>>1880552

"That... is rather a tall ask for a newcomer," Ms. Noreen responds between her teeth. "I'm afraid we we need some proof of sales before we could offer you such facilities."

Cylica frowns at that, and you know that it's more because she feels insulted at the implication that she's not good enough than anything else.

>I think we've gotten enough here. I don't think she wants your deal and neither do I.
>Are you sure you can't offer anything else?
>This...might not exactly be a bad idea. If you want to make it work.
>Other

>>1880554
>>Are you sure you can't offer anything else?

Been a while. Can't be surprised at a slow start.

>>1880554
>Are you sure you can't offer anything else?

>>1880595
>>1880700
"You sure you can't offer anything else? For us or for her?" you ask. The lab thing was something you were going to be working on anyway, and her other so-called perks weren't really perks.

The way she looks at you makes you think she wants to roll her eyes rather hard, but she seems to resist. "I assure you, the better results her work brings, the more perks she will accrue. Your company will be sure to benefit from these as well. As a general example, aside from early choice on any new products, we will also be certain to advertise their use- and that I have no doubt will have a knock-on for your company. Furthermore, she will get an employee discount, of course, as well as access to the laboratories at any given time for new developments.

"About that," Cylica speaks up. "I have a partner, and she is quite integral to my development style. If I were to join you-"

Ms Noreen shakes her head. "I'm afraid that's out of the question. She would have to apply and get a job here like any other person. This deal is particularly for you and your superior alone."

Cylica frowns. "Hm. Are you quite positive on that?" The two lock eyes, and you can recognize a battle of wills when it starts.

Need 1d20, if you don't mind. Best of three.

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>1880715

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>1880715

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>1880715

Solid. Writing.

Also this run might be a bit short or not, it's mostly to get me back into a rhythm. Will see how it works out.

>>1880715
>>1880745
>>1880756
>>1880768


They both hold this stare down for about 2 more minutes before Ms. Neeren finally blinks and looks away. "Alright, I might be able to get her maybe a VIP pass specific to her for the laboratories," she breathes out. "That'll allow her to stay after hours so long as she signs in and leaves after a certain number of hours, and she has to have a certain amount of time elapsed before she can be let back in. I just can't offer permanent access like you would have, however. My hands are tied on that front, so that's the best I can do."

Cylica nods in acquiescence. "I suppose that is understandable, if not optimal. As for my current employer...?" she looks to you at the end of the question, and you just kind of raise an eyebrow.

"Right, right," she nods. "I'm sure we can come to some kind of terms..." turning to you, she speaks to you more directly. "Is there anything that you can think of right now? Anything I can run pass my superiors? I'm afraid she has us at a bit of an impasse at the moment, considering her demands can't be met immediately. So I might as well pass along anything you might desire as well."

That's a pretty good question. Could likely offer you some sort of regular assortment of crystals that you might be able to utilize, or at least give to Owlia to study on her own time. They didn't do combat-centric crystals like she did; all of theirs were utility. Even so, she might be able to do something with them. You also might be able to rope them into some sort of more thorough advertisement deal... That would certainly prop you up. Might get new potential hires, or interesting new jobs to go on, depending on how it's organized. Or maybe you could come up with something else...

>Ask for a regular delivery of an assortment of crystals.
>Ask for a heavier advertising deal.
>Other

>>1880933
>>Ask for a heavier advertising deal.

>>1880933
>Ask for a heavier advertising deal.
Yeah, have somebody else handle advertising and marketing.

Blah blahblah LOCKED.

>>1880933
>>1880949
>>1880982
"You mentioned advertising." you note.

"In a sense," she corrects. "Any crystals that we sell that are made by her, we will make sure to make it clear exactly who made them. I can guarantee you they'll be sure to look up your-" ah.

"No, no, I want the full deal. Full acknowledgement of who we are, what we do, hell, contact information if you can swing it." You're not going to let this happen without making sure you're making out well. "And no two-second fast speak or flash on a screen, it needs to be obvious and understandable."

"You...I..." there's a strange sound from her that doesn't quite meet your inter definition of a growl; it's more like gears trying to force themselves to turn. "Ffffffine...I'll...see...what I can...do. That doeeesn't entiiirely fall-under my jurisdiction..." Huh. Why is she suddenly acting weird?

That answered very quickly when suddenly she raises her hand, and smacks herself on the head. She suddenly goes ramrod-straight, and then blinks a few times before smiling placidly. "My apologies, something got a little bit stuck in the comprehension matrix." Huh. Android? Those were rare. Kudos at the willpower. "At any rate, I'll have to discuss this with my superiors and get back to you, but I think for now we have a tentative agreement?"

"It seems so." Cylica says. "When can we expect a response?"

"Within a few days," she responds easily. They want to move on this as fast as possible. If that'll be all, I hope the rest of your waking hours are pleasant." Well, obvious dismissal.

As you both walk out, Cylica looks askance to you. "Well, I think all in all that went rather swimmingly. Should this all go through, I see no party in this that loses. Although...I suppose I will admit, I was anticipating that perhaps I would be going on a few more outings before being headhunted. That's partially why I'm still looking to stay with you."

>And the other reason?
>Huh. That's interesting to know. Why?
Just make sure they don't just use you.
>Other


Aaaand stopped. Will be back later tonight.

>>1881114
>>And the other reason?

>>1881114
>And the other reason?

>>1881114
>>Huh. That's interesting to know. Why?
It looks like the cursed dice were transferred to my other favorite quest, so we're finally back in business

>>1881114
>And the other reason?

>>1881396
What's that one?

>>1881114
>Huh. That's interesting to know. Why?
I'm sure she's aware of the third option herself.

>>1881423
Death amongst the stars. We just had a huge fight in that, which we almost completely failed due to a bunch of low 30's and 40's out of 100. Had two 1's in the current thread even.

Oooh boy. It has returned!

>>1881114
>>1881136
>>1881187
>>1881423
"And the other reason?" you ask curiously.

She allows a small smile as she looks away from you. "You managed to convince Owlia and myself. Even to the point where you push to me quite more than anyone else has before. I have to say, although I would rather you not repeat this to anyone else... but you're something of a breath of fresh air. While I certainly have my own plans in mind, and the finances will help with that... I cannot say that associating with you is particularly unpleasant. I would prefer to keep that for now as opposed to simply being some sort of bland corporate drone used only for a marketing point."

Huh. Well you suppose that was as good a reason as any. You don't say anything to that effect though, and she continues talking. "Although, I do have to wonder- IS there perhaps a higher goal for you here?"

It takes just about all of your willpower to not hitch your breath. "What makes you ask that?"

"Well, you're... How do I put it?" she wonders with a wry smile. "I've seen career soldiers. Hard career mercenaries, too. And they tend to be one of a certain trio of types. The ones that are just doing it because they love it...I've never found them to be the most reliable. They're too focused on sport and they're far too reckless in how they approach a situation. Then there are the ones that are doing it strictly for money. They tend to do exactly what is ordered, they tend to always fight for the biggest payday. But there is usually a certain...detachment from them. An uncaring blitheness of attitude, that you don't quite seem to show. It's true, that is somewhat present inside of you. But there's the third type. Yhe ones that are doing it because they have a goal in mind. They usually tend to be very driven. Professional. Exacting and relentless in what they do and how they do it. Near unstoppable. I was curious as to your reason." Her eyes unfocus briefly as she searches her memories. Before you can ask, she blinks, and looks back at you. "Ah, apologies. I suppose that would be a bit too personal considering our burgeoning acquaintance."

>Let the topic go. (Timeskip, job selection)
>"I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though." You're not telling her. Not everything, at least.
>"I just want to make this outfit the best it can be, for as long as I can." That's what you'll focus on, too.
>[/i]'...part of me still thinks I can leave.' "It's fine."
>Other

Will resume tomorrow. Just wanted to get this out at least.

>>1882091
>>"I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though." You're not telling her. Not everything, at least.

>>1882091
> I don't currently have one . . . But I haven't given up hope of finding one.

>>1882091
>"I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though." You're not telling her. Not everything, at least.
That spoiler option is not ominous in any way. Yeah.

>>1882091
>>"I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though." You're not telling her. Not everything, at least.

>>1882091
So do we have any specific reason we can't leave? Like did our entire world get blown too shit?

>>1882091
>>"I just want to make this outfit the best it can be, for as long as I can." That's what you'll focus on, too.

>>1882627
I think we had a Madoka situation where we saved everyone and restarted time, but without us in it.

So yes and no.

>>1882091
>"I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though." You're not telling her. Not everything, at least.

Howdy. Checking in.

>>1883869
hi

>>1883869
Hey-oh!

I'll be writing in about...30 minutes, give or take. Putting up a heads up on Twitter, too.

>>1883924
>30 minutes
So he said, an hour ago.

>>1882091
>>1882124
>>1882416
>>1882604
>>1882804
>>1883903
If you're not telling people who've known about you for decades everything about your past, you're certainly not telling someone you basically just met. Still, you suppose her respect does deserve a little bit of something. "I had one. A time ago. Pretty much abandoned that, though."

"Why is that?" she asks mildly.

You shrug. "I suppose... It just proved to be untenable. Not a fan of chasing after things that I know are roundly impossible for me. Not as despairing as it sounds, though." You try to lift your mouth into something resembling a smile, but it doesn't really work out and you end with something closer to a grimace. "More just something like...understanding."

