head, two wide, confused eyes looking at the people present in the dimensional home, her eyepatch having fallen off.
‘You’re awake…!’ Deni said, bouncing over to sit next to Eli, and Mariette gazed in confusion at them. Her gaze then wandered to the others in the room, still confused and perhaps more than a little frightened.
Su slid a chair closer to Mariette’s side before sitting down in it. ”How do you feel?” Su’s brow was furrowed ”Your connection to your magic doesn’t seem to have faded.”
Helga was standing next to Su, a hand on the chair's backrest. "How many fingers can you count?" Her other hand held up three claws.
The Djinn Sisters watch off to the side for a bit. They felt a little bit like they'd betrayed her, even if Mariette was arguably safe and free to think for herself.
Mariette kept the confused look towards Su as she asked the questions. ‘All Janet did was remove the mind-bending. The powers and connection to Asengav remains,’ Eli explained. Deni remained smiling happily at Mariette.
‘I…’ Mariette looked even more confused at Helga and her claws. A cloud of questions filled her head. ‘What happened…?’ she asked, because she genuinely didn’t know.
Helga pouted as she lowered her hand down, unsure if what she asked went through to Mariette. She decided to wait and see how things played out.
‘Um, Mariette?’ Deni asked, and Mariette looked over at her. ‘Hi! I look a bit different now, but, I… I am Deni. I’m back. Sorry it took so long!’ Deni said, smiling so happily at a confused Mariette.
‘And, uh. I’m Eli, still. Just stopped being monster-girls…’ Eli said, waving a bit at her.
‘So, long story short, every single agent of Asengav is mind-bent to do his bidding, it wasn’t by your choice. No agent of Asengav would willingly part with the Horror. So we had to capture you. But, as a result, you’re free! Janet removed your mind-bending! I am… so happy we actually got here!’ Deni said, probably missing a couple details but looking very happy.
‘Deni…?’ Mariette asked, blinking a couple times at her. Then, yeah, Eli did not look like a slime-girl either. Neither of them did. Mariette looked over at Su and Helga again, as if asking them to confirm what she just heard.
”I didn’t believe it at first either, but who else would think of something as hair-brained as this?” Su waved her hand at Deni and Eli. The smile on her face was getting bigger. ”Though I went along with it, and it worked, so I can’t be too hard on them.” She reached for Mariette’s forehead. ”You’re free, now. Your mind is finally your own.”
Mariette stared at Su with modestly wide eyes, staying still as Su touched her forehead. Light-specialization told her that this was the truth they were saying… but Mariette didn’t really understand, so she was quiet.
‘We’re not quite done yet, though,’ Deni told, and brought over one of the potions and a Red Coin. ‘Asengav is still your patron, we’ve just removed his influence on your mind. To sever the connection completely, you need to either take this purifying potion, or use this Red Coin to alter your magic in such a way that you switch patron. Not sure how that works, but hey! It works!’ Deni explained happily.
“Hold on!” Helga interrupted. “If she does that, Asengavel or whoever was Mariette’s Horror is going to catch on immediately.” She lifted the claw on her index finger up. “I know for a fact that Horrors rely completely on the mind manipulation they place on their magical girls to keep them in line, which means they won’t check whether it’s still active or not unless they become suspicious and think something’s not right. You weren’t the only girl bound to them, right?” She asked Mariette. “I think if Mariette continued to pretend to serve them like she has before, I think she could save even more girls that way.”
”Like how we let Justine go, you mean? Just to have her revert into an even nastier killing machine?” Su’s face was almost flushed red. Anyone gifted with sight could see how she abhorred the idea. But she started to return to normal by the time she addressed Mariette again. ”You’re a smart girl, Mariette. Now that you have your free will back, you can make your next choice based on what you want. It must be hard, it’s probably been so long since you’ve had free will that you don’t know what to do with it.” She giggled nervously. ”I’m just fulfilling my end of my oath. I said I’d be here for you when you needed it. Now it’s up to you to decide where to go next.”
‘Aaaah, I’m not super enthusiastic about letting her go back to Asengav in any shape or form just yet. We JUST managed to get her here, I don’t want to risk her getting snatched back…’ Deni said, speaking directly from her own heart. Mariette, meanwhile, looked at Su as Su told about that the next choice should be hers. She was still reeling. Mariette looked down on her hands, and…
‘L… let me think about this…’ Mariette said, looking down into the bed. Her thought-process was a mess. Still, the girls seemed so excited for her being free, so she made “being free” the goal of her current thinking, and then a huge obstacle appeared. ‘Asengav… he’ll come looking for me. He’s not the kind that lets his agents get away, unless, uh,’ she looked towards Deni. ‘… unless he thinks they’re dead, anyway…’ It wasn’t a suggestion, but more of an observation. ‘I… won’t be exactly free as long as he can identify me. The potion won’t change how I look, but the coin would, but… do I even want that…?’ Mariette asked. ‘What… do I want…?’
