*000000*

[x] Go on a date with Missy.

The moment the food arrives at your booth, Missy scoots around to press herself against your side, sliding her own dinner over to join yours. "This is so nice... Just having time to the two of us." She sighs happily, leaning into your shoulder. "The others are nice and all..."

Yeah, you can tell Missy still isn't entirely on board with the whole 'multiple partners' thing. She's warming to the idea, but you want to be sure that's because it's something she's interested in rather than something she's tolerating for your sake. It would be good to get her to interact with Rosalia on a more personal level, but it's good to just go on normal dates as well. "This food though..." She murmurs, taking another bite of her grilled pork and rice noodles. The Vietnamese restaurant she's chosen really does have good food, you have to admit.

"It's hard to get authentic Vietnamese food around here, so this place has always been a favorite." Missy admits. "It's not quite on the same level as your cooking-"

"I like to think we do a good job." Your waiter appears as if from nowhere, a wry smile on his face as he pours out cups of tea for you both. "But it's always good to see you Missy."

"Thank you Rin." Missy giggles, accepting her cup. "Don't take it personally, Light here is just out of this world when it comes to cooking."

"Oh? You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! I was wondering what's gotten you so busy lately." Rin giggles back, his mannerisms are rather girly if you're being honest, accentuated by his pink hair and cute face. "You must be special, if she's bringing you here..."

"Rin!" Missy's blush is luminescent as she shoves the boy back from the table a bit. "I've mostly been busy with work, but yes, Light and I have been spending time together. Rin's the one who brought me here originally, and started my love for this kind of food."

"Mhmm, a cute girl enjoying my family's cooking, what more could a boy ask for? You know my parents are going to be devastated, now that you have a boyfriend of your own." Rin sighs dramatically.

"We both know you're not interested in what I have to offer." Missy replies dryly, drawing a saucy wink from Rin. "Are your parents still not accepting the whole..."

"Nah, my dad doesn't really get it, but my mom's okay with it. Mostly, with her, she just wants me to meet someone you know?" The boy sighs dramatically. "Anyways, I don't want to interrupt your date. You two look so cute together! Are you doing anything after? A movie? A walk in the park?"

"I'll give you details later!" Missy laughs, shooing the boy away with a laugh. "Sorry, he's like... A huge supporter I guess? Like a personal cheerleader I suppose." You smile and nod, happy that other people are there to cheer her on as well. She turns her head a moment later, leaning up to press a kiss to your cheek. "I was thinking... After this... My home isn't too far from here. Home-home, not, you know, the dorms. I could give you a tour?"

Oh, that sounds fun. Maybe you can meet her parents? She doesn't talk about them a lot. "My parents won't be there." Missy admits a moment later, giving an awkward half-frown. "It's not that I don't want you to meet them, but... I don't know, it's weird talking about them. Like, they did what they could for me, what they thought was best, but they... They don't really love each other. They never look at each other the way you look at me, there's not even the spark of that which I can sometimes seen in others when they're with their partners. They could probably be friends if they weren't together..."

That sounds kind of tragic, if you're being honest. Being together should make friends into lovers, not turn friends into enemies. "But, the good news is... We'd have the house to ourselves." Missy continues on, her cheeks coloring a soft pink. "If... You know... We wanted to get into a bit of trouble."

You feel her hand on your lap then, giving you a soft squeeze before trailing upwards to the hem of your shirt. At your look, she gives you a sly grin, fingers running across your abs and trailing across the waistband of your pants. "Hey again! Need anything?" And once again Rin pops up, smiling widely at the both of you as Missy sends him a cute glare.

"We're fine, thanks." Missy replies shortly, narrowing her eyes.

"Of course! I see you have everything in hand!" Rin teases, his grin widening as he sends you a wink. "Well, you've got your hands full, so-"

"Leave." Missy sighs, waving the boy away as he moves to check on another table. "What a pest. You uh... You're okay with coming over though?" You nod with enthusiasm, not having any other real plans for the night. Spending more time with Missy is always a great option.

------------------

In the end, you don't get to see much of Missy's home. Rather, the moment she fumbles her keys into the lock and opens the door, you're practically pounced upon. Lifting from her ass, the door slams shut behind you as she guides you up the stairs and towards what must be her room. "Just in case they come home." She murmurs between heavy kisses. "Don't want to get caught on the couch... Or the counter... Or the kitchen table..."

You smile against her lips, clearly she's thought a lot about this. The look she gives you as you enter her room can only be described as smoldering, something that clashes weirdly with her cute face. "Get these clothes off." She orders, fingers grasping at the top button of your shirt. You reach up to take over as she drops to her knees, grabbing at the waistband of your pants. "You'd so better have a dick this time."

You reach down and pat her head reassuringly as she pulls your zipper open and sheds your boxers, eyes widening as your dick does, in fact, flop out. "It's ah... It looks bigger up close." She murmurs, grasping the base tightly with one hand. "Keep stripping." She demands, leaning forward and pressing her lips to where her fingers wrap around you. You give a soft shudder at the contact, her lips soft and warm against your length as she peppers it with kisses, gradually working her way up towards the tip.

"This is supposed to be the best part, right?" Missy asks, pressing another chaste kiss to the underside of the tip. A moment later her tongue extends from her mouth to run across your sensitive skin. Warm and wet and soft, you let out a slow breath as she lathers the tip, pushing around the loose skin covering the sensitive tip beneath. "So if I..." She trails off as her head bobs forward, capturing the entire tip between her lips and pushing warm saliva up with her tongue before sucking softly at it.

It feels heavenly, and you're content to let Missy experiment a little as she takes in a bit more and rubs the inside of her cheek against it. Her hand moves gently as well, tugging on the base as if pulling your hips forward as she rocks back and forth. Another inch disappears into her mouth as she chokes and coughs, your hand grasping her hair pulling her back as she looks up with wide eyes. "Hah... Gunna need practice... This one's bigger..."

You tilt your head in confusion as her blush darkens, the head of your cock resting on her lips. "I um... Practiced on a..." She trails off into soft mumbles, cutely pushing her lips to the very tip in a gentle kiss. "It's not important." With those mumbled words she returns to her task, pressing more into her mouth and sucking hard, until the edge of her fingers brush up against her lips. You can feel her throat twitch against the head of your cock, along with the heat and wetness of her mouth.

She coughs again a moment later, one hand pushing your hips back as she backs off and sits up on her calves. A moment later she gives you a playful shove, knocking you back onto the bed behind you. "Come on, enough slacking, clothes off!" She encourages, standing up and dropping her skirt and underwear to the floor. Her hips sway enticingly as she draws nearer, watching you kick off your pants and underwear as you shed your shirt entirely. Her hand grasps your length as she climbs onto the bed on her knees, squeezing it as she turns around, presenting her rear to you.

"What do you think of the view?" She teases, though there's a slight waver in her voice, as if she's slightly uncertain. She glances back over her shoulder, sticking out her soft pink tongue as a hand reaches back beneath her, and two fingers spread her glistening lips. "Enticing?"

By way of response you grab her hips, pulling her down so that she's sitting on your face and earning a squeal of laughter from the girl above you. A squeal that becomes a loud groan as you quickly capture her clit between your lips. "Fuck! Light!" Her whole body trembles, and the hand around your cock begins to stroke at a rapid place. "J-jerk, this is my turn isn't it?" She complains, leaning down and taking the top few inches of you back into her mouth again. Not to be outdone, it seems, her tongue lathers your length as you feel the head press against the back of her throat.