"Ah." The both of you grow silent as you head back, your hair whipping through the wind. "... I've noticed a lot of these vehicles. Is that just the preference here, considering the spacial issue?"

"Got it in one," you respond. "Most folks here just go via bikes or even just walk. I think Lorelei's the only one who has a a luxury car, and even then she doesn't use it all that often. She just likes to show it off sometimes."

"Isn't that a bit wasteful?" Cylica asks.

"Lorelei's like that." The rest of the trip is silent save for her occasional chuckling.

The next few days pass fairly easily. Ms. Nereen calls; and apparently both of your requests were approved; Cylica would begin work in a couple of cycles as they got everything ready, and they would indeed make certain to advertise Silver Eye Solutions front and center along with any designs that she cooked up. The one caveat that you never really liked was that anything that she crafted on her own would be theirs- but that was fairly common for most companies- you can't imagine they would have ever budged on that, and as long as Owlia was a free agent, it shouldn't be too much of an issue, even if she did have VIP access to some labs now.

You're not sure if she really need her own personal lap space now. Might still be worth it.

You continue to train, you trying out your new technique here and there. Still needs a lot of work. Thinking about that though, it actually makes you wonder what you'd be doing for the immediate future. There's that Interdiction Open Day thing- you know that should be going on tomorrow. They actually started putting up posters and flyers and banners for it a couple of days back. You weren't the biggest fan, but you could attend still...so long as you were careful to not get too involved in whatever those two were doing. In fact, maybe there such a thing as safety in numbers... You know all of them at least know about it by now - or should.

>Who will you bring to Interdicition Open Day, if anyone?

>Lorelei
>Izumi
>Cylica
>Owlia
>Mono
>All
>None

>>1884212
Yes, give or take 30 minutes.

>>1884213
>>Lorelei
>>Izumi

10 more minutes to reply or else I'll just default to the one.

Original team only, newbies stay away.

Writing.

>>1884213
>>1884229
You figure you'll just take Lorelei and Izumi to this. The others might get... accosted. Yeah, that's a good word for it. Accosted.

Fortunately, both of them have the time off and you're able to go out as a unit. Lorelei seems particularly intrigued. "I wonder what kinda stuff they're gonna show off. They've gotta have something good there if they want to convince people to sign up with 'em."

"I imagine there will be several events designed to be a particular show of skill and strength," Izumi responds thoughtfully. "Interdiction always seemed rather prideful to me, and if that's correct then they're going to be rather adamant about showing off just what they're capable of. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to do so at some other companies' expense- not just ours." She frowns thinking about this - you had told them about what they had said, and honestly no one was surprised when the likelihood came up.

"What? No, I was talking about what sort of goodies they'd have there! Send " Lorelei corrects exasperatedly. "There's got to be some sorta wicked cool things that they've managed to get through the years. You gotta give the public something to attract them beyond just 'look at how cool we are.' There's got to be something that they can call theirs, and if you can say 'Hey, you'll probably be going to some really cool places with some really cool loot that you can take home and put on your mantle,' then if you ask me that would be a pretty big incentive for some folks."

"They don't strike me as quite that shallow," you offer. "They're probably going to try and win people over based on puffing themselves up as big as possible."

cont.

>>1884549
The three of you continue to debate how things will look right up until you get to the location. It's in the Festival District, and where you end up is a large, open fairgrounds.

A pair of Interdiction soldiers are standing guard at the front gate- you can tell by their helmets that they're actively scanning you everyone who walks past without even having to tell them to stop. There's a large, blue banner above the fancy gateway saying 'Welcome to Interdiction Open Day!' in bright gold letters.

As you walk through, you can see beyond that they've really decked the place out to actually look like a sort of fair - there's a giant area for food and drink where you see a number of Interdiction chefs making various food under a giant banner that says 'Taste the Unknown!'.

To the right is a games alley where you can see several games such as a shooting gallery, test of strength, the other such games- all of them more physical than simple entertainment. You can see several civilians trying their hands at them and all laughing and having a good time. To the left is a large, white domed area, easily big enough to hold a crowd, and you can hear some raucous shouting- and then a small, rumbling explosion- inside as people wait to be let in. Behind that a little ways is a stage with a podium and large canvas back- several people seem to be gathering there, but no one is on the stage as of now. Further in the back you can see a number of vehicles displayed, and to the side, you can see some strange, small podiums- you can see some people shapes on them, with virtual reality goggles on their heads.

Lorelei lets out a low whistle. "Wooow, seems like they really put themselves out here!" She squints, and gives off a grin. I'mma be going to the back, see what that's all about."

"I'm curious as to what that gathering is, myself." Izumi responds. "I might sample some food and see what that's about."

"Yeah? Tell me if ya come across anything good!" Lorelei says as she darts off.

As for you...

>Head back there with Lorelei.
>Hang around Izumi, see what the speech is about.
>Check out the games alley and start humiliating poor kids.
>See what's going on in that domed area. Sounds like a hell of a time.
>Just walk around and see what you see.

>>1884555
>>See what's going on in that domed area. Sounds like a hell of a time.

probably last vote for now - it's 1:28am here

>>1884555
>See what's going on in that domed area. Sounds like a hell of a time.

5 until lock.

>Just walk around and see what you see

Oh, been writing!

>>1884555
>>1884577
>>1884600
>>1884630
"If that's the case, I'm going to see what's inside the dome." You've got a pretty good idea of what's going on in there, but you still want to see for yourself. Interdiction was probably using that as their magically enclosed fighting arena to show off- and likely doing a solid job of it judging by the various cheers and jeers that echo from the inside. It's locked tight right now, and there's a line outside waiting for it to open once again. Fortunately, it seems as though they're about to open the doors now that the fighting's done with for now.

As you enter, you're surprised to see what looks to be a wrestling ring surrounded by stands. Two individuals seem to be panting and breathless in the middle of it - and to your surprise neither of them seem to be Interdiction. It's one older-looking man, and a younger kid, it's clear that the older guy's gotten the worst of it. His clothes, what looked to be at one point of very dapper shirt, vest, and trouser combo, are dirty and torn a bit. He's sporting a few good bruises as well, not to mention he seems to have been shocked at some point, if the way his hair is frizzing is any indication. He does seem to be taking it in good sport, however, as he has a rather wide grin on his face, shaking the hand of the Interdiction member that bested him- a younger boy with spiky hair, and a wild expression. He looks like he's on the verge of cheering for himself, but he at the very least seems to remember his manners as he shakes the man's hand vigorously.

"Oomph!" Suddenly, you feel a jostling movement from your side, someone having bumped into you during your perusal of the area. He's a larger fellow, some sort of orc or pig-like creature with two big tusks jutting out from his jaw. "Whoop, sorry there, Miss! Hey, trust me, you're in for a treat! This is a great place if you catch a duo that really know how to throw down!" He laughs as he leaves the area, and you find yourself wondering just what's going on...

Roll 1d100. Best of 3.

Rolled 1 (1d100)

>>1884872

Any other rolls? Next entry was to be the last one anyway.

Rolled 96 (1d100)

>>1884872
>>1884949
Sure, I'll give it a shot.

Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>1884872

>>1884872

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>1885088
shit I fucked up the dice.
what a waste of double dubs and it's too late

>>1884872
>>1884912
>>1884992
>>1885049
>>1885109
Alright, you just need to find yourself a seat. As you glance around, you're dismayed to find that the only non-standing open spot is next to a large, drooling, sleeping fellow that seems to have used the dome as an impromptu napping spot. Well, if needs must, you suppose...

"Ey! You there! Ms, uh, Green n' Pigtailed!" You blink briefly, turning around to see the source of the call. It's- oh. It's the kid who had just been in the ring show shortly before. Now that you have a little bit closer look at him, you can see that physically he looks around your age. He's got more than a few strange, sharp sticks in his hair that seem to contribute to how wild his flaming hairstyle looks, and he's actually got freckles underneath those big green eyes of his. His grin stretches from ear-to-ear, and he seems to be the sort that can't quite stand still - he's constantly swinging his arms back and forth like he's getting ready to go somewhere. Combine that with his baggy khaki shorts, t-shirt, and khaki vest that makes them look like he just came straight out of a survival situation, and it's very clear that this is a kid that likes action.

"Hm?" He jogs up to you, seemingly none the worse for stamina despite his visible injuries. "Yes?"

"Aheh, well, I, uh..." And suddenly seems to go right out of him as he looks away frowning to himself. "Right, dangit, what was I..." there's a brief mumbling from him before he just shakes his head. "Uh, you saw th' fightin', right?"

"Ah. Sorry, I just missed it. I was under the impression that it would just be Interdiction doing the fighting, actually..." you admit.

He lets out a small chortle. "Oh, naaaaah! They set this place up so what anyone that wants to give it a shot can, so long as they agree to a waiver first!" He pounds his fists together in excitement as he looks around. "Place is great fer getting into a good scrap! Been in three already!" Huh. Blood knight sort? Interesting. "A-and I saw the way you was looking around, yeah? An' I dunno, you got that feel, yeah? Yer not lax, an' I'm good at tellin', and ya look like a gal fit to smash a bloke or two so maybe I was wonderin' if you mighta been up for a go around! Or- or sumthin'." He turns away after the outburst, growing redder all the while.

You give a slow blink. You're...not entirely certain how to respond to this red haired ball of twitching.

