Antagonistic Appropriation

AN: Beta-read by @Nuew and @crystalcat .

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'Tender' Thyme leaned against a corner of the carriage and fought against frustration. On the other side of the carriage, Doom and Gloom were giving some lecture or another on trade routes, river transportation, and marine industries to an eager audience of Sunflower and Crimson. Topaz seemed interested even if she wasn't asking questions, Aquamarine seemed to be halfheartedly paying attention, Azure was at least pretending attentiveness, and Thyme couldn't even pretend.

Silently teasing Aquamarine had been fun for a while, and in a perfect world, Thyme would go right back to doing that. Made from dreams or not, the Shaded Realm was far from a perfect world. The Rainbows should have been able to finally, finally, bring Versatile Violence into the fold so they could finish this awful war before winter made life difficult for everyone. Instead, Violet seemed to have decided to avoid them.

For goodness sake, even Violet's own soldiers acknowledged that the treason ship had sailed! But no, Violet remained terrified of the tyrannical empire that she'd grown up under.

Thyme really should be more sympathetic, and felt a bit guilty that she wasn't. But after a promising morning where she didn't need to fight her magic at all, she'd been hoping that Violet's not-quite-defection would be a turning point. That the Rainbows could defy storytelling trends and actually communicate, could drag their reluctant final team member into unquestionably joining and finishing the Rainbow. Instead, Violet was apparently hiding from them and would be for several precious days. In other words, Violet was once again running away, and her avoidance was driving Thyme up the wall.

This campaign had gone from a string of victories into a slow, stressful slog specifically because of Violet's stubborn refusal to join like she was supposed to. They couldn't overpower a foe with weaponized friendship when that foe refused to enter a contest of magical might; Violet instead opted to rub in how very slow their (metaphorical) magical love lasers were when compared to the speed of light. The infuriating Dark Magical Girl had turned dodging into an art form, and if Thyme hadn't been trying to deface that art for months, Thyme might even be able to appreciate it.

Thyme didn't expect the Spired City to be much of an improvement in terms of stress levels. Thyme didn't want to spend months and months policing her own behavior for every little misstep; she'd gotten more than enough of that from her prison disguised as a boarding school, thank you very much. But quite frankly, it was better than the stressful alternative.

Tender Thyme was so sick of fighting. She didn't like getting hurt, or the hyperawareness inherent to people trying to kill them. Thyme didn't like the stress of trying to flee from a relentless, homicidal Dark Magical Girl capable of changing weapon forms in a heartbeat. Thyme didn't like how she kept needing to divide her attention between fighting the enemy and fighting her own misbehaving magic.

Every day was a struggle against her magic to ensure that it stayed even vaguely within the kid-friendly themes required of a Magical Girl team. Hedges wanted to grow thorns dripping with psychoactive toxins. Vines wanted an oil coating that would make victims scream in agony until long after their voices broke. Edible herbs and fruits demanded addictive properties. Everything wanted to keep growing and growing at the expense of everything else, and Thyme constantly had to fight to make plants rely on her for power instead of leeching life from their surroundings for their own benefit.

At times, Thyme thought that her powers must surely possess a mind of their own, complete with a sadistic sense of humor. Her sperm donor was, after all, the heartless president of an office supply company in a capitalist society, complete with ongoing mass deforestation. Harming others to help herself was arguably in Thyme's blood, and her magic seemed intent on reflecting that precedent.

Ha, ha. Look at me laugh, Thyme thought sourly.

As the months went on and Thyme's magic only grew more ornery rather than less, she'd been forced to consider the idea of her magic turning dark specifically because she demanded darkness from it. She was supposed to create, not to kill or harm. When Thyme looked at her own powers from that perspective, their tendency toward war crimes suddenly made much more sense. If she gave her magic free rein to do as it wished, it probably would be able to wipe out the enemy like she asked it to. Just, you know, followed by an infestation of the entire Shaded Realm and the deaths of everything that wasn't one of Thyme's own plants.

Recent events weren't helping Thyme's self-loathing any. She truly had thought that using Azure to hijack the line of succession had been a good idea! Violet was supposed to be theirs, and it was infuriating that she should oppose them for some five months now. Anything to get her off the side of evil and part of the team was worth the risks.

Thyme hadn't quite expected the resulting cascade effect, and the way events started to line up within hours started sending shivers down Thyme's spine. Like the Shaded Realm had been expecting someone to fill an avatar-shaped hole in the world. Violet outing herself as a horse girl, the murder maids revealing a fanatically religious sub-culture of unknown size, the way that everyone they met was smiling — it was enough to make Thyme feel a pleasant warmth despite the darkened gloom chronic to Curtain-covered areas.

