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Several Hellions stood on a nearby rooftop, watching the fight on the street below. Occasionally, they would cheer or throw insults, none of them really going
for either side in particular.

For the Outcasts on one side of the brawl, it was a frustrating change to a familiar scene. For years, they'd held the balance of power in Cherry Hills and
Four Seasons, able to force back any attempt by the police and heroes to try and retake control of Eastgates surviving residential zones. But that had changed,
with other gangs moving into the gaps the laws hard work had made. Which meant that now, in what was a relatively normal fight with a pair of heroes, they had
Hellions teasing and taunting them. That kind of abuse, coming from the lowest of Paragons gangs in what should have been their town, pissed off the mutant
gangers, drove them to fight even harder.

Not that it was doing them much good, honestly. "Come on boys, you know the routine by now," laughed the woman in black and white power armer as she
spun, the twin vibroblades in her hands slicing an Outcasts shotgun in half and slicing through his thigh, dropping him to his knees. "Frostfire breaks
out of the Zig, then he comes here because nowhere else in Paragon will put up with his crap," Duel Sabre continued as she planted her foot in the gangers
head.

Nearby, a purple-haired catgirl ducked under a rock coated fist, then thrust her palm out at the Outcast Brick in question. The ganger yelped as he was thrown
across the street and slammed into an old garage door. "Then some heroes come along and beat the crap out of you until someone tells us where he's
hiding!" Just Another Archer said, pulling a simple looking bow out of nowhere. Spinning, she pulled an arrow out of nowhere and fired a snap shot that
punched into another gangers shoulder. He dropped with a scream that was matched with a cheer from the Hellions above. "So, how about we just skip to that
part?" she grinned. "I've heard good things about the skating rink he tends to make."

Several Outcasts seemed to consider running, but the taunts from the Hellions above them convince them to stay. This would turn out to be a bad move, as a few
minutes later, they were all on the ground, some bleeding rather heavily. Duel slapped teleport beacons on some of them as Archer looked up at the Hellions.
"Get lost or you get a repeat performance!" she yelled, pulling a burning arrow out of nowhere. The arsonists vanished from the roof edge.

"I think you enjoy that," noted the small brown cat clinging to her shoulder, a smile in her voice.

"How can I not?" she grinned, before turning around and looking over the remaining Outcasts. Her eyes paused on one of them, widening for a moment as
her smile faded. Then her eyes narrowed and she walked up to him, pressing her sneaker down on his bruised chest. "Now then, let's talk about your
boss," she said, waving the burning arrow in front of his face. "All we need is the address."

"Go to hell Kitty," he groaned. "I'm not telling you anything."

Archer shook her head. "Aw, is that any way to treat an old friend?" she said, tapping the arrow against his shoulder, drawing a hiss from him.
"You forgotten where you come from Ryan?"

Ryan paused and looked up, before his eyes widened. "... Alice?"

"You know him?" Duel asked, body language showing her surprise.

"You'd be amazed how many Outcasts were already on the street," she said. "Come on Ryan, for old times sake?" Alice added. Her ears
twitched in amusement.

The Outcast looked up at her, then shook his head. "Sorry kid, not selling out family. You should know that... or did going hero make you forget
that?"

Her ears went flat against her head as she knelt down, knee resting on his bruises. "Family?" she hissed. "You used to be my family. You stood
up to Lost preachers, helped us stay ahead of the gangs. Then you started sparking, and you let it go to your head. You listened to Frostys BS and run off. Did
you ever wonder about the rest of us?"

"... Yeah," Ryan admitted, then gasped as she drove her knee in, hard.

"We're gone Ryan. Tom was in an old warehouse the Hellions torched, Brian got sick one night and never got better. Mal's a Skull now, the twins?
Council. Sammy's gone, just vanished..." She closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you remember them Ryan? Kids trying to survive after the bugs tore
the city apart. We promised to stick together, to face it and win, to drive on." Her kitten looked at her nervously as Duel stepped slightly closer.
"I'm all that's left Ryan. The last of you left me five months ago, never even had the balls to say goodbye." She leaned in close. "He
got it from you, I guess."

"Al, I-" he gasped as she stood up, taking the pressure off his chest.

"Don't say you're sorry," she snapped, eyes gleaming from tears forced back. "You don't get to fucking say that. Go ahead and
protect your new family. Hope you do a better job then your last one," she said, walking away.

"Smooth," Duel commented, standing over him. "You got a follow up to proving you really are a waste of genetics?" Ryan was pulled away from
watching the departing figure, glaring up at the tech hero, but that faltered in moments.

"I... Did you know..."

"She was a street kid? Kind of obvious. The rest?" she shook her head as she knelt down and placed a tag on him. "Looks like you've got some
thinking to do buddy," she added before he vanished. She stood up and moved on to the other Outcasts, her gaze darting back to the girl in third-hand
clothes from time to time.

Alice stopped a good distance away, leaning next to a fence. Without thinking, her cat slipped off her shoulder and into her arms, providing a comforting
presence. She cuddled Neko for a long moment. "Sorry if I didn't present a proper example of a magical girl," she said softly.

"You're too smart for those clinches," Neko replied softly. Alice laughed, the sound coming out more like a sob. "But... if you need
anything..."

"Just... stay," she said quietly. "I mean, I know there's the magical link, but... That's not why you stay with me right?" she
asked, a faint trace of fear present in the question.

Neko leaned up, rubbing against her face. "That's never the reason," she answered. "I'm staying with you because you're you."

She laughed again. "Cheesy."

"Side effect of being a magical girls advisor," she giggled. Alice hugged her tighter.

"...Thank you."

"Anytime," she whispered. "You up for beating on more Outcasts?"

The archer put Neko back on her shoulder and wiped at her face. "We do need to give them a good show," she said, smiling weakly. "Let's get
to it."

Well done. Especially the "We're gone" speech -- nice emotional impact there.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Heh. This was originally a short scene of about three paragraphs in Sending a Message (Duel and Archer get the distress call from Lady about the hit on
Knight), and then promptly mutated into this little one-shot.

Archer and Meganeko are definitely on my must keep list now

I'm raising an eyebrow in your general direction, Matrix Dragon...

Not for any bad reason, but because I'm amazed at the coinkidinks going on 'round here. I created Flaming Wreckage about the same time you did Just
Another Archer; they're about the same level; they've teamed together; they're in the same SG; they both come from a gang background with the
Outcasts...

It's cool, but, yikes. If they ever get to talking, it could be entertaining. Or painful. Both?

I really need to sit down and tell the Wreck's story. *sigh*

This is very nice stuff here. I especially liked the in-character banter highlighting the ludicrousness of Frostfire's constant escape-arrest cycle.

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

Sky, we should generate something between JAA and Pooky, maybe bring Billy Will III into it..

3 archers, we could almost form a union..
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

Quote: Wiredgeek wrote:

---

Sky, we should generate something between JAA and Pooky, maybe bring Billy Will III into it..




3 archers, we could almost form a union..

Ack! The perpetually-young yet immortal imp, the magical girl (with bonus Talking Mascot Action!), and the crotchety old fart?

... that's got some potential, there.
(Edit: ahgahd... soon as JAA hits 35, we need to head to Cim as a trio and teach them Romans what it means to
fight in the shade! )

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

just think of Terrence with a herd of ITF EBs around him..

3.. 2... 1.. Release!

*Rain of Arrows X3*

Thwip thwip THWIP thwip Thwip Thwip thwip THWIP thwip Thwip Thwip thwip THWIP thwip Thwip!
"No can brain today. Want cheezeburger."
From NGE: Nobody Dies, by Gregg Landsman
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5579457/1/NGE_Nobody_Dies

Makes me wish MMs got Rain of Arrows, but all Nogi has of her personal attacks is her Aimed Shot
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Quote: Sofaspud wrote:

---

I'm raising an eyebrow in your general direction, Matrix Dragon...