(Will continue tomorrow! Hoping, praying at 1PM CST. Eyes on Twitter)

Miranda won't get any sleep for a week

>>1885162
>you look like a gal fit to smash

uuuhhhhhhh

>>1885193
He likes smashing things. S'what he does.

>>1885208
ITT: 14 year old smashes miranda

>>1885162
Thanks for running!

>>1885193
What?

>>1885263
Better yet. 17 year old girl smashes 14 year old boy.

File: 1425091000247.png (373 KB, 500x1200)

373 KB PNG

>>1885162
Oh yes.

> Oh yes.

>>1885162
"So, uh, yeah! What they do is that once the doors close though send out lil' blue drones, n' they'll pick two folks what might be a good match! You got to sign off on it verbally n' all, but once ya do, ring's all yours! N' afterwards, they got themselves a little private room in tha back fer fighters to cool down in without havin' to worry about anyone else. S'the best seat in the house, swear it! They got themselves a real nice ice tub n' direct feed and you can watch all tha good fights in style! D-d'ya wanna see? I'ma fighter, so's I can bring folk back there!" He finally lets up with his pitch, breathing heavily with a sheer blush on his face.

You find yourself feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable as you think about how to actually reply.

>I...suppose that wouldn't be too amiss if I'm being invited.
>I don't think it would be a good idea if I haven't fought.
>Other

Ugh, dropped my trip. Anyway, hallo folks.

15 minutes to go due to start of thread, if anyone's out there.

>>1886641
>I...suppose that wouldn't be too amiss if I'm being invited.

>>1886641
>>I don't think it would be a good idea if I haven't fought.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Tie, so I'll flip for it.

1- We're going.
2- We're not.

Writing, then!

>>1886641
>>1886663
>>1886667
You're not at all certain about this plan of action, but he seems nice enough...you guess. "Alright, then. If you're sure, then lead the way."

"Right!" As you expected, he seems rather jazzed about it. "C'mon, I'll introduce ya to all the blokes what I roughed up- I know most r' still sittin' pretty in there, ehaha! Oh, right, uh...wazzer name?"

This boy... "Miranda."

"Right! Name's Zander. Friends jus' call me Zippy!" Apt nickname. At any rate, he quickly leads you past the crowd, between a few bleachers, to where an unassuming door lies, with a single man standing by it. Seems to be his destination. "Oy, Charlie! Mind any if I bring a guest back here?"

The man, who you can see is outfitted with a small gun-like device and something resembling a pair of tonfas, gives you a quick once-over and then nods. "Make sure you don't get in any trouble back there, otherwise you'll get thrown out of the event entirely." You give him a nod of understanding, and he waves you both through.

The room is a little bit bigger than you would have expected, and it's actually rather stylish to boot. Nice, red carpeted floor with what seems to be a number of padded benches, most next to a large drawer that seems to be filled with various medical supplies, if the one that's open nearest you is indication of anything. Bandages, creams, and other such things are resplendent, and each resting area has its own full body mirror so that you can well see anything that needs patching up. There's also a tiled bathroom looking area further back, and TVs in several corners, as he claimed. Even has a small vending machine sitting in the corner. There's a couple other competitors here currently as well, including the gentleman that you saw earlier that just got out of a fight with your current guide. He's still got a light smile on his face, even as he applies a few appointments to his bruised upper body.

"See what I mean? Place is tops!" Zander crows. "Perfect place ta get comfy after a good row, n' you can keep your eyes on th' fights without having to worry about sitting next to some bogan." Some what? He doesn't seem to register your confusion, instead popping down on one of the comfortable looking benches nearby. "Anyways, come have a sit." You do so, and you have a few moments of silence only broken by the boy coughing once or twice. You could swear the old man chuckles a bit, but before he can actually say anything about it, Zander finally starts up again. "Sooo...yer here lookin' into Innerdiction, yeah? Seems like they got the way of it. Was thinkin' about signin' on meself, if'n in means I can get inta scraps like this daily. Grub's pretty ace, too. What about you?"

>I was just here to waste some time.
>I'm kinda already in an organization like this.
>Is that all you're about? Getting into fights?
>Other

>>1886787
>Is that all you're about? Getting into fights?

>>1886787
>Is that all you're about? Getting into fights?

4 minutes until lock.

When all you have is a hammer...

Writing.

>>1886787
>>1886797
>>1886821
You have to admit you find his reasoning for joining a bit curious. "Is that all you're worried about- getting into big fights?" You can't say you haven't met this kind before. Rather often in fact. But sometimes they just seem so...dull, because of it. "I'm sure you've got more going for you than just beating people up. Not that's not fun." Part of you feels like you might be a bit hypocritical, but you quickly silence that little piece of your head.

"Well, nah!" he refutes. "I like helpin' folks out, mostly. Cookin', too! Got me a lil' grillin' job at a steakhouse in the Eatery District. S'just not doin' as much business as we like as of late, so I was thinking about cuttin' out and going back to me first love. Found out 'bout this lil' shindig not much after I decided to go for that. Figured I'd at least take a look around and see if'n it was all it's cracked up to be." He's maybe a head shorter than you, and it shows as he swings his legs, just barely not hitting the ground. "So far? Lovin' it! But anyway, you didn't answer my part of it yet!" he says with a grin. "You jus' here ta be here, or you lookin' to get the lay of the land 'fore steppin' on, too?"

"Well... I can tell you that I'm not here to join," you admit. "I guess I'm-"

"Oh, hold that thought, they got a pair!" Zander interrupts. "Lesse what they got set!"

cont.

>>1886997
Mentally snorting, you look up at the television, where it seems that they indeed have managed to find two individuals interested in beating each other up, and the crowd is silent as they prepare. One of them is a younger looking girl, younger than you actually. She looks like she can't be much older than maybe 12, with rich pink hair in a single pigtail, and a very fluffy looking princess-style dress, yet she carries herself with incredible poise and calmness. She's handing something over to one of the guards... It looks like a pair of daggers actually. Yikes.

On the other side is an older, rough-looking sort. He looks like a teenaged Japanese gangster, with a jacket with cut-off sleeves, dirty jeans, and a stained t-shirt, with his large spiky hair and rough stubble. He also has what looks to be some sort of chain in his hand, though it only looks a few arm-lengths long. You're not even sure it's long enough to reach across the stage. He starts to hand over his chain similarly, although a word from the girl stops them. "It's fine. He can keep it."

A low 'oooooohhh' goes up from the crowd at the perceived insult, but the boy doesn't seem to care overmuch, simply grinning at her. "Hey, your funeral!" he unfurls the chain and gives it a few test spins, swinging it around his body in a show of skill and intimidation. He's not just flailing it around either; it's clear he really knows how to use the thing, judging by how well he can manipulate the swings. Just as you surmised however, it's not long enough to reach across the stage at least.

"Hoo boy, I can tell you this one's going to be a ripsnorter! Think that gal's got 'is number, though." Zander is bouncing in his seat now, and you swear you can see a little buzz of electricity arc off the sticks in his hair. "Hey, wanna make a bet?" he asks, turning to you- yep, that's electricity coming off of him. "I win, you and me gotta throw down any time I want for tha' next...lessay six cycles, yeah! If you win...uhh...I'll treat ya to a full course meal at the restaurant I work. Free!"

Hmm...

>Deal.
>No Deal.
>Different stakes. (Other)

>>1887000
>>No Deal.

>>1887000
>Deal.

>>1887000
>Deal.

>>1887000
>Deal.
Show him no mercy, hold nothing back. I want Miranda to spotlight her brutal fighting style.

Rolled 80 (1d100)

The bargain is struck. In which case, roll a 1d100. Best of three. May the better competitor win!

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>1887058

Rolled 15 (1d100)

>>1887058

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>1887058

The boy calls 'em well. Writing!

>>1887000
>>1887025
>>1887030
>>1887032
>>1887066
>>1887067
>>1887077
"Fine. Deal." You can't say that it really sounds all that bad. You win, a free meal. You lose... Well okay, that could be a bit inconvenient, but it shouldn't be anything horrible, right?

One of the drones goes up to the center of the ring, and flashes red, then yellow... And as soon as the light turns green they're both in motion. The thug immediately tries to snake out his chain as the girl darts forward in a flash of pink, only for her to dodge in the blink of an eye, leaping a lightly into the air to deliver a jumping kick buried inside his chest. He puts his arm up, but it's not enough to block the force. The delinquent flies back to the edge of the ring, only to bounce off of the ropes like a ragdoll and stumble onto the ground, right at the feet of the girl who has yet to break that serene smile. He's not there for long however - with no warning, his chain moves with barely a twitch from his wrist, and seeks to bind up the girls ankles like a python. She's not still long enough for it to happen however, bounding out of the way with an elegant backwards somersault as the thug gets back onto his feet.

"Cute..." the thug mocks, not smiling at all as his chain returns back to him, now looking for all the world like a metal snake in the way it moves. "Don't think you can keep dodgin' forever!"

"I shouldn't have to," she responds primly. That only gets a growl from him, and his chain once again lashes out as the fight is renewed.

It seems that Zander is quite good at being able to tell who can fight, as the rest of the fight goes much the same way; the girl's speed and agility is far too much for even the chain snake to keep up with, her movements flowing from one end to the other almost seamlessly once she gets into a rhythm. It's actually rather impressive, and you can't help but wonder if she's already part of an Outgoer outfit or not. Most likely she is. Can't help but notice that she does have a bit of a weakness however - some of her movements are bit too flowery, and you spot a few openings you're pretty sure that you could have taken advantage of, had it been you in the ring.