"Ngh... Can't get it in." She pants after a few minutes of trying, her hand reaching down to cup your balls. "Not fair... I'll have to practice I guess." She sighs, leaning back as you lap at her lower lips. "There's no way..." She murmurs, leaning down and running her tongue along your length. "No way..." Her tongue circles around the tip and she rubs her cheek against it. "No way I'm gunna cum... Before you..."

Oh, that sounds like a challenge to you. Your hands grip Missy's ass as she begins to rock back and forth, your tongue working overtime to plumb her depths as her breathing becomes heavy. As if urged on, she dives down on your dick again, pressing the tip against her throat and swallowing rapidly, both hands massaging your length as she pushes you towards the edge. You can feel it building up inside of you, begging for release, but... But you kind of want to win this little contest.

"Mmph! Mph! Ngh!" Missy's moans and groans around your length get louder as you pinch her clit between your lips and rapidly stroke your tongue across it. Her whole body tenses, her gasping groans becoming one long wail as you feel her suck hard and- Your vision nearly whites out as you erupt, releasing wave after wave of pulsing pleasure up your cock and into her mouth.

You hear her cough and sputter, but her grip keeps you steady as she swallows again and again, breathing heavily through her nose until you finish and she sits upright. Your view is, of course, blocked entirely by an up close look at her cute butt, which you run your hands across in lieu of anything else to do. "Fuwah... That's... Ngh, it's not the best tasting thing you've ever made." Missy laughs, shuffling forward and looking over her shoulder. Seeing her tongue peak out and running along her lips, scooping up a trail of your seed is... Well, it sends another jolt through your lower body.

"Now that the first one's out of the way... You won't blow up the moment we start, right?" Missy giggles, shuffling over to her bedside table. You sit up after her, reaching over to tug at her shirt. "H-hey! Alright... Alright fine..." She relents, pouting cutely as you tug it over her head. She leans back against your chest a moment later, letting you reach around and cup her breasts. "They're small."

They're cute. You give them each a soft squeeze, running your fingers over them as she wiggles her hips back against yours, giggling as your cock slips between her pert ass cheeks. Judging by her gasps and sighs, they're also quite sensitive. "I still think my butt's my better feature." She remarks, as you feel the heat and dampness of her cunt rub up against the tip of your cock. "Don't you? I won't ever be able to give you a tit-job, but..." Your cock twitches at the idea, drawing another breathless chuckle from her. "Do you like that idea? Putting your big, hard cock in my tight little b-ah!" She gasps as you rock forward, feeling her lower lips spread and rub against your tip as you pinch at her nipples. "I guess so?"

"For tonight though..." She turns, pushing you back down onto the bed as she gets into position over your legs. Watching her like this, tongue poking out in concentration as she tears open a package and leans down over your length... It's arousing as hell, feeling her spread the thin coating of rubber down over your cock, down to the base, before giving the tip a soft kiss. "I think you know where I want this, right?" She trembles softly as she rises up, bringing her hips over yours and letting your tip spread her lips. "I may not be able to get it in my throat just yet, or... You know... The other place, but..."

You rock your hips forward slightly, drawing a gasp of surprise from Missy as her entrance kisses the tip, twitching as you slowly stretch her out. "Okay, okay, I'm going..." She teases, sighing again as she slowly starts to sink down, gently rocking back and forth as inch after inch slips in. "Oh! Oh fuck, right there..." She pauses her descent, angling her hips slightly as you rub up against a certain spot inside of her, legs trembling as she pushes her hands against the bed. On a whim, you reach out to rub your thumb against her clit, at which point she collapses down on top of you.

"Ow..." Her soft groan is adorable, but you're quick to kiss away any potential bruises as you hold her close to your body. Feeling her like this, burning hot and completely bare, your bodies connected at the hips, is... It's kind of intense, emotionally. Her sloppy kisses in reply, her half-lidded eyes, lost in a haze of lust, just makes you want more and more of this experience. Her legs wrap around your waist as she rolls to the side, positioning you on top of her as she kisses at your neck, ankles crossing behind your rear as she pulls you forward.

Obeying the unspoken request, you begin to thrust, slowly at first as you bottom out the first time, her back arcing up off the bed as the last few millimeters fit themselves inside her, somehow. Her fingers scratch at your back, her voice rings in your ear, and her insides squeeze down as hard as they can as you slowly pull out to the tip, and then rock your way forward again. "Go... Go fast... Go hard... Please..." Missy begs, her voice sounding vacant as she tugs needily at your body. "I can take it. I'm ready."

In that case, you put on a bit of speed, pistoning in and out with a steady, mechanical rhythm. She climaxes long before you do this time, the clenching actually halting your thrusting as you're bottomed out inside of her, holding you in place as she rides out the waves of pleasure. The second and third time, you manage to continue thrusting during the climax, pushing her to new highs as she sings your praises, whispering hotly into your ear.

When you finally find release, filling the condom with your seed, Missy slumps back limply into the bed. "Hah~! Hah~! That was... That was... Amazing..." She breathes out slowly, chest heaving enticingly as you kiss at her nipples. "If... If you want to... There's more condoms..."

Hmm? Oh, it seems she has a small package of a dozen. Yeah, you can work with that.

-----------------------

You tie off your fourth filled condom and toss it aside with the others, resting a hand on Missy's rear as she buries her face in the pillow. "Enough... I can't... I'm sorry..." She whines cutely, butt wiggling as you give it a squeeze. "I lost count..." She laughs, turning to give you a smoldering look beneath her messy bangs. She smells of sweat and sex as you cuddle up with her, her face quickly finding the crook of your neck to hide herself in. "I thought I had good stamina, but you're insane. You could keep going, couldn't you?"

You nod, feeling her give a full body shudder. "I'm tempted... Seriously, sorely tempted..." She murmurs, pressing kisses into your chest. "For a first time, this was amazing. And, I guess, for a second, and third, and fourth time..." She giggles. "It'll probably sound like empty boasting, even if I downplay it..."

"Remind me next time to keep a huge glass of water... I'm fairly sure I'm dehydrated." Missy mumbles, pulling herself up onto wobbly legs. You sit up quickly after her, volunteering to get whatever she needs. "No, I'm fine... I can still walk, somehow... If we're going to do marathons like this in the future, I demand a healing potion."

You tilt your head in confusion, and point to the box of condoms. There's still eight left of the small box. This can't really be considered a marathon, can it? "Oh god... You're serious." Missy's blush darkens as she shakes her head. "Don't you sleep?" You shake your head, mirroring her expression, and give her a sly smile. "... Do you have a healing potion on you?"

------------------

So the good news... Missy looks happier than you've ever seen her, once the sun rises on her nude form, sprawled across the blankets. She smiles without any hint of stress in her sleep, and the smile persists as she stretches out and rises to wakefulness. "It's stupid early... I barely got any sleep last night... And I wouldn't have it any other way." She yawns, wobbling slightly as she rises up and grabs for her shirt. "God... I reek of sweat and sex. I need a shower."