Not for any bad reason, but because I'm amazed at the coinkidinks going on 'round here. I created Flaming Wreckage about the same time you did Just
Another Archer; they're about the same level; they've teamed together; they're in the same SG; they both come from a gang background with the
Outcasts...

Actually, Alice has history with most of Paragons lower level gangs, often along the lines of being an easy target for them as a kid on the streets... not
to mention losing people to them... hmm, story potential there...

Just Another Archer appeared in a flash of light, floating above the ground for a moment before setting down gently... Then a massive fist made of some sort of
liquid slammed into her chest. Archer managed a choked gasp as the air was blown out of her lungs and she was tossed back about a dozen feet. The cat on her
shoulder lost its grip and went flying, bouncing across the pavement with a yowl.

Coughing, Archer pulled herself to her knees and tried to look up. Frankly, the sight of two creatures made of animated goop around a rotting skeleton stomping
towards her made her want to just look back down again, or run. Probably run. What the hell had she been thinking when Silicon Sabre asked her if she'd be
willing to come and help her in Bloody Bay? She'd heard the stories, seen videos of the bizarre monsters that were way scarier then any of the rock
monsters and ghosts she'd dealt with in the Hollows...

One of the Shivians fell backwards as Silicon arrived, her twin blades nearly slicing its arm off. As it turned its attention to her. Archer remembered her
other job here. Quickly, she began casting the spell, feeling reality warp slightly as a shadow passed over her form. She looked up and winced at the sight of
the second Shivian standing over her, rearing back a fist.

There was a flash of light, and then a solid crunch as the Shivians fist slammed into the face of the man Archer had teleported. The alien actually gave the
impression of surprise as Terrence Knight didn't even move from the impact. The short man looked up at the creature, an amused look on his face. "No,
you're doing it wrong," he smiled. "It's more like this." And with that, he hit the Shivian himself, the blow lifting the creature off
it's feet. Terrence followed up with another blow that blasted it backwards, where it slammed into an old rusting car, liquid form actually coming apart
from the impact.

Archer watched as Terrence marched forward, utterly unharmed. While playing taxi service was somewhat frustrating, watching these... things get their asses
handed to them made it all worth it. Although it was still utterly terrifying.

"Alice, your jacket!" Neko yelled. The catgirl looked down, then yelped as she realised her jacket was melting from the goo the Shivians punch had
left on her. Cursing, she pulled it off and made sure there was none on the shirt underneath, before taking a mournful look at the jacket. Sure, it'd been
an ugly purple, and it was more then a little ragged. It was to be expected, having come from a charity bin, but damn it, it was her favorite jacket. She'd
had it for over a year and a half, and now...

Her fear of the aliens forgotten, Just Another Archer pulled out her longbow and an arrow. She looked at the Shivian reforming around the car, then took aim at
its skull.

Alice finished pulling on the bodysuit, then took the jacket from her bed and slipped it on. As she buttoned it up, a small brown cat leapt up, claws digging
into the sleeve as she climbed up and took what she considered her natural position.

"Completes the look," chuckled a voice behind her as she studied her reflection. Alice glanced over her shoulder, grinning at the sight of Ifrit
Barnes, her flatmate, and as Lady of the Peace, her former commander in Riot Force. "You make the Legendary uniform look good," she smiled. "Bit
surprised you went with the mens jacket though."

Alice shrugged with a smile. "One thing I've learned while I was short a jacket," she replied. "Neko here has sharp claws."

The cat in question let a soft laugh escape. "Oh, like you're one to talk," she scolded. "When you're the one on my shoulder, you pick
at my jacket." Alice had the good grace to look embarrassed as Ifrit laughed.

The winged woman smiled, patting her on the catless shoulder. "Congratulations Alice, you've earned it."

Alice gave her an amused look. "You sure? Because I've gotta wonder. I mean, being offered a place on a team like a Legendary... and I'd have
thought you'd be more irritated about it. Lora'lai did kinda poach from you." She blinked at Ifrits laugh.

"Hardly. We're allied with the Legendary, remember," she pointed out. "Most of the time we're out there, we're working with their
members. So you're not leaving us behind-"

"Oh god no!" Alice exclaimed, the amused expression wiped from her face in an instant, replaced by sharp horror. Ifrit suddenly remembered a
conversation with Duel Sabre about an encounter Alice had with an Outcast in the Hollows, and cursed her poor choice of words. The girl trusted her, even
though not so long ago, she'd been a rather quiet young woman, afraid to trust again, before she'd run into some of Riot Force...

"I know you're not," she said, reassuring her. "Frankly Alice, I don't know if you'd know how to, and I'm glad you've got no
interest in finding out." Ifrit patted her shoulder again gently, giving her a gentle smile. "This is just taking the chance to do more good. Anyway,
you still live here," she pointed out. "So don't worry about it." Alice smiled faintly, ears ceasing their panicked motions as the older
womans words sunk in. "Now, if you're done trying on your fancy new outfit, I think Neko had plans for the day."

As Alice blinked and nodded, Ifrit smiled and left the bedroom, wandering into the living room to find Nene sitting on the floor in front of a dismantled
computer and tools. "If I step on some screws again, I'm melting that tower," she warned, drawing an annoyed protest from the buma. She casually
bickered with Nene for a few minutes, before a small, brown haired catgirl emerged from Alices room, a purple kitten perched on her shoulder. "You guys
got a plan?" she asked.

Meganeko smiled, pulling a massive war hammer out of nowhere and twirling it casually. "Oh, just meet a few friends for lunch, then visit the Row and
break some Skulls. Maybe some clockwork as well."

"And I was going to sit on her shoulder and watch," Alice added, smiling as only a small purple cat can. "I don't get to as often as her,
given she's lazy-"

"I could stop you from getting at my string," Neko warned, shutting the cat up. Smiling, she bowed and left. Ifrit chuckled, returning her attention
to making a sandwich. After a moment, she paused, then looked up at the pink haired girl leaning on the other side of the kitchen bench. She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, I've been tryin' to work it out, but I can't see it," Nene said. "I give up. Why'd you talk to Lora about considering
Alice for the Legendary?"

Ifrit smiled, taking a slice of ham. "She'd already gotten the Legendarys attention for tracking down Sam Wincott," she pointed out. "Heck,
she asked me to go talk to them about pulling a Task Force together to rescue him." She chuckled. "Four years heroes have been looking for that boy,
but she pulled it off. You have to admit, that draws attention-"

"Not what I meant!" Nene scowled. "You talked to Lora'lai about having Alice join the Legendary. Don't deny it, I hacked your phone
calls."

"...Why?"

"I was bored," she shrugged. Ifrit accepted that with a shrug of her own.

"Remember how she started out?" she asked the Buma. "She joined with Wreckage, Kentucky and Tae... And she was this quiet, sullen little thing,
not trusting anyone really. Heck,we didn't even know she was crashing in a burnt out house in the Hollows until she and Neko met and their powers merged.
Now look at her."

"... So she's happier. And you move her on?" She squeaked as Ifrit flicked her nose.

"Don't be silly. She's come to trust us. She's learned to trust again, which you know is a big one." She sighed, finishing making her
sandwich. She studied it for a moment. "She needs to meet more people, learn to trust them too. The Legendary is like Riot Force on a larger scale again.
A wide array of heroes from a load of different origins, with conflicting personalities and goals... but they're good people, people you can trust. Alice
needs to experience it."

Nene looked at her as she ate her sandwich. "So why not just tell her?" She managed. "Let her know what's going on. She trusts you... heck,
she looks up to you."

"Because you know she'd take it the wrong way," Ifrit responded. "Especially given the other reason."