Fortunately for her, you aren't, and the person who IS in the ring with her clearly doesn't see those same openings. It seems as though he's getting assaulted from all sides, and the snake is striking at air. All the meanwhile everyone's hooting and hollering at the display from the girl - Zander included especially, as he's currently standing on the bench. "Ahaha! Yeah! Too much swingin' and out and not enough hittin', eh, mate!?" You're tempted to tell him to get down, but you figure you don't want to spoil his good mood.

cont.

>>1887216
After a couple of more minutes of dipping and dodging, along with precision and powerful palm strikes and ballet kicks mixed with the occasional roughhousing- it's always entertaining to see someone pull off a suplex on someone else twice their size- the delinquent with the living chain lays flat, bruised and beaten, and his chain lays limp.

"WOOOOO!" Zander lets out a how that could be characterized as something close to wolf like, much to the immediate shushing of everyone else in the room. It's only then that he sits down, a blush on his face, but an ear-splitting grin on it as well. "Now THAT'S how it's done!" he then turns to you smugly folding his arms. "And now you an' I get ta' smash up day or night!"

... You open your mouth immediately to try and correct his phrasing, but he's already actually got your wrist before you can say anything. "An' you an' me are 'bout to have our first go right now!" You wish you could've guessed otherwise, but...

>Wait, aren't you still reeling from that first match? I'm not gonna fight you when you're not at your best.
>You sure we can't maybe schedule this a bit later? I'm actually kinda here with friends- and for a reason...
>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.
>Other

>>1887221
>Wait, aren't you still reeling from that first match? I'm not gonna fight you when you're not at your best

Work calls, so votes are open until I say otherwise.

>>1887221
>>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.

>>1887221
>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.
Let's not give him the opportunity to cut us off again.

>>1887221
>>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.
time to beat this guy right into the ground since miranda is an absolute god damn monster in mahou shoujo form.

>>1887343
Clearly got some super shocker powers going. Doesn't seem that bad either Just exciteable.

>>1887343
>>1887406
guys, let's not underestimate the opposition, who knows what tricks he has under his sleeve. also the RNG/dice gods can fuck us over.
proceed with caution.

>>1887221
>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.

>>1887576
This. Lets not fuck this up with weird choices, and be serious about it. Lot of people are watching.

>>1887221
>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.

Don't underestimate this guy. Plus, if we win really really hard, he might be inclined to join Silver Eye Solutions instead of Interdiction, and filling the roster might be handy. Even if he doesn't join us, then we'd have another contact within Interdiction, which is pretty good too.

>>1887221
>>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight.

We gotta hide our powerlevel though, it'd be embarassing if we could only beat him all beat up.

>>1887692
There IS that. He's been in like three fights and still hyped. So He's got stamina.

>>1887702
I mean, you'd have to if you were planning on smashing Miranda.

>>1887221
>>Say nothing. He wants a fight so badly, he'll get himself a fight

>>1887576
If we use d20s again we're gonna get smashed in more ways than one.

>>1887406
Wouldn't it be funny if our own electricity skills will cancel or overpower his. He'd turn into the fanboy from oblivion

>>1887221
>Other

I mean yeah let's go all out.

But let's ask if he wants to put another bet on this first match. Meal for meal, either he treats us at his restaurant or we'll take him out for drinks.

Yes. I'm a sore loser.

>>1888431
>>1887221

I too would like to have more betting.

Man, in hindsight taking on that bet was a stupid idea.

>>1889041
Why?

>>1889122
The girl was confident enough to let her opponent use his weapon without needing her own, and we noticed the shortness of the chain early on.

Ugh. Had to deal with power outage. I could run, but it'll be maybe an update or two before work, so I'll postpone it until tomorrow.

>>1889154
It was a calculated risk, with no real price except our time. And if there's one thing we have in abundance, it's time.

>>1887221
>>1887228
>>1887265
>>1887343
>>1887598
>>1887619
>>1887692
>>1887745
Fine. He wants to be in a fight so badly, then you'll just let that happen. The fact that he's a little bit beaten up already, and doesn't seem to realize that no matter how much stamina he's got, it's probably not endless?

Well, sometimes harsh lessons need to be learned. Hopefully. Because if he manages to beat a fresh you while having already been in three fights, it's going to be kind of embarrassing. And he really doesn't seem like he's particularly winded or anything, despite the fact that you can clearly see a couple of bruises that have yet to go down.

It's hardly been a couple of minutes since the two previous fighters have actually left the ring; the girl seems to have gotten a number of sudden fans judging by the ring of admirers around her, while the guy is nowhere to be found. Zander immediately starts looking around- for one of the drones, you presume- while you take a closer look at the ring itself. It doesn't really seem to be anything special, but you do notice that circling it seems to be a small bumped up ring in the floor, and that at certain intervals, a small light seems to be emanating from inside. Magic dissolver barrier, you can guess. There has to be some way to keep the crowd safe while at the same time letting the combatants throw down at full power. Impressive setup. Very rare to get a hold of. Your mind thinks back to what Owlia manage to pull off - she could probably make a pretty decent penny if she managed to replicate what she had going on in her own world and was able to apply it in such a fashion that she could sell it. Anti-magic was rather uncommon, in most forms - complete nullification especially. What little was available tended to be more 'counter-magic' than 'magic cancelling' that wasn't the area of The Intersection itself.

"Hey! We're good ta go!" Zander calls out of nowhere. "They say this is gunna to be me last, either way, so I'm really hoping this is a real treat! C'mon, let's get set!" He's pretty much already in the ring as you turned to look at him.

cont.

>>1889700
Right. Might as well do that. As you walk closer, you're suddenly interrupted by one of the circular drones. 'Are you agreed to the hold harmless agreement as stated here? This agreement assures that your compliance is within regulation of local rules and assurance that you will not seek additional compensation, medical or otherwise, for any injuries sustained in this event. Should you attempt to break this agreement or otherwise violate its tenants, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent The Intersection may allow.'

Simple enough. "Yes."

There's a beep. "Name for confirmation?"

"Miranda Styles." Another beep. And then a few moments of whirring.

"Identity confirmed. Have a pleasant day!" And with that the Drone flies off.

It's a few minutes before they close the doors and everyone else takes their seats- once everyone's set, you notice that once again there doesn't to be any sitting space in the house - standing room only. This has to be one of their most popular events today. The crowd is loud and raucous, and you can hear a few voices chant for Zander- seems he has some repeat fans.

"C'mon, this is gonna be GRAND!" He's already bouncing around now a little, and as you watch him you can see a change come over his eyes- something less friendly and warm, more...eager and feral. Like a warrior about to begin a hunt for a glorious beast. You can see small arcs of electricity starting to come off of his hair again, as well as off of his fingertips this time. You're going to have to be careful, no doubt.

You take a deep breath to focus yourself as the Drone announces your names, and comes into the center of the ring. With a little beep of warning, you see the thing turn red...yellow...

Green- and the dead second and it flashes such, Zander is already almost in front of you, fist sparking and reared back in an electric punch.

>Dodge! That’s quick, but if he’s gonna be a bull about it...well, ole, and all that.
>Try to parry his punch. He’s not the only one that can give a shock, and you *think* you can hit harder.
>Blast him point blank- if he gets hit, grand, if he manages to dodge, you can relocate.
>Other

(Just wanted to get SOMETHING out today.)

>>1889704
>Dodge and retaliate with a sun flare.

>>1889704
>>Try to parry his punch. He’s not the only one that can give a shock, and you *think* you can hit harder.

>>1889704
>Try to parry his punch. He’s not the only one that can give a shock, and you *think* you can hit harder.
We've gotta put out a different show than the last few.

>>1889704
>>Blast him point blank- if he gets hit, grand, if he manages to dodge, you can relocate.

>>1889704
>Try to parry his punch. He’s not the only one that can give a shock, and you *think* you can hit harder.
if he does dodge our hits,
>Blast him point blank- if he gets hit, grand, if he manages to dodge, you can relocate.

analyze what his powerset and fighting techniques are. we should preserve our energy and powers as much as possible.

>>1890666
I'm worried we won't have too long. He's probably a rushdown master.

>>1889704
>Blast him point blank- if he gets hit, grand, if he manages to dodge, you can relocate.

>>1889704
>Set up a barrier and let him smash into it, once his momentum is gone bring it down and sock him in the face

Howdy, all. Writing shortly.

>>1894162
Hey boss

>>1889704
>>1889740
>>1889798
>>1890666
>>1894165

In the blink of an eye, your combat instincts scream into action, shifting your body so that press forward a single step, your body lighting up with your own electricity. Your fist shoots out in an intent to meet his, and they both collide in a shower of sparks as streams of electricity arc up from the both of you, twisting together in an much to the astounded and wild cheers of the crowd! Your eyes meet his, and it's clear that he's rather delighted by this new discovery, even as he's pushed back by the severe blow. "Oh, ain't THAT a beaut!" Zander crows, but you don't give him any time to recover - not that he needs it. As you dart in for your own assault, you hear a 'BANG!' from him, and that's all the warning you need to shift your body to the left as a lightning bolt suddenly arcs from him, impacting the area you just were. You respond with a magiblast as you close the distance- he quickly jukes out of the way, but that's all you need to close the gap. Unfortunately, he proves to be more shifty, slipping your first two punches and quickly moving in on your personal space in an effort to get behind you. You're a bit too experienced for that though; a spinning backhand to him doesn't stop his assault, but it does dissuade his recklessness enough for him to hop a little bit away and get you both a bit of room.