While they'd impatiently waited in the carriage for everyone to finish getting ready, Thyme had even been able to grow flowers for her hair without her magic trying to attach hypnotic pollen, an optical virus, or something similarly vile. It had seemed like a good omen! Thyme just wanted to wear pretty flowers in her hair, and it was such a relief to be able to do so without her magic fighting back at every opportunity.

Frankly, if she'd been able to maintain that level of control, Thyme thought that she could muster a pretty good imitation of a goddess-slash-avatar so that Azure wouldn't have to. It was a thoroughly arrogant thought, but one that felt right no matter how many holes Thyme tried to poke in it. Thyme never felt even the slightest bit of magical exhaustion, she somehow knew that she could mould the Shaded Realm to fit her whims if she really tried, and so much of her kept squealing in excitement whenever it considered the prospect of a royal position or of being literally worshiped. Like it was her due, and this world was actively slighting Thyme by not providing.

And, by extension, part of Thyme felt like Violet was slighting her by hiding. Which was stupid, and Thyme hated the thought, but it was still there. Whether that was because the Shaded Realm had decided her history and polyamorous preferences made her greedy and was trying to bend her to match, or her magic was simply trying to corrupt her, Thyme didn't know. Either way, she hated it.

Once again, the spigot holding back Thyme's magic tried to turn itself, and Thyme struggled to keep her magic from flowing into her surroundings. If they'd been on foot, Thyme could've left a trail of grass and flowers behind her, and the other Rainbows would've thought it a cute quirk rather than an attempt at relieving pressure. Heck, Thyme generally enjoyed producing flowers as she walked with no ulterior motives needed; it never ceased to be a thrilling display of her own freedom when she'd once been locked in rooms so silent and dark that she'd started hallucinating.

Let her magic loose here, inside a primarily wooden carriage subtly bigger on the inside than the outside, and Thyme expected questing roots to break their ride apart in short order. Assuming, of course, that she maintained even marginal control over what would come out the other end. After all, her magic kept wanting her to kidnap her friends, find and fortify a forest somewhere, force the other Rainbows into eternal enchanted slumber, and keep them safe for the remainder of eternity. Like their value laid in being immobile trophies rather than friends whom Thyme adored and loved.

It was an impulse that was, quite frankly, completely insane, and Thyme was certain there was something badly wrong with her. If her mother was still alive and Thyme had never met the horrible man masquerading as her father, Thyme probably would've been convinced that she was half-human or something similarly incorrect. Her sperm donor was the type of selfishly greedy that only humans managed, though, and Thyme's mother died to a diagnosed genetic disease, complete with a fully mapped, perfectly human genome. Whatever was wrong with Thyme, she couldn't blame it on an inhuman state.

All Thyme could do was hope that the Shaded Realm was somehow influencing her in some form, and that the disturbing urges would vanish when she returned to Earth's more normal environment.

"How can I h-help?" Azure whispered, jolting Thyme from brooding over how much she didn't want to be here!

A flittering firebird of adoration settled in Thyme's chest and burned away the bulk of her intrusive thoughts. A smile that had once been mocked as 'goofy,' but that the other Rainbows assured her looked mischievous, pulled at Thyme's lips while she redirected her attention to their resident illusionist and rightful heiress to the Shaded Realm. You could not convince Thyme that Azure's swap from a kris dagger to a jeweled, rune-marked, midnight-blue sword housed in a stone was coincidental.

That the sword had been acting as a seal for Midnight was mildly ominous, but the revenant seemed to be behaving herself for the time being. If that ever changed, Thyme had every intention of whipping out one of the potential atrocities she'd been sitting on: plants that ate aether rather than producing it. Let Midnight use aether to freeze her way past that.

Still, despite Thyme's lingering suspicions, there was no denying that Midnight had been good for Azure. Azure wouldn't have been half as socially aggressive before. Azure's phrasing was deliberately chosen to avoid the automatic, society-encouraged lie that encouraged people to say they were fine even when they really, truly weren't.

"By existing, mostly," Thyme whispered back, entirely honest.

At that moment, Thyme hadn't been trying to be flirtatious; Azure's expression of concern was already helping. Azure's surprised smile was an unexpected bonus for both of them.

