I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

Their walk to the city hall was...Less strenuous, they didn't take another limo as they didn't have another guide. And since they both already knew where to go it was an easy walk. Rossie brought forward the idea of calling a cab, but Elizabeth turned down the idea.

 

"Let's walk and see the city, we will spend some time here so might as well." Said the blonde girl, she mostly wanted another point of view.

 

She wanted to see the city with her friend at the side instead of alone, perhaps that way the city would look better, and she also wanted to try and hype up her friend back into her cheerful tone.

 

She was still somewhat depressed in her aura. "Okay, Eli-Eli. But don't complain to me if you end up sweaty later ♥," answered back the pink-haired girl.

 

And that was good enough for Elizabeth for now. She wanted her to return to her more cheerful mood, they had experienced plenty of things in the last days. From the landing in customs to the almost fight that started with Selen. Then she experienced the [Madness] that seemed to go out of control as soon as she landed in the real world.

 

Wait...Why did it start once they arrived here? Or was it more tamed in the school?

 

She did end up trashing Akira in the fight...And her behavior there could be called (If nothing else) Villanous...

 

Was the school warded against [The Madness]? It could explain why her parents sent her there...

 

She would file it up in the [To Ask] questions to her parents the next time she saw them...Somehow she felt that something should have happened but nothing did.

 

Was she imagining things?

---

"You are already registered, if you want to know what to do then go to your assigned workplace." Said a receptionist after scanning their bracelets.

 

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, it seemed as if the [City Hall] didn't even deem them worth the time, and they didn't get called to see Selen either...They just got shoved to the side as more people went to the receptionist's desk.

 

"So what do we do now?" Asked the blonde to her friend. The other girl seemed to take everything in stride.

 

"Well, my bracelet says my [Work Hours] start at 2 PM in the afternoon and end just a little shy of 11 PM..." Said the pink-haired girl after scanning her bracelet with her phone.

 

The blonde girl did the same with hers and was surprised at the answer.

"It seems we have the same schedule...Or more like I'm your sidekick so you decide my hours. And that if I want to Ace the internships I need to work as a solo or with 'Another Magical Girl of the same type as me'..." Said Elizabeth while reading other suggestions of how she could work as a [Solo] or in group chats where other Magical Girls searched for either [Sidekicks] or [Teammates].

 

A few did sound interesting...But not a single one searched or said that they used [Shadow Magic]. So at least it was a good thing she was building herself an [Elemental Manipulator] persona for the magic side.

 

"So I'm your boss...And as such I declare that you will be only [Mine] to [Toy] with!" Said the pink-haired girl while doing a flourishing and pointing at her while keeping her head up as if looking down on her.

 

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh at the antics of her girl friend, a few of those in the reception glared her way but she didn't mind it, instead, she just hugged the arm of the pink-haired girl "Sure sure princess, let's go and find something to eat while we wait for your scheduled time."

 

At the start, the pink-haired girl grumbled something that sounded like a [I'm not joking...♥] but she ignored it while getting her out of the [City Hall], she pretended to not notice but she sensed in her shadows how a few guardsmen seemed to turn their heads in their direction.

 

She didn't want to get the attention of Selen again, not this soon...Not before she could control [The Madness] or get rid of it.

 

"Wait, what do you mean [My scheduled time] its [Our scheduled time!]" Said the pink-haired girl when they finally got to the streets again.

 

Elizabeth got her to sit on a bench near some trees to get under the shade, away from the sun...And more importantly, closer to the shadows so her [Scouts] could have an easier time checking their surroundings. She didn't trust Selen enough, and they were near her domains.

 

"Not my fault, first few days it seems is [Orientation], and since they added me as a tag-along I was not deemed important enough to go with you...Or more like." Said the blonde girl while showing her the e-mail she got after scanning her bracelet.

 

And then scrolled to the bottom of it where she highlighted a few words.

The Pink-haired girl read that once, then scrolled up to read the whole document. Then read the last part again...Then scrolled up...Then tried to look into her [Inbox] to see if there were more e-mails...

 

She was suddenly very happy that her [Inbox] had 20 different rules and filters to distribute her emails...She didn't have anything bad...But she didn't need her girl friend finding her weekly mail about how to maximize the amount of sleep you could get, or how to reduce the amount of time you need to eat to get the maximum amount of nutrients...