"Which is?"

"There's no way she's eighteen," Lady of the Peace said. "And Lora'lai's a smart woman. She set up a little support program for
Legendary members that..." she paused, then smiled. "Need assistence with their education." She shrugged. "I'm not certain she'll
go for it, but she's a smart kid, and she'll grab at any opportunity that presents itself."

Nene scowled. "You should have told her."

"She doesn't take charity, remember? Her own words when we offered her Nekos room," she said. "So I can't just GIVE it to her, no matter
how much I want to." Ifrit sighed. "I love the kid, but she can be so frustrating sometimes."

Too. Cool. For words. Seriously.

Minor possible nitpick:

Quote: "Okay, I've been tryin' to work it out, but I can't see it," Nene said. "I give up. Why'd you talk to Lora about considering
Alice for the Legendary?"




Alice smiled, taking a slice of ham. "She'd already gotten the Legendarys attention for tracking down Sam Wincott," she pointed out.
"Heck, she asked me to go talk to them about pulling a Task Force together to rescue him." She chuckled. "Four years heroes have been looking
for that boy, but she pulled it off. You have to admit, that draws attention-"

I *think* you mean Ifrit instead of Alice, here. I thought at this point Alice-as-shoulder-kitty had left the apartment with Meganeko.

So, awesome. More please? *puppy dog eyes*

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

Wow. I just love to see current events in the stories. Yes, more please.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Very Cool. And I'll second the request for MOAR.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

OpMegs and I RPed this on AIM, before I took the dialogue and setting and filled in the extra detail. So, he gets credit for all his characters lines

***

Riot Forces entrance portal crackled with energy before Just Another Archer slipped back into reality, stretching and twisting her neck slightly. "It is
way too late," she said to Neko, perched on her left shoulder as usual. "And I've only just woken up."

The brown cat nodded. "You know that if you want to try that education idea you were considering talking to Eva and Ifrit about, you'll need to work
on normal hours," she pointed out. Archer gave her an amused look as she unclipped her capes clasp and removed it, folding it over her forearm as she
walked down the stairs and turned right, heading into the conference room. At this time of night, there was little chance of anyone being around, giving her
the chance to properly search around without getting in anyone's way.

Archer paused at the sight of a figure in rather decorative red and white armor, sitting at the conference table as she flipped through a manila folder. Ears
twitching in curiosity, JAA walked over and stepped into the woman's field of view. "Hi there," she said with a smile. The figure looked up,
presenting her with an odd trio of green optics built into the helmet. A part of her mind noted it was very different to the power armor she was used to with
the Sabres, even as she held out her hand and continued, "I don't think we've met. I'm Just Another Archer."

There was a slight pause as the other woman looked at her, before reaching up and shaking the catgirls hand. "Inyme W'tin," she said in a
slightly stiff voice, the grip slightly awkward thanks to the bulky glove.

"Pleased to meet you Inyme," Archer responded, ear twitching in thought. "Now that I think about it, you joined Riot Force just before I was
offered a place with the Legendary."

She nodded, a rather smooth motion. "We haven't really met before," she agreed as Archer sat down, placing her folded cape on the table neatly.

"So, what do they class your powers as?" Archer wondered, honestly curious.

"Psi Blaster, mental manipulation secondary," Inyme replied, as it occurred to the other girl that the armored woman did have some skill and power,
as her own, admittedly limited mental abilities barely registered her presence.

"Archer, obviously," she grinned, "Mental manipulation secondary as well." She was given a slight kick in the shoulder as her cat jumped to
the table. "And this is Neko," she added, giving her partner a friendly ear rub.

Enjoying that, Neko still gave the feline version of a respectful bow. "Good evening Miss W'tin," she said. Inyme barely seemed fazed by a
talking cat, nodding respectfully as she closed the folder and placed it back on the desk.

"You're here rather late," she noted.

Archer grinned slightly. "Grabbing some old phone numbers I had listed here somewhere," she said. Neko sighed softly as her partner shrugged.
"Gonna pass on a certain number to some telemarketers and such." She noticed Nekos scolding look. "Hey, the jerk kept making use teleport all
over Skyway and Steel Canyon instead of being helpful."

"...Really?" Inyme said, her voice betraying slight amusement. "Who is that?"

"Cho Ge. Former ganger turned occasional contact," she replied.

"Ah," she said, then tilted her head to the side slightly. "You teleport?" she asked, tone suggesting mere professional curiosity.

The purple haired girl sighed slightly. "Used to," she said. "Little while ago, we had to stop a Sky Raider attack on the reactor in Terra
Volta. Got enough of the weird radiation from that to end up sick as hell for a few days, and when I'd recovered, most of my magical abilities were all out
of whack." She missed Inyme suppressing a slight wince as she considered the fact most of the disruptions were to the powers she'd developed after
waking up different one day. Placing that fact aside for later consideration, she grinned. Mind you, I'd have been a lot more relieved if Neko listened to
me and stayed outside the reactor."

The small cat looked unapologetic as Inyme looked over at her. "She seems to be fine," the telepath observed. "Nothing out of the
ordinary." Left unspoken was the follow-on of 'for a talking cat.'

"Yeah, but I'm allowed to worry about her, right?" Archer asked with a smile, turning to the computer terminal built into the table and tracking
down the number.

"That is your prerogative," Inyme conceded as Archer tried to work out the terminal. Computers really weren't her thing, even after Nenes
lessons.

"So... you doing anything interesting?" she wondered as she tracked down the number and wrote it down.

Shrugging, the other woman replied "research. On the team." Alice looked up at her, expression reading as curious. "Members. Powers. Various
things that could be useful," she clarified. "Knowing how to compensate for weaknesses."

Just Another Archer looked at her, then smiled. "It's easier to do that by personal experience," she said, standing up and picking up her cape.
"Come on, I was thinking of putting my foot in Council faces over in the Canyon," she offered as she swung her cape over her shoulder and clipped it
on.

There was a pause, which Neko used to claim her rightful spot on Archers shoulder, then Inyme shrugged slightly and stood up, returning the folder to the
filing cabinet, then turning back to the other girl. "Lead the way."

Archers smile widened as she headed for the portal. "It's all low level grunts," she noted. "Nothing much, but you need to keep them in
line."

***

Watching Inyme in action was rather satisfying actually. Her powers were somewhat brutal but efficient, leaving her opponents mentally imprisoned and hurting
until they dropped, unconscious or worse, even as Archer focused more on her weapon then her other powers, aside from one pair that got too close. Rather then
use her older powers to throw them away, she reached out to their minds, ordering them to fight each other.

As one knocked the other out, she used her old 'force push' to slam him into a wall and out cold. "You seem to take great satisfaction in
disabling these men," Inyme W'tin noted, catching Archer by surprise slightly.

"Yeah," she admitted. "Side effect of being on the other side of dealing with these jerks for a long time," she commented, stepping back
into the alleyway and kneeling down next to a elderly man the Council had been tormenting. "Hey Ralph, you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

He looked up at her as he pulled a rather raggedy hat over his balding head. "I'll be fine... heh, your voice reminds me of someone I used to
know," he said as she helped him up. A wistful look appeared on his face. "Cute little kid," he added, somewhat sadly.

Archer smiled gently, helping him adjust the old brown jacket he was wearing. "I do look a little different, don't I?" she asked. Ralph blinked
and took a closer look.

"Huh..." he managed after a moment, smiling in a way that didn't show the inside of his mouth. "It is you... Good for you kid," he
said. "You doing alright?"

She nodded gently. "How's the leg?" she asked softly.

The old man shrugged. "As good as it's ever been," he replied. "Aches before it rains and when Rikti are gonna show. Latter more often then
the former lately..."

