Join them for the King's suppression. Lock the Road of Gold and Road of the King. Also, keep the Grimm off them
"I believe I shall," Binah decides after a moment. Spidercracks run along the amber while light of the same colour grows ever more pronounced. Courage simply nods and Sable takes to the air. The twins are still confused. They both twitch when a golden lock materialises upon the King of Greed. Sparks spray as it impresses itself on the trapped Abnormality.
The prison breaks and chunks of amber fly high; some bounce off humans and Abnormalities. The King chuckles softly as she strides forward. Her voice is like silk, honeyed words that make Melanie and Miltia shudder: "How rude of you to deprive me of showing them the road of gold. But worry not, my lovelies, I will simply come to you instead. Be a good girl now, Courage."
The other magical girl wordlessly reappears behind her. Greed steps forward to avoid the swung mallet, dress fluttering by the gale it creates. She twirls around to kick Courage in the head, only for her opponent to vanish again; yet Greed's elbow catches her arm in the new position. Courage floats back, out of reach. Gold Rush is raised and amber breaks from the ground, forcing the sane girl into the air. A wave of acid answers, caught on a dome of amber light. The ground around Greed is painted green for a dozen metres, hissing violently.
"What the fuck?" Miltia says. A tinkling noise draws her attention to Binah, who took to experimenting with Fairy; it opens up Grimm just like humans. "Didn't you say you're helping?"
"I ensured you will not hopelessly fall here," the older woman returns idly. "The rest is up to you."
Just then, the ground quakes; a crater forms under where Greed punched the earth, shaking the entire area. A spike of amber breaks out under her feet, propelling Greed out of the acid and toward them. Sable flutters in her way, only for the magical girl to float around him. Fist cocked, she flies straight at Miltia, who barely manages to duck on reflex. Melanie kicks at her side to no effect.
Courage arrives above the enemy and hammers her into the ground, tearing a hole ten metres deep. An amber flash darts back out, no more than bruised because her dress took the hit. Melanie curses and dashes after her quarry. "Know what? Fine, and fuck you!" she spits. Miltia follows her sister's lead, but Binah can read the hesitation in their actions; they try to swipe at Greed, but only to debilitate. The King deflects them both easily while ducking underneath Courage's next swing. She never loses that beatific smile, the gleam of her eyes suffusing the field.
Binah continues annihilating any Grimm that are drawn by the commotion. At the same time she keeps an eye on the fight; much as she expected, Courage is not quite a peer to Greed. A single, well-placed blow could end the fight, but she simply lacks the skill to break the other woman's guard on her own. With both twins and Sable nearby, she can not rely on acid for fear of hurting her allies. Chains and gravity fields spring up around them, creating cracks in Greed's guard. She takes blades to her legs and arms, prioritising to dodge the strongest opponent.
Then Sable pecks out Greed's eye. She grunts while the twins gasp at the gore. And a reflexive swipe comes at the bird, who reacts as always. The maw on his belly opens wide, four flaps of stretching muscle. Melanie and Miltia scream as Greed is caught in a hell of grinding teeth. She blocks some and more fail to penetrate her E.G.O., but not all are deflected. Her vulnerable flesh is shredded where the teeth find hold, splattering blood over everyone but Binah.
Greed stumbles back and ducks under Courage's mallet. Her cheek was torn open, making for a permanent, crimson grin. With the twins staring at her and Sable in horror, she has time to fake out Courage and punch her in the chest. Even though her E.G.O. takes the blow, she is blown skyward. Only when Greed's gaze turns back to the twins do they move, flipping to both sides to avoid her leap. She passes between them, only to turn after Miltia without even slowing down. The red-clad woman scrambles to duck under the first jab and slashes at Greed's arm; it falls slack as the muscles are opened. The second catches her in the chest and hammers her into the ground. Miltia gasps, her aura flickers... and holds. She rolls away from the following stomp, only for Melanie's foot to crash into Greed's head. The heel slices a red line along it, taking clumps of hair along.
She pushes off, making Greed stumble forward. Which is when Courage descends, mallet reared back. The King makes to lean away, only for a final Fairy to open her leg and separate the muscles. She falls instead, her one handed-block too feeble to stop the killing blow. It breaks her gauntlet, her arm, and then her ribcage. Courage hits the ground with enough force to drive another hole into the ground; an earthquake follows her impact. Several sinkholes open across the plains, some even swallowing Grimm that Binah did not yet get to.
