Scene #9812: WPN2: Monster of the Week

Owner	Pose
Angela	Angela gave everybody time to think and plan and heal up from wars before officially starting this mission. The path to the LIbrary is the same as usual but it's been cleaned up since the last visit, no recent Philip assaults or anything, so a moment of peace. Roland is back at his peak condition and cheerfully greets people as they pile in, opening up the elevator for them so they can move into the Floor of Natural Sciences with no issue. Angela and Tiphereth are waiting for you, the book of Walpurgisnacht in front of her, also known as the story of the Kingdom of Happiness. Angela greets everyone politely, even with a smile, and will answer any last minute questions, but then when all is settled, she says, "I will now guide us into the book." There's the usual falling sensation and then... Angela, Petra, Lisa... Lilian... Will you listen to this story? Once upon a time... A child descended from a star and rained down as water... The Voice fades before she can share it and as you blink your eyes open... The world is realer than real, the colors are vibrant, pastel-shaded, but you are immersed in it, like you've jumped into a cartoon. First, it's sketchlike, but in a few more blinks it's wholly animated. It isn't the sort of cartoon world where the trees dance and the blades of grass sing, but it is very bright. Not painfully so, not at all, it's just bright in the way that bright day feels like it should, the clouds are clearly outlined, not melting away into the sky in a general haze. Not a single flower looks like it's been beaten down by the elements, they're colorful and beautiful and everywhere. A cheery sunflower patterned billboard with a beautiful and mighty tree as its centerpoint declares, WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM OF HAPPINESS! proudly and underneath that in smaller letters, HOME OF THE TREE OF LIFE!. You've appeared right downtown on a cobblestone street though you can see a few streets over more typical car-centric roads. Local shops offer sweets, baked goods, books, journals, stuffed animals, and more. All the shopowners look friendly, if a bit generic, and Utena style shadow-girls, complete with stylized proportions and with exaggerated gestures and movement, are attending the stories, exchanging HOT GOSSIP. "The Magical Girls of Love and Justice... we haven't seen them in a while..." "Do we really need them? We have Friendship and Loyalty now!" Angela looks down at herself. What she's now wearing looks a lot like her Librarian uniform, but it's decidedly more magical-girly with the black softened to purples and the purples softened to magentas. The cravat and coat are just gone. It's not just her who is affected, the world is adjusting your color schemes and outfit choices ever so slightly to fit a magical girl world as subtly as possible. "But they still haven't found the healing water." A third shadow-girl says. "Until they find the water, Dark Nihil can still threaten our kingdom!" "Oh stop worrying, it'll be fine. Look at this, it's cute! I should get it right?" The second shadow-girl holds up a Punishing BIrd plush before they move away.
Angela	There's a sign nearby with a map of the local area complete with a smiley sticker indicating YOU ARE HERE. Anyone who has been affiliated with Trídéag might recognize the composition of the streets as being similar to that of District 12 (L), though Petra might recognize some of the street names being similar to those of District 14 (N). In the far distance, soaring above the buildings, is a tree that's big enough that it rises above the rooftops and the clouds though it isn't a tree like the Library, there's windows or entranceway or fog. Tiphereth looks herself over before asking Angela, "A child descended from a star...?" "I don't know either. I know you have something you wish to learn but we'll have to hope we uncover that on the way to our actual objective." "Do we just wait for something to happen?" Tiphereth asks. "We should walk around like normal. Since Petra and I are seen as 'magical girls' by this world, trouble should come upon us eventually if we just ... act normal." Angela cups her chin for a moment and then looks towards a nearby cafe. "...Petra. Let us partake in the 'boba tea'." "We could also try taking pictures in that booth--" Tiphereth points to a colorful advertising a number of vibrant photo-filters from which to add to photos you take with friends. "I see there's a public library too..." "And that store selling Magical Girl merchandise ... Of you and Petra and the others..." Angela looks at the Magical Girls of Friendship and Loyalty hanging in the window for a long moment. "...There's also a park nearby... That could be nice." Looks like there's a lot of cheery fun slice of life activities one can partake in! Any one of these might lead you to the episodic adventure of the day!
Petra Soroka	The most immediately obvious thing to Petra when she steps into the Book of the Kingdom of Happiness is that when the swirly cartoon wind blows, she feels a breeze pass between her legs. Petra's monochrome Patron Librarian uniform has been wholly transformed into something else. Now the black and white suit forms the frilly basis for a magical girl costume, with satin-pearly tights and a black skirt. Her 'color' is yellow, clearly, with gold stitching and ribbons on the sides, and sparkly yellow shoes, and a big yellow ribbon in front of her chest, and a white dandelion puff ornament in her hair. Fourth Match Flame has transformed from a smoldering sword to a similar staff-- its embers glow bright orange from the rush of air when she whirls it around to point accusingly at the other Elites, rustling her skirt. "I'll kill you if you say anything." She sighs and grumbles, picking at the hair bound into a ponytail by a sparkly mirror-like clasp. "Christ. This was cuter one million years ago. Now I'm just being mocked." "So, what?" As an automatic motion, Petra flips her hair with the bottom non-burning end of her magical girl staff. "Is the story just going to function like this? Because of Love and Justice missing?" "Do we really need them? We have Friendship and Loyalty now!" Petra glances over to Angela, lips pursed. "Does it say something that the civilians in the theoretical fairy tale happy version of the City are all faceless and shallow? And that the 'happy' vision of the City is still completely dependent on commercialism to portray that utopia?" "... No, whatever. These are always edgy subversions anyways. It's fine." "Since Petra and I are seen as 'magical girls' by this world, trouble should come upon us eventually if we just ... act normal." "You'd think we'd need to detransform for that...." Petra pokes at her staff and at her ribbon, but neither are transformation implements like she'd be used to, so she gets nowhere. "If this is how it's gonna go, let's get boba and go to the park. The library's just gonna be full of nonsense books anyways, and there'll be more people in the park to tell us more about this world's deal."