"Th-Thank you," Azure preened, then stiffened as social anxiety visibly kicked in. "I m-mean, um, wait. You're welc—no. I'm h-happy to help? Or—p-please tell me you know what I meant? I–I, um–"

Thyme was so tempted to cut off Azure's panicked gushing via a kiss. This was not an unusual problem for Thyme. All her friends deserved the world, deserved to be protected from even their self-inflicted suffering. If Thyme ever did snap and place them all in enchanted stasis-sleep, it wasn't like she truly intended for it to be eternal. Just for a few decades, so the world could sort itself out without endangering them in the process. Magic was wonderful, and Thyme would gladly fight a war to keep it, but that didn't mean she wanted to fight a war.

Thyme settled for a plausibly deniable finger pressed against Azure's lips. Azure obediently went silent, then seemed to catch her own reaction and colored. Her embarrassed pout strongly resembled that of a grumpy rabbit, complete with a petulant stomp. This reaction only encouraged Thyme to tease her more in the future.

"Thank you," Thyme repeated, before her smile faded. "Honestly, I'm worried about the way this story is going to end. It was one thing when we could rely on it being black and white, but stories with nuance tend to enjoy introducing loss, too."

Azure sobered and threw up a new partition for the preexisting privacy netting, dividing them from the rest of the carriage. Thyme — kind of forgot her antics could have had an audience, actually.

"It's not l-like ours hasn't had that already," Azure pointed out. "Remember the first t-time that Magentism d-died in front of us?"

A dull throbbing of remembered agony and frustration struck at Thyme. She did indeed remember. Magentism had apparently forgotten that not everyone would already know about the whole 'immortality' thing, and therefore left the Rainbows to suffer and grieve for days before Magenta walked out from the trees like nothing had happened.

To her credit, Magentism had tried to make it up to them in subsequent weeks, making an obvious effort to dedicate more time to teaching them and even taking up a few cooking rotations to make baked treats. The whole experience had still been agonizing.

Thyme remained torn on how she should view Magentism. The immortal Magical Girl didn't come across as apathetic and slimy like Thyme's own sperm donor. Just stressed, busy beyond belief, and absentminded. Thyme could easily see Magentism viewing some losses as acceptable sacrifices after a crusade across centuries, or even just not realizing the potential consequences of her actions. Magentism still provably felt pain, too, and dying so many times couldn't be good for the mind.

"I don't think I'm ever going to forget that," Thyme said darkly, before pivoting into a half-lie. "I don't think any of us are going to die; that would ruin the rainbow theme right after we found Violet, and that just wouldn't work."

Thyme didn't think it was likely, but would acknowledge that it remained possible. After all, they didn't have any guarantee that a new member couldn't wield the fallen member's trinket like a round peg in a square hole: technically permissible, but while leaving jarring gaps that upset certain onlookers.

"I'm more worried about maiming or torture," Thyme confessed. "I think you're actually the safest of us despite appearances, because there's no way the murder maids and company are going to let you out of their sight. But that need to keep you safe might mean they don't go looking for any of us if we disappear, or just — something that ends with us being alive, but horrifically traumatized and miserable."

Not that they weren't partway there already. Thyme knew she, at least, was going to keep jumping at shadows long after they returned to Earth. The shadows weren't even the worst part; that title was granted to how every fight with Versatile Violence was on a ticking timer before the rest of the platoon showed up. The Rainbows couldn't win a fight against the First Umbral Elite without ideal conditions and Magentism backing them up. Even then, it would be a gamble. Best to just run away and try again another day.

Azure worried her lip, swallowed, and put on a brave face.

"I can't s-say that we'll be completely s-safe," Azure admitted. "B-But yesterday, you did raise this whole idea b-because of the necessity of getting Violent Violet to join, and I s-still think that will matter more than you're giving it credit f-for."

She leaned forward and clasped Thyme's hands between her own, inflicting further karmic retribution for Thyme's deliberate teasing of Aquamarine and Azure. Stars, Thyme couldn't wait until the Rainbows could all stop dancing around each other and actually indulge.

"I know it's s-scary, not having immediate validation," Azure said earnestly. "But I know what it's like to hide yourself from the world out of f-fear. She's already taken the biggest s-step just by humoring us, let alone c-cuddling a horse or sending D-Doom and Gloom. Her p-platoon has enough time to reassure her and make s-sure that her first step is appropriately encouraged instead of being met with b-backlash. Ensuring that Violence has s-support through the next p-parts — that's going to be very important for making s-sure she doesn't go back to hiding."