All eyes are on the red, white, and amber mess that was once the King of Greed. Miltia slowly climbs to her feet, unable to do anything but stare in horror. "We killed her," she murmurs, mostly to herself. Melanie joins, hugging her sister tight. Neither can look away. "Just like that. How... why? What was this?"
Sable settles on Binah's shoulder and preens. Meanwhile, Courage lands next to the twins. "It will repeat soon enough," she begins. "Saffron will wake up in a few minutes, become attached once more, and ultimately turn into the King of Greed."
"What do you mean?!" Miltia shouts back, pointing at the mess. "She's dead! People don't just wake up after you kill them!"
Courage just stares at her, even through the blindfold. Then she points at the gore herself. "It already began." True to her words, Saffron's tremendous wounds have begun to close up. "She will heal." In the following pause, she throws a glance to Binah. Both of them know secrecy is no longer a concern with the twins, so she carries on: "We are Abnormalities, not humans. We can not die permanently, no matter how often you kill us."
"...what? Like, seriously, what?"
Melanie nods along with her sister, unable to formulate words herself. Courage does not deign to answer the question. A handful of Grimm turn their way as well, only to be killed long before they can reach. The rays of gold following her Fairies' flight draws attention from the rest, though. Melanie points at Binah. "She, too?"
"No, Binah is fully human. Us four sisters and Sable are not." The bird chirps at them, prompting both twins to shy away.
From that point onward, silence engulfs the group. Much to Melanie's and Miltia's astonishment and mounting horror, Saffron's corpse does continue to heal. About five minutes after her death, her eyes open, then squint against the sunlight. She groans and rises, absently wiping discarded flesh off her calf. Then, seeing the four gazes pointed at her, she sighs in relief. "You are alright, thank goodness."
"What do you mean?!" Miltia snaps at her, all but touching noses with Saffron. "You have some split personality bullshit going on, try to kill us, we kill you, and then you just get back up like it's nothing?!" When Saffron can only shrug helplessly, Miltia groans and sinks to the ground. "Great, I'm dating some sort of immortal psycho."
That stops Saffron short; after a moment, she averts her gaze. "I understand if you do not wish to see me again after this. It must be quite the shock, especially how it happened."
"No."
"No?"
"No."
Even Melanie is surprised by her sister's response. Miltia glares up from the ground and climbs back to her feet, only to drag Saffron into an almost needy kiss. "No," she repeats a third time before poking her finger in her girlfriend's cheek. "That's not how I roll."
Binah can tell that even Miltia herself wishes otherwise. Melanie sighs before turning to the others. "Is there any way to stop this... this from happening?" she asks with a motion for the devastated landscape.
"By withholding Saffron from all kinds of worldly possessions, including people," Courage provides without much inflection. Her head turns slightly to the cringing woman and she adds: "Although that is apparently not possible. Unless the process speeds up, it will take about four weeks for another emergence."
"Okay, shit. That's bad. So instead of cramps and some blood, your time of the month is turning into a psycho." Melanie's quip prompts an awkward chuckle from Saffron. Then the white-clad twin focusses on Courage. "What about you? And the bird, for that matter?"
"Sable is always Sable and I am in no danger of turning."
"Abnormalities are distinct in their behaviour," Binah chimes in at that point. "The four magical girls each have their own triggers, though Saffron is the only one under constant threat of now. At the same time, you two will have to choose how to deal with this new facet of your lives. Knowledge is a double-edged blade, forever changing your perception of reality in an instant. Whether you embrace it or reject it now, it will never leave."
Both twins listened first attentively, then with something akin to exasperation. In the end, it is Miltia who answers: "You sure like to hear yourself talk, lady. I'm not the type to run away, especially if I don't actually get anything out of it. Anyway, what's that about magic?"
They return to Vale like this, with Saffron explaining her magical powers to the intrigued pair. They are broken up when the other woman remembers Miltia's unintentional wager; Courage repeats it back at them verbatim, having been a witness. Binah pays the childrens' flirtations little mind and rather relaxes with a nice cup of tea.
Hours later, with Melanie having gone shopping to destress and Miltia entangled with Saffron somewhere, Love returns. Strangely without Anemone, but another being in tow. "Binah, look!" she shouts upon bursting through the door. "I found Little Red!" In her grasp is the collar of a crimson cloak, belonging to a fumbling, squeaking girl. The door falls shut while Love proudly presents her find.
Binah studies the child with faint amusement; she is flustered and a little wary, hanging limp in Love's grasp. Though smaller than the magical girl, her body is lithe; what is more, a sizable hunk of crimson steel hangs on her back, clearly some sort of mecha-shift device.