Ember	Ember arrives promptly, without much of a change to his outfit; the shirt is green today instead of brown, but his pants and boots remain the same. He does not have any more questions to add to this, and he more or less has his own strategy going forward... well, assuming the last question he asked Angela happens. That would probably be a worst-case scenario. So, to that, he's willing to put off making any friendships with the magical girls in the book to avoid the curse of the second one. Regardless, when the book opens and they descend... Well, the sensation is definitely off-putting but not unfamiliar with the sensations of the last book. The mysterious voice is unfamiliar to him, and he is also curious why it specifically mentions three people in their group only, and one who isn't. Of course, he doesn't know that Tiphereth's name is also Lisa. Once the sensation has evaporated, he... looks around at the bright world. Picturebook happy, in a way, but he's unfamiliar with the way a magical girl world works. He does, however, notice his own clothing has changed. In a black outfit, with buttons going down the front of the shirt, and a pair of black pants. It looks more like a school uniform, but his hair has been changed into a pompadour style. "...Great, I am not sure what's with this style of clothing." Nobody tell him the book made him a delinquent. He looks at the 'you are here' sign and scans it for any local shops that might interest him. 'I'll kill you if you say anything.' "I'm not in a position to say anything. We hold this secret to our graves." He responds, willing to ally on this particular issue. "I think I'll go to the bakery. It'll get us at least different rumors. The park seems like a good meet-up place," he guesses. He also has no idea what boba tea is. He knows what's at a bakery. Or at least he thinks he does.
Sarracenia	Being greeted by a cheerful Roland is...strange. Sarra gives him a curious look, but since he -is- being cheerful she offers a tentative smile before taking the elevator. Angela also greets them with a smile, and Sarra again gives a curious look but tries to return the smile. They are guided into the book. They hear Carmen's voice... And then they are in a world that...Sarra almost feels at home in. Well, after it resolves from the sketchlike state. Her own world is pretty bright, full of cartoony things, and things have eyes that have no business having eyes. It brings a smile to the princess's face despite being in her battle dress again.She runs her hand along some flowers and giggles a bit. "If my kingdom looked like this, I might actually want to stay!" she says without much thought. Angela's and Petra's outfits are changed, and Petra is embarrassed. Sarra covers up a snicker, then smiles. "Why? It is cute!" she says before realizing...her black leather with red armor plates...has been replaced with a short, frilly black dress that is much shorter than anything Sarra would wear, but made mostly okay with striped stockings that cover her legs completely. There is a massive red bow over her chest with a red gem set in a gold brooch, and another large bow at the base of her spine with long ribbon tails hanging down. The outfit is completed with long black gloves and bright red heels. Sarra of course, would wear an outfit like this anyway, so instead of being embarrassed she is delighted. "Oh my! So frilly~" she says happily and twirls a few times. No one tell her that only evil magical girls wear black. And instead of a wand she has been given a long black staff with a sinister red gem at the tip. 'We could also try taking pictures in that booth--' "Oh! We must have pictures!" Sarra exclaims, and in her child-like glee she takes Tiphereth's hand and pulls her toward the booth.
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki appears in inkpainting, traced with calligraphic strokes as she's brushed into the frame, a character from a different genre but no less expressed by story. Once, there was a terrible monster known as the 'Nue'... By the time she's rendered into place she's even louder gal than usual: gold and black tigerprint jacket, white frill top over sheer pink top that bunches over black skirt and garters ending in ruffly socks and platform boots, Hanshin Tigers baseball cap with tiger ears poking out of topholes, and nails each a different pastel color, all almond-point sharp tips. Her tail has become more of an animated suggestion, a coil of black that seems more shadowlike off her back, oftentimes merged and emoting as an animate shadow as often as a hanging coil of darkness or anything serpentine. Still, she's highly recognizeable -- those that wouldn't know her get a cut-in and titleframe for her name, even! In block text! "Kingdom of Happiness, huh? I never knew you were the heiress, Greed. Now I can see why we just aligned... there's not that much different in the story, is there?" Natsuki wonders to the air, her heavy orange influence as clear as Petra's yellow, though she has the benefit of natural transformation... And also not being transposed into a new form. Was she already corredt? Did she need a crown? "Love the flame baton. A good flaming club's classy, you could land plenty of oni girls with that thing." Natsuki asides to Magical Girl Petra as she falls in, stretching and moseying at an easy pace. "White and yellow's good, and pastel isn't terrible. Honestly, puppy girl is righteousness for the self. That sort of cute-pastel? As an indulgence, it can be for you. Now, nobody's saying don't mod your look." She continues to jabber, idle, before looking around to activities. "I'm going to go to the--" and while she definitely says 'buy liquor' it's censored to "-- THE BOOKSTORE --" and Natsuki seems annoyed at that for a second before sighing. "-- or wherever else there's people. I'm not hungry for 'food'." She admits, interested in something different. Then, boba is premised. "Yo, boba? Let's just get boba."