Alice had forgotten all about Inyme as she looked him over. "You been able to dodge them?" she asked, concern in her voice.

Ralph laughed slightly. "You know how it is kid. Don't be where the bombs are, stay out of sight and they don't bother you. They go for the bright
distractions, guess they hate 'em for what Hero One did ta them... Guess they hate you now to." Alice smiled, although it looked slightly forced,
before she reached into her pocket and pulled out some money. The man frowned as she placed it in his hand. "Hey now, you can use this kid," he
protested. "I'll live without it."

"The benefit of weird ears and magical powers means I can get a good paycheck," she pointed out. "There's nothing wrong to spending it on my
friends, is there?"

"...Fine then," Ralph responded. He glanced past her at Inyme with a somewhat uneasy look, then went back to her. "Try to come by some time you
aren't bustin' heads, alright?" He asked with a smile, this one wide enough to show missing and broken teeth.

"Gladly," she smiled, hugging him softly. Inyme watched them, before noticing a Council soldier crawling to his feet. As he got his weapon out, she
launched a psychic bolt directly into his skull. The soldier jerked about, then dropped, head bouncing against the pavement. "Any more?" Archer
asked.

"...None. They're all unconscious or dead," Inyme reported calmly.

Breaking the hug, Archer went to tag them all for transport. As she knelt down, she saw that most of the other woman's targets were indeed dead or in very
bad shape, blood dripping from the nose, ears and eyes from her rather brutal telepathic assaults. Unlike a lot of heroes, such directly brutal attacks caused
her little concern (Although she noted Neko looked rather uncomfortable with the fact).

As the soldiers vanished, she saw Ralph vanish deeper into the alley. She watched for a moment, wanting to follow, to take him to a hotel, or a hospital... but
it was a miracle she'd gotten him to take the money. Placing that aside, she started walking again, mind wandering to the Council soldiers that had been
tormenting him, simply because they could.

"....you hate them a good deal, don't you?" Inyme said after a moment, clearly picking up on her train of thought without much trouble, catching
her by surprise.

"The Council?"

"Yes."

"Yes, I hate them."

"They took someone....someone close?" she asked.

"And hunted me for sport," she said, anger flickering over her face. "After all, while homeless men may have potential as a soldier in the
'new order', the average woman has a very specific place. And a homeless girl..." she growled, ears going flat, "...is sport and
reproduction, little more."

"I see," Inyme said. "And yet you spare their lives."

Alice shrugged. "If they get taken down during the fight, so be it," she said, Neko nodding at that part. "I don't kill afterwards."

"Yet capturing them presents the possibility of their return. Why not simply kill them in the fight? They've made their choice." There was no
insult in Inymes words, simply curiosity.

The magical girl paused, standing there as she considered it. "I don't know," she admitted after a moment.

"I see....it is...traditional to celebrate a victory in this world, correct?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Uh, yes..." she replied.

"So, do you have something in mind? I do not truly know this city."

"I know this little restaurant not too far from here..." If she remembered right, it was a cafe that had a habit of chasing them away from their bins
out the back, the owner calling them all 'parasites'. The concept of going in and possibly being treated as honored customers...

Inyme looked down at her armor "....I would probably draw attention like this," she noted.

Archer grinned, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I'm a purple haired catgirl with a talking cat... I draw attention anyway." And wasn't that
a major shift from the days when all she'd wanted, needed, to do was be invisible.

The Riot Force member nodded. "Well, I can at least make it slightly less noticeable," she commented, hitting a button on her gauntlet. The outer
armor warped away in a teleportation flash, leaving a dark skinned woman with long dark hair standing there in a modest jumpsuit.

"That's handy," the Archer noted with a smile, having a similar spell. "Armor summoning?"

"A link to my personal teleportation grid," Inyme explained with a slight smile. "Only enough charge to move the outer armor right now, though I
can move others while I'm wearing it."

Archer laughed softly as they walked along. "That's a handy power... I still remember one time in Bloody Bay... I teleported in and got clobbered by a
Shivian. It goes up for another blow - and splatters its hand on Terrence as I teleport him in in front of me," she said, laugh shifting into a giggle at
the memory.

"...Terrence?"

"Oh, Terrence Knight, one of the Legendary. Great guy, and a lot of Riot Force teams up with him from time to time," Archer said with a fond smile.
Inyme nodded as they kept walking. After a minute or so, it began to occur to Archer that the older womans suit clung to her about as much as the Sabres inner
suits did. That, combined with memories of Ifrit giving her the 'talk' after her first encounter with Superball left her an embarrassed and rather
confused young woman, caused a slight blush to break out.

(In hindsight, taking Rhea up on her offer to 'help' with that talk had been a mistake...)

As they walked, Archer occasionally gave directions, letting Inyme take the lead slightly and allowing Archer to back up slightly and let her eyes wander, even
if she didn't actually realize she was doing it. She failed to notice the look on Nekos face that made it clear she knew, and she missed the slight amused
smile touching Inymes lips as well.

This lasted until they arrived and stepped inside, drawing more then a few eyes. Almost instantly, a waitress came over. "Could we get a table
please?" she asked.

"Of course, ma'am. Table 5 is open for you," she smiled. Archer smiled slightly at the prompt service, imagining what would have happened if
she'd come in a few short months ago. It was almost amusing.

"Is this common?" Inyme asked.

"Hmm?"

"The immediate service?" the darker woman clarified.

"Getting a table, sure, on a quiet day," Archer said, sitting down. "Out comes the owner... maybe she has a hero policy," she mused
quietly.

"Or thinks you're cute," Inyme suggested. Neko smiled, having thought the same thing even as Archer looked slightly embarrassed

"So, what would you two like to order?" the manager asked with a smile.

They looked at the dinner menus, considering. "I'll get the fish of the day," Alice said at last, "along with some bread rolls and a hot
chocolate."

"Could I just get the chicken breast with no vegetables please?" Neko said, making the manager jump in slight surprise.

"A pasta and light salad," Inyme said. They sat back to wait, discussing work for a short while. Council tactics, opinions on which groups were more
annoying, the usual. It was only a short wait before their meals arrived, obviously having been pushed to the front of the queue. It was clear the manager
liked having heroes like her restaurant. Good PR, the chance that they'd be willing to help if there was trouble... it made sense really, even if it did
twist Archers tail with disgust, having seen the womans ruder side before.

Inyme paused as they enjoyed their meal. "...One thing," she said, looking up at Just Another Archer. "Could you...keep a secret?"

"Sure," she said. Neko looked up from her plate and nodded as well.

"I'm not technically supposed to be seen...like I really look like, if that makes sense," she said. Archer noted that her voice was a lot less
stiff as she realized what Inyme was getting at. "If you could..." her voice trailed off as she looked at a loss on how to explain it.

"Not mention this?" the Legendary hero suggested with a slight smile.

"...Yes."

"Done," she smiled. Neko nodded her agreement as well.

Inyme smiled faintly. "Thank you." Archer smiled back, leaning back in her chair as she finished her dinner. "You seem in a good mood," the
other woman said.

"Just enjoying a good day," she replied. "I had a good, filling dinner, Nano and I managed to throw the Council base on Striga into an uproar
earlier... Took a few of their Galaxies down for good," she mused as Neko shuddered.

"Disturbing things, all those Council 'super-soldiers,'" Neko said, getting an agreeing nod from Inyme, who hadn't encountered them in
person, but had gone over the Longbow files on them in detail.

"Maybe that's why I don't take all of them out permanently," the catgirl mused, the filling meal leaving her thoughtful. "I mean, the
Council soldiers... they're monsters, scum that use their power to torment others, but... they're still human. They have a chance to come to their
senses..." For a moment, memories of the twins flickered across her mind. She was the same age they'd been when the Council grabbed them...