Into the awkward silence, Courage speaks: "That is not Little Red."
"Wha-? But, but the cloak!"
"Um."
Hearing a quiet voice from the girl herself, Love turns her around to look into her silver eyes. She blinks and slowly lets her down. "Oh. Uh. Oops? I'm, err, sorry about that."
"'s okay." The girl slowly stands, shaking her head after likely being dragged through the streets. "My name isn't Red, either. It's Ruby. Erm, hi." She waves awkwardly, then cringes; her anxiety is almost palpable. The glance to Binah and Courage offers no response. "Just to make sure, this isn't a kidnapping, right?"
"Of course not! I don't kidnap people!"
"You just did," Courage deadpans, already turning back to her current book. Love sighs at that, which curiously prompts a little smile from the girl in red. Binah studies her with interest; such positivity reminds her of the patron librarians, Hod in particular. Ever positive, if skittish. A mindset utterly alien to the City; although, going by her age and the fine make of her black corset and skirt, it may be this one's mettle has yet to be tested. She is quickly coaxed into conversation by Love.
In that moment, Ash steps inside. A soft "Hello" is the first word out of her mouth, then she sees the other people looking at her. "Who is this?"
Love points sheepishly. "This is Ruby, I mistook her for someone else. Then we kinda started talking just now."
"Er, hi." Ruby waves awkwardly, to which Ash raises one hand in greeting. Her gaze clearly upsets the other girl, though. Ruby averts her eyes and looks at the partly assembled furniture. "What is this, anyway? I didn't know this place was sold already."
"A tea house," Ash answers as she walks past her. "Though I do not know its name yet." She glances at Binah, who takes another sip. Ash takes position to her right, hovering over the seated woman. A wave of Binah's hand has her take the empty chair on Courage's other side. Ruby walked up as well, humming in thought.
"I... guess? I don't really drink much tea," she admits. Then her eyes home in on the woman in charge. Silver eyes trail down Binah's glittering robe and widened slightly. "Oh, wow. Are, are you a huntress? I mean, the clothes...." She motions vaguely, prompting a faint huff from Binah.
"Not as such. Although Love and her sister have been applying for Beacon. How have you fared today?"
"Pretty good," the magical girl chirps. "It was mostly fighting and fitness stuff, no problem for either of us." Meaning they asked few, if any, theoretical knowledge; it makes sense to Binah, seeing that a protector's main focus ought to be physical prowess. Education is a secondary concern.
"O-Oh!" Ruby whirls around and clasps Love's hands excitedly. "You're going to Beacon? That's incredible! I wanna go too, but I still got two years at Signal before then. Oh, but my big sister is going this year, you're gonna have so much fun together!"
Which is about what Binah expected. Yet when confronted with Ruby's back, her gaze is drawn to the mechanical contraption attached to it. The steel barely pokes out underneath her crimson cape. "Is this your weapon, then?" she inquires, prompting Ruby to whirl around once more. She beams now, completely unconcerned with being around strangers.
"Yep! My baby Crescent Rose. Here, I'll show you!" She reaches behind with practiced motions, betraying bubbly excitement paired with honed skill. A click and soft scraping is all the noise the weapon produces; Love gasps in surprise as the block of steel unfolds into a scythe taller than Ruby herself; it almost scrapes the ceiling. She holds it confidently and without any trouble. "Tada! I made her myself!"
Binah finds herself impressed. Even Ash displays some surprise at the sight. Ruby preens under their attention and swings her scythe, careful not to cut anything. "She's fully functional with three, err, three and a half modes. Scythe is like this, then glaive." A buttonpress has the blade rotate up to form a more conventional polearm. "Sniper rifle!" Another press transforms it into a rifle about as long as Ruby herself. "And storage!" It turns back to the more compact form. Ruby places it back in its holster while Love applauds.
"This is awesome!" the magical girl cheers. Ruby's remaining audience is less expressive, but all three of them are interested.
"So you are an engineer," Binah interjects. With Ash's training to be seen to, this is quite a fortunate development. "Do you take commissions?"
Ruby immediately wilts. Her confidence seems relegated to weapons and combat, which does make her a shoe-in for Fixer work. At the same time, her genuine and expressive behaviour would see her exploited and torn apart in the City. How delightfully paradox. "Well," she starts slowly, "I mean, I'd like to? But my workshop isn't really certified yet, so it's kinda hard. It's just me in my shed at home."
"Which stops you from taking a commission how?" Ash inquires matter-of-factly. Ruby fidgets.