Angela	When Sarracenia isn't looking, Roland makes a cutting motion against his throat as she passes by. ''Christ. This was cuter one million years ago.'' "I'm sorry." Angela says. "If my memory-self from a million years ago anticipated this would have happened I would have not drawn your magical girl form in a skirt." The book form of her EGO is still a book, partly because it's an EGO, but also because the reason it's a book in the first place is because the book takes its form from Angela's imagined magical girlsona of her dreams. But that doesn't extend to the rest of her outfit. It's definitely breezier and has more dark blue ribbons and she has a similar ribboned hairband as Tiphereth now too. A sunflower brooch has formed in place of the ascot that she is trying not to think about. ''I'll kill you if you say anything'' "It would be irresponsible for me to leave behind within the book those who cannot appreciate an awkward situation." Angela says which is a little far from saying that she won't do that if she feels Petra's ire is raised enough, but it's about as gentle a warning as she can give. ''Does it say something that the civilians in the theoretical fairy tale...'' "It may be because Love and Justice are missing, or it may be because Greed and Wrath are still here. Or it may simply be a matter of the collective understanding of a 'happy kingdom' still ultimately having this level of capitalistic infrastructure." ''I'm not in a position to say anything.'' Angela relaxes a little. ''Why? It is cute!'' Angela sighs. "Well it seems it seems to be affecting everyone ..." She trails off as she takes a good look at Tiphereth. Who is just Tiphereth in her Librarian uniform. It still kind of fits the tone due to her generally wearing ribbons and softer colors, but she still feels more 'civilian' than 'magical girl', if maybe one a bit dressed up. "Hm." ''Natsuki Nue'' Angela is startled by the idea that Natsuki can be louder than normal Natsuki and quirks her head to check her out. "Well, it was a story I was told as a child. It wasn't exactly brimming with detail, it had to be complete in time for one 'bedtime', not that I had 'bedtime' exactly, but that is how it went." Of course there isn't any liquor! Instead there is juice for grownups. The juice for grownups is not alcoholic but it IS fizzy! Or you can get boba. ''Oh we must have pictures!'' Sarracenia unexpectedly seizes Tiphereth's hand. She actually yelps but doesn't fight it, being pulled over to the photograph booth. Which would be ... pretty out of place in District 14! But Tiphereth doesn't know the District 14 lore or, really, the area outside of the Library. In some ways she's even more isolated from the rest of the City than Angela is these days. Maybe one reason she enjoyed the trip into space so much. She's gone where nobody else in The City has gone before! At least, that she knows of. The photobooth takes money, but nothing is quite as randomly exorbant as it can be within the actual City, at least. Fortunately, any cash you brought with you is still with you and also the photobooth doesn't seem to discriminate between ahn and other currency so long as it's 'thought of' as currency. Coins will work! "Okay okay, what pictures do you want to take?" Tiphereth asks. "There's so many effects we could do. How about you pick 'em?" Tiphereth offers. She's still cautious but is clearly enjoying herself here.
Angela	''The Bakery'' Ember quickly finds in the bakery that not EVERYBODY is a shadow girl, though there are shadowgirls present in the Bakery. The bakers, for instance, look like stylized cartoon bakers, a woman and a man steadfastly working with smiles on their face. The bread looks the kind of tasty that you can only get in fiction and like with the photobooth, they'll take anything as currency. Greed knows no country, perhaps. The shadowgirls vapidly talk about gossip and rumors and middle school but Ember finds a young boy with brown hair and wearing a grey hoodie and black slacks looking at him with pale blue eyes. "Hey." The boy says, and then umprompted, like he's trying to be helpful. "My dad wants me to be a baker, but I don't want to be a baker, but he just doesn't understand me. What I really want to do... is paint." ''Boba!'' Petra, Angela, and Natsuki head over to get some boba. Like with the bakery, while the consumers seem to largely be those same shadow-girls, the people working the store look like stylized cartoon characters, in this case--an idealized form of refreshment vendors. Like the other two locations, they take any form of currency that's currencyish and Angela offers some anh. "A milk tea with boba please." Angela says, going for the most basic option. There is a young boy there with brown hair, wearing a grey hoodie and black slacks. He has pale blue eyes. He says, "Hey, can you help me?" to the three of them. "My parents say that it's unrealistic for me to be a photographer, that the light belongs to the Kingdom." He rubs at his eyes. "But I don't want to just sell boba, I want my life to have meaning..." "I try to tell them, but they just say there's plenty of meaning in selling boba..." He adds.
Petra Soroka	"We hold this secret to our graves." Petra covers her mouth to hide a little snicker at the pompadour. That is worse than her skirt. "Oh! We must have pictures!" Well... Petra had at first reflexively recoiled away from pictures, but it's kind of fine, actually. It's sort of a horrible outfit for Petra to be wearing, but she's got tights on, at least, and it's, like, thematic. So it's not that bad. And maybe Lilian will find it cute, and she could psychically torment Kenshiko with it. "You know what? One picture. It's fine." "Love the flame baton." "Man, if it was a flaming baseball bat, I'd be set," says Petra, who would really get along with Lulu if Lulu wouldn't hate her guts. She gives the staff a twirl, flame-ribbons trailing off the clasped-hands sigil at its head. "It's sort of too top-heavy, though. It feels like it's more for posing than smacking." ". . . you could land plenty of oni girls with that thing." Well, that's true either way. Petra nods solemnly. "Honestly, puppy girl is righteousness for the self." "That would be such a good phrase on one of Ash's t-shirts. I'm already pushing my budget of puppy shirts, I think." Petra's tail, when she's walking beside Natsuki and chattering, has a little yellow bow tied on the end, which she hasn't noticed yet. "You're practically designed for this kind of thing, though. You'd be so, like-- cartoon calligraphy, in a magical girl show. It basically fits you as-is." "A milk tea with boba please." Petra withdraws her carton of LOLLIPOPS and places a LOLLIPOP STICK in her mouth. "Same here." "My parents say that it's unrealistic for me to be a photographer, that the light belongs to the Kingdom." Petra leans her forearm up against the wall above the boy's head, closing her eyes with a sigh. No matter how shitty and insincere all the stories of the City are, engaging with them insincerely in return could only make them worse. She plucks her lollipop out of her mouth, dangling the stick between her fingers, and looks down at the kid. "Well, how about you show us some of the pictures you've taken? Maybe if you take a really really good one, you'll be able to show them how much passion you have for photography."