Azure's hands heated with comforting, if illusory, warmth. That particular trick still threw Thyme for a loop every time Azure did it: the sensation of warmth might not transfer thermal energy, but their bodies sure acted as though it did. Magical illusions were weird.

"And b-besides, we're Magical Girls g-going to a city of darkness with a notoriously c-corrupt aristocracy that d-doesn't view its citizens as people," Azure continued, smile widening. "I d-didn't think of it until j-just now, but, um, how m-many p-plots involving the theft of life energy do you think we'll s-stumble across?"

Thyme blinked, then shivered as thoughts fell like dominos. Thyme could absolutely see them getting involved in typical Magical Girl plots once they stuck around an urban environment for long enough, which was actually quite comforting. Help people and disrupt the aristocracy in a way they couldn't reasonably complain about, if only via the Rainbows 'obliviously' disrupting acts the Shaded Court weren't supposed to be doing anyway. That — was a much more comforting plotline than the intrigue, assassinations, politics, and eventual purge that Thyme had been imagining. It would be a relaxing change from the warfare they'd been subjected to thus far, too.

However, the huge historical gulf in average lifespan between the aristocracy and peasantry back on Earth suddenly looked much less innocent. Sure, all the reasons about disease and starvation and working people to death still applied, but nobles would absolutely steal life from their subjects if they thought they could get away with it. Like, say, that one Inglish monarch who people kept joking was a dark lady because she just would not die. They'd even just heard a weaponized nursery rhyme that said at least some ancient rulers made heavy use of magic at their subjects' expense!

"Peeking out of the closet usually takes a while, though, doesn't it?" Thyme argued. "We don't have 'a while.' We have something like a week before we arrive at the Shaded City, and at this rate, half that time is going to be wasted while the Elites try to reassure Violet. I don't want to walk into the Shaded City without knowing whether or not she still needs work, or if we can actually trust her to take our side if–"

Thyme hesitated, and chose not to say, 'if we're sentenced to execution.'

"–If we need to go loud," Thyme finished.

A heavy thud rocked the carriage, disrupting Azure's soundproofing spell, and those within the carriage tensed. The door to the carriage soon opened without the carriage bothering to stop. Thyme promptly summoned her staff amid a burst of green sparkles and, alongside practically everyone else in the compartment, pointed her weapon at the open door.

Versatile Violence swung inside, an umbral shadow yanking the door shut behind her, and Thyme had to fight back her own panicked attack reflex. Then Azure seemed to decide that Thyme's stiffening made her a good target, dismissed the Blade of a Moonlit Midnight, and engulfed Thyme in an illusion-warmed hug.

After the initial jumpscare, Thyme didn't need the hug, but appreciated the sentiment anyway. V.V.'s sudden appearance was actually quite reassuring; they did not currently live in a dimension where that sort of timing was coincidental. Either V.V. was going to blatantly side against the Rainbows before they arrived at the Spired City, which seemed unlikely, or she might actually be safe to rely upon. Maybe. Fake-outs and true coincidences did happen from time to time.

Versatile Violence — looked unusually red-faced and frazzled, especially by the standards of Miss Grim And Terrifying. Thyme doubted they could blame the windswept look on V.V. entering a moving vehicle. The carriage was only going, like, seven miles an hour; it wasn't like she'd needed to dive into a car moving at highway speeds.

Then, even while everyone present stared at her, Versatile Violet shifted. Her stance turned from spooked and skittish to serious and strict, her eyes following suit to narrow and turn into something closer to a glare than the wide-eyed flitting of mere moments before.

Thyme might've been projecting her past experiences onto a new person. However, Violet's flip seemed like an uncomfortable mirror of how Aquamarine had first acted when Magenta introduced them. Back then, Aquamarine seemed to think she needed to prove something to compensate for her 'Adorable' moniker, and had been borderline confrontational at every opportunity.

Not that it had really worked out for her. Everyone had been on edge after they were simultaneously summoned alone to the middle of nowhere with no immediate explanation, and Magenta had been quick to discourage the many budding fights. Most potential social troubles seemed petty in comparison once the Rainbows were pointed at the common foe of the Shaded Empire.

Thyme still had nightmares about those terrifying three days following the Rainbows' summoning. That ritual had yanked them from their lives and scattered them like seeds across the countryside. Thyme hadn't been able to tell if streams beneath the unnatural lighting were actually safe or blackened by coal dust, was utterly helpless to recognize what food might be safe to forage and what would be poisonous, was faced with little familiar plant life, and left abandoned in an area that was generally spooky. There weren't even signs of anyone else alive until Thyme had finally stumbled across a worn old road and actually cried with relief.