"Err, not at all, I guess. It's just, I can't really take many at once, and I don't have much material ready. I mostly sell custom ammo and stuff right now."
"Ohhh, I get it!" Love joins the conversation again. Her beaming smile never faltered. "Ash needs a weapon and Ruby makes weapons! Money doesn't matter!" The other fifteen-year-old twitches, clearly objecting to the statement. Ruby's mouth works soundlessly in the meantime, trying to make sense of what is happening.
As amusing as it is to watch her flounder, this is a matter in need of resolving. Binah puts down her cup. "Yes. Assuming you accept, we will commission you to craft a suitable weapon for Ash. The price can be negotiated another time and a proper contract set up." Courage perks up at that, receiving a nod.
"If you're really okay with me?" Ruby hesitates. Binah watches with interest how the girl's fidgeting ceases once more. "Alright, sure." Then she slowly meets Ash's gaze, somehow not shying away again. "What kind of weapon do you want? Sword, axe, spear, dagger? One- or two-handed? Both? How many modes? What calibre of gun do I put inside?"
The flood of words gives Ash pause while the other girl grows more animated. Love pushes her into another chair and Ruby herself produces her Scroll to take notes. After a glance to Binah, Ash shrugs. "A spear. Just, a spear. I don't need it to be a sword and a gun, too." Ruby's face falls, somehow prompting Ash to justify herself: "I have not even learned the spear yet and I never shot a gun. I couldn't use any of it. Can you just make the one weapon sturdier instead of putting more in?"
"I mean, I guess I can? But isn't that kind of boring?" Ruby starts pouting, though she dutifully notes it down. "If you want just a spear, you can go to every weapon shop in town."
"She got a point there," Love agrees with their future contractor. The blunette leans forward eagerly. "Come on, let's make something neat with it!"
Ash frowns at that, warring between being frugal and not wanting to disappoint the other two. Binah watches her inner turmoil unfold into pragmatism. "I guess it helps to have an ace up my sleeve," the erstwhile rat finally admits. "How about something to make my attacks hit harder? I don't know what exactly, but breaking through armour can't be easy."
"Yup, bone plates are super sturdy once the Grimm get older." Ruby does not even realise Ash meant something entirely different. She simply grins at the white-haired girl. "That's why I use high-calibre bullets for them. So let's see, no gun for you, which I'll have you know is an affront. All good weapons should have a gun. How do you fight something you can't reach otherwise?"
"By carrying a separate gun, or having someone else who has one. Or by running. Or tricking it into coming closer."
Ruby raises a finger as if to argue, then thinks better of it and goes back to typing. "Okay, fair. Hm. How to give a spear more oomph. I could put a flamethrower in the front?"
"And make me a fire hazard?"
"But flamethrowers are cool!"
"Last time I checked, they're the exact opposite."
"Boo! You're no fun!"
They seem to be getting along well. Though even Binah can not tell if Ash's deadpan is meant to be teasing, or just comes across that way. The two keep going through a few others options before finally settling on vents in the shaft; on the press of a button, they open to release wind at gale forces, creating a powerful boost. Good for movement and piercing through armour. Ruby notes she will also add some Gravity Dust for the same effect. "Better safe than sorry. Besides, Gravity is more efficient for moving around. Wind needs a lot more Dust to move a person."
Then she gets a ping on her Scroll, eyes widening in horror. "Oh no, I was supposed to meet Dad an hour ago. Gotta go bye!" She unravels into a storm of rose petals and rushes out the door, only to rush back in and rematerialise. "Ah, I forgot! I need your number so I can call you!"
After receiving Binah's contact information, Ruby flees once more. The others remain, three quiet and Love cheerful. "I like her!" the magical girl declares.
Then however, she snaps her fingers. "Oh right, I heard something on the way here. Some group attacked a Dust store at the docks, have you heard of them? They're called the White Fang."
Though her question is innocent, Binah can tell exactly which way Love's thoughts are going. With two weeks until Beacon receives the new students, she has ample time to investigate. A massacre is imminent if she learns more of the White Fang and finds them. On the other hand, going it alone will require time Love can not quite afford to spend. Meaning that it is time to make a choice in regard to them.
Does she allow the local White Fang to continue existing? Does she let Love loose on them? Or does she mitigate the damage by speaking in their favour?
[] Support Love with information
-[] Let things unfold as they will
-[] Mitigate the death toll
[] Prevent Love from pursuing the White Fang for now
[] write-in another option?
Character sheet unlocked: Ruby Rose