From there on it's a song of storms as the two of you clash, each high-speed impact resulting in shocks of electricity going up from the both of you, and providing quite the visual spectacle for the crowd. An electrified leg snakes out at you, only for you to deflect it wholly, managing to catch his leg and redirect it upwards, forcing him into a impromptu backflip. A quick attempt at taking advantage via a close range straight punch results in him grabbing you by said arm while still in mid-air. Both his hands grip on your own as he manages to stay stable as he lands, transitioning the somersault into a over-the-shoulder throw. You've got enough sense in you to reorient yourself in mid-air, turning the fall into a tumble as you find yourself near the ropes upon rising. You quickly brace yourself for another attack...

...only to find him playing to the crowd, and maybe taunting you? You're not entirely certain what those rapid fire double fist pumps are meant to be, but he's got a massive grin on his face, and the crowd seems to be loving it as his hair sparks up.

He's fast, you have to admit. And while his fighting style isn't refined, his sheer instinct is picking up the slack ably enough. Just going in and trying to beat him down isn't exactly going to result in an overwhelming victory.

>Try to get him to come to you- it's risky, but if he makes a mistake during his offense...
>See if he won't fall for any baiting attacks- he seems to move at every little thing. If you can direct that movement...
>Try to overwhelm him with long range. He can't dodge forever.
>Other

>>1894412
>Try to overwhelm him with long range. He can't dodge forever.
We've got the firepower, might as well use it.

>>1894412
> other

Distract him with mana blasts while we lay traps.

He'll love showing off by dodging. I suggest we act like we're frustrated by it to egg him on.

>>1894412
>Make him come to you and disorient him with a sun flare and a mana flux wave

I'm playing this while I write.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shokwmeFE6Y

Iunno, it seems appropriate.

>>1894412
>>See if he won't fall for any baiting attacks- he seems to move at every little thing. If you can direct that movement...
I think something too ham might make a spectacle of our ability. Just get that sweet counterpunch in and finish him off.

If you know what I mean

10 minutes due to start of run, we'll see if any strategies come out.

>>1894412
>>Make him come to you and disorient him with a sun's flare

We locked, we writing, we confuse.

I'm probably gonna use more than one of these options.

>>1894444
I don't know if we want to show off our Flux Wave. It's pretty unusual and we are in a very public place. Might want to keep it in reserve.

>>1894581
Nah man let's just fuck up the audience. Don't forget it's also how we dealt with Cylica's anti-magic barrier.

>>1894573
Bombard him at long range while we set Light Traps, then when he rushes in use Sun Flare to disorientate him and direct him into the traps? He'll probably dodge instinctively while disorientated so if we set the traps to one side then move off to the other side while shooting at him he'll dodge right into them.

We can even try to set a pattern while bombarding him to lull him into dodging the same way each time.

>>1894592
nah fuck that shit man. We're just having a little smash, not on the job.

>>1894588
That's a good reason to not use it as well.

>>1894602
Which part don't you like? If we bait him it also has a nice thematic continuity with our poker night when we pointed out that the one guy could have just kept the Kid Villain playing the game as a distraction by losing and egging him on.

>>1894606
yeah thats the point B. We really shouldn't.
>>1894613
I guess? but we're not actually playing a game with him, this is a light tussle. We gotta hide powerlevels.

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>>1894667
Actually I kind of like the trap idea.

It's better than just pumping out raw power at him, and it deals with his dodging pretty well.

We can set it up so that when he comes at us, he has to either take the blast or hit the traps.

If we set up three in a triangle then whatever approach he uses will run into it.

That way we can look like we are less powerful, but make up for it by being tactical. Which fits our whole reputation as being in a small Company.

>>1894667
Yeah but we're at an exhibition. We still gotta show off. It actually IS a game. Potential clients are here.

>>1894725
yeah but trap is a ton of mana, and we don't have any cover for when it detonates. we should really just stick to hand-to-hand and basic power emission

>>1894731
This isn't even our clientbase, it's just a bunch of other outgoers.

>>1894739
So? We aren't on a mission as >>1894602
pointed out.

No need to conserve our mana.

>>1894743
We've been hired by them before to help out on missions. Like. Dynamic Methods is who hired us out for the job where we picked up Owlia and Cyclia.

>>1894743
We've been hired by them before.

Besides, didn't you notice Zander is playing to the crowd too? Dudes taunting. We should try to A) Make it look good and B) Win.

Just overwhelming him with power is kind of . . . Meh. Especially since our hosts outclass us by several power levels. Also it would be boring.

This is a festival kind of thing. Think "Rodeo Wrestling".

>>1894765
That mission was based off of our pre-existing reputation, I don't think letting go of the power limiters to trounce some dweeb is doing us any favors. Taking care of him efficiently will catch the eye of more discernig customers way more than a pointless display.

>>1894743
Bunch of outgoers that can become employees or employers if we put up a good show.

EVERY PUBLIC EVENT IS A CHANCE TO GET A NEW GIG.

Never forget that and also applies to RL

>>1894781
Yeah, but when exactly has Miranda ever been the wrestling and making a show type? It's in character to deal with him succinctly, especially since he wants to make a big show.

>>1894765
>>1894739
I mean a trap IS 1000 mana. But we have 11000 l. My concern is that it's highly visible.

I almost think that we could just cast it on ourselves though and taunt Zander into rushing us. "SEE IF YOU CAN BREAK MY PERFECT DEFENSE!" Lol.

And it goes boom which would be nice and flashy.

It's not like I'm saying use something nofun like our Orbital Ring.

>>1894792
No fuck that, no more new members for a while. We're already probably gonna be stuck with the littlest blood knight, we'll pick people up when we find them.

>>1894793
Remember when we had to act like a Villain for a bunch of noob magical girls and had a blast doing it?

Yeah.

An entire mission was us doing that.

>>1894783
> I don't think letting go of the power limiters to trounce some dweeb is doing us any favors.

We're using one of our lower level skills to show off, not really letting go of the "Power Limiters".

It's a passive skill at that, if we use it without a plan he can just avoid it. Also he's been dodging all of our attacks and he matched us in hand to hand AND HE'S ALREADY FOUGHT MULTIPLE MATCHES.

I don't know why you think he's just "some dweeb" when we've had multiple indicators that he's a serious contender.

It's like the Innkeeper who is a retired adventurer. Keep that in mind, that's who this guy is.

Finally I'm not sure why you think this won't affect our reputation as well.

> You can’t say that’s not interesting in a weird kind of way. “And where would we come in?”

>“Heavy combat infiltration and support.” Is his blunt response. “We’ve determined that your skillsets would be extremely valuable to our operation, while at the same time more affordable than other contemporaries.” Interesting… “Any further details would only be given upon agreement to the collaboration.”

> while at the same time more affordable than other contemporaries.

We got the job because we were cheap.

>>1894798
The point isnt to accept them, but to make ourselves stand out AND have prospects when we decide to get more members.

>>1894798
> Employees or Employers

Hey, remember a couple threads ago when we didn't have enough members for one of the jobs?

Besides, they don't have to be full time employees, they can just be contract workers for specific missions.

Or alternatively we can get subcontracted for better jobs.

>>1894808
That entire mission was us still being stoic and doing benign mysterious things, nothing like this wrestling shit.

>>1894818

>Hey, remember a couple threads ago when we didn't have enough members for one of the jobs?

That was a sad miscomunication error. Couriers can count for those missions as long as there is an enforcer with them.

>>1894798
Nobody said we have to take them. But it's good to have contacts regardless and know people that can be called on when needed.

Just out of curiosity, how do YOU see the fight playing out? I mean you said you want to take him down "efficiently" but I'm not sure what your plan for that is.

>>1894808
Just dodgind on instinct isn't an indicator of being a contender, Miranda can 100% beat him in a fistfight based entirely on experience, we also have no clue how tough any of the fights he's had so far were. He could have just as easily been coasting off of relatively easy opponents than otherwise, he hasn't really been affected by them outside of some bruises.

>>1894820

FYI >>1894412

>He's fast, you have to admit. And while his fighting style isn't refined, his sheer instinct is picking up the slack ably enough. Just going in and trying to beat him down isn't exactly going to result in an overwhelming victory.

So I'm going to second >>1894826

and ask "What's your plan"? I'd like to ask >>1894739 to elaborate because it looks like we were just told H2H and basic power emission won't cut it.

>>1894826
Just waiting him out and blindsiding him when an opening appears, with as low an energy expenditure as possible.

>>1894840
Literally we were just told that wasn't going to work. Right after fighting him hand to hand.

>>1894412
Well, he seems to enjoy being on the offensive, and you suppose you can't really blame him. But that can turn from a strength to a weakness really easily...

... Which is why you decide to do your own 'pumping', your arms shooting out, palms outstretched, but at the moment doing nothing.

For a brief moment, all falls silent, like a gunslinger duel about to happen. You can even see Zander twitching his fingers like he's about to reach for a gun- even though he doesn't have any.

Then he blinks.