 

Nor the monthly tier for new pillows and pajamas...

 

Or the daily newsletter from that popular site to post pictures that showed the best places to sleep...

 

So when her pink-haired friend seemed to want to navigate her phone she took it back only to receive a glare from said person "That will be enough for you young lady." Said the blonde girl trying to focus her inner admonishing side.

 

Since Rossie smiled and giggled it seemed that it wasn't very successful though.

 

"So I need to Murd...I mean, I need to see what days I can convince the head Magical Girl at the clinic so you can tag along?" Asked her Rossie.

 

So cute trying to get her included so she wouldn't feel left behind...

 

"It's okay Rossie, you study your things at your pace. I will either focus on playing in my [Soulscape] to see if I can get a few new spells or deal with my...[Other] problems." She said making a motion with her head towards her shadows.

 

She wasn't sure what kind of training, test, or initiation she would get on the [Villain] side of the city, but at least she wouldn't need to juggle this too much, since Rossie's work was in the afternoon, and usually most [Villains] attacked either in the morning or the night...

 

That should be a crime...Attacking while one must sleep or while one was trying to sleep...Then again, she wouldn't respond to such calls if someone tried to get her to work at those times...So maybe it held merit?

 

If nothing else she hoped that one of her works as a [Villain] could inconvenience [Akira], not that he was anywhere near them...He wasn't right?

 

'[Include in the scoutings the search for a black-haired hero wannabe with a red-haired girl as a companion. If you find them do not engage, but monitor his area of activities and report back.]' Sent the blonde girl into her shadows, she felt back the acknowledgment from one of the scouts who left into the city.

 

It seemed that the little girl Beatrice was leaving them some privacy. Since she didn't answer and she only got that vague feeling of understanding from her scouts.

 

"Promise me you will not flirt with anyone." Said Rossie bringing her back from her musings.

 

She almost stammered at the ridiculous accusation "Beg you pardon?" asked back the blonde girl, wondering if she had heard something wrong.

 

"Promise me you will NOT flirt with anyone while doing your other work." Said again her Rossie all the while adding some clarifications.

 

She wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be tempted by the dark side of society?

 

That was in its own way adorable, but it irked her that she would ask this of her, she had her own loved one she didn't introduce to her after all...And it was plastered all over her status as she was the [Everlasting Paramour]

 

Elizabeth wanted to answer as such, but stopped herself when she saw the look in the eyes of her Rossie, it spoke of a deep fear of being left alone. And some longing as if she wanted to grab at her and not let her go...

 

And...' HOW IN THE SEVEN HEAVENLY PLANES CAN I INFER SO MUCH FROM HER EYES?' Wondered the blonde girl.

 

She did a double take and...' Yep, I get the same feeling...Is it the [Link]?' Thought to herself the blonde girl before sighing.

 

She couldn't get mad at her if those were her feelings "Fine...I will not flirt with anyone..." Said in a somewhat depressed tone the blonde girl.

 

She wasn't even planning to find a lover, but the thought of being the one of the two that couldn't even search for a boyfriend was annoying, if she somehow got a cute one they could go on a double date with her girl friend!

 

'And there goes the plan to maybe know the man that STOLE MY ROSSIE FROM M....' Said to herself the blonde girl in her mind before stopping as the last phrase was formed in her mind.

 

'No wait, what?' And then she looked at her friend who was now happily singing a tune while writing something on her phone.

 

She really needed to fix that [Madness] problem, she was getting possessive. 'Rossie is her own person, she is one of my beloved friends, she isn't [MINE].' Chanted the mantra in her mind the blonde girl.

 

She tried to ignore the fact that no matter how much she tried or how many variations she tried, she couldn't make the word mine to be a normal one...The [Idea] it seems was inbuid in her mind.

 

If she couldn't deal with that she would need to come clean to her girl friend. She dreaded that of course, she didn't want to lose her Rossie. But if [The Madness] made her possessive...If nothing else she would need to come clean so Rossie didn't show up someday with her Lover...

 

She wondered why the skill used the word [Paramour] instead of just straight out [Lover]. Maybe Rossie didn't present the [Bastard...]...