The bad news... You're out of condoms, and you broke her bed. Stupid, shoddy constructions. Really you should make her a new one... Or just use the one at your place, which you made. It's more comfortable anyways. "Care to join me?" Missy offers, pausing in the doorway to look back over her shoulder. Wearing nothing but her shirt, the hem of it gives a nice teasing view of the curve of her rear.

You nod, agreeing readily. She's going to be late for school if you don't help her get clean quickly.

------------------

[X] plan catch up

-[x]Tailor (8/8)

-[X] Carpenter (2/8)

-[X] Shop time! Time to do custom work and stuff!

-[X] See if you can get a warehouse or big building. Rent or buy is fine, but you need to be able to customize it!

"You seem to be in a good mood." Hanabi's expression is rather non-plussed as she sips at her steaming thermos. "Your date went well, I take it?"

You nod, continuing to hum as you draw your needle through another piece of cloth. It's nice, peaceful, rhythmically pulling the thread over and over, stitching together your works. It's like you can turn off your brain on some level, sinking into your work. Right now it's making common items, shirts and pants, that sort of thing. You need to restock the shelves, which are getting fairly bare lately. Apparently your products have really taken off, and now people from outside of the city are ordering them in droves.

Four or five hundred should be enough to last you a week though. If you work non-stop, with no breaks, you can probably have that done in a few hours, leaving you plenty of time to do the custom work on your backlog. Oh, you really want to make a costume for Hanabi, if she wants to go out and be a hero sometime soon. You've got some ideas to work from, even.

It really is a shame about Hanabi's hair being all cut off... You bet she looked really cute with a longer cut. Rosalia's mentioned taking her to a hairdresser soon to get it cleaned up, once the legal stuff starts getting worked out, at least to make the hair less of a mess. What's more important is that she's happy, or at least, that she's looking happier right now. "She's a cute kid. Missy, right? You two are... Close?"

You nod, smiling up at her as your hands continue to work through the simple things. Missy... She's the closest you've ever gotten to a person. Granted, that doesn't mean much, considering how long you've existed... It does make you wonder if you should be spending more time with Rosalia or Hanabi though. Or even some of your other friends, like the Wards. Vista, especially...

On that note, you should make Vista a costume! Something cute and green! With lots of ribbons and frills. You can even make two, so that Missy has a copy, since Vista's her favorite hero! Come to think of it... You haven't seen Missy using her Carbuncle... Maybe she doesn't use it when you're around, because she feels safe? You'll have to lecture her on it.

Ah well, today can be a lazy day, spent working on your store and... Oh, right, you need to make a few calls, don't you? Or, well... Have Rosalia do it.

-------------------

"So... What's this place for?" Rosalia asks, throwing open the massive doors of the warehouse. Unsurprisingly, Brockton Bay has a good deal of cheap property like this, especially close to the ship graveyard. It's close to the water, but the wreckage in the bay keeps any boats from being able to dock nearby, lowering its value substantially. Not that such a thing really matters to you, given you're mostly going to use it for storage.

There's a lot of reasons to want a warehouse like this, if you're being honest. Just the space alone makes it valuable, since you can easily put up walls and things to divide it into smaller rooms. Not to mention practicing with powers in an isolated area, working on projects with Hanabi, or even building an Airship in privacy. There's even some work you can do now, with your limited abilities as a carpenter...

"Well... So long as I'm not living here." Rosalia sighs, looking around at the rather gloomy interior. "Of course, knowing you, you'd probably have this place turned into a mansion within a week. Not sure if that's legal or not but..." She shrugs, trailing off as she thinks on it. "Think we can set Hanabi up here? Get her a proper bed and stuff? It's kind of awkward, having her crash with us. Or, well... Crash with me, since you don't really sleep."

Rosalia actually sounds a bit bitter about that, for some reason. "You stayed out all last night, which isn't exactly new, but... You spent the night at Missy's?" You nod, and her frown deepens almost imperceptibly. "Was it... Did you enjoy it? Sorry, sometimes I wonder what ways you're just a normal person, you know? You don't have to eat or sleep, but then you go doing all these strangely ordinary things."

Well... It was enjoyable. Physically it was pleasing, in a way that's similar, yet completely different to the satisfaction of physical exertion. Mentally and emotionally it was something incredible as well, as you feel like there's a stronger connection between you and Missy. Not only that, but she seemed to almost... Glow, this morning. Even though she was tired and sore, her attitude practically shouted that she was feeling relaxed.

Sex obviously brought with it complications, socially and emotionally, as all of Omega's research could easily explain, but it was also a good thing for building on existing relationships. That, itself, was probably more important than the idea of sex being used for reproduction. Plus, it was these relationships you were meant to study on Omega's behalf, to see if it somehow improved your combat abilities past the predicted limits.

"I guess it's none of my business if you two hooked up." Rosalia sighs, slumping just a little bit. "I've been teasing her with all these stories... There's a writer I know personally who does surprisingly good work. It gets her all flustered, but she's never told me to stop."

You turn and pull your friend into a hug, feeling her stiffen in surprise, before she relaxes and buries her head against the crook of your neck, her short hair tickling your cheek. "Life isn't fair. I keep reminding myself that. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, sometimes heroes come swooping in to save the day and turn lives around in an instant. Sometimes miracles happen to people who are actually pretty shitty deep down... Life's not fair."

Well... That may be the case, but what does that matter? Life may not be fair, but the people, the ones with the power to make decisions and choices and changes, they can be fair. You can do the right thing, the fair thing, whenever the opportunity presents itself. You consider how best to explain that, how to show that to Rosalia, but-

Warm lips press to yours, and you find yourself pulling back in surprise. Rosalia's eyes are shut, her head hanging low as she backs off from the sudden kiss. "I'm... Not sorry. I won't tell Missy, or Madison, but... They're great people you know? Both of them, in their own ways. I should just fit myself in where I can, live the life I've been given, but..." She shrugs, stepping forward as you raise your hands and hold her shoulders, stopping her as her nose presses up against yours. "Still not sorry."

Honestly... You should probably be a bit upset about this. Her kissing you without permission, you mean. (A part of you traitorously wonders who should be giving permission). Instead, it seems she's more upset about this than you are. "Bad people, doing bad things, and not feeling sorry for it. If only there were a hero here to punish me, right?" She laughs weakly.

Actually... Didn't Missy say it was okay for you to see other people? Or something along those lines. But it wasn't super well defined or concrete... On the one hand, you don't want to hurt Rosalia's feelings. You like Rosalia, you like her being happy, you like seeing her smile, and seeing her with that same look Missy was wearing the other day would be... Wonderful. Besides which, half-heartedly tip-toeing around the issues is taking forever, you should really make a decision about things.

On the other hand... You worry if Missy's 'okay' with this because she's legitimately okay with it, or if she's just saying that because she feels it's something she has to accept. Something that comes with being in a relationship with you. You did mean what you said, when you told her you wouldn't leave her just because she didn't want to share.

[X] Take Rosalia to Missy's dorm room. It's time the three of you work this out in person.

Looking into Rosalia's eyes, seeing the emotion there, the desperation... You want to kiss her. It's something you actually physically want, rather than something you go along with because someone else wants it. You want to comfort her, hold her, bring that smile back to her lips as she realizes that everything is perfectly fine, because you're there for her.