"I suppose so," Inyme said, sipping at her drink.

"They don't all sign up willingly," she commented softly. "The Council... they 'draft' people. Young men on the street are perfect
targets. They're taken, drugged, brainwashed..."

"And you'd like to save them."

"Some in particular... if it's not too late," she replied, reaching over and stroking Nekos fur softly. Without hesitation, the cat had moved
over to provide a reassuring presense.

Inyme nodded again, working on her food. "....I can see where you're coming from," she admitted. "I've seen friends....be pulled away by
the wrong crowd....end up doing things they should never conceive of....it makes me angry....I want to do something, but I'm not sure I can, alone."

An amused smile appeared on Archers face. "When I woke up with odd powers and a magical bow, I took the hero option because it would let me fight
back," she admitted. "Beat up the Skulls, the Council, the Lost... There was no larger plan, just... I wanted them to hurt, to be afraid of me like I
always was of them."

"I don't know that I've really fought for them. I fight to keep more from becoming like them..." Inyme replied, sounding like it was
something of a confession of her own.

"But Riot Force, the Legendary... there's something about the people there," she said. "Makes me feel like I could actually make a
difference."

"Mm....you can do it alone...but it's easier with assistance," Inyme finished. Archer smiled, then glanced down at her jacket pocket as it
beeped. "An alert?" the telepath wondered.

Archer pulled out her phone and checked the screen. "Police channel," she said. "The Lost just raided a company studying Rikti technology,"
she added, putting the phone away and getting her wallet out. "Check please," she said to a passing waitress.

"...it never ends, does it?" Inyme mused, standing up as Neko leapt onto Archers shoulder.

Archer paid and left a tip on the table. While the manager may well have been something of a kiss-ass, there were rules to follow. "It may feel like
you're making a difference, it just takes a while," she said wryly.

"Very true Archer," she said with a faint smile, moving for the door.

Archer followed, thinking. "Oh, and Inyme?" The woman turned to her. "Call me Alice."

***

I like!

Quote: "Just enjoying a good day," she replied. "I had a good, filling dinner, Nano and I managed to throw the Council base on Striga into an uproar
earlier... Took a few of their Galaxies down for good," she mused as Neko shuddered.

On first reading this, I thought, "We -did-?"

Then I realized you probably meant Quicksilver Nano, rather than Nano Sabre. Man that is going to be confusing. Nano Sabre's been to Striga, but that was
with Sell-Sword and Swift Sabre, not Archer.

... not that matters, really, I was just commenting.

Quote:

"Oh, Terrence Knight, one of the Legendary. Great guy, and a lot of Riot Force teams up with him from time to time," Archer said with a fond smile.
Inyme nodded as they kept walking. After a minute or so, it began to occur to Archer that the older womans suit clung to her about as much as the Sabres
inner suits did. That, combined with memories of Ifrit giving her the 'talk' after her first encounter with Superball left her an embarrassed and
rather confused young woman, caused a slight blush to break out.




(In hindsight, taking Rhea up on her offer to 'help' with that talk had been a mistake...)

Aww, c'mon, Rhea's not THAT bad. Superball is worse.

... though, admittedly, Superball isn't that likely to be handing out discount coupons to adult stores... or offering to take Alice to help pick out her
first outfit when she meets someone special...

... what? *innocent grin*

--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs

Neat! now I'm even more intrigued about 'the talk'.

------

"When a few of people love each other."

"a -few-?"

"Well two is normal, but three is more fun."

------
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

Quote: Sofaspud wrote:

---

I


... though, admittedly, Superball isn't that likely to be handing out discount coupons to adult stores... or offering to take Alice to help pick out her
first outfit when she meets someone special...




... what? *innocent grin*

I could see Superball offering, just as I could see several members of the Legendary walloping him in retaliation.
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

Quote: Ebony wrote:

---

I could see Superball offering, just as I could see several members of the Legendary walloping him in
retaliation.

What, and people wouldn't do that to Rhea? sigh, such double standards. It's because she's cheerfully obscene isn't it.
-Terry
-----
"so listen up boy, or pornography starring your mother will be the second worst thing to happen to you today"
TF2: Spy

Quote: sweno wrote:

---

Quote: Ebony wrote:

---

I could see Superball offering, just as I could see several members of the Legendary walloping him in
retaliation.

What, and people wouldn't do that to Rhea? sigh, such double standards. It's because she's cheerfully obscene isn't it.

Well, Rhea doesn't leer when offering. Or at least not in the same way. Mind you, Numero Catorce, being a nice
Catholic boy, would be rendered into stammering Spanglish by the very idea of being involved in that conversation. He's a nice guy, you know, but sort of
hopeless.
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

One interesting note that doesn't come out in the "lacking Inyme's own self-perspective" version here is that she's trying her best not
to stick out *too* bad. Her given method is reading Neko and Alice's minds to pull out appropriate responses and "small talk" when her previous
experience fails.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."

Quote: OpMegs wrote:

---

One interesting note that doesn't come out in the "lacking Inyme's own self-perspective" version here is that she's trying her best not
to stick out *too* bad. Her given method is reading Neko and Alice's minds to pull out appropriate responses and "small talk" when her previous
experience fails.

Heh. Problem is, Alice's mental skills SUCK (Thanks to me focusing mainly on her archery so far). She didn't realize it was happening, so...

***

Lora'lai flew well over the top of Strigas volcano, staying well clear of the many anti-air guns the Council had all over their major base, then flew down
towards where Just Another Archer had wanted them to meet. She blinked at the sight of a Council soldier not standing far from her, but given there were
already several other members of the Legendary present, along with Silicon Sabre from Riot Force, she assumed there'd be a good reason.

"So, what's the emergency?" she asked as she landed on the grass. "You don't usually call for a task force without a good reason,"
she added. Just Another Archer looked up, grinning slightly. Lora paused, taking a good look at the magical girl. Alice had visibly changed from the last time
she'd seen her, only a few days ago. A coat of soft white fur covered her face, not enough to obscure her features, but it certainly made the purple
framing her face stand out better.

The grin widened as she took in the look of surprise on the Peacebringers face. "This is Hess," she said. "A few days ago, Quicksilver Nano and
I trashed part of the Council headquarters with him in it, and he used the chance to sneak a note into my pocket. He's offering to help us with a threat
being built by an Archon named Burkholder, which will dwarf even Atlas himself."

Lora glanced at the masked soldier, who merely stood there, unmoving under the heroes scrutiny. She motioned for Alice to come with her. The girl nodded, and
they moved a short distance away. "The Council doesn't have many defectors," she said softly.

"I know," Alice replied. "But were were already investigating Burkholder before he slipped the note, and he's provided the location of the
Councils main robot factory. We may not be able to blow up the whole base, but we should be able to make a mess."

"You think it's worth the risk?" the Legendary leader asked, watching Alice. The girl nodded in reply, eyes certain. "Then we take the
shot," she said, getting a small smile in response. "By the way," she said as Alice started to turn back. "What's with the..." She
trailed off.

"The fur? Doctors think it's a delayed effect of my powers getting knocked around by Terra Volta," she sighed. "Full body coat. Hot, AND it
itches like a devil," she scowled, before glancing at the softly laughing cat on her shoulder. "Don't you start," she warned.
"You've been entirely too smug lately. Keep it up and you're sleeping in the laundry."

"You wouldn't dare," Neko said, smile vanishing.

"Try me, fuzzbutt," she replied. Lora'lai suppressed a laugh as the cat shut up.

***

Events moved faster then anyone had expected, as Task Force Puzzle (They'd started using a random word generator after the infamous Task Force Save my
Crotch) found themselves causing all sorts of havoc across the Council headquarters, never staying in one place long enough to be pinned down, but hitting
often enough in the right places to throw the Council into a panic.