 

'Gonna ignore the fact that the word didn't even pretend to be a mistake.' Thought the girl while resuming that train of thought.

 

Maybe Rossie didn't present that...Person, because they were a secret lover? Was Rossie involved in an affair? She didn't think so. The girl was honest to a fault and she was such a sweet person...[HER Rossie] would never do something like that.

 

Why she doubt the girl could even hurt a fly!

 

And if she hurt a fly the fly probably deserved it. Yes. The fly in question probably was a mosquito in disguise! Or a hornet...Or some nasty insect such as a centipede.

 

"So what do we do now?" Asked the pink-haired girl after finishing writing whatever 10k word thing she was doing on her phone.

 

"We could go and search for some snacks to eat...Or scout the area you will work? I scouted my nightshift area of operations yesterday so I am good. But we don't know yours." Answered Elizabeth while searching in her phone for the clinic where her friend would work at.

 

It seemed to be on the nice side of town...And it proudly stated that they made sure that no [Tainted] was in contact with their patients.

 

That irked her but she let go of the feeling, they would be Rossie's Boss so she couldn't be angry at them... She would, however, put them low on her priority list to prevent collateral damage. She would try and work a more potent [Amplification] spell. Maybe plant a few [Mines] with [Shadow Essence] in the director's office?

 

"Good enough for me, wanna [Shift] here?" Asked her friend while looking at their surroundings.

 

Not many people were around, but she didn't want to strain Rossie's security nodes. She didn't know how good they were. She was a [Blessed by Fate] but better to play it safe.

 

"One of my [Scouts] says there is a nice alleyway in that direction, better to play it safe." And so, Elizabeth answered as such.

 

Her friend just nodded and stood up, they had spent at most 1 hour in this place, between Elizabeth's musings and Rossie writing whatever that document was.

 

'Time does fly fast when you are having fun...Even if you don't do anything huh.' Mused the blonde girl.

 

And after turning a corner they found their alleyway, It was...She wouldn't describe it as nice, if nothing it was ominous since it was shrouded in darkness. She of course felt welcomed by said darkness and could understand why her scout deemed [Nice]. But she wasn't sure if her friend would think like that.

 

"Hmm...It is indeed a nice spot, no one should come around even if they know they can hide here, nice find Eli-Eli's scout!" Said the pink-haired girl while giving a thumbs-up to a random shadow.

 

She focused there and sure enough, a small paw came from that shadow and returned the thumbs up.

 

How was she doing that?

 

"I will go first Eli-Eli, then you. That way we both check each other okay?" Asked the pink-haired girl.

 

She didn't see a problem with that since she kind of wanted to see how was someone else [Shift]. She hadn't seen one from up close...

 

Her Rossie stood in the middle of the alleyway and breathed in, she seemed to prepare herself and it seemed that she was realizing something since her cheeks held the start of a flush, but she hardened her will and said "Let my heart guide the way and strive to follow the stars that illuminate my path as I search for that which my Heart craves...[Hearty Shift!]" And that made the blonde girl's brain stop.

 

She was shocked beyond doubt, for something happened that she hadn't even stopped a second to think about. Her friend's spell started and she was embraced by a pink light. Her clothes seemed to evaporate as they turned into pink and gold energy and started forming a new frilly dress. Her hair was moving itself in a pair of twin tails and with her eyes closed the pink-haired girl levitated a few centimeters above the ground as a new pair of white boots formed on her feet.

 

She of course was embraced by the transformation light, so even while her figure was visible, nothing was truly visible. It was more as if HER Rossie was dressed in a tightskin suit for half a second and then she was dressed in her pink frilly dress.

 

'Do..I need to come up with one of those?' She wondered as the spell of her friend started using mana to [Change] her friend.

 

She went from casual clothing to the frilly sailor dress she had seen before, it was mostly the same as the first day she saw it, only now she could make up a small blue star in the center of the heart crystal that adorned the ribbon in the chest of her friend.

 

She also was a few centimeters smaller than before, while they stood almost at the same height, now she was closer in height to her [Elemental Weaver] form.