Ember	'If my memory-self from a million years ago anticipated this would have happened I would have not drawn your magical girl form in a skirt.' Ember assumes this is hyperbole. Nobody can live for that long, right? Or maybe it's a perception thing? That'd suck... anyway, he shrugs. He already agreed not to talk about it, because it's one of those mutual assured destruction things. He gives Sarracenia a look, then looks back at Petra. "She might need to be left behind." It isn't entirely clear whether he's joking. 'Natsuki' "Seriously, what is with your entrances? You did this with the demon girl too. Is it some sort of magic that you have that lets you do these kinds of things?" Is it completely irresponsible to use your magic to make an entrance like that? 'The Bakery' More shadow people... it says a lot that the story is filled with a bunch of people that might as well not exist. Then again, stories would only focus on the characters that matter. The vendors seem to have meaning... which is odd because why would they have shape in a story that doesn't focus on the normal person? Still, he buys a small loaf of bread and is about to head out when he runs into the boy. Well, that's...weird. Still, it seems to be the first person who wasn't a shadow or completely stiff... he assumes he is the family of the bakers. Shrugging, he motions the kid over to a seat. He also feels a little bad for the kid. It's similar to Mythril, where people are born to work jobs that unfulfill them and are only for survival. He splits half the loaf with him and takes a bite out of his. "I come from somewhere where you don't even get that luxury. Dreams are stolen from the young early." "But... I think it's important for people to do what they want to do, what fulfills them. So if you want to paint, paint. Screw what your dad thinks. Work on it with all of your passion. Show him the passion you put into your work, and he'll have to see your path." He pauses. "Or run away from home when you get accepted into a good school for the arts. If you try to bring them in, no shame in cutting them off if they can't be bothered to see you for who you are."
Natsuki Nuki	Natsuki absolutely slams onto 'city girl', her particular vivid fashion and inking in the comic cels makes her snap into this reality. 'Well, it was a story I was told as a child.' Natsuki does not want the juice for adults. Natsuki wants dark power and nothingness juice. Natsuki wants all of the Magical Girl powers and Petra's too, and perhaps she'd sample Angela's while she was here, and-- Rumming her eyes, Natsuki nods. "I don't need to go off alone. That's a fast way to walk off-set and get no lines all episode." She reasons, scoffing slightly. "Better that way." While she has faint episodes of thoughts-full zoning out, Natsuki is mostly on topic for the walk and chat. 'It's sort of too top-heavy, though. It feels like it's more for posing than smacking.' "Think of it like a hammer. High center, so high grip, use it tight in... If you want to give it a good swing, go two-handed and then swing out -- get a little [Baseball] with it anyway, girl."'That would be such a good phrase on one of Ash's t-shirts. I'm already pushing my budget of puppy shirts, I think.' "It's a whole aesthetic!" Natsuki insists. "You know, you know," She sighs, one huyu of chuckle. "Dog optional, but a small one helps. Something fuwa-fuwa. Fuwa-fuwa soul can be a maiden's armor." 'You're practically designed for this kind of thing, though.' Natsuki brushes out her hair and smiles broadly. Thanks for noticing! She basks in the apparent truth. 'A milk tea with boba please.' "Jasmine tea, zero sweet, half ice, and lychee gummy pieces." She rattles off automatically, before blinking and looking up at the menu. Then she decides she doesn't care and if the City doesn't have the right milkbeasts for that she'd have to fix them. 'My parents say that it's unrealistic for me to be a photographer, that the light belongs to the Kingdom.' Looking over her shoulder, Natsuki primarily addresses the photographer in profile, her shadow - Kodoku - actually 'facing'. "You don't need the flash on to take those pictures. Photographs are impressions of darkness. You're not even keeping the light - just reflecting on its damage to film. It develops in the dark - it's something entirely drenched in the dark. If it's light you're worried about, it's easy to avoid as a photographer."
Sarracenia	'Roland makes a cutting motion against his throat as she passes by.' Sarra gets a weird feeling and quickly turns back, but misses the gesture. She peers at Roland a moment before continuing on. 'Natsuki renders in' Sarra offers a friendly wave. "Hello Natsuki! It is good to see you! Amazing entrance! I love the look!" she says cheerfully. Though, her smile turns to a confused look as Natsuki says something that doesn't look like bookstore but sounds like it. 'Okay okay, what pictures do you want to take? There's so many effects we could do. How about you pick 'em?' Sarra considers as she rummages through her purse and pulls out a gold coin. Smaller than her usual coins. "Very well~" Sarra agrees. She proceeds to pick various effects and urges Tiphereth to pose with her. Peace fingers in front of their faces with star effects. Kissy faces with heart effects. Bunny ears on each other with flower effects. Battle poses with colorburst effects. And finally just a friendly arms around each others shoulders with a rainbow over their heads. And then, Petra joins them! Sarra, in full happy tourist mode now despite their mission, immediately tries to get Petra and Tiphereth to join her in a classic Charlie's Angels pose. It is almost guaranteed to be shot down though, and if/when it is, Sarra suggests Petra join her and Tiphereth or just her in a magical girl pose. They are in the outfits, after all! And if that doesn't work she yield the booth to Petra, pouting. 'Honestly, puppy girl is righteousness for the self.' 'I'm already pushing my budget of puppy shirts, I think.' "Puppy shirts?" Sarra asks. "What are those?" After the photos, Sarra heads to the Boba shop as well. She has heard of boba, but has not actually tried one. The concept was just so odd. A drink with little chewy balls in it? Still, since they are here and just sort of having fun at the moment, Sarra orders one. "A milk-tea with boba for me as well." she says after Angela. 'I try to tell them, but they just say there's plenty of meaning in selling boba...' Sarra considers what the boy said. "...why do they think that photography would take light away from the Kingdom? Would it not allow others to appreciate the kingdom more?" She ponders a moment more, then smiles. "There is plenty of meaning in selling boba to be sure, but there is also plenty of meaning in photography! Capturing the beauty or the feeling of a moment to be shared with others is magical! I am sure Petra is right and that if you took a picture that showed your passion they would understand! Perhaps take a picture of something they value." she says, then sips her tea before blinking and holding it toward the boy. "Like boba tea! Perhaps capturing a moment of it being made would bridge the gap!" 'She might need to be left behind.' Sarra gives Ember a deadpan look. "...love the hair." she says, just as deadpan. All the shadow-girls gossiping are hard to miss, but Sarra doesn't know what to take away from it. But, there is mention of magical healing water. Though the shadow-girls have moved away, they do have this boy here. "What is this healing water? Can you tell me about it?" she asks.