"Good afternoon, Princess," tonelessly said the second most dangerous person in the Shaded Realm, second only to Thyme. "I apologize for interrupting, but my lieutenant was quite…"

Versatile Violence trailed off, frowning, then twitched as Azure took the opportunity to repair and reestablish her isolation spell. Thyme really did adore that trick. VV's eyes flicked to examine the glowing grid as it settled over the carriage's interior, and took her time doing it. Thyme honestly couldn't tell if VV was actually searching for flaws, or just stalling for time.

Whatever VV's reasons, they did not stop Crimson from jumping in feet-first.

"Don't worry!" Crimson chirped, grinning. "Doom and Gloom have been telling us about some of the logistical necessities necessary to maintain a city of two million when it really seemed like the Shaded Realm shouldn't have been able to support that many people in one place. Or really, much at all, given the agricultural issues. I shouldn't be surprised that the answer was, 'infrastructure previously enabled by literal divine intervention.'"

Thyme took note of the way VV's stance had, if anything, become stiffer when Crimson started talking. Actually, rather than look at the person speaking, Violet not only continued scanning the interior, but seemed intent on looking at practically everyone else. Thyme was suddenly reminded of Violet's strong reaction to Crimson doing little more than smiling and batting her eyelashes. If that wasn't a one-off birthed from surprise, and VV always reacted like that to flirting…

Thyme waited until Violet's flitting eyes landed on Thyme. Then Thyme very deliberately smiled, tilted her head down, and batted her eyelashes.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Violet's eyes widened while the rest of her froze, the deadly Dark Magical Girl rapidly reddening and staring at Thyme as though terrified that breaking eye contact would make Thyme pounce.

Oh, noooo, Thyme thought, stifling a giggle. She's cute.

Thyme hadn't quite understood how Crimson could be attracted to Captain Violence after all the terrifying murder attempts. In fact, Thyme still wasn't sure, because these adorably uncertain displays didn't seem like something that Crimson would previously have seen any evidence for. But seeing VV react like a blushing schoolgirl both took the sting out of her recent avoidance, and made Thyme want to tease her so much more.

Scarcely five seconds passed before, as seemed to be a trend today, Thyme was faced with the consequences of her own actions. Violet's expression didn't change — if anything, she seemed slightly more panicked — yet Thyme was suddenly subjected to the uncomfortable sensation of being stared at by an entire crowd of people. Thyme involuntarily shivered, eyes widening while she tried to figure out just what on Earth she was experiencing.

As the seconds ticked by, the sensation grew — not quite worse, but certainly more intrusive, with Thyme feeling as though one of the other Rainbows was looming over her. Like that time Thyme had been trapped between Aquamarine and a stone wall while they waited for a search party to pass, and then Aquamarine continued to press against Thyme long after they couldn't hear even the slightest hints of pursuit.

Thyme had to forcibly redirect her attention away from the oddity to verify that, no, Violet was still on the opposite side of the carriage instead of looming over Thyme with Violet's hair tickling Thyme's face. There weren't even any shadows poking at Thyme; she should only have felt Azure's embrace and the bench-seat they shared. And yet, Thyme most definitely felt more than that.

Perhaps the worst part was that the anomaly didn't even feel unpleasant. It was just really weird, and rather bewildering due to Thyme's ignorance of why she was feeling anything at all. Then the sensation vanished, leaving Violet and Thyme blushing at each other, with Thyme now too bewildered to properly appreciate Violet's reaction.

"That's—good," Violet squeaked, before wincing and pressing her index finger against her own throat.

A dark pulse spread from her finger before dissipating into her tanned skin, and Thyme suspected shenanigans to make herself sound calm and collected.

Thyme did not even remotely suspect that Azure would soon barge into the teasing by virtue of pulling Thyme into her lap. Thyme, already unbalanced by whatever the heck that watched-and-pinned feeling had been, found herself almost echoing Violet's wide-eyed reaction of uncertainty.

Azure, why?

Even Thyme had been trying to maintain plausible deniability! Sitting in Azure's lap was not at all plausibly deniable! Not that Thyme intended to squirm free, but still!

"Good afternoon, C-Captain," Azure said pleasantly, resting her chin on Thyme's shoulder. "Is there s-something in particular you needed, or is this a s-social call?"

Violet stared back blankly for several long seconds before shaking her head, licking her lips, and swallowing.