All in all, it was going very smoothly, aside from a moment when a discussion on lethal force gave Alice a glimpse into a part of Terrence's life she'd
never imagined. Watching the eternally cheerful, friendly unstoppable force suddenly show a side of bitterness, of guilt, that wouldn't have seemed out of
place in someone from the streets, left her slightly stunned. As they paused in dismantling Council radar and communication towers, she watched him, locked
onto the expression on his face. Guilt, shame.. regret?

"I wanted to help people and give them a feeling of safety and protection," he said softly. "Not scare the hell out of them."

"But, 'ey, yer all cool and reliable now. Yer got the bugs worked out? That's good, right?" Payload asked, the massive robot trying to be
reassuring, as much as he could from his understanding of how humans worked.

From where he was standing on lookout, William Bishop turned to regard Terrence. "Unless you used that power to abuse those you swore to protect, you were
not a monster, son," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice for the older man. "They may not understand that," he admitted, "but you
should."

"Oh I never was an evil person," Terrence said. "I always helped people out as much as I could," he continued. "It's just, I was
too savage when push came to shove..." Watching nearby, Valles didn't say anything, merely hugging her girlfriend tightly. Braende managed a weak
smile, patting the Peacebringers arm.

"Hey, just 'cause the product's got some issues in beta don't mean it ain't a good piece of code," Payload said, patting him on the
the shoulder. Terrence looked up at him, taking in the robots expressionless face and smiled, getting his meaning.

"I think that change of heart and me realizing what I had become... is what prompted the being that initially sent me to that dimension to send me here
instead. To help me regain much of my lost humanity... so to speak," he said. His voice had shifted from regret to one of soft joy, as he thought about
just what life in Paragon had given him.

"Anything I could think of to say would sound vapid and cliche," said Valles softly, even though she was smiling again. Alice stood there for a
moment, before she listened to the little voice inside her head and darted forward, hugging him gently.

Terrence looked at her, slightly surprised, then smiled as Neko used the chance to transfer to his shoulder and reinforce the non-verbal statement.
"Coming here has done worlds of good for my tainted heart," he said, returning the hug gently. "Thanks."

Nearby, Silicon Sabre and Lora'lai glanced at each other. Silicon merely shrugged, face hidden behind her helmet, as Lora'lai smiled and went to see if
the coast was clear.

***

"I think we can confirm that this volcano is active, and not just pumping out smoke from all the Councils mad science," William Bishop mused half an
hour later as Task Force Puzzle finished clearing out a series of walkways that, for reasons Alice couldn't work out, were hanging over a pool of molten
lava.

Brande had banished her Legendary uniform, going for clothes that were a lot less frustrating in heat. Bishop was handling it through, Alice suspected, sheer
stubborn determination, Payload and Silicon had their cooling systems dialed up, the Peacebringers seemed unaffected, and Terrence was...well, Terrence. She
and Neko weren't doing nearly as well. The cat was slumped on her shoulder and she was drenched in sweat, costume pulling at her fur and itching like mad.

"You going to be alright?" Terrence asked gently, moving over to her. She wiped at her face and glanced at him, resisting the urge to claw at her
costume and try and stop that madness inducing itching. As she wiped at her face again, she made a decision.

"Hold her please," she said, passing him Neko and unclipping her cape. Terrence blinked in slight confusion, then went red as she pulled off her
jacket and undid the bodysuit underneath, revealing a modest set of underwear. She looked at his face and grinned. "Come on Terr, it's not like
you've never seen this sort of thing before," she teased.

"What's with the case removal?" Payload wondered.

"Impeding her cooling systems," Silicon said smoothly, translating to robot standards easily. He nodded, accepting that as Valles took the costume
and stored it... somewhere.

"You know the amusing thing?" Brande mused, looking at Archers coat. "She's still actually decently covered compared to some heroes."

Bishop coughed slightly, trying to keep a smile from his face. "It does cover and hide everything," he admitted. Alice took Neko back and picked up
her bow, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Well, lets keep moving before my brain catches up to me," she said with a grin, continuing on. The others looked at each other, then shrugged and
followed.

***

The end of Task Force Puzzles adventure on Striga Isle would later be ranked by Alice as one of the highlights of her career as the team battled their way up
the walkways and ramps surrounding a Mek Man that may well have been bigger then both Atlas and Talos, destroying autoguns and fighting a steady stream of
Council soldiers and conventional Mek Men, all to get at the one man that could operate the giant, it's creator, the twisted Archon Burkholder.

Archer sprinted up some stairs, ducked nimbly under a soldier and blasted him off the railing with a telekinetic shove, sending him falling to the ground far,
far below. "It's like the whole base is trying to get in here!" she snapped, summoning several arrows and launching them all at once, nailing a
duo of soldiers.

"Only Mek Men, standard soldiers, and some Galaxies," Neko said from her shoulder. "Odd that there would be none of their Vampires... Archer, to
your right!" Archer spun, realizing that the walkways had reached the giant robots shoulders. And standing on a platform next to its head was a Council
Archon with a bulky cybernetic left arm. Her eyes widened as he turned towards her, then leapt from the platform to the giant Mek Man, sprinting across the
shoulder pad towards her.

"Burkholder!" Payload roared, leaping off the walkway at the Archon. "We need to discuss how you treat your robots!" Burkholder growled,
lunging at him. There was a crash as their punches clashed, and Payload winced as the Archons claws ripped at his hand. As the warbot backed up, Archer and
Bishop opened fire, while Terrence smashed the Mek Men trying to get up the stairs.

"Fools!" Burkholder growled, driving Payload back before leaping onto the walkway and charging at Bishop and Archer. "Even if you defeat me
here, you'll never gain the power of my greatest creation!" Bishop dodged wrong and got backhanded away as Archer ducked, then lashed up with her
mental powers, trying to drive him to his knees. That did manage to hurt him, but little else before he kicked her away. "The Zenith Mek Man is my
masterpiece, my greatest-" he was shut up as Lora and Valles flew up past him and unleashed their energy powers.

Archer got to her knees, force pushed a Mek Man off the walkway, before her eyes widened as she realized just what she'd seen in the Archons mind.
"He's set a self destruct!" she yelled, drawing the task forces attention.

Burkholder laughed as weapons fire forced the Kheldians to take cover. "Little kitty, looking where you're not supposed to," he taunted.
"You need to be taught better-" he spun, catching Silicon Sabres blade in his claw, only to find that was a distraction as Bishop nailed him in the
leg.

"Lora'lai, I saw an exit by the giants feet!" Neko called out. The Peacebringer nodded, diving down towards the lower levels, shifting forms in a
blaze of light. The regrouping soldiers at the bottom didn't have time to react before the Kheldians White Dwarf form crashed into them.

"A self destruct?" Silicon said, parrying the Archons claw and counterattacking. "Honestly, how cliche can you be?"

"The Zenith is my finest work," Burkholder said, hissing as she carved a gash in his arm. "It will grant me a legacy of fear and respect beyond
any lifetime. A place in the Councils highest ranks." He pushed Silicon back. "You can understand why I can't let it fall into the wrong
hands."

"Say when!" Lora'lai called out, her voice ringing through the comm-links. Sabre ducked as Burkholder swung. Just beyond his reach, he could see
Valles floating, energy ripping around her. He tried to duck, but slammed right into the Paragon Sabre pushing him back up into the line of fire.

Payload winced as the blasts caught Burkholder right in the face, snapping his head back and flipping him over in midair. He slammed into the walkway, out like
a light. Not missing the chance, the robot leapt off the giant Council war machine, landing near the Archon and picking him up.

"WHEN!" Archer yelled. There was a hard shift of reality, and then they were all at the feet of the Zenith, Lora'lai still glowing slightly from
the group teleport as she threw the doors open. Task Force Puzzle didn't hesitate, breaking into a run even as sirens began to wail and the first
explosions began.