Angela	''The bakery'' The boy follows after Ember at an unhurried pace, sitting down by him as Ember tells him to run away from home, that actually gets a bit of a chuckle at the boy. "Hey c'mon," He says. "This is a kid's story, you're not supposed to encourage kids to run away from home, I'm an elementary school kid. That'd be dangerous. It's a matter of communication, we gotta find common ground. You think me running away from home will build a Kingdom of Happiness?" The boy's smile fades. "Come on, imagine that my parents love me. You're almost there. How do I show my dad my passion in a way that he understands. I want to paint, he runs a bakery, what can I do that's cute and endearing that will get them to understand. Something that involves the arts and this bakery..." ''Photography!'' It's actually a pretty cute moment. Angela naturally joins in since Petra's going for one, but she lets the three of Tiphereth and Petra to get their 'trio picture' before she takes one with just her and Tiphereth. She doesn't pressure Petra to get a second one. Tiphereth collects the set of photographs once they're done. She's smiling pretty broadly once all is done, and even Angela is smiling a little. It's a fun activity. Anybody's guess if the photos will leave with them, though, regardless of the configuration of people taking pics. As Sarracenia moves to follow after Petra and the others, a young boy with brown hair and wearing a grey hoodie and slacks walks by. Tiphereth's head swivels to follow after him--
Angela	''The boba shop'' Natsuki will find that her order IS there, or at least she'll get it when it's her order's time up which happens considerably faster than in reality! They don't got time to wait for ten minutes, they've gotta save room for ads! Angela starts sipping on her milk tea immediately, twitches at the sudden swallowing of a 'boba' and then sets the cup down. She looks at the boy and quirks her head at him, frowning thoughtfully. ''You're not even keeping the light - just reflecting on its damage to film.'' "Oh, you're smart, miss." The boy says. "It makes it all seem a little silly that it's against the rules, doesn't it? Maybe they don't want me to even borrow the light?" ''Petra sighs'' The boy quirks his head, looking a little disappointed. As children are wont to, he picks up on Petra not really being into it pretty easily. "There's plenty there with eyes to see." He says, vaguely, but he takes out his pictures anyway. There are pictures of the night sky, there are pictures of the boba shop, of graffiti, of a cloud that looks like a cup with a straw, of trees, a long expanse of forest, a ruined building. They're not exactly professional, but they were taken with care for the subject, carefully focusing on the image that was meant to be captured, holding the camera still and straight for a clean picture. ''If you took a picture that showed your passion they would understasnd!'' The boy smiles at Sarracenia. "Thanks, you're right. They're good parents, they are the sort of parents that love their children. It's a Happy Kingdom after all..." He pushes forward the pictures of the cloud and the boba tea shop. "I bet if I show them this, they'll understand that I love them too, and their boba--" "Sarracenia." Angela says. "Where is Tiphereth?" She didn't go with them. But before that question can be answered, something seems to have been triggered! An imp-sized Jester appears in a cloud of smoke, hanging off the windowsill by its tail. "Nyeheheheheh! A vision of hope! Dark Nihil would surely love its taste!!" He claps his hands together and says, "MEANING.... TO MEAN! NYehehehehehehe!" A ball suddenly erupts around the boy--and the photographs vanish away just as quickly and when the cloud of smoke fades... A giant camera monster with a devil tail and an XIX symbol on its forehead appears outside! "What a beautiful dream...! I was able to turn it into a Major Arcana!"
Ember	'This is a kid's story, you're not supposed to encourage kids to run away from home, I'm an elementary school kid.' Ember doesn't really know what elementary school means. He can GUESS from clues and the kids' age at least. The kid goes on, but Ember is silent, waiting for him to finish. After a minute of chewing his bread, he stops and looks at the kid seriously. "Honestly, we're all responsible for our own happiness. Maybe that's a bit grown-up for a 'kids' story,' but I feel kids should learn that earlier." 'Something that involves the arts and this bakery...' Ember shoots the kid a 'really' look. He takes a breath, releases it, and then fixes the kid with a serious look. "Obviously you're part of the story, and from what you just told me, you're trying to get me to say something. You know I'm not part of the story..." he thinks back on their goal, though. "Damn..." he says under his breath. "You could instead try to paint a picture of the bakery, or of the interior, and share that with your father. That'll make him see things from your point of view." Ugh, this is trite... Sadly, he isn't near the boaba shop, right? He's more interested in seeing where this particular thread goes.
Sarracenia	After the photography, Tiphereth is smiling a lot! This makes Sarra smile even more! "See? I told you photos would be worth it!" she says, then once everyone has gotten a look at them she stuffs them into her purse. 'I bet if I show them this, they'll understand that I love them too, and their boba--' 'Sarracenia. Where is Tiphereth?' Sarra huffs softly at the boy being interrupted after saying she is right, but then is confused. "What do you mean? She is right-" Sarra turns to look, but...Tiphereth is gone? Sarra's eyes widen. "But...she was right here!" 'Nyeheheheheh!' The boy is captured in a ball, and the photos apparently become a devil with a camera. Sarra watches in horror for a few moments, memories of the Meltdowns forming first in her mind. But then, she remembers...they are in a magical girl storybook! So, they -should- be able to save the boy! Sarra pulls out her...staff? She grips it firmly and points it at the jester imp. "Return the boy to his normal self immediately! We will not let you taint the dreams of this world with the foulness of Dark Nihil!" she declares, then blinks. "...Major Arcana?" Sarra knows what this is, she's sure of it. What was it again...? Regardless, Sarra grips her dark magical girl staff and the gem glows, forming a hammerhead of energy. "Return him now!" she exclaims, then rushes forward to swing on the imp.