"Can you two please practice some decorum?" Violet asked plaintively, tone only just avoiding 'whining' status. "I do not intend to insert myself into whatever web of relationships are already practiced by the Rainbows. There is no need to act pointedly possessive of Thyme, especially when she was the one to initiate, and this behavior is quite distracting."

Thyme's eyes almost narrowed before she remembered that Topaz used to ask the same thing before they'd had a talk about how society's suppression of public displays of affection was itself quite toxic. Sunflower decided to be the mature and diplomatic one before Thyme could muster any sort of response.

"Thyme enjoys provoking reactions from others," Sunflower sighed, "and Crimson is… Crimson."

Crimson mimed being struck by an arrow and let her head loll against the seat, 'dead.'

"Please rest assured that we do not intend to drag you into any relationships," Sunflower continued. "And, for that matter, none of us are in romantic relationships with each other. I won't try to pretend that there isn't temptation, but until the war ends, it seems somewhat inadvisable to risk the potential infighting and heightened emotions inherent to a new relationship."

Violet's eyebrows show up, and she turned her gaze back upon Thyme and Azure.

"You two — aren't already courting," VV said flatly.

Thyme swallowed and likely would have turned red if she hadn't already been blushing.

"No," Thyme squeaked, ignoring how the word tasted like lies.

Violet gave this claim exactly as much credit as it deserved. Which was to say, she appeared aghast and disbelieving, albeit slightly undercut by her lingering blush.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we know this is a stressful time for you, Violence," Sunflower rescued Thyme. "Please rest assured that my teammates are almost certainly acting like this because they view you as 'safe' rather than due to any perceived difference in position, like Crimson's poor timing might have implied. You can absolutely refuse their advances, and they do not want to subject you to sexual harassment."

The last was said rather sharply, and Thyme winced. Thyme supposed they had discussed ethical issues mere hours ago, and it would be rather atrocious of Thyme to cross boundaries like that. At least Crimson had an excuse of long-term infatuation; Thyme had just teased Violet for fun. Not that Thyme wouldn't follow up if Violet was receptive, but it was almost certainly way too early for that.

Even if, y'know, they did kinda get to know each other over the last few months. If you squinted. Through a telescope.

"While I very much appreciate the thought, this strikes me as a poor time for romantic pursuits," Violet said firmly, appearing only marginally mollified.

Versatile Violence slashed an arm through the air in what was clearly only meant for emphasis, yet Thyme still couldn't stop herself from flinching. Thyme remembered too well how often Violet used exaggerated body language to conceal trap preparation. Unfortunately, the carriage might be spacious, yet it was just a little too small for Thyme to be outside VV's line of sight. Violet seemed to catch Thyme's flinch, and regret flashed across her face before it firmed again.

Given her reaction, perhaps Thyme should call that occurrence fortunate after all? Regret was way better than acting unrepentant and all, 'I did what I had to,' which Thyme had worried might be Violet's conclusion.

"Furthermore," Violence rallied, "I have been, if not always trying to kill you, then at least attempting violence upon your persons with your demises viewed as an acceptable sacrifice should it mean stopping the Rainbows. We do not properly know each other, and 'former enemies' seems like a poor foundation for romance. I will consider us fortunate if we can manage to be amiable acquaintances that do not flinch or go for our weapons at the mere sight of each other. Friendship alone borders on an unreasonable goal, and romance is almost certainly outside realistic boundaries."

Thyme wondered if Violet knew how strongly she resembled catnip right now. Saying something about the unlikelihood of future friendship in a room full of Magical Girls? Those only weren't fightin' words because they'd already fought extensively. Even Topaz was staring speculatively at Violet, and Thyme didn't think Topaz had seen even a single Magical Girl show in her life.

"Our cultural backgrounds seem quite different," Violet continued, her tone decaying from merely serious, to disturbingly dead and lifeless. "I often do not understand humor and jokes that you all instantly grasp, and you have deliberately made references in battle whilst operating under the correct assumption that I will not comprehend their meaning. I do not share your color-coded elemental theme, and while I possess a basic understanding of how to use aether, switching would still be an undeniable downgrade for me. I do not truly know any of you, what you like or dislike, and I doubt that we share common interests.

"Based on yesterday's outburst, I have been accused of being the 'Violet' necessary to complete your group, but make no mistake: I remain very much an outsider."

Thyme already wanted to give Violet a hug. She wasn't helping her case here; hadn't the Rainbows all been strangers to each other when they'd first met? Sure, the Rainbows shared more of a cultural background than Violet shared with them, but that was a transient problem. The completed group of Rainbows would inevitably make their own in-jokes and shared touchstones after knowing each other for long enough.