No one tried to stop them. After all, even though the explosions would most likely only devastate Burkholders robot factories and Zenith hanger, no one really
wanted to be there when that happened. Which meant that by the time a large smoke cloud was rising over the volcano, all of the heros were out on the
mountainside, exhausted.

"We should get moving," Alice managed, lying flat on her back. She lifted up a hand, looking at her fur almost stained black. Neko rested on her
stomach, unwilling to move.

"It's a long flight back to port," Lora said. "I don't think I can fly."

"Jump jets do sound so tiring," Silicon mused as Payload tagged the Archon and sent him off to the Zig.

"... what say we just abuse the space-time warping of a mysterious organization we don't know if we can trust?" Alice said after a moment. There
was a chorus of agreements as William Bishop fired up the Ouroboros portal.

It would not be until about eighteen hours later that Alice would realize that not only had she left her costume with Valles, she'd walked through Atlas
Park in only a fur coat.

***

Here's one of the better screenshots from that Task Force.

***

It was somewhat random, what a morning would be like in the Barnes/Baker/Romanova household. Somedays they would all be there, greeting the day like anyone
else. Sometimes there would be someone extra, a hero from the Legendary or Riot Force crashing there when they were too tired to head for the other city zones.
Sometimes there was no one there. After all, they were all full time heroes, which made keeping to a regular schedule nearly impossible.

It was with this in mind that Ifrit Barne, Lady of the Peace, made sure to check all the rooms before she started making breakfast. She stopped and knocked at
Alices door, then opened it and leaned inside.

Alice was sprawled out on the bed, face down in the pillow. Ifrit smiled slightly as she looked at the room. Originally, the room had been somewhat sparse, as
Alice had kept her belongs limited to what she could carry, a habit born of necessity. Slowly though, as she'd come to believe that not only was she
welcome here, but she would be able to remain, she'd begun to make it her home. There was still a ragged looking backpack sticking out from under the bed,
but near it were some new clothes (All needing to be tossed in the laundry hamper later), there was a poster of the Torch of Victory on the wall, even a DS
that Nene had gotten her in an attempt to teach the girl all about the 'wonders of video games'. And of course, Neko had a rather large basket with
some rather warm and fluffy blankets to bury herself in.

"Are you going to be in here for a while, or should I cook up some eggs?" Ifrit asked, smiling as the purple haired catgirl raised a hand up in the
air and made a vaugely affirmative noise. "Eggs?" she asked again, getting the same noise in reply. "Okay," she said, closing the door. As
she walked away, Neko slipped out through the doors catflap and followed her. "What time did you guys get back?" she asked.

"About three," Neko replied, darting ahead of her feet as they went into the kitchen. "We got back from Salamanca late, and then we heard about
an Arachnos theft, so..."

Ifrit chuckled, understanding all too well. "You know, she's really getting dedicated to this job," she noted as she went to the fridge and
fetching the cat food. Neko looked more lively as she realised it was was the salmon flavor. "She's overtaken me, Rob... And she's pulled off a
fair few big wins."

Neko nodded as Ifrit scooped some food into the cat bowl. "I realize that it may sound cliche, but I suspect she's found her calling, at least for the
moment. The trick is making sure she can move on if need be."

The winged woman paused and gave her an amused look. "Something tells me you've got experience in that field," she said.

"Quite a bit," Neko replied. "I've been an advisor to magical girls for quite some time now."

Turning back to the kitchen counter, Ifrit started on the food before asking "how does that work anyway? Is there some sort of agency that decides who
gets to be Sailor Paragon or something?"

The cat looked up from her food and swallowed. "In a manner of speaking, yes. I could bore you with metaphysical details and descriptions, but in short,
there is an... organisation with the task of making sure the right people get the powers and weapons."

Pausing as she dropped bread in the toaster, Ifrit looked down. "So you weren't being snarky when you said some idiot misfiled Alices magical girl
paperwork?" she asked, somewhat surprised. "I thought you were joking when you said that."

"Well, it made her smile," Neko said. "I was supposed to be sent to her at the same time, but since we lost her location..." Ifrit nodded
in understanding, but any further comments were halted by a terrified shriek from the bathroom. Ifrit and Neko both broke into a run at the sound of Alices
voice, breakfast forgotten. "Alice?" Neko called out as she reached the door ahead of the winged heroine.

Alice was standing in front of the sink and the mirror above it, ears sticking straight up and her tail frozen. Just as Ifrit got to the door, Alice managed to
turn around, and the reason for the scream became obvious. Her eyes were radiating a purple-pink light so bright that both women could only barely make out the
lower half of the girls face. "I, I was, I was going to the toilet, and I saw my face, and my eyes, they're glowng..." she said as Ifrit moved
forward, placing her hands on the girls arms.

"Alice, listen to me," she said softly. "Whatever this is, it's alright. We'll deal with it, but you need to take a deep breath and try
to calm down, okay? Can you do that?" Alice managed a weak nod, taking some deep breaths. Ifrit suspected she'd closed her eyes, but she couldn't
tell because of the light. As Alice managed to calm down somewhat, Ifrit led her out into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "You can still
see fine?" she asked. Alice managed a nod. "Good... okay, it looks magical," she said, taking a look with her own extra senses, looking at the
mystical energies floating around the girl.

Neko didn't hesitate, hopping onto Alices lap and rubbing against her stomach. Her partner reached down, scratching the cat behind the ears and generally
taking comfort from her presence. The cat purred softy as Alice watched Ifrit, hoping for an answer.

"Well, it looks pretty simple," Ifrit said gently. "There's no sign of a spell or any outside source behind this, so if I'm reading this
right, this is your own power at work." Alice tilted her head to the side slightly. "Your abilities keep growing," she pointed out. "I
think that this is a side effect of it."

"Glowing eyes are a side effect?" Alice replied, twitching slightly as her ears went flat. "Tell me you can fix it. I stand out too much
already!"

Looking up at her, Neko considered it. "Well, if we could work out how to detransform you to your civilian form," she said, "but every command
phrase I know seems to do nothing... your powers never did conform to what you were supposed to recieve-"

"In other words, I get to look like a freak," Alice snapped, glaring at the cat. Neko blinked, then was knocked off Alices lap as she stood up.
"Ears, tail, then fur, and now this?" she growled. "Which you have no idea how to fix?!" Neko backed up as Alices eyes blazed even
brighter. "Don't!" she snapped as Ifrit tried to say something. "Whatever you've got to say, I don't care!" she said.
"You've figured out how to hide the wings and ears! When you want to go around and not be noticed, you can! Me, I get to be the damn catgirl, with a
hundred different perverts coming after me, people looking at me like a freak... all I want to do is be normal for once!" she yelled, before storming off.

As Alice slammed her bedroom door shut, Ifrit and Neko shared looks. "I guess it was getting to her after all," Ifrit mused as Neko started towards
the door. "Neko, leave her be," she said softly. Neko looked back at her, then nodded miserably, going back to Ifrit. The woman picked her up,
petting her gently. "I think you should check back with your people," she suggested, getting an agreeing nod.

"I knew it bothered her," Neko said softly. "Being noticed... well, she liked it, but at the same time, it left her uncomfortable, like
she'd learnt to avoid it whenever possible." She sighed as Ifrit petted her.

***

Alice was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. An angry scowl passed over her face as someone knocked at the door. "Go away Ifrit," she said,
irritation tinging her voice.

"....it is not Ifrit," a different voice noted.

Alice sat up, looking towards the door. "Inyme?" she asked, before kicking herself. Of course it was Inyme, who else had that voice?