Petra Soroka	"Fuwa-fuwa soul can be a maiden's armor." "I've already got so much maiden armor. At this point, I'm practically sliding the armor halfway off to expose weak spots just so I can parry everything anyways." The metaphor's a little confused! Even Petra's not sure. "It would be nice to get a dog, but I'm never at home... oh, but it'd have to be a big one, anyways. I couldn't do small-dog energy. I'm a labrador-type villain, not a poodle type." "Puppy shirts?" Petra traces the outline of a t-shirt with her fingers for Sarracenia. "Shirt with a little, design, says 'I'm never puppy stressed when I do my puppy best'. I'm sure I've worn it around you. I'm just, like, so conditional about the dog thing, that makes me feel like I don't want to commit to it as my whole aesthetic." Petra will not do the magical girl pose in the photo booth. She mostly just wants to record the outfit, but she's willing to go along with Sarracenia's more inoffensive posing ideas, just to hang out a bit. As reluctant as she was about comments being made about the mahou outfit, she does have a history with modeling, so at one point she strikes a dramatic pose with the length of the staff tracing the straight line of her silhouette, producing a very midseason movie poster photograph. "...why do they think that photography would take light away from the Kingdom?" In the boba shop, Petra's got the lollipop back in her mouth, words muffled a bit as she talks around it. "N Corp's taboo. They're freaks who hate photos and records and everything. Sort of an 'every photograph steals a portion of your soul' type situation." "They're good parents, they are the sort of parents that love their children. It's a Happy Kingdom after all..." "Right. What kind of parents wouldn't?" Petra murmurs halfheartedly after peering over the boy's shoulder to look at his photographs. "It's a good lesson, I think, that photography and art and everything, add to their subjects rather than taking away from them. It's a whole new light to see the shop through." "What a beautiful dream...! I was able to turn it into a Major Arcana!" While the transformation sequence is going on, Petra mumbles to herself, "I will not be a cynical deconstruction. I am better than a cynical deconstruction. Satire requires a clear target and clarity of purpose lest it be mistaken for--" "In the name of stars and dreams! The Magical Girl of Loyalty will protect this world!" Outside the boba store, after a commercial buffer fade-in, Petra is stanced up against the monster. Her fiery staff is slanted down behind her shoulders, head pointing diagonally to the ground like a great spear, which she then swings around one-handed to point at the camera monster, with little lingering ribbons of flame fluttering around it. "Let that boy's camera go, Nihil!" With a sweep of her staff, Petra draws a pillar of brightly colored flame up from the street, surrounded by sparkles. Wheeling around, she lifts up one of her glittery heels to roundhouse kick the flame, sending it flying as a fireball towards the monster. "Arcana... er, Blaze!"
Natsuki Nuki	'Hello Natsuki! It is good to see you! Amazing entrance! I love the look!' Despite being her entrance, some of Natsuki's opening energy was carried by the drawn-in nature of the world, but the rest was all her, and she preens like it was totally her front to back. "Well, glad everyone's paying attention today!" Huyu-huyu-huyu she laughs, though it seems like maybe there was a glitch with the Translation Effect around her? It's fine! Totally just a hiccup. There's no smoky bar for her to disappear into and miss an entire magical girl episode. She's almost the right genre, but not precisely. Getting her own order at the boba shop as she asks for it might be surprising if she doesn't just shoulder through getting exactly what she wants, as a presumption, and turns to get to sipping, listening to the woes of boba boy. It's not even really a character, but knowing the trope, she had tried to use the darkness path, and... "Sarra--!" She sighs, and then rolls her eyes, and then clicks her tongue as events develop. "Try not to be too positive-preachy here, or falling into the trap of tropes - this place is deconstructive, so it'll try and twist the usual. It's why I'm supporting the dark path of fulfulment." Natsuki explains, though she's usually following the dark path of fulfilment anyway. 'I'm practically sliding the armor halfway off to expose weak spots...' "You've got to show leg, minimum. You can be hotter if you perfect parry, even if being invincible's more reliable." She rattles off, mid-Petra's stream, automatic. The banter comes as a flavor of synergistic bullshitting, not really interrupting but just launching immediately and then trailing off after. 'Oh, you're smart, miss.' "Of course I am. Went to the University of Tokyo. But--" The photos are good - soulful, even - but the topic isn't. The smear of if the subject is the boy or is the phantom - if they're all just speaking to another shadowpuppet going through the motions or not, no photo featuring the boy's parents at all... 'N Corp's taboo.' Of course. This isn't just a simple gotcha-evil... it had a purpose, a textual take to teach in literature. This was a cautionary tale! Or... was it? An imp appears! A jester! Natsuki turns her head, craning neck to glare at the giggling imp. 'Where is Tiphereth' is a terrible question to have asked and an awful signal for what's going to happen -- especially seeing as she wants to consume that darkness herself!! -- but the cackling of a wicked gremlin is what draws her Dark Lord glare from across the room. 'Dark Nihil would surely love its taste!!' The words 'Dark Nihil' spring Natsuki to action, her position blurring and crackling as dark smoke peels from her posture and she leaps like an bolt of electricity in a smear of neon ink across panel, reaching long-nailed fingers to seize the imp by the throat or other gripful grab location. The shadow of her tail lashes into a large black halo behind her, two glaring red eyes in her periphery to frame the ones on her face. "You. Imp. I want to meet Dark Nihil." Natsuki seethes, as Petra goes about doing her best Magical Girl. She'd be the wicked one! It was narratively supported. "Don't you want to see an apocalyptic despair? A dreamending storm?" She grins, mirthless. "Let's talk business."