Considering how hard Thyme was needing to resist hugging Violet, it wasn't much of a surprise that Crimson should straighten and give Violet a blinding smile, silently rejecting Violet's assertions.

"Hi!" Crimson chirped. "I'm Curious Crimson. My favorite question is, 'why?' I like sweets, books, learning new things, trying new things, magic, strategy games, deception games, those who seek the happiness of others, and people who could have killed all of us at any time but have been consistently choosing mercy instead, even if I will acknowledge the associated ulterior motive of not wanting the nobility to view you as a threat."

Thyme blinked, silently uncomprehending, until she reviewed Crimson's word vomit and compared it to how eerily still and blank Violet had gone.

Wait. What?

Violet's eyes started to frantically flick to meet the assembled young women alternating between looking at Crimson, aghast, and staring at the Dark Magical Girl. Even Doom and Gloom were staring at their captain, eyebrows high while they smiled wickedly.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Violet lied, badly.

No, really, what? Why hadn't Crimson said anything if Violet was that dangerous? That sounded unbelievably important!

"I've been spending months trying very, very hard to kill you," Violet continued, "and you have only survived with the aid of so much luck that I am forced to conclude that it is some sort of physical force. My running theory is some form of fate-influencing magic implemented by Majestic Magentism, perhaps by attracting the concept of 'good luck' to yourselves or similarly repelling 'injury.'"

Versatile Violence seemed to get better at lying as she went, tone even turning slightly sarcastic. If there hadn't been so many witnesses watching her so carefully, Thyme might even have believed her. Instead, Thyme was stuck on a litany of what the hell what the hell what the hell? What did Crimson mean, Violet had been holding back?

"D-Don't you think it's t-time to s-share whatever it is?" Azure tried. "P-Please? We're going into enemy t-territory, and if we can ac-count for it, we might all be s-safer?"

Violet answered so quickly that she clearly didn't even think about answering any other way. Which was, in a way, a hint all on its own: whatever dangerous capability Violet might be hiding, it was old enough for her to form a habit of reflexive concealment. Thyme suddenly wanted to talk to Violet and ask just how she managed to suppress her own magic so reliably; Thyme could really use some help on that front.

"I must apologize, but am afraid that there is no such thing," Violet again lied, frowning. "That being said, I do agree that additional combat training is in order. I have noticed a great many poor habits in need of fixing, and now that we are no longer enemies, it is high time that I acted upon my observations."

Violet moved to sit at the section of bench closest to the carriage door and took a deep breath, undoubtedly in preparation for a lecture covering all the Rainbows' many, many failures.

"Wait, please!" Crimson said hastily. "So, should we view flirting with you as unacceptable? I really want to not back off altogether, but if you're super uncomfortable with it, I can accept a rejection gracefully."

This time, Violet did not freeze, and it was that same lack of reaction that warned Thyme that deceptive behavior was to follow. Violet was masking too hard for her behavior to be a reliable reflection of her actual feelings.

"As long as you both ask before attempting any intimate acts," Violet said, sounding bored, "I really don't care."

…That was not the rejection Thyme had been expecting–

Wait. Both?

Thyme stiffened, belatedly realizing that she was being included in the permission so granted. And, judging by how every other Rainbow — including Azure, judging by the sudden shaking of Thyme's fleshy seat — seemed to be suppressing smiles and/or laughter, they all realized what Thyme had gotten herself into.

Crimson is the one with the crush, not me! Focus on her! Thyme did not say.

Because at the end of the day, Violet was cute, and she'd given permission. Plus, few things helped build self-confidence like having a cute girl flirting with you, right? Yes, that was totally a rationalization, but Thyme was extremely gay and just had an unhappy, masking young woman dangled in front of her like bait on the end of a fishing hook. Thyme thought she could be forgiven for biting. Possibly literally, if Violet was into that.

"Aquamarine," started Versatile Violence. "You have an unfortunate tendency to prioritize a smaller number of explosive, front-heavy attacks sent on simple arcing paths. They are easily dodged with little to no penalty for doing so. You typically want the tip of an offensive bolt to consist of a smaller 'vanguard' primarily meant to clear the way; as it stands, you're using more aether than you need to, and you aren't even using it particularly well…"





Five hours and one sunset later, and Thyme was starting to regret teasing Violet. If they ignored the casual insults that were clearly Violet trying to prove herself unsuitable for friendship, Violet was actually fairly easy to talk to when it came to streamlining and refining magical spells. Although, she did caution that she possessed a soldier's education instead of a magician's. Somehow. Even though, y'know, the Rainbows had consistently demolished all the magicians with fancy names sent at them. The trickier ones were briefly honored via deployment of what Crimson jokingly lobbied to call the 'Lesbian Love Laser.'