"Yes." Alice paused, somewhat worried about Inyme seeing her, then rolled her eyes. As if Inyme would think any less of her for having glowing eyes.
Getting up, she went and unlocked the door and opened it, giving Inyme a good look at her. As Inyme looked her over, Alice suddenly remembered she was wearing
only an oversized t-shirt and felt her cheeks warming slightly. "...you look different," Inyme said at last, drawing a slightly bitter laugh from the
catgirl.

"Oh yeah... Ifrit thinks it's my powers growing, and this is a 'natural occurance.'"

"Not exactly unusual," Inyme said with a nod.

"Yeah, but I can't turn it off," she grumbled, moving aside for Inyme to come in, closing the door behind her. "It's..."

"Frustrating," the armored woman guessed.

"Very," she replied, dropping down on her bed. "I, I'm... I'm not used to standing out," she admitted, looking for the right words.
"Standing out means drawing attention, and that's never good..." Her mind wandered back to when Laura had told the Skulls where to go when they
went after a cute girl on the street. The memory of them chasing her, of... She'd learnt to keep quiet after that, to be ignored as classed as unimportant.

"Drawing attention means the possibility of bad attention," Inyme nodded.

Alice managed a nod of her own. "It's safer to be ignored," she said softly. "I... I can't do that anymore, and that scares me. It's
weird, but that scares me more then Trolls, the Council, even those beasts in Croatoa..."

"You're afraid that if you can't hide...eventually someone will find you," Inyme said, sitting down next to her.

Alice chuckled slightly. "I know, it's crazy... I can defend myself now," she said. "I can defend others, heck, I enjoy it, but..."
thoughts flickered through her head, not of now or the future, but the many many times she'd been helpless in the past.

"You built a life around hiding," Inyme said, sliding an arm around her.

"At first, I figured it was a chance to punch back... I'm changing Inyme," she admitted. "Not just physically... I'm becoming an
entirely different person..."

"That scares you?"

"Wouldn't your life changing so utterly scare you?" she asked. "Everything you know and take for granted shifting in ways you can't
imagine?"

Inyme tensed slightly "...it already has," she admitted. Alice looked up, surprised. "I was a soldier, back home. I was used to being part of
a...a larger thing than myself. Now...now I'm here. I know it's important. I know that it has to be done....but I'm alone. There's no support.
No backup. Every success or failure is...on my head. Every decision. And the mission's so important that that's...."

"If you're wrong, if something was to happen to you..."

"Maybe...maybe they could send a replacement. Or maybe I'd just fail..." she said softly. Alice reached over, taking her hand gently, drawing
Inymes gaze and a sense of gratitude from the woman. "...but I can't dwell on it. I can't dwell on how I'd be better off if things hadn't
changed. I have to deal with what is...not what was...until it's done."

Alices face was almost hidden behind the light crackling from her eyes, but Inyme could sense the smile. "You're a lot braver then me..." she
whispered.

"...you have it in you to be just as brave. You stood up to someone when you didn't have to. You're made of sterner stuff than you think you
are."

Alice felt her cheeks warming again "You think so?"

Inyme nodded, certain. "Yes. We're born with things and have things that mold us. You survived one of the harshest, strongest molds there is."

A slight chuckle escaped the catgirl. "You may have a point."

"You're strong...independent. You'll survive," she said, resting her other hand on Alice's.

Alice laughed slightly, although there was a slight catch to it, her emotions grabbing her "Thanks," she managed. "It... It means a lot that
I'm not alone in this."

"You aren't...believe me...I'm always willing to listen." Alices smile widened as she leaned over, hugging her. Inyme stiffened slightly, but
Alice got more of a feeling it was out of surprise than wanting to get away. "Thanks for listening," she said. "I guess it all just got a little
overwhelming."

"It's fine," she said, returning the hug. "You can trust me with anything. I don't have anyone I could tell," she pointed out, a
sense of melancoloy passing through the womans emotions.

"You've got me," the catgirl replied softly.

"....I suppose I do," she said, emotions shifting to soft pleasure. "Did your companion have any suggestions on a way to try and handle
this?"

"Well, she said that if we could figure out a way to detransform, but all the methods of doing that don't seem to work..."

"Because your powers do not merely 'turn off' for lack of a better term," Inyme said. "I belive the the problem is control. You summon
your bow and arrows, you use a handful of mental tricks, but more precise control over your powers is somewhat lacking. While I admit I understand little about
magic, I have a suggestion that may help..."

***

Ifrit watched the pair, both sitting in the living room, not moving, not talking. Occasionally, she would see a tiny flicker of magic around Alice, but that
was is "They've been like that for an hour," she murmured.

"They're telepaths. They're probably thinking up a storm," Nene said from next to her.

"... You think it'll help her?" the fey woman wondered.

"I think having a friend, not another mom, will help her," she smirked. Ifrit blinked at her, confused. "Think about it. How many of us,
warranted or not, treat her like a kid?"

"I don't... do I?" she asked, looking back in the room.

"Not exactly, but you treat her like someone you need to look after."

Ifrit considered that for a long moment, then sighed, conceeding the point. "It's just... everything she's been through... life outside that seems
to scare her... she doesn't deserve to be alone," she murmured.

"I know. And that's what I see too. But she needs friends too. And Inyme can be that for her."

The concerned look faded from Ifrits face, replaced by a gentle smile. "Let's leave them to it."

Nene nodded. "Want a cheeseburger?"

"I was thinking an Atlas meal from Up N' Away."

"Sounds good."

***

Alice didn't have the words to explain what she was doing. She could 'see' Inyme probing at her with her extra senses, careful not to push too
hard, but essentially helping the catgirl guide her powers, feel them flow in directions she'd rarely been willing to look at. It was somewhat terrifying,
taking her mind to places she'd never imagined, but guiding her powers down new paths as well, helping her to understand. Slowly, she began to steer the
power, helping it to calm itself, to rest

"...and release," Inyme said finally. Alice pulled herself back to the real world, feeling oddly smaller and... "Congratulations," Inyme
said softly as the girl blinked and looked down at herself. Underneath now slightly baggy clothes, she saw clear skin. The now familar sensation of her tail
was missing, as were her ears. Reaching up, she pulled brown hair into view.

"Woah..." she murmured, then looked up at Inyme and smiled softly. "This is me," she said.

"Pleased to meet you," Inyme said. "....I'm grateful you felt I could help," she admitted.

"Thanks. I guess I needed someone I knew I could trust."

"...you trust me...with this?" Inyme said, slightly amazed.

"Well, I'd have thought that was obvious," she grinned, standing up "Come on... let's get you some casual clothes and hit the town. I
feel the need to walk around without being stared at."

Inyme nodded. "....can I borrow some of yours? I don't...own any besides the jumpsuit and the armor..."

"Sure," she smiled, before an idle thought flickered into her mind. If Inyme only had the jumpsuit... what'd she wear when that was being
cleaned? Alice firmly stepped on that mental image, even as a slight blush appeared.

"Hmm?" Inyme asked, noticing the blush.

"N-Nothing," she said, feeling the blush grow even brighter.

Inyme looked at her. "....of course," she noted. Though deadpan, Alice got the impression she knew it wasn't nothing and just didn't feel
like prying if Alice wasn't forthcoming. Alice took a deep breath as the other woman went into her room, then went to find Neko.

The cat was resting on the window sill, and blinked as Alice came in. "I... you transformed?" she managed, surprised.

"Yeah... Inyme helped me to power down," she said. "Um, about earlier-"

"It's quite alright," she replied. "It's perfectly understandable that you'd be upset-" she shut up as Alice pulled her into a
hug.

"Doesn't matter," she whispered. "Sorry Neko, I was being a bitch."

"Apology accepted," the cat whispered back.

***

(Thanks to OM for helping with the Inyme lines)