Angela	''Obviously you're part of the story'' The boy quirks his head. "Mm... No, you're not right about that." The boy tells Ember. "Even though it's been partially..." He sighs. "Plundered so it's not quite working right. The City couldn't possibly be the real Kingdom of Happiness, right?" He stands up shoving his hands into his hoodie as he approaches Ember. "It's missing it's love, it's missing it's justice. You were close, though, I'm not part of the story. But the story is part of me." He pauses and adds, "The others beat you to it. Let me show you something." But he doesn't wait for Ember's consent. He reaches out and touches him on the shoulder-- ''Boba Battle!'' Moments before the battle picks up, the boy listens carefully to Petra and he says, "That's right, it's just another medium and people are made to be pulled into narrative." But the boy didn't seem to think to take photos of his parents, as if he understood the notion of parents, the role of parents, the nature of parents--it's as if he absentmindedly forgot to include them. "This story doesn't have to be a deconstruction. Every time it's told, there's a chance for a happy ending. But this world doesn't believe in happy endings anymore so they don't know how to tell it that way. Whether a happy ending is real to you or not--" But then he's in a ball! And Tiphereth DID just vanish! But there's a boy in a ball now and a camera monster and Angela is no longer paying attention to the ball or the boy and wouldn't even be looking at the monster if it wasn't so big and in the way. She's glancing around for Tiphereth and not seeing her. ''Satire requires a clear target'' Angela rests a hand on Petra's shoulder, frowning in concern like she's worried for her. She just takes the time for the look before she steps into the role. "In the name of... the friends that light up our hearts! The Magical Girl of Friendship will protect this world!" Angela is following Petra's lead here, surely, but she doesn't even look embarrassed to be engaging in this--she even looks appropriately determined! ''The commercial buffer'' Chibi versions of Happiness, Courage, Loyalty, and Friendship run across a stylized background, smiling brightly. Two gashed cutouts where Justice and Love would be follow behind them, glitching out noisily. Ember finds himself there, walking with the boy that he was talking with. "We're taking a bit of a shortcut." The boy tells Ember, who is getting pulled along by the commercial buffer whether he wants to or not. "Don't lag, you don't want to be stuck here into the return buffer comes up. You're from the multiverse, aren't you? Once I get you out the other side, I'm gonna be in the ball, so I'm going to place you where Tiphereth will be when the commercial break ends, okay? I want you to take her and run from the two magical girls she's with. Okay?" Ember might notice the boy is still looking like his normal self, but Ember is in full chibi form too like the characters on the commercial buffer. It makes the boy look more out of place than it makes Ember look out of place. They pass by a bush where Natsuki Nue is hiding behind a bush and snickering evilly before the boy gives him a push--
Angela	''Outside the boba shop'' The giant camera monster dances around from side to side, shaking the ground with each hop. "Nihiiiill~ Nihiiiiil~!" and shoots lasers out of its camera lens at Petra and Angela. Angela is thrown back from the blast! But she seems to be unsure for a moment which 'Friendship Ability' to utilize to help save the day. Eventually she draws out a bright pink baseball bat, using Love's EGO doesn't feel right just yet, and she swings it out towards the youkai, sending a wave of air at it to knock it off balance. Angela hurriedly shouts add, "F--friendly Winds!" Whew. That's so important. The bat fades away as the last Wrath page is spent. But Petra follows up with a blaze of fire roundhouse that impacts the offbalance Youkai and sends it sprawling onto its back! "This ... looks like time for a finishing move--" Angela says, looking to Petra. Meanwhile, Sarracenia lunges at the imp and it seems to be expecting this, leaping out of the way with a, "Nyeheheheh! Don't you have bigger things to worry about? If you don't hurry, Friendship and Loyalty will be gone in a FLASH!" This is despite the fact that Angela and Petra definitely have the camera monster on the ropes. But then it says, "ACK!" because Sarracenia distracted the imp from Natsuki and she seizes it in her greedy claws. "Hey hey hey this is against protoco---Ohhh!" The imp seems to recognize something in the Nue. "Yessss... we wish to see the end of hope, the end of fantasy! Will you help? I can take you, I can take you!" ''The park'' Ember stumbles out into the park. He sees Tiphereth, looking confused, slowing down from a run as whatever she was chasing seems to have vanished away. Ember can see the vague figures of two magical girls in the distance, standing on trees--one clad in a gold dress, and the other with green hair, short and wearing a blindfold. Tiphereth hasn't noticed them yet.
Ember	'The City couldn't possibly be the real Kingdom of Happiness, right?' "I think the idea is that it could be, but it's corrupted by vague 'forces of darkness'. In reality, it's greed... human problems. Lack of foresight, that kinda stuff. I come from a place not unlike the city." 'The others beat you to it. Let me show you something.' "Something?" But he's not fast enough to escape the commercial break grab. Now stuck in an embarrassing form, he walks with the kid towards where he needs to go. He listens to what he has to say, though partially against his will. "Yeah, I am. The Multiverse that is..." 'I want you to take her and run from the two magical girls she's with. Okay?' "Oh, things are moving quickly..." He thinks. Keeping up with the boy. "So wait, what do you mean bal-hey!" he gets pushed out of the commercial break. Tumbling out, he hits a three-point stance at the end and looks up. The figures of the two magical girls ahead of Tiphereth cause him to react rather than shout out for her. "Garuda!" he shouts, summoning the god into his body. In this world, it doesn't quite work as it does in the real world. Instead of growing feathers and wings, he just... well, flies and is very fast. He moves to grab Tiphereth's hand. "No time to explain; they're here and probably after you." He aims to carry her along with him and immediately take flight. Trying to find Angela and Petra. "We'll regroup with Angela and Petra. Sorry for the suddenness. I just got informed about what's going on."
Natsuki Nuki	Sarracenia's charging attack on the imp would certainly be effective, were it not specifically effective in driving the jester imp into Natsuki's claws. Dressed as she is, a loud and vivid orange-themed, evoking amber in accessory and the reflection of her eyes, Natsuki surges past Sarracenia and seizes the little dark evildoer in her clutches to pounce... Only to offer support? Aid? A suggestion of treason?! (And, if Sarracenia remembers, the plan.) "Oi~ oi~ oi~ oiii~!" Natsuki growl returns to the protests of the imp, pressing her thumbs in to squeezie-toy the imp for taking to her about 'protocol'. It's harmless, but certainly sets the tone! And she stands there, imp seized, she turns her back half to Sarracenia to shadow over the imp - shielding, and also looming darkly. "Friendship and loyalty? Those aren't part of my ambition at all. No, what I crave is power, and destruction, and more." She returns, releasing the clawpoints at the imp's throat and loosening to a kind of cupped-hand lifting of the darkness creature. Petitioning. "All I want is more. Give it to me, and I'll consume this entire fantasy." She leans entirely into the warm whispers the EGO had given to her, that weren't ever far away, and the sinister smile she rests with, her glare at Sarra coming with a little wink? Was that anything? Was she just blinking? Only one eye was visible... "I've seen the end of hope. It's why I only want power. Take me, take me, wrap me up and let's go!" She impatiently ends, all but demanding of the little darkness creature. "I can't wait!"