You want all that, and she wants all that, and... And it won't end with a kiss, will it? Maybe Missy would be fine with it, you've been over it before with her, numerous times, and it seems like she was starting to get okay with the idea. Specifically the idea of you being with Rosalia even, but... But maybe isn't good enough. Maybe isn't 'yes', maybe doesn't ensure she's actually okay with it, and not saying that just because she thinks you'll leave her otherwise.

What you want is something far, far more difficult to grasp. An enthusiastic 'yes', rather than a half-hearted 'maybe' that goes down with a bitter aftertaste. So right now, you can't kiss Rosalia.

But you can hug her.

You can pull her tightly into your arms and squeeze, as if you're trying to squeeze all the sadness from her body, and feel her cling to you as she gives a small shudder. You can lift her up, sweeping her off her feet as you carry her out of the warehouse and summon Alpha. You can feel her cuddle back against you as you place her in the saddle and climb on behind her and take the reins. "Where are we going?" Her voice sounds so muted, her emotions dampened, her eyes close as she leans her head on your shoulder. You kiss her cheek, giving her at least that much as you turn Alpha down a nearby road.

You're bringing her to Missy. You're going to sit everyone down, and you're going to settle this. If everyone understands the entire situation of everyone involved, well... Doing the right thing is better than doing the easy thing, and you can prove it.

----------------

"Light?" Zelmia answers when you knock on the dorm's door, looking a bit perplexed. "Ah... You're here for... Missy?" Rosalia shuffles a bit beside you, not making eye contact with Missy's friend and instead looking off down the road. "Hold on, I'll see if she's in."

Right... What if she's at work. That would be unfortunate. "I'm screwed aren't I?" Rosalia whispers. "I know I shouldn't have kissed you but... Missy's going to hate me." You turn and throw an arm around Rosalia's shoulder in comfort. Missy's not going to hate her, you're certain of that much.

"Hey..." Missy herself looks... Lost. Glancing between the two of you, your bright smile at seeing her, Rosalia's nervous and defeated posture... "What happened?"

---------------

"So... You got jealous?" Missy sounds out the words, looking down at the coffee table as Rosalia finishes explaining. "And decided... What? That you wanted a turn?"

"That's..." Rosalia sighs, looking like she's tasted something sour. "I'm not jealous of you. I don't want what you have, I want... I want my own relationship. I'm not sorry for kissing him."

"So you've said." Missy grumbles bitterly. "Which means you'll probably do it again, unless..." Unless you work something out, or convince Rosalia it's really not okay. "Why Light?"

"Did Light tell you how we met?" Rosalia asks, taking a slow, deep breath. "I had to leave home. My home life was... It wasn't safe anymore, so I left. I had the clothing on my back, and a few hundred in cash that I tried to make last, but... Eventually you get desperate. Food stops becoming a thing you can reliably get. Safe places to stay get scarce, and the 'friends' willing to help you get more and more sketchy. Next thing I know, the Teeth are trying to get me to work for them, and they aren't going to take 'no' for an answer."

"I see..." Missy frowns, not looking all that surprised by the confession.

"Light found me when I was being chased down by one of their capes, the one that can turn into a monster. He was toying with me, he could have caught me at any point, but he'd rather run me down, exhaust me while nipping at my heels. Then Light just sort of swooped in from above, took the monster down and healed my injuries, just like that." Rosalia snaps her finger for emphasis. "And he didn't do it for any other reason than it was the right thing to do. No deals, no pressure, no payment, just... Show up and fix my problems."

"And then it went beyond that. He saw that my problems weren't just being chased by a villain or hounded by a gang. Without knowing pretty much anything about me, he solved my other problems too. Gave me a job, and a life and a home and... That kind of thing could make anyone feel like they're special, you know?" Rosalia continues.

"I know." Missy nods, taking a long, hard look at Rosalia. "He has a way of doing that, making everyone feel special..."

Well... Of course you do. The people you're close to, they're special to you. Each unique, each precious, each something to be treasured. You know, deep down, that even with all of Omega's technology, you could never replicate Missy or Rosalia or anyone you've met. That's the whole point of your existence isn't it? To become something irreplaceable and unique, just like them.

"I kept expecting him to ask for something in return. To put the moves on me, or something, and honestly if he did I'd probably have gone along with it. At a certain point I wouldn't even have resented it, having seen how genuinely good Light is." Rosalia sighs. "I know it's wrong to think this way but... Why do you need all of Light's love?"

"What?" Missy scoffs.

"I think Light loves a lot of people. He cares about a lot of people." Rosalia explains, and you nod along in agreement. "I think... You're not telling him not to love people, but rather... Telling him not to express that love. Telling other people not to express their love for him too. Denying it isn't going to make those feelings go away you know."

"So what, I should just..." Missy stumbles over her words.

"Are you worried he'll stop loving you?" Rosalia blurts, and Missy visibly flinches at the words. You hold up a hand to stop an impending argument, and pull Missy into a comforting hug. "I'm sorry... I don't know enough about your life, clearly, but... I don't think there's a limited amount we need to fight over. If there's an infinite spring of water that everyone can drink from, it's wrong to claim it as your own and deny others, fearing it's going to run out."

"But if you don't protect something like that, some other selfish person would..." Missy argues, before pausing. "No, that's... That ignores the fact that Light's a person and can make his own decisions. He wouldn't let anyone monopolize him, right?"

"Except you, if you asked him to." Rosalia counters. "You got to his heart first, one way or another. You can tell him to only give his love to you, if you wanted."

"But that would hurt him. He'd still love other people, he'd just never show it, never act on it..." Missy sighs. "I don't want to be in this situation, you know? I hate being caught in the middle of a fight, seen as a piece on the board by people who are arguing. How can I possibly justify doing the same thing to Light? Making him some object that people fight over?"

"I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Rosalia cringes. "I think the problem is that Light's stuck. He doesn't want to hurt anyone he cares about, especially not by lying. Have you ever seen Light lie? He's awful at it."

"Heh... His sincerity is his most attractive feature." Missy admits. "It's jarring when he's not being sincere."

"So if he told me not to kiss him, if he told me he didn't love me..." Rosalia explains. "That would be a lie, specifically to hurt me. Do you think he could do it?"

"... No." Missy sighs. "And it would hurt him if I made him do it. Ugh, I don't want this power. I don't want to be able to make Light do things he hates."

"That's how it goes I guess. When you get close to someone, you gain the ability to seriously hurt them, even if you don't want it." Rosalia shrugs.

"But why me? Why do I get to decide? I don't want to be the 'first girlfriend' or 'alpha' or whatever. I don't want to be the one deciding who gets in and who doesn't, or at least I don't want to be the be-all-end-all..." Missy whines. "I'm still a teenager, in the prime of my life. I should be trying new things, doing reckless stuff, having fun and finding new experiences, not making heavy decisions like this. I don't want to decide whether you get the guy you love or not."

"So let's not decide." Rosalia shrugs. "Like you said, we're teenagers. Let's be irresponsible and stupid. Let's pass the buck back where it belongs."

"I won't do it." Missy denies immediately. "Making Light choose would... Wait. Wait, you're right. I'm being an idiot." She pauses, then begins to giggle. "Oh my god, I can't believe I've been so dumb. I should be thinking like an irresponsible teenager, shouldn't I?"