Like a sudden explosion, you begin to sling out magiblasts like an organic machine gun. True to what you expect, Zander just lets out a laugh as the first few collide where he was standing less than a second ago, and the crowd erupts as the battle takes a new turn. Suddenly an eruption of small explosions tear across the canvas as you do your best to corral him in the direction that you want- which is right toward you. Zander seems to pick up speed in response to this, surprisingly enough, tearing across the large ring in an flash of yellow- although you do see two shots happened to clip his sides, his sheer forward momentum is only reduced, not stopped.

When you light up, causing everyone in the stands to cry out in surprise, he doesn't. He just leaps forward, and you've got to dive to get out of the way of his flying tackle. You both hit the canvas in a roll, and you're quickly up to try and plan what next to do - but Zander isn't. In fact, for the first time since the fight started, he's perfectly still- on one knee and a hand to the ground.

Although he does still have that incessant grin on his face. "Ahah- I knew you was a beauty! Pretty enough ta blind a bloke!"

...Drown out the audience. Embarrassment is for non-professionals. You just need to stick to the objective. He's blinded, won't not be blinded for a bit. You need to make a move if you want to take advantage of this. Within a few moments, you have a light trap set to the left side of him, watching him carefully as he's still on one knee. He's gotta be waiting for something, but you're not sure what... it's already raising some red flags in your head, though.

>Try to bait him into that light trap with more blasts.
>Move in close range- carefully.
>Other

>>1894849
Mayweather this shit?

Not really Mirandas style. Also boring. Also hoping he runs out of energy before we do. Also hoping he doesn't have any tricks of his own.

Oh, and almost forgot:

>Mana: 9500/11000

>>1894870
Just a non-confrontational note, A bunch of these idea's are the same person (me) and I'd really rather not derail the thread with my own opinion.

I can't keep up with this many people anymore, not while phoneposting anyways.

>>1894870
> Bait him into the trap with a Magi Wave

Used for faster enemies you say?

>>1894886
We all get just one vote anyways bro. Don't worry about spitballing or defending your plans.

>>1894886
*IDs, not idea's.

>>1894870
>Try to bait him into that light trap with more blasts.

>>1894886
Sorry if I come off as confrontational.

Could you link the posts that were you? I think there's only 4 of us here.

>>1894870
>>Try to bait him into that light trap with a magi-wave

Locked, shooting, writing.

>>1894925

>>1894902
>>1894849
>>1894820
>>1894743
>>1894602
These are all me, about as far back as I though lt was relevant.

>Dude, what the heck just happened?

>Looks like a flashbang went off in there. Kid's having more trouble with this one than the others...hasn't really gotten a clean hit on her yet.

>Yo, she's kinda scary. Hasn't said a damn word all fight, just looks like she's tryin' to trash him.

>Not much of an entertainer, no. She's fighting like she got somethin' on the line. He's lovin' it, though. Maybe she's his type?

>Pffft, shush. Really, I just hope the dude's okay. Would suck if he lost now, he's been tearin' it up!

>Relax, he's still got plenty left in the tank, I'd say. COME ON, KID, YOU CAN DO THIS!

>>1895020
Oh we gotta kick his ass now.

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1.68 MB GIF

>>1895020
Hrm. Looks like we aren't coming off as very sportsmanlike.

We should call him out. Taunt him a little in return.

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>>1895054
Seems like we need to re invoke our inner MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE... or the stargirl perona.

>>1895072
>the first rule of fightpit
>don't talk about stargirl

>>1895072
I dunno. I think we should play a Heel actually. We enjoyed being the Dramatic Villain! Once before already.

>>1894870
>>1894892
>>1894918
>>1894935
All right, if he's just going to sit there, time to give him a reason to move. A palm turns into two fingers, and you quickly slice the air multiple times, magiwaves scything through the air in a blink. They're fast, but audible, and he'll still likely try to dodge them-

- and dodge them he does, but not quite how you expect. His movements are smooth, yet sharp. Whereas before he let every movement simply flow into another movement, he's now starting and stopping with precision- he jukes to the side, as you expected, but in a trio of a very sharp dodges, all moving at the same distance that he thinks is viable. It's such a marked departure from his usual movement style it catches you off-guard for the briefest of moments; your surprise turns into a slight relief as you see him step into the range of your trap, the light billowing for from it as it immediately lets loose a torrent of light energy. You can hear a small gurgle of pain go up from him as of the energy washes over him, and for a second it crosses your mind that perhaps that might have been enough to drop him.

That line of thought immediately ends as before the blast is even finished, a bolt of lightning comes from the midst of it- the energy was too opaque for you to see throug- FUCK.

You let out something close to a sizzling yelp as the electricity washes over you; you might be able to channel your own electricity, but that doesn't mean you're immune to the stuff someone else puts out. Especially not the kind this kid seems to be able to toss out there! It's like all your nerves are on fire all at once and being rattled around in a drying machine at the same time!

The pain ends a little bit later than you'd hope, and you find your legs buckling just a bit. At the same time, you do manage to glance over to where Zander is - he doesn't look to be faring well, judging by the burns on his body, and the occasional shiver that goes through them- though the way he stands, proud, eyes closed...and STILL grinning... would give you a different impression. "Sorry, darl, but...eheh...figured if you gave me a surprise, I'd give you one!" Cheers go up, and you find yourself wondering just what is it going to take to keep Zander down.

>Banter back at him a bit. You can't help but be impressed.
>Keep focused- he's got to be reeling on the inside now. You might be able to close distance.
>Range seems to be the key- try to keep playing the cat-and-mouse game.
>Other

>>1895146
>Banter back! But keep an eye on sudden movements!


OH YEAH

>>1895146
>>Range seems to be the key- try to keep playing the cat-and-mouse game.

>>1895146
>Banter back at him a bit. You can't help but be impressed.

"I was already shocked to see you were still standing.``

Then

>Range seems to be the key- try to keep playing the cat-and-mouse game.

>>1895146
>>Banter back! But keep an eye on sudden movements!

I should mention that like >>1895176 inputs for what to say are being considered.

>>1895195
(>>1895159)
Kid, I came here to kick ass and chew bubblegum . . . .

>>1895146
"This isn't even my final form!"

I have no idea what kind of banter you do on stage during wrassling

>Energy channel to our hands, get into a tight fist-fight. While keeping him occupied in CQC, set up 3 Light barriers behind him and box him in so he can't get away.

>>1895146
>Banter back at him a bit. You can't help but be impressed.

"You're pretty light on your feet. Too bad you're also light on firepower"

> Just start pumping out Mana Blasts.

>>1895195
>>1895176
In that case I want to change it a little to

> I was more shocked to see you were still standing, I'm less shocked at finding out you're quick to shoot off. Do you need a bit before you're good to go again?

> Just kidding on the spoilered part. No way Miranda would say that.

"Too bad for you a professional like me always stays grounded."

"Maybe you should stick to cooking, because you aren't going to taste victory today. Then again, if your cooking is as mild as your fighting then you probably don't taste much of anything."

Locked, bantz engaged. Writing.

>>1895286
Och we're gonna use Megaphone for this right?

>>1895290
of course!

>>1895286
Woo, just under the gun.

>>1895286

I wonder if using Megaphone will mess with his hearing. I mean, he's already blind. That's two senses out of order.

> https://youtu.be/5rcV0Fp5p48?t=45s

>>1895357
Oh FFS.

Just skip to 0:45 in lol.

I can totally see Miranda trying too hard and doing a bad villain laugh. PURELY FOR TACTICAL REASONS lol.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>1895286
I was reading through our techniques, would it be possible to make smaller Orbital Rings around our hands and use them like knuckle dusters?

>>1895366
Interesting idea, but you'd need to 'research' that technique.

>>1895366
I dont think so. The whole purpose of the O-ring is tostop you from moving amd explode if you managed to break free. using them as knucle dusters goes against those purposes

>>1895366
Isn't that extremely wasteful? Sure, they have mass, they also explode. A regular pair of knuckle dusters do too and cost nothing to use.

We could research the rings though and see what their actual mass is, if they turn out to be diamonds or something a miniaturized version like that might be really useful. Our super strength already give us great shock absorption so we could probably punch anything to death without even bruising ourselves.

>>1895384
We could add this to the shotgun blast idea from a few threads ago: some knuckle dusters that automatically shoot a very short ranged but extremly powerful magiblast when they impact something.

>>1895433
>dumdum magibullets based on orbital ring

We'd gib things so hard even doomguy would get queasy

>>1895442
Could work as the tactical oposite of the nebula buster. It will completely erase whatever thing it was in front of miranda and whatever was a few meters ahead of her too.

>A capturing technique for very powerful individuals, she creates a high density energy ring and loops it around the enemy. It doesn't take concentration to maintain, but it will wear off automatically after roughly an hour- she cannot reinforce it. If it is broken, it unleashes a powerful explosion. She can create multiple rings if need be.

>>1895380
I don't think it exactly stops them from moving so much as it binds them like super tough magic rope. And their purpose is whatever we use them for.

Like you posted >>1895433, we could use them as knuckle dusters that, if they hit hard enough, explode.

>>1895384
They're made from super dense energy. It's less for shock absorption and more for hitting harder. It actually DOESN'T say that they have any mass, which is better because then it won't throw our punches off.

And while we're already strong, the rings as knuckle dusters would a) concentrate the surface area of the force, but more importantly b) since they're super dense ENERGY rings, we could punch magic.

Oh. Now I'm thinking about wearing a bunch of rings on our forearms like a bracer made of bangles that we could use to deflect stuff.