She'd been vetoed, of course. Mostly because the other Rainbows couldn't stop laughing long enough to actually shout out such a ridiculous name in battle. 'Rainbow Revelation' was bad enough already, to say nothing about Crimson's jokes regarding bisexual invisibility.

At any rate, the big issue was that Thyme might have pushed too hard, too quickly. Hours of telling the Rainbows how to tune everything from Aquamarine's watery spears to Sunflower's temporary tearing of the Curtain, and Violet's mask didn't fall for even a moment.

Then, when they arrived at a surprisingly structured series of tents, wagons, and two large log cabins, Violet dragged them off for 'sparring' even though the gathering audience made it feel almost more like an exhibition match. Oh, the twenty-some soldiers nearby were all chatting with each other, playing games, eating, and so on, but it felt like they were going to be watching and waiting for the Rainbows to fail.

"I am going to assume that Magenta neglected to teach any of you how to properly acquaint yourselves in a friendly spar," Violet said briskly, resting her hands on a shadowed warhammer. "You do not utilize umbra, and as such, I cannot advise that you round off the edges of any shadows. I will be doing so myself; you need not worry that a blade coming for your neck will claim it."

Oh, Thyme could already tell that this was going to suck. She really hoped this didn't add to their list of traumas; anime and militaries might be fond of the growth through abuse idea, but that methodology really wouldn't help the Rainbows.

"However, after roughly half a year spent fighting you," Violet said, shifting back on her heels while her weapon reverted to a rapier. "I think it is abundantly clear that you do not, in fact, pose a significant threat to my health. Do as you…"

Versatile Violence visibly winced and held up a hand to one ear as though shielding herself from something loud. The unexpected action dampened Thyme's irritation, at the very least, although she wasn't sure about the other Rainbows. That was almost certainly a deliberate provocation, wasn't it? Several of the soldiers seemed to be maliciously grinning at her words, which seemed to point toward intentional insults.

Thyme glanced around until she could find Lieutenant Gray, and found him speaking to a vaguely feminine form shrouded from head to toe in black cloth. No private-speaking spell from him. Besides, weren't most Umbral Elite signals done via shadows or whatever? The Rainbows might not know how to interpret said signals, but at least they were a known issue.

Eventually, Violet slumped and sighed.

"It has occurred to me," she blatantly lied, clearly having been chewed out by somebody, "that it is counterproductive for you to associate the head of your guard with harm to your persons. I also cannot adequately address any flaws until afterward if you are fighting me all at once, and Magentism has demonstrated the issues with doing so individually. As such, I will see if we cannot set you up with individual combat tutors. Even if they may not be able to assist as much on the spell front, I would be much more comfortable if you relied less on luck for dodges and more on actual positioning, skill, and footwork. I cannot effectively teach that alone."

""Dibs!"" called the twin murder maids, looking entirely too gleeful at the prospect.

"Vetoed," Violet refused, to general laughter from onlookers. "You've exceeded your broken heart allowance for the season."

A fog of disappointment filled Thyme's chest and migrated up to her throat. Thyme wouldn't say that she'd been looking forward to fighting Violet, exactly, but you had to meet people where they were at. And if combat was one of the only situations that Violet was comfortable being around them, then that's what they would need to…

Thyme felt her thoughts trail off as the sky darkened even further than normal. She looked up, puzzled and slightly concerned, just in time to see a horde of crows emerge from the Curtain-imitating umbral veil they'd been hiding behind. A cheerful cacophony of cawing shook the campground a scant instant before well over a hundred crows descended upon Violet's immobile form.

Before the horrified eyes of the Rainbows, the rogue murder of crows — started offering their 'victim' shiny rocks and preening the hair of a Violet who was trying very hard to keep scowling instead of smiling? Her eyes were literally sparkling with flecks of violet and black umbra, and Violet was still trying to pretend she was grumpy.

Judging by the howls of laughter from Violet's subordinates, Thyme was pretty sure that VV's attempts at maintaining her dignity were well and truly shot. This did not stop Violet from trying, and at this point, Thyme was starting to get rather worried about her.

Seriously, just what would it take for Violet to actually accept that her masks were a lost cause? The maids were right; this was edging into being downright disturbing.

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