She turns, looking directly at you. "Light. Do you love me?" You nod, giving her an honest smile and taking her hand. Her cheeks color, her lips quirk up in a matching smile for a split second, but then she schools her features. "Do you love Rosalia? Be honest with me." You nod again, giving Rosalia the same smile and watching her face light up at the confession. "Then..."

"Then, Light... I'm breaking up with you." What?

Wait, what?

But...

What?

"There. It's done. I'm no longer your girlfriend. I no longer have any say in who you date, or how." Missy explains, leaning back and dusting off her hands. "You can date whoever you want, and how you date is up to you and them to establish. If you want a polyamorous relationship, then you need to define that, and it's on whoever asks you out to decide if that's okay for them."

"That's it?" Rosalia laughs softly, looking between the two of you. "Then... Do you want to go first?"

"Age before beauty." Missy gestures towards the other girl, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"Fine. Hey, Light... Can I be your girlfriend? You can be my boyfriend, or girlfriend, or whatever you decide." Rosalia asks, giving you a wide smile. But... But Missy... You're still confused. "I'm willing to be your devoted, loving girlfriend, on one condition. There's this really awesome girl I know, so you've got to date her too okay?"

What?

"Just say yes dummy." Missy encourages, leaning over and throwing an arm around you. You nod, and Rosalia leans in to give you a quick kiss. "Good. Now then... Light... Will you be my boyfriend? And... I guess, maybe, sometimes being my girlfriend is okay too. I mean the other night was..."

"You still haven't given me details you know. You just said that Light didn't have a dick, but you hooked up anyways." Rosalia mutters.

"Later, okay?" Missy's blush could honestly light up the room. "Okay so... There. No seniority, no power imbalance, none of that nonsense. We're equal, right?" Missy explains, reaching her hand out towards Rosalia

"Right." Rosalia nods, taking the hand and pulling Missy into a surprise kiss. The smaller girl gives a squeak of alarm, but returns a chaste peck on the lips with a blush. "I um... If it's okay with you... I'd like to get to know you better too, Missy. Maybe we can go out sometime?"

"I'll... Consider it." Missy nods cutely. "So um... First order of business, as a founding member of the council of Light-" Oh! That gives you an idea! You grab your phone and type out a quick message to them both. "Warriors of Light? That... Sounds pretty cool, but isn't that more of a super hero thing?"

"I don't know, why not? It's just going to be our own private rules, not a big public thing. It can be our own personal in joke." Rosalia laughs.

"Okay then, as a founding member of the Warriors of Light, I'd like to propose a rule. How much love we have in us, and who we're willing to give it to, is entirely the decision of the individual." Missy announces, puffing herself up. "Meaning, if Light decides he has enough love to bring someone else into the Warriors of Light, that's his decision. But it's also our decision whether to love that person or not."

"So... If I wanted to bring someone in myself... I could?" Rosalia asks.

"Yes, but there's no guarantee Light or myself will love them. And that's fine, we can still be civil." Missy nods. "Sound good to everyone?"

"Your love is your own, give it freely to whomever you like." Rosalia nods. "Sounds like a good rule number one. Do we need other rules? What about sharing time?"

"I think we can discuss that sort of thing like reasonable people." Missy nods. "This is all a balancing act between being rational adults and reckless teenagers, after all."

"I have another question... Do you know your roommates are listening?" Rosalia teases.

"Yes, they're not exactly subtle..." Missy sighs, turning to glare at the hallway, where several people quickly scoot back from the edge. "So... Now what?"

"Hmm... You remember that story I sent you? Vista/Light/Reader?" Rosalia grins. "Where Vista shows off by having the reader-"

"Y-yes!" Missy nods rapidly, her blush intensifying. "You don't want to... I mean... Who would be-"

"Well, you're the more experienced one so..." Rosalia shrugs. "I've never done it before, so I can't really give pointers..."

"Hmm... Hey Light, remember what I said I was going to do last time you were here? Remember how I couldn't? Well... I owe you right?" You glance between your two... Girlfriends? Your two girlfriends, who are obviously plotting something devious. "I'll actually tell Kanna to stay out this time."

"I'm actually on my way out!" Kanna calls from around the corner, drawing a giggle from everyone present.

You allow yourself to be pulled to your feet by a blushing Rosalia, as Missy tries her best to not look too eager as she leads the way to her room. You're just about there when your phone vibrates in your pocket. A text from Hanabi, by the look of things. "Something important?" Rosalia asks, pouting cutely by the doorway.

H: Hey, where are you right now?

L: With Rosalia and Missy. Worked out some relationship issues.

H: Good for you!

H: You coming home tonight?

L: Not sure, why?

H: Don't freak out but... There was a break in.

L: What? When?

H: Just now. Woke up to an intruder in the apartment. Chased them downstairs with some explosives, then the moogles chased them off. Don't think they took anything. Moogles are cleaning up most of the mess.

L: Did you call the cops?

H: Boardwalk security is here, cops are on the way. PRT too, since I'm like 90% sure the intruder was a cape. I can blame the bombs on you, right?

L: Sure. You're not hurt?

H: I'm fine. I'm just going to get things cleaned up and give a statement. You enjoy your night out, you deserve it.

L: I can come back.

H: Not much for you to do here. Enjoy your night, seriously.

"What's up?" Missy asks, giving you a confused pout.X] Hanabi says she's got it under control. This should be a big night for you and your girlfriends, just leave the other stuff for the morning.

"What's up?" Missy asks, looking back at you as you pocket the phone once more and shake your head. Hanabi said everything's under control, and there's nothing to be gained by going back right now. You can help clean up in the morning, or whenever Missy's roommate throws you out. "We still good?"

You nod, giving her a peck on the lips and tugging Rosalia along after you. Telling them now would just make them worry, and not change anything for the better. Instead, you should do your best to make the evening memorable in the best ways. "So..." The moment the door closes behind you, Missy seems to deflate quite a bit, suddenly looking rather insecure. "What now?"

"Should we... I don't know... Strip down?" Rosalia suggests.

"Let's just start with cuddling or something." Missy replies, sitting down on the bed and patting the blanket beside her. You sit down quickly, letting her drape herself over your shoulder as Rosalia cuddles up on the other side. "I'm still not... I don't know... I mean if you were to kiss me or anything..."

"You've kissed Light before, when he er... When she was a girl? What's the proper language for that?" Rosalia shrugs. "Anyways, that's fine, you don't have to go bi just for me or anything. I've sort of always found girls attractive. For guys it's a case by case basis."

"Hey Light... Kiss Rosalia for me okay?" Missy asks, batting her eyes at you with a sly grin. You smile back, before turning your head and capturing your other girlfriend's lips with your own. She leans into it, practically melting into your touch as you hold her, hand cradling her face as her lips move against yours. "He's good, right?" Missy encourages from behind you, her weight settling on your back as she leans over your shoulder.

"Mhmm... Is this what you did all night?" Rosalia asks breathlessly, laughing softly as her nose touches yours once again. You nuzzle back against her, giving her an earnest smile as she shuffles about on the bed. "Light... Kiss Missy for me, okay?"

You nod, turning your head and catching the edge of Missy's mouth with your lips with a quick peck before she turns and replies with eagerness. Your fingers thread through her hair as her tongue pushes into your mouth, and you feel Rosalia's hands slip up under your shirt. "We probably shouldn't have a full-blown threesome in your dorm room, huh?"