 

'Do I crave to be smaller?' Wondered Elizabeth, both her transformations were smaller in height, her [Shadow Empress] was way shorter of the two though.

 

"...And this is me...What do you think Eli-Eli ♥?" Asked her girl friend while doing a small turn to show her her whole [Shift]. She didn't feel any pressure from [Security Nodes] from the girl in front of her.

 

"You look gorgeously cute...But...Did you whitelist me already? I don't feel any [Security Node]." Asked the blonde girl.

 

Rossie for her part blushed at her praise and nodded "Yesh...The [Teacher] taught us how to do that and said that we should do it only if we trusted the other party...He said to not whitelist even teachers unless we knew them personally before school though." And answered as such.

 

She was cute like this indeed, also she would send a gift to that teacher, at least she wouldn't need to worry about her Rossie whitelisting weird people. It was funny how her friend was weak to praise when she liked to tease her that much in their daily life.

 

It brought some contrast to the cheerful touchy girl she knew from their time at school. "Now is your turn Eli-Eli...I did the embarrassing thing so now you do it too!" Said the pink-haired girl while standing to the side.

 

Elizabeth only sighed and started to think about that, she...Hadn't prepared one of those, but it was understandable that most magical girls would use them... Her mother had said so, the [Idea] could be boosted by these weird and embarrassing things...

 

And she indeed remembered the voice of [Magical Girls] speaking their transformation chants before their shifts in the news...

 

'Nothing to it' Said to herself the blonde girl while closing her eyes and focusing in her [Shift] spell. Hoping there was a chant already there.

 

Nothing.

 

"I didn't prepare a good one like you Rossie, so don't get your hopes up," said the blonde girl while raising her hand to the skies and snapping her fingers.

 

As soon as the sound started to spread [Something] echoed in the alleyway as the sound was akin to one snapping their fingers in a chasm. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind it as she was focused on thinking a chant that resonated with her, but Rossie seemed to take notice.

 

An instant after a magical circle formed both below and above the blonde girl, unlike with Rossie that only was embraced in mana and transformed like that. Elizabeth was accompanied by more flair.

 

She quickly started chanting the first thing that [Felt right] since she needed to time it well and this was her first attempt. "With each star a thread and each constellation a pattern...." Started saying the blonde girl, she wasn't aware of what was happening as she was focusing more on following the inspiration that had struck at her. So she didn't notice how all the shadows around them had disappeared.

 

As soon as she started speaking the magical circle above her head had shined a white light that made her shadow expand in a second. And when the flash was gone no shadow remained.

 

One would think that the flash had [Dispeled] the shadows...But perhaps others would think that Elizabeth's shadows [Ate] them instead...The answer?

 

Rossie thought that it was the second.

 

But she was more focused on Elizabeth, as the blonde continued talking "... I weave together the essence of flames, currents, stones, and zephyrs. Behold the tapestry of my transformation as I fight against all that would [Encroach on my world]..." Continued saying, at this point, the blonde girl was hovering ten centimeters above the ground, her clothes much like Rossie had evaporated into different rivers of colors...Red, blue, green, white, gold, yellow, black, and a strain of white and yellow.

 

They all danced around the blonde girl while her form slowly but surely changed, her body grew short a few centimeters, and now she was a little shorter than the pink-haired girl. Her bosom was now smaller too.

 

As the multitude of colors danced around her weaving her a frilly sky blue dress and her hair turned shorter and shorter Elizabeth finished her chant "...[Elemental Shift!]" And on that note all the different colors of energy surged towards her, finishing her frilly dress. Any leftover of energy flew towards the earrings of stars or the star-shaped gem in her ribbon.

 

The blonde girl meekly looked at her friend and asked "So...what do you think? I hope it wasn't too awkward?" Her friend on the other hand just stared at her with her mouth wide open.

 

And only asked, "...How did you make those effects?"

 

Elizabeth questioned back. "What effects?" It seemed her skill included some side effects she wasn't aware of.

 

Perhaps it was the [idea] working on its own?

 

At least for now, she was happy that her friend still knew it was her, she hadn't actually added her to the whitelist after all...Or perhaps it was the [Link] they shared?

 

She would check it later the next time she dived into her [Soulscape] and went to the library. For now...They had a clinic to scout.