>>1895146
>>1895158
>>1895176
>>1895179
>>1895237
Well, if nothing else, you can at least try to get the crowd on your side a little bit. He's been doing rather well though. "I was already shocked to see you were still standing!" Banter isn't exactly unknown to you, and frankly you kind of feel he deserves it a bit. Doesn't mean you can't megaphone it up a little bit to make sure he hears, though, and you can see him wince a little at the volume. "But I'm a professional. I KNOW how to stay grounded!" Surprisingly, you can hear some cheers go up at your own statements, as well as a few 'oooohs' of surprise.

He actually laughs at that, rolling his shoulder as he shakes himself off, his eyes still closed. "Well, darl! If ya put it like that, then I'll just have to make YOU see stars!" And with that he blinks- and for a moment, you lose track of him.

And that moment is all he needs as you hear something slide beneath you. You got just enough time to see the heel coming, enough time to get your arms in front of your chin- but not enough time to stop the impact completely as you're sent off your feet, high enough to indeed see the light fixtures above- and you do your best to twist yourself around- just in time to see him bouncing off the ropes, a grin on his face, and his eyes now open, grinning square at you. No guesses for what he's about to try to do next, but you're going to have to get creative to figure out how to actually stop him.

>Spin as best you can and try to throw off his trajectory.
>He won't be able to adjust his angle- try to shoot him out of the air!
>Brace yourself and prepare for impact. If you can make sure that he hits the ground before you...
>Other

>Will be a bit delayed for the next entry- gimme about an hour!

>>1895502
>Set up a barrier under us, let him crash into it. When his momentum is arrested remove it and pepper him with blasts til he hits the ground.

>>1895471
The issue is, how do we deal with being at ground zero of the explosion? It seems like the reason it explodes is because it's a crap ton of energy that gets released all at once if the ring breaks.

Hrm. I wonder if we could make an unstable energy ring that could be disrupted by a specific frequency of Mana, kind of like how we use our Flux Wave by cycling rapidly through different Mana frequencies.

Oh god.

We could put rings on people trying to "trap" them, then blow them up.

If we can change their size and shape, we could even do super fine explosive "threads" maybe. And since they're super dense, they'll have a high tensile & shear strength so they could conceivably cut shit up. In fact, making them thinner would probably make them less stable also.

Exploding razor wire. End goal right there. I'm going to add it to my "crazy ideas" up with "Guided Chain Lightning". Yep. It's me again.

Use weak Energy Beams to ionize a path towards the targets, shoot the electricity down the beam. Connect an Energy Beam to a Magi-blast, which can be redirected in Mid-air, and you can now guide it.

Clearly much later game stuff.

>>1895502
supporting this: >>1895512

File: Man was not meant to fly.jpg (90 KB, 780x226)

90 KB JPG

>>1895502
>Other

Shoot Magi-blasts AT him, but stop them underneath him.

Then plant a Light Barrier in his path.

When he hits the barrier, hit him from behind with the Magi-Blast so that it hits him into the Light Barrier AGAIN.

Then drop the light barrier and do a big Leg Drop on him.

>>1895514
>ground zero of the explosion.

How i imagined wasnt in explosive energy, but as in a cone shaped laser like force made out of fuck you. Like i said, its the buster's polar oposite; where the buster erases part of a city, the knuckle dusters erases very little in a short zone, but nothing is capable of withstanding it.

>>1895502
Damn, he 'nothin personnel kid' us.
>Set up a light barrier in fron of us, and get ready to right hook him if her breaks it.

>>1895502
> Light Barrier to the face.

We should stop on top of it and pose.

> "You must have been blind from the start if you didn't see that I AM a star. Let me show you how I shine."

>>1895533
I'll support a Magi-blast trap IF we have time, and if we can do multiple blasts.

He'll probably walljump off the light barrier so it would be nice to have that coming at him from behind.

>>1895577
>We should stop on top of it and pose.

Oh I hope we're wearing spats, or this could be very embarrassing.

>>1895625
. . . On the one hand, what kind of magical girl wears spats.

On the other hand, we ARE 90 years old by now.

>>1895502
I guess we should also be prepared to use another Sun Flare if he DOES look up our skirt. Otherwise we'll trust to the Anime Censor Gods to have a convenient Lens Flare.

>>1895643
>. . . On the one hand, what kind of magical girl wears spats.

I'm pretty sure that every MG wears spats after their first week on the job. And if the powers that be dont allow that, they simply dont care and avoid flying as much as possible or become closet exhibitionists.

>>1895659
Magical Lens Flare, not spats.

I mean. First of all Magical Girls transform. if the outfit doesn't come with spats, it's not really feasible to always carry them around.

Second of all, being Genre Savvy seems to be pretty rare in realities outside the Interdiction given how much Miranda has moaned cynically about how cliche people villains and heroes alike constantly are.

Third, most MG's are fighting either monsters that wouldn't care, or people trying to not get their faces punched in by them and are otherwise preoccupied. Or tentacle monsters but that's another issue.

Fourth, they're usually young teen girls. Who just got magical powers along with a nemesis before they even got a Boyfriend. They're all "pure" but like PURE with capital letters, so they could still get flustered when someone draws attention to it.

Finally, there are some things about Magical Girls held sacred and one of them is panty shots, regardless of Lens Flare you know they're there.

Miranda on the other hand is post-MG and also 90. But she still got flustered almost when Zippy flirted with her, because the Magical Girl tropes run deep.

>>1895659
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXU618J4byY

I don't know why I care so much about this topic lol.

But for some reason I have to insist that most MG don't wear spats, and would still be shocked if you pointed out you could see their panties.

>>1895736
Yep. Thats why i said that if the mg costume doesnt bring a pair of spats and the mg in cuestion couldn't put one on for whatever reason, she would eventually either : stop caring, avoid flying as much as possible(at least on lower altitudes) or would become a closet exhibitionist.

The magical lens flare (and the 30 transformation) happens because we are external viewers that have censorship laws and its cool to se a transformation sequence, among other things.

>>1895758
> sees the 3 or 4 transformation

Welp, that explains why some mgs dont care about their panties being shown off. They get fucking naked wvery time they transform; there is nothing left to hide.

And I'm back!

>>1895821
Welcome back!

>>1895821
Hey-oh!

>>1895801
They're not naked. They are wearing Lens Flare and Purity.

Saying they're naked is like saying you're naked under your clothes.

Personally, I like to believe the whole "wearing a skirt" thing rarely comes up. Because when they're transformed, they're busy fighting evil. Also anyone seeing them is probably too busy being mind blown by seeing a Magical Girl fucking flying let alone whatever horror they're fighting - assuming they aren't unconscious from energy draining or zombified or parasitized or crystallized or brainwashed etc.

If you see a magical girl, RUN.

Also the Lense Flare isn't just a joke. They have that whole "identity fuzzing" thing going on so that people don't recognize them.

http://brickme.tumblr.com/post/94237039468/why-magical-girls-are-never-attacked-during-a

If you see an MG transformation, RUN

>>1896001
I'm more of a believer that the transformations happen in a fraction of a second, because not all transformations are the same, and there is no way that the bad guys are incapable of finishing their plans while the mg in question takes from 15 secs to 1 minute in order to transform. Even if they get bewildered by it, unless this is the first transformation ever, they will snap out of it before the transformation ends.

>>1895502
>>1895512
>>1895577

You're more acting on gut hope now than anything truly tactical as you plant your palms below you and will a light barrier to life. He's already in the middle of his rocketing towards you by the time he sees what you've done, and you hear a satisfying *thwack* -and some surprised cries in the audience- as he collides against the magical barrier at the last minute. What you don't expect though, is the fact that he seems to *bounce* off of the midair wall- and he immediately rockets towards the other side of the ring towards the ropes yet again. You have a decent idea of what he was going for, and you have no intention of letting him get it.

You're quick to fire away at his retreating angle, and although you have barely a second to do it as he manages to hit the ropes, you do see a trail of them connecting causing him trip, and bend deeply against the ropes- suddenly though they snap back, and he's flung into the air. This time you can see him flail a bit as he rockets past your impromptu midair perch; your magiblasts seem to have hurt him, but they're not stopping him.

Before you can wonder what's about to happen, you suddenly realize that he's far closer to the ceiling than you are, and with the way he's glowing, that can't be a good thing. You can see his face under his lightning cover however- and he looks ready to deliver something big.

>Get OFF the barrier. Now.
>Meet him in midair before he drops whatever he's about to drop. Time to end this!
>He's going to charge you again, then barrier him again!
>Other

(I can go a bit longer tonight than normal, soo...)

>>1896165
>Get off the barrier at the last moment
Let him twak against the barrier again.

>>1896165
GREAT barrier block this time!

>>1896174
I support this.

>>1896165
get the fuck off and plant some traps on the ground.
blast the guy, if he breaks our barrier and try to make a new barrier around us. we need to be careful.

this reminds me of the tournament with that guy with two swords with that brainwashing gem except Zander is waaaay more experienced than him

Locked, and let's see if we can make him act like a silly bird again.

>>1896308
Wait, I'll tweak my answer similar to >>1896174
but add traps and make another barrier above the current one.