"Hmm... No, it'd be awkward if Kanna walked in on us... Again." Missy laughs. "She caught us in a... Compromising position, last time."

"Oh? Do tell!" Rosalia giggles.

"Well... I promised this guy I'd do something special for him, except... He was wearing a skirt, and for some reason his ah..." Missy stammers, blushing cutely. "Well, for whatever reason, I guess I couldn't stop thinking of Light as a girl, so..."

"Ah, the case of the disappearing junk..." Rosalia hums thoughtfully, flopping backwards as Missy throws a pillow at her head. "So what? You didn't-"

"N-no... But before I could think of a way to get Light's dick back..." Missy shrugs. "Well, let's just say Light managed to perform where I couldn't. Exquisitely at that."

"And you got caught with his head between your thighs?" Rosalia giggles. "Well... How about... You make up for it now? It's obvious he doesn't have the same problem." Her hand slides down your stomach and cups your groin, her grin growing in appreciation.

"Y-you think I should..." Missy mumbles, cheeks coloring once more. "I mean... Don't you want to..."

"You've got the experience here, right?" Rosalia teases, popping the button on your pants. "Show me how it's done."

"Well... First things first... Take it out." Missy orders, visibly steeling herself, making eye contact with Rosalia as she trails a finger across your zipper. "Come on, no need to be scared."

"I'm not scared of..." Rosalia begins, eyes widening as her hand fishes out your length. "T-this..." Her words become a breathy sigh, mixing in with the sound of Missy's soft giggle as your newest partner gives it a light squeeze. "Wow... Up close it's..."

"Pretty intimidating huh?" Missy teases, reaching down to grasp it as well as her chest pushes into your back. "Looking at it... It's hard to accept that I had it inside me."

"Lucky..." Rosalia mutters, giving your cock a slow stroke. "So... How do you..."

"Like this." Missy replies, scooting around beside you and leaning down to run her tongue across the tip. You give a soft, happy sigh as she swirls her tongue around the tip, coating it in saliva as Rosalia continues to stroke. The mixture of the two sensations is... Heavenly. "H-hey!" Missy's voice snaps you out of your momentary daze as you look down, amused to see Rosalia's hand pushing Missy's head down. "Not so fast!"

"Come on, you're the expert right? I want to see it." Rosalia gushes, leaning down and peering closely. "Come on, take it."

"I-I will! Relax!" Missy huffs cutely, her lips wrapping around the tip as Rosalia continues to stroke, coaxing out drops of precum into your girlfriend's warm, waiting mouth. Her tongue slides along the underside as she dips lower, quickly reaching the point where she was forced to give up the night before.

"Is that it?" Rosalia giggles, brushing Missy's bangs aside and running her fingers through the younger girl's blonde hair. "Come on, let me try."

"You think you can do better?" Missy pants, backing off and motioning her co-girlfriend forwards. "See if I give you any tips."

"Hmm... I think the trick is..." Rosalia mumbles, leaning in low and pressing her lips to your balls beneath. Her tongue snakes out, hesitatingly at first, but soon with confidence as she runs it up the entirety of your length, coating the underside with a glistening layer of saliva until she reaches the very tip. "To not even try."

"Lame." Missy huffs. "It's got to feel better if you take it inside, right?"

"I can work my way up to that." Rosalia shrugs, before running her tongue back down the side and giving your balls another kiss. She seems to enjoy it, focusing much of her attention on your sack while her hand strokes your length. Missy soon joins in, leaning down and taking the head into her mouth once more, and suddenly they're both working on you together.

"Hey... What if I run out of stuff to kiss while you're hogging it?" Rosalia teases as Missy dips lower, your cock pushing at the back of her mouth. "Maybe..." Rosalia grins, leaning up and pressing her lips to Missy's neck, just below her ear. "I can work on my oral skills here instead?"

"Hah... M-mean..." Missy gives a cute whine, pulling back as Rosalia catches Missy's earlobe in her lip.

"Getting turned on, sucking dick?" Rosalia teases, molding herself to Missy's back as the younger girl continues to suck. "I can't believe you're so naughty... It's really, really hot... Go on, go deeper, I want to see the whole thing disappear."

You run your fingers through both of their hair, gently cradling Missy as she steadily rocks herself back and forth, slowly and steadily making progress at wedging the head into her throat. "Oh fuck that's hot..." Rosalia murmurs, her hand vanishing into her pants as she looks up at you with a sly grin. "Just relax your throat..." Her free hand reaches up to massage Missy's throat slowly, and you feel yourself slip into her throat, sliding forward until her nose presses against your abdomen.

"Good girl..." Rosalia praises, whispering hotly into Missy's ear. "Look at him. Look in his eyes, how proud he is. How turned on he feels inside you, is he twitching, waiting to burst?" She purrs. "He wants to do it inside you, you can tell. He wants to let out out, pour it all down your throat, right into your belly."

Missy gives a low groan, vibrations running through her throat and down your length as she slowly rocks back and forth, unable to move much with the effort of keeping you lodged inside of her, but determined to make you feel good. "Hey... Missy... From what you said, you don't mind if I'm a girl doing this, right?" Rosalia murmurs, her free hand moving down to dip beneath Missy's skirt.

Missy pauses, hesitating as she looks up at you. You give her a nod and smile, doing your best to hold on from going over the edge just yet. She pulls back, mouth open and tongue hanging free, drool trailing down her chin as she gasps for heaving lungfuls of air. "J-just like when it was Light, right?"

"Mhmm... Like this, you can't tell if I'm a guy or a girl." Rosalia teases, flopping down on the bed and scooting forwards, in moments her head is positioned underneath Missy's hips. "I'll admit, I've never done this bef-mmph!"

Missy wastes no time grinding her hips down onto Rosalia's face, not even pausing long enough to remove her underwear. Instead, she leans in and presses her lips to the base of your cock once more, and looks up at you with a smoldering look. "Less talking."

You agree, nodding firmly and pushing Missy's head back, watching as she opens her mouth and lets her tongue loll forwards, eagerly awaiting you. You don't disappoint, pushing forward and filling her mouth, slowly pushing into her throat and gently guiding her back and forth. Her groan of satisfaction sends shivers up your spine, her eyes closing in bliss as her own hips rock down below.

"Nnph! You know..." Rosalia's voice is muffled, but you can still hear her clear enough. "If Light were to fuck you like this, while I was down here..." That does sound fun, doesn't it? Rosalia's warm enthusiastic kisses as you pushed into Missy's tight depths... You close your eyes as the sensations get too much for you, your own climax coming on suddenly, overwhelming you as you fill Missy's throat.

Her eyes widen as your release floods into her, hands cradling her head as you try to keep steady, resisting the urge to thrust wildly into her face. Seeing her swallow thickly, feeling her squeeze around your cock, it's bliss... Bliss that goes on, and on, until finally you feel like you're completely empty.

Empty, and satisfied.

Missy pulls back a moment later, coughing softly as she takes another deep gasp of air. "W-wow... That was... H-how did you have that much left in you?" Missy huffs, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, even as she squirms atop Rosalia. "And as much fun as that sounds, I don't have any condoms left. We used them all."

"All of them?" Rosalia whines, squirming out from under Missy's hips. A moment later she's draped across Missy's shoulder, leaning in to steal a quick kiss. "Hmm... The taste is weird."