Stepping forward, Sakura lightly touched Mariette on the arm. "Don't rush into anything you might regret. I know you're not used to this friend thing. We aren't really either, but we want you to be safe. You're safe here, stay as long as you need."
Mariette nodded to Sakura, appreciating the offer.
Su’s smile ran from her face as Mariette remained indecisive. ”Of course.” Was all Su said before patting the girl on the head. ”Don’t take too much time though. Remember that Penrose is the way it is not because of one magical girl’s evil ploy, but having most of the magical girls being forced to do nothing.” Su looked to everyone before taking hold of Helga’s hand. ”I’d like a moment of privacy, please.”
Su took Helga into one corner of the room and threw up a vacuum wall to block their conversation from being heard by the others. Such a thing was not something Su could easily maintain, but she did so for a bit. Her right arm trembled as she held it up to maintain their screen of privacy.
Helga was visibly alarmed by Su’s use of her magic. “W-What is it?”
”Don’t get upset. Boteg only told me this a few hours ago. I was hoping things would go differently here, however, it’s clear Mariette isn’t stable enough to run things in my absence.” Su closed her eyes and sighed. ”Helga, Penny was right. There are more golden dragons, and some of them live here on earth. But none of them live in Penrose. I’m sure you know what this means.” Her face became grave. ”He wants to leave as soon as possible. I just want to confirm something.” Her lower lip quivered. ”You are going to leave with me, right?”
Helga’s eyes widened, and she lips curled in surprise.
“L-Leave? Boteg is really...Well, it does make sense for him.” She held her arm and sighed, before she nodded.
“Wherever you and Boteg go, I’ll go too. We are family after all, and a family that slays together, stays together.”
All of Su’s uneasiness melted away in an instant, and her smile returned. ”I don’t know what made me think you might say anything else.” She wrapped her arms around Helga’s shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug, allowing the sound proof barrier to come down. She planted a kiss on Helga’s cheek before turning to the others. ”Well, it looks like things are settled here for the moment. If you ever want to talk, you have my number, Mariette. I hope you don’t think less of us for doing this for you.”
Su didn’t wait for a response. The two shifted out of the home immediately.
Mariette was briefly alarmed by Su keeping some kind of secret, before rationalizing that keeping some things private is fine. Mariette nodded, and when she looked up they had left. She made a small decision, and turned to the others.
‘I'd like to think about this on my own for a while, before I make any decision. Using the potions, or anything...’
‘But, but,’ Deni spoke, looking downcast. ‘You're still connected to Asengav! The big bad dimensional conqueror that used us like puppets! At least sever that connection before-’
‘Deni,’ Eli stopped her sister. ‘We just restored her free will. What's the point of that if we're just going to supplant our will in its place? We've done our part, freed her from brainwashing. The next part is hers.’
Deni clearly didn't look super-happy about this, but eventually dug into her pocket for a piece with her phone-number on it. ‘Here, don't you dare hesitate to contact us if you need us!’
Mariette looked just a bit frightened of Deni right now, but accepted the note.
Violet and Sakura would give Mariette a hug briefly. "We've blocked the others from coming back. So it's just us that can come here. Think about visiting sometime and please be careful." They weren't really as sure either way like Deni did. It wasn't their place to tell Mariette what to do.
‘Thank you…’ Mariette replied in the hug. ‘I’ll be back when I figure something out, or if I need to hide. Until then…’ she looked over to Deni. ‘I’m… very happy you’re alive. Thank you, for fighting for us,’ she said, and then she could probably Dimensional Shift herself, leaving the dimension to think.
‘Whelp, there she went. Now I’m not sure what I’ll do,’ Deni commented. ‘Hey, don’t you have a solo life to show me how it is?’ Eli asked with a giggle. ‘Oh, yeah, that! Absolutely! I’ll show you all about the Ronin lifestyle!’ Deni said, grinning widely. ‘Hmm, but what will we call me, then? Are we the Ronins, now?’ Eli pondered, smirking. ‘Can’t we just be Deni and Eli?’ Deni asked, chuckling a bit back. ‘Eeeh, we probably still don’t want Asengav’s champions to figure out who you are, or me for that matter…’ Eli said. ‘Guess we gotta work on a name, then,’ Deni said with a shrug. The two looked at one another, and then giggled together.
It all had gone rather well, all things considered.