Petra Soroka	"Every time it's told, there's a chance for a happy ending. But this world doesn't believe in happy endings anymore so they don't know how to tell it that way." "You know, people always said that Carmen was different; Carmen wasn't like the rest of the City at all; Carmen was the one person who could save them all. But I don't think Carmen was any different after all." "This ... looks like time for a finishing move--" "I'm not coming up with another. I don't have that dog in me." Petra is flushed pink, gripping her Fourth Match Flame staff tightly. She smooths down her skirt with her hand, even though it's resting flat against her thighs already. "They can die from a repeated attack. It's budget-saving." That's not even the genre this is supposed to be in. The fact that this really will grind Kenshiko's gears is Petra's singular respite in the way-too-girly performance. Swiveling around, she ratchets her knee back and then lets her heel spring forwards on the swing, whipcrack-kicking another ball of fire into the monster. For the sake of narrative impact, she races ahead of the fireball attack to kick the monster upwards, launching it into the path of her "Arcana Blaze!" to explode more satisfyingly.
Sarracenia	'Shirt with a little, design, says 'I'm never puppy stressed when I do my puppy best'. I'm sure I've worn it around you. I'm just, like, so conditional about the dog thing, that makes me feel like I don't want to commit to it as my whole aesthetic.' Sarra is a bit confused at first, then thinks back. "Oh, I do remember such shirts. I see." Sarra is not surprised when Petra does not join them in poses, but her pouting is visible. 'N Corp's taboo. They're freaks who hate photos and records and everything. Sort of an 'every photograph steals a portion of your soul' type situation.' Sarra frowns. "I see." Just another reason to dislike corporations. 'Sarra--! Try not to be too positive-preachy here, or falling into the trap of tropes - this place is deconstructive, so it'll try and twist the usual. It's why I'm supporting the dark path of fulfulment.' Sarra doesn't quite understand all of that, but it does reinforce what was said at the planning meeting about not becoming part of the story or a rival of one of the magical girls. Sarra mmphs softly in annoyance, then nods. "Right." With Natsuki grabbing the imp, Sarra turns her attention toward the camera monster. She trusts Natsuki pretty well, but the imp seeming so excited about taking her to the end of hope and fantasy gives her a moment of hesitation. But, before she can even help with the monster, The magical girls of Loyalty and Friendship seem to finish it off. So, she turns back to Natsuki. She follows Natsuki's lead. "Power -is- nice. Perhaps we should meet this Dark Nihil after all."
Angela	''I think the idea is that it could be, but it's corrupted by vague 'forces of darkness'.'' "Mm." The boy answered Ember. "Is it any more vague in reality? You can live your whole life and not see the true enemies. It's easy to see Wing CEOs and oligarchs as enemies but like monsters of the week, killing them will just mean another replaces them. Like the King, they attempt to fill their hollow lives with endless hunger. History is littered with the corpses of people like this, but paradise still drifts further and further away." "Even if those oligarchs were to beg to be restrained, the same system empowering them would do everything in its power to ensure their plates are ever full. You can evert, distort--become as a god, create your own world, hit the bricks--but that can only save yourselves so you offer a gift back to help those left behind." He looked as if he might add something else but there's no time so he pushed Ember along. ''But I don't think Carmen was any different after all.'' The boy in the bubble tells Petra. "She'd be the first to say so." He says. "There are plenty of people like Carmen in the City, but she's the one who knew the answer to the question. Destroying leaders wouldn't change the world, like what you call Abnormalities, humans are products of rules. So she chose to change the rules. She chose the path of eversion. But what truly lies within a human's heart, their true selves, is still malleable by those around them, those with power over them. The power to be yourself is not the same as the power to have imagination." ''I'm not coming up with another. I don't have that dog in me.'' "Understood. Angela is a little distracted by the ball boy so she gestures with her hand to let Petra get the finishing strike in. The monster goes "Niiihiiiiil!" as it explodes into a puff of smoke, leaving the photographs behind. The bubble around the boy pops and he turns to walk away-- Meanwhile, Ember has taken Tiphereth's hand and flies into the air. He gets a clearer view of the tree in the center, catching sight of a dark castle sitting on top of its boughs, but first he carries Tiphereth into the air who lets out a little yelp at the surprise of it but if Ember looks back, he'll see Greed and Wrath giving chase. "What's going on??" She asks. It's a relatively easy trip back to Petra and Angela since they've moved onto the street. Ember can touch down with no problem. And once they do, Tiphereth's eyes widen upon finally getting a good look at the boy. She pulls away from Ember and says, "Enoch...?" The boy called Enoch sighs, and turns to face Tiphereth. He doesn't say anything. "I thought I let you go..." Tiphereth says. Enoch(?) shakes his head. "You let go of the one you called Tiphereth. Enoch left a long time before that. He was never supposed to be here forever. I'm just the lingering remnants of your wish." Carmen's voice speaks up again. The water gave mind material form. That water was called Cogito One day a lonely girl in the Outskirts cried out And the water heard her Angela murmurs, "So it's true...." But even with all that going on, there's still a whole other situation brewing. Natsuki is offering the devil a deal with the devil, and so is Sarracenia! The imp is a little surprised, since he didn't even have to like sweeten the pot or whisper sweet words of corruption, or wait for an emotionally compromising moment! "Well...okay! Let me--Fetch the boss! And you both will get so much more power than you ever dreamed of!" before poofing into a cloud of dark smoke.