"Blech." Missy pouts, sticking out her tongue. "I'm still not used to it."

"You taste yourself? Kinky." Rosalia laughs.

"When Light went down on me... I wasn't going to not kiss him..." Missy huffs. "Anyways, I didn't save any for you so..."

"I'll just have to get my own then." Rosalia shrugs, nuzzling up against Missy's cheek. "Hey, Light, do I get a kiss?" Well... Of course she does. Any time she wants, obviously. You sweep both girls into your arms, cuddling up against them as you exchange kisses. "Missy... Are you really okay with this?"

"I am... Seriously, stop second-guessing it. We'll make it work, and if, for whatever reason it doesn't, we'll change things up until it does." Missy shrugs, giving Rosalia a hesitant kiss. "I'm still getting used to the idea of doing things with girls, but... I'm not grossed out by it or anything. I may not be willing to uh... Go down on you just yet..."

"That's fine." Rosalia replies quickly, waving away the concern. "I'm totally cool with it. Do what you're comfortable with, you know?"

"Hmm... Well, I do have an idea..." Missy giggles, sitting up on her knees and throwing Rosalia down onto her back. With a grin, she grabs Rosalia's legs from behind the knees and pulls them up towards her chest, tugging at Rosalia's pants as she does so. You help, tugging the jeans free entirely and exposing Rosalia's sodden panties as Missy climbs over the girl's head once more.

Your dick hardens again as you reach down and tug Rosalia's panties aside, exposing her glistening, needy snatch entirely. "What do you think? I kind of want to see it from this point of view... I want to watch you put it in her, and feel her moan against me, and-"

"Missy, are you done in there yet?" You turn your head, looking on in surprise as Kanna pokes her head into the room once more, her eyes widen as they seem laser focused on the place where the head of your cock rests snugly against Rosalia's lower lips. "Ah..."

"Kanna..." Missy sighs, lowering her head. "You really, really, need to knock."

"Y-yeah but..." Kanna whines, biting her lip as she continues to stare.

"Kanna!"

"Y-you should be using a condom!" Kanna yelps, retreating through the door.

"... Fuck." Missy sighs, releasing Rosalia's legs. "Come on, let's go buy a box of condoms. And go back to your place, where we won't be interrupted."

Ah. Right. About that...

-----------------------

"What the fuck..." Rosalia sighs, looking at the entrance of the store. "It looks like a bomb went off."

Hanabi, by way of explanation, strikes a pose that screams 'duh'. "Not much of a choice really. Cops have already come and taken a statement, all that's left is the clean-up, which... Well, I'm surprised how durable most of this stuff is. I only used concussive rounds, but I expected a lot of this to be shattered."

Nah, most of the things you craft are made of sterner stuff. Even the wooden shelves can take a hit like that, though the majority of them are knocked over. "So... What happened?"

"I woke up to some creep rifling through our things." Hanabi shrugs. "Not sure how they got in, but it kind of freaked me out. I spotted them going through some paperwork or something, and well... I shot first." She doesn't exactly seem remorseful about it. "Knocked them on their ass, but not out, and they slipped downstairs in the chaos. At that point the moogles actually got off their asses and started helping out, throwing their blasts around. I followed downstairs and fired off a few more rounds, mostly to just drive them out of the store."

"So most of the damage was caused by you." Missy deadpans.

"Well... Yeah. That's why I'm cleaning up." Hanabi shrugs. "But I'll tell you what I told the PRT. Not sure what they were after in the paperwork, I don't think they took anything, but if you find something missing, feel free to let them know. Don't know where they went either."

"We saw, kupo!" "We did, kupo!" "I didn't, kupo!"

You round on your moogles, watching as they line up at attention and salute. Only... There's two missing. "We don't know how they got past us, kupo!"

"We didn't see them come in the front door, kupo!"

"Maybe the upstairs window, kupo?"

"Closed and locked." Hanabi deadpans. "You little fluffballs don't sleep do you?"

"Someone's on guard at all times, kupo!" Moglin insists. "In any case, Mojito and Mimoza are missing in action, kupo! In all the confusion, we lost track of them, kupo!"

"It was terrible, kupo! Moss got hit by a flying shelf, kupo!" "I thought I'd be trapped beneath it forever, kupo!" "I had to redo a full quarter of my stitching, kupo!" You wave down the din of voices and motion for Moglin to continue. "Mojito followed the suspect out onto the boardwalk, kupo. I know we're not supposed to, but he was gone before I could stop him, kupo."

"And Mimoza?" Rosalia sighs. "Not trapped under any of this mess?"

"We searched thoroughly, kupo." Moglin insists. "Monty says she saw her go left out of the door, kupo."

"Left and up, kupo!" Monty agrees. "Towards the roof of that building over there, kupo. But the culprit went the other direction, kupo."

"Mimoza must have seen something then." Missy surmises. "Maybe someone playing look-out for the other intruder? If she followed them..."

"So we have two trails to follow, assuming the moogles don't just come home on their own." Rosalia nods to herself. "Do you want to go look tonight, or..."

"Not sure what we'd be able to find. It's dark, and there's not likely to be much of a trail." Missy sighs. "We could ask around tomorrow, about if anyone found any moogles?"

[X] Try and track Mimoza, who went the other direction for... Some reason. Maybe she was damaged in the scuffle, and wandered off?

"Do you want to go looking for them?" Rosalia asks, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks upset... Very, very upset. Ah, this is probably about interrupting her big night, huh? You'll have to take her out soon, maybe just the two of you. "If we split up, we can-"

"You're not a cape." Missy interrupts with a frown of her own. "Light and I-"

"You're not a cape either, last time I checked." Rosalia cuts her off. "In any case, I'm not saying we confront anyone, just look around and see if we can find the missing moogles." You agree to that much, at least. Finding the moogles means potentially figuring out what's going on. The problem is, Missy doesn't know Rosalia is a cape, so obviously she'd question her doing the scouting.

"Maybe it's best if Missy goes home." Rosalia suggests to you, giving you a knowing look. "The night's kind of ruined, and I know I wouldn't be comfortable staying in a place that just got broken into."

"I'm fine, really." Missy replies quickly. "I mean, the moogles are here, and we can put some on the upper floor and..." She trails off, looking around at everyone present. "Then again... Okay, no, you're right, I get it. I should go. But promise me you won't do anything reckless, okay? Both of you?"

"Of course." Rosalia nods. "I'm going to stay in and help clean up, and Light will... I don't know, patrol the area?" You give a firm nod of agreement, which seems to satisfy Missy. Enough that she turns to leave, after giving you both kisses goodbye.

"That's new, huh?" Hanabi mentions, sparing Rosalia a glance. "I take it things went well then?"

"Ah... You could say that. We've got sort of an open relationship going on... I'll explain some other time." Rosalia waves the older woman off. "I'm going to go get changed and go after Mojito. Hanabi-"

"Go on then. I don't have a costume ready or anything. Like I said, I'm just going to get this place cleaned up." Hanabi shrugs helplessly. "Why did I have to get dragged into this mess?"

"Ah... Well..." Rosalia hesitates.

"Right. The school thing. This better not be related to that, or I swear..." Hanabi sighs. "Whatever. Moogles, back to work!"