>>1896165
>>1896174
>>1896291
>>1896349
Mana: 7500/11000

Your hands flash up before anything else registers in your mind, and you just barely manage to put up the barrier before you hear a thunderous explosion crack against it. You actually find yourself straining to keep the thing up- it's not every day that an impact quite as sudden is dealt against you- and it's only when you don't feel anything solid against your feet that you realize that it's not a good thing in more ways than one. You find yourself tilting back without anything to plant your feet against, as you end up in a free fall at the floor - and Zander hot on your heels as hops off of the rapidly disappearing barrier- flipping just in time to kick off the underneath off it before it vanishes entirely to speed up his descent, a hand outstretched and glowing. The only thing that's really assuring you that he's not just powering through everything is the fact that his eyes seem to be drooping- he's still got that eternal smile;

He's almost within range of grabbing you, and asked the crowd shouts and screams excitement and worry, you're not inclined to let this go on much longer.

>Try to grab him instead, reversing your positions. If you're going to make a crater, it's not going to be you on the bottom.
>A charged volley in the face oughta do it.
>Don't want to risk anything else- just try to punch him in the face as much as possible.
>Other

>>1896631
>Other
Can we use our magic in our hands like how we do when healing, but slap our hands together while pushing the magic out? Ultimately creating a magical shockwave right in his face.

>>1896639
Hmm...that seems simple enough to come up with on the fly. Might have to roll for its effectiveness, though, and only if it gets enough backing.

>>1896631
>A charged volley in the face oughta do it.

>>1896639
>>1896659
I'll back this. Also we should fire up our electric charge and our energy charge which he won't be prepared for.

>>1896631
Punch him. with all the power Miranda can muster then blast him.

or in the most surprising and hilarious way:
Grab the guy by the head and give him a kiss
Haha got u there kid
actually no, don't do this.

>>1896659
>rolling luck
No thanks sir, I rather not have the dice gods kick our ass

>>1896682
I mean I woulda thought about it.

Sorry, but looks like we're risking it!

GIMME THE 1d20s! Best of 3 for...let's call it Thunderclap. Or Starburst. Maybe Starburst.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>1896728

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>1896728
Oh boy, here we go.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>1896728
RIP
us

>>1896754
Eh, 11 isn't TOO bad...

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>1896761
LMAO we're doomed

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>1896770
I guess this doesn't count?
just rolling again don't mind me

>>1896728
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....heh.

Yeah, I got an idea for this. Writing!

>>1896631
>>1896639
>>1896680
>>1896754
>>1896757
>>1896761
A flash of inspiration hits you in the midst of your free fall- something risky, desperate, and if it works you'll have him. You do your best to rapidly channel into your hands as his electrified hand reaches out for you, he tilts his head with a grin on his face- likely to say something that he thinks is clever before he punches you - when you quickly clap your hands together, doing your best to force the energy out towards him.

You can see him flinch just briefly, and while he doesn't let go of you, he does slacken his grip just enough for you to squirm out of it- just enough for him to have an honest look of surprise as you grab him around the shoulders and twist just a bit in order to shift his body below yours-

And then your body keeps twisting, as he seems to realize exactly what you're planning to do. For what seems to be far longer than the second that you're in the air, you can only see a blur of ceiling and floor exchanging place as rapidly as the both of you tumble through the air to the floor in a strange ball.

The impact is jarring, but you've had far worse. Still, it takes you a second to realize that you're face down on the ground, and judging by the warm feeling next to you, and the fact that your hand seems to be gripping some kind of cloth, you're not the only one currently relaxing on the canvas. You take a quick glance to your right, to confirm that yes, Zander's on the floor as well. Before you can try and push yourself off, you hear a robotic voice echoing through the area. 'The fight has been declared a no-contest due to possible damage risks. We're both competitors please leave the ring?' You hear groans from all around, not in the least from the body beside you. Honestly, you can't exactly blame them.

He's panting heavily (you're not entirely relaxed yourself, if you're being honest) as he turns towards you, relaxing on his side a little bit, but he's looking at you with a lightness in his eyes that's clear admiration. "Wow...that was great, huh?"

>...Yeah, I could do it again sometime.
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.
>I feel like I failed, somewhat...
>Other

>>1896979
>Other
Pull the guy in for a kiss. I'd say he earned it... This time.

>>1896979
>>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.

>>1896979
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.

>>1897024
What the fuck? Are you serious, or shitposting?

>>1896979
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.

>>1897029
Noooo... I'm not shitposting at all! This is clearly his attempt at flirting, and he did a great job keeping pace with us!

I might be shitposting.

>>1896979
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.
"Don't go getting the wrong idea though."

>>1896979
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.

Kuudere Miranda a cute.

>>1896979
>It was good to test my abilities, I suppose.
>tell him some variation of "good game"
>then shake hands.

It was okay.

I guess.

Writing!

>>1897107
Can Miranda learn to vent energy to create propulsive force? Might be a good trick to be able to slow a fall or blow something back.

>>1897139
Aye.

>>1896979
>>1897025
>>1897029
>>1897031
>>1897046
>>1897064
>>1897077

You mentally run through the entire sequence of combat as you consider your response. "It was good to test my abilities, I suppose," you finally offer.

"Aww, c'mon? That..." he takes a moment to swallow some air and catch his breath. "That was pretty choice, I'd say! If they...if they haven't called us off I bet we coulda gone on for a whole lot longer, even! I mean, listen to that crowd!" he manages to wave his arm around the area as he manages to pull himself up, and you do the same. Sure enough, there's people cheering for the both of you- if you were any kind of egotistical about what you did, you say you might have put on the match of the night so far.

Zander certainly seems to think so as well, and when you both managed to get to your feet, he lifts your hand like the both of you were some sort of prize fighters and takes a bow. You do too, if only to be polite. With that, the two of you exit the ring side by side. You're a bit low on mana now, might be best to maybe take a breather, see what the food court has to offer.

"Well!" He seems jazzed, if tired. As you turn to regard him once again, you find that he's gone a ripe red, despite his injuries- there's absolutely no way he can fight at anything resembling full strength for a while, you figure. "Knew you was one helluva gal! I mean, jeez, yous a quick one, and ya pack a wallop, too, I mean those kicks! WOW. Not ta mention yer a wiz with magic- I mean I put me all into that last shot and ya bounced it off, but hooo boy, that's uh...yeah! Hoo. Wow. I, uh...so yeah, I'll see ya around sometime, yeah? You n' me gots lotsa more fightin' ta do!" Oh yeah. That bet.

That actually reminds you. "What's your full name again?"

"Zander Blanks! Youngest hero of the Zartican Valley!" he announces proudly- then he sags as the air leaves him. "Well...useta." He winces as he lets out a half-hearted chuckle. "Long story, that, but you get the idea." You do. As you hold his gaze for just a second more, he again goes red as he breaks eye contact. "I'll, uh...kin I getcher number? Y'know, just ta- to get in contact witcha? For the fightin', I mean!"

...well, it's not like he wouldn't be able to get it out of the directory...

And then he takes a big gulp of air, looking more nervous than at any time in the fight. "And, uh, if ya don't mind, uhh...wasser favorite food?"

Eh...eh?

I'm done for tonight! Run resumes tomorrow, hopefully at 1 PM CST.

>>1897258
Thanks for the run, Handler. Zander is a little cinnamon roll, ain't he? I wonder if it'll be enough to get Miranda out of her shell.

>Gods above what the BLOODY HELL m' I doin'. Ain't never dropped this fast for a sheila.

>I mean, s'an innocent enough question, though! Askin' a mate fer there favorite food ain't weird, roit? Absolutely roit. Jus' wanna make sure she don't go hungry after me an' her get through sparrin'. S'just politeness. Politeness!

>...Can't believe I been trying to play slick alla this time. Probably knows about, thinks I ain't right inna head. I got a candle's chance in the ocean.

>...gods above she's pretty. Strong as all getout too. She could use me as a bench n' I'd probably thank 'er fer the privilege.

>...Zaps, ol' self, I think you got problems.

>>1897283
>>1897254
kek
not only is Zander a steakhouse cook, but an Italian cook as well.

>>1897310
Italian? I mean. Grills. Says Shiela and Mate. Drops consonants when he talks. Likes a good punch up a little too much. His name is Zander.

He's pretty Australian dude.

>>1897310
Oh wait. Spaghetti.

Only counts if you drop it and he hasn't yet. He was flirty during the fight and he asked us out in a straightforward enough way. Got our number first then invited us to dinner. Bog standard.

>>1897254
So are we going to feel all awkward because we're like. 90. And do a dramatic reveal where we say we're far too old for him, only to have him act all weird and ask if an age difference really bothers us that much? because he's pushing 250.

I assume he's rather old since he retired to be a cook, but still went toe to toe with us.

>>1897344
That makes me wonder how aging works in the Intersection. Miranda is physically 17, but mentally 92. Izumi is physically 16 years old, but is actually mentally 91 years old. However, the big outlier is Lorelei. Physically 17 years old but only mentally 42 years old.

Owlia and Cyclia are both physically and mentally 17 and 18 years old respectively. The weirdest part? Mono is physically 16, but mentally 18, despite the fact that she's the newest transfer amongst all the girls.

Would this mean children will always be children if they had entered the Intersection at a young age? I have no idea, and it's really quite curious.

With that in mind though, I've got a question to ask. Zander said that we've got to spar with him anytime for the next six cycles. I presume that's the equivalent for a day? Having to spar with him anytime for the next several weeks, months, or years might become an issue(though we could use him as a practice dummy for our newer techniques).