"Aye aye, kupo!" They cheer, flitting into the air to get back to work.

-----------------------

So the first problem you encounter is one that should have been obvious. Approaching the building, you realize there's no easy way up to the roof. It's the kind of three story building common along the boardwalk, so there's likely no internal roof access via stairway...

Your mobility isn't great at the moment, but you do have some ideas on how to approach this. Mostly, you're going to rely on Alpha. Your chocobo appears with a happy 'Wark', and quickly allows you to mount up. Flight would be next to impossible without an accurate reading of the aether currents in the city, but jumping is an entirely different matter.

You ride Alpha down the street a few hundred meters, then turn and set him on at a dash. Reaching top speed, the chocobo leaps skyward, and you brace yourself against the saddle as the roof comes into view. It's a bit reckless, but you leap from your perch and roll onto the roof cleanly, Alpha vanishing and reappearing beside you a moment later.

The roof itself is as you expected, wide and flat and coated with gravel. From the corner you can see the entrance of your shop amidst the soft glow of the boardwalk lights. Stepping closer, you take a good look around for any evidence of your moogle and what she was looking for up here.

You find cigarette butts.

It's not conclusive evidence, you suppose some garbage could have blown up here, but three? Of the same brand? All clustered together, as if someone were huddled up here for quite some time, looking out over your store and waiting. For what? For the intruder to return perhaps? Or something else...

And how did they get up here anyways? Climbing would have been exceptionally difficult without some kind of assistance...

Ah, you should have asked Missy for her carbuncle, to better track the aether trail of your missing moogle. As it is, you can barely feel the presence only by the fact that the surrounding atmosphere is so deprived of any aether. Actually, that makes the whole flight issue even more troubling, as without aether currents naturally occurring, you'll have to study the natural wind-flows of the city...

Ugh, issues for later. For now, you can sort of feel a faint... Almost 'scent' of magic lingering on the area. Enough to get a general direction at least. Alpha trots over and allows you to mount, and you point him towards where the trail leads... Across several rooftops and into the city.

Yeah, whoever this was, they weren't travelling on foot, at least by normal means. Alpha can make the jump between rooftops, but a normal human would be hard pressed to follow along. But follow you do, riding Alpha into the city, pausing every so often to gather your bearings and reorient yourself. Whoever you're following, or rather, whoever the moogle you're following is following, is travelling in an almost zig-zag pattern across the buildings, winding their way towards the downtown area.

Which, of course, is why it fills you with a small amount of dread when the trail starts leading towards flashing lights.

Granted, you don't think the city guard would be called on an injured or dead Moogle, to them it'd seem like a stuffed animal, but... Could one of your moogles have hurt someone? They aren't programmed to be this far away from the store, and while they've been alive long enough to start developing personalities beyond their programming... Going out and attacking someone is a bit much to expect.

Sure enough, the trail leads right to the rooftop over the alleyway, and seems to hesitate, if the aether clouding the roof is any indication. Peering over the rooftop, you spot numerous guards in two distinct uniforms milling around the entryways to the alley. "Hey! You up there!" One of them spots you quickly, and waves to get your attention. You wave back, and ride Alpha down to the ground, outside of the area marked off by yellow tape. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"What the... Hey, you're that new cape right? The one with the shop?" One of the guards grumbles.

"Don't you just make things?" Another asks.

You shake your head, pulling out your phone and typing a message for them to see. Honestly, maybe bringing someone like Missy would have been a good idea. "Oh yeah, that break in was reported a while ago wasn't it?" One of the guards mumbles to himself. "One of your security guards went missing? You think they followed the perp?"

You shake your head, typing out another message quickly. "Someone else? One playing lookout over your store when the break in happened huh? Well... I guess you could head down to the station and take a look at the people we arrested, see if any of them is your security guard. They were all pretty messed up when we took them in, none of them were able to explain what they were doing here, so we just assumed they were all gang members. They all had colors, you know?"

"Huh? Small and fluffy? With a pom-pom?" The guard blinks, seemingly shocked by your question. "No, nothing like that. Everyone in the alleyway was... Well... Human."

Huh, so either your moogle wasn't involved, or she wasn't caught up when the guards arrived. Maybe she's playing super hero? "In any case, it's looking like this was some mugging/carjacking that got violent. An unknown cape intervened, and well... As much as the law errs on the side of capes, whoever it is will be answering to charges of excessive force. Not that I blame them, seeing what those guys did to the family in the car."

You tilt your head, dread filling your stomach once more. Excessive force? That can't possibly have been your moogle... Well, it could, but you really, really don't think it'd go that far, even- "One of the victims is already at the hospital by now, I'd guess. The other one..." He motions towards a stretcher off to the side, where a black bag big enough for a person sits. "Only silver lining is that we rounded up eight ABB members over this thing, and with luck we'll be able to get a few more involved in this whole mess."

Could it have been the ABB that broke into your home? But then, evidence suggests that whoever was watching the place interfered with an ABB ambush here. Which means either the Intruder and the Watcher are on the same side, and not ABB, or... Or the Intruder and the Watcher are not on the same side...

Gah, there's not enough evidence to be certain either way. All you know is the Watcher smokes, and they came this way and intervened here. Excessively. So, violent, but not necessarily bad.

So your key witness in this is whoever was sent to the hospital then. That, or questioning the ABB criminals that were apprehended, but there's no guarantee they'll be helpful. "Hmm? Which hospital? Brockton General, but they aren't likely to let you in to see her now. They're going to need some major surgery... Honestly, I doubt they'll fully recover, barring Panacea helping out... Err, not that I'm doubting your potions or anything, I've heard good things." The guard shrugs, rubbing the back of his head.

Right... It may be best to go back to the shop and relay the information.

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"No luck on my end. I don't know what I expected, but there's really no trail for me to follow." Rosalia admits grudgingly. "I'll try asking around tomorrow when people are out and about. Moogles kind of stand out, you know?"

"So what's the deal with that crime scene then? You think Mimoza was involved?" Hanabi asks, and you nod readily. The trail led to there and then pretty much dispersed. Wherever Mimoza went from there, they were travelling fast enough to not leave a solid aether trail behind.

"A bunch of gang-bangers got fucked over huh? One person got hurt, the other killed... This city really is grim sometimes huh?" Rosalia sighs. "Makes me feel like I need to be out there more, patrolling and stuff. What if I had been there, you know?"

You pull your girlfriend into a tight hug, doing your best to comfort her. "I know... It's silly to think like that, right? But... I haven't really done much with my powers, you know? I need to get out there and do some good once in a while."

"Don't go giving your life up over this." Hanabi reminds her, a slight edge to her voice. "You can't be a hero all the time, you can't save everyone, and it isn't your fault when stuff like this happens." Rosalia goes silent at that, bowing her head slightly and looking at the table.

"Do you think that's why the intruder was here? To raid our potion supplies or something?" Rosalia offers quietly. You think it over for a moment, then shake your head. The timelines don't add up. The mugging happened while the store was getting broken into, or at least shortly before it. Honestly, even if you'd gone home right when Hanabi had messaged you, there's no way you could have been there to intervene.

Nights like this just... Suck. Even if you don't know the victim, it's never easy to know someone died due to senseless violence. "So what do we do? What now, I mean..." Rosalia mumbles.

What indeed?

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