One Day after Ul'tharion the Unclean's Defeat
"Alright, let's get started," Phoenicia Herodota says wearily. The Supreme Commander of the MGA sits down, looking around the table at her peers on the Council. Those that managed to make it to this meeting, of course. "Sound off for the record. Phoenicia Herodota, Supreme Commander, present."
"Nihil Eschaton, Commander of the Black Cabal, present," Nihil says. The spec-ops spook is lounging in her seat, looking very elegant as she sips from her little tea cup. Her demure smile belies the fact that she's a walking, talking weapon of mass destruction.
"August Lumina, head of R&D, present," August slurps noisily from her mug of coffee, adjusting her white labcoat. Then she licks the mug while shooting Phoenicia a sly, knowing grin like the absolute psycho she is. "And I must say, Phee-phee, it's quite nice to-"
"Stop flirting Gusty, not the time or place," Phoenicia growls, suppressing the chill that shot up her spine just then. Eugh.
The last member of this little group raises her hand. Unlike the rest of the council, she isn't sitting in a chair. She is, in fact, floating using her Raiment.
"Selene Umbralis, Warden of Purgatory. Present," A vast expanse of machinery hovers behind Selene, her war regalia on full display. Massive, retractable wings of pristine white metal that thrum with mana, large gun-barrels hinting at the raw amounts of firepower Purgatory's Warden is capable of dishing out, the vast arcane arsenal she has access to.
"Alright, for the record, this meeting officially began at… 8:27 AM," Phoenicia checks the clock. "First order of business. Global affairs."
The entire table lets out an annoyed, depressed sigh at Phoenicia's words. She can't blame them. The state of the world, after the Resource Wars and the Awakening? It's… Pretty depressing.
"Ul'tharion's defeat means that we don't have to worry about the planet blowing up underneath our feet, but we've still got a lot of problems left over. The USNA's making a final push to gobble up what's left of the New Confederacy, the Balkans are on fire after the latest turf war between the Neo-Soviets and the EU, and all of this has led to a lot of supernatural nasties crawling out the woodwork," Phoenicia states bluntly. "Kaiju attacks are on the rise again, so we're going to need to get some hunter teams in place to deal with those."
"The muggles are ridiculous," August Lumina complains. "We're in a war for our very survival against mystical forces that'd see us all dead, and here they are, warring over resources again, picking at the rotting carcass of the Old World – As if our jobs weren't hard enough. I suppose we should be grateful they aren't dropping atomic bombs on each other anymore. At least we won't need to deal with the literal fallout of their idiocy. Only the metaphorical fallout. Which is about as radioactive, if you think about it-"
"People, come on, focus," Phoenicia chides. "We're not here to psychoanalyze the muggles, August. We're here to solve problems. How are our threat detection systems working?"
"Hmph," August Lumina hums, pursing her lips. "The satellite network's still fully functional, for now at least. I can't say it'll stay that way if the bumbling, idiotic muggles decide to start launching anti-satellite weapons again – shielding them from orbital debris left over by the Resource Wars is difficult enough. Still, with our ground-based installations in Tokyo, New York, and London, we should have no problem tracking larger magical anomalies like Kaiju unless something unexpected happens."
"Well, that's good…" Phoenicia says hesitantly. "But I'm guessing there's a but somewhere."
"And you'd be correct," August continues, tapping her mug absentmindedly. "Kaiju are probably the least of our worries. They're easy to track and even easier to neutralize for the most part. No, the bigger problem is keeping track of the smaller targets. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Phoenicia Herodota closes her eyes wearily. "Dark Magical Girls."
"If we're talking about global threats, objectively, Dark Magical Girls are one of them," August shrugs. "You know as well as I do that I can't build a system to track them without generating far too many false positives. There's honestly very little that distinguishes a Dark Magical Girl from a regular Magical Girl beyond their essence use, and we all know-"
"That most essence detectors are finnicky and have pretty short ranges," Selene Umbralis, who's been quietly listening, speaks up in her usual no-nonsense tone. "Yes, we are all aware of this fact."
"We're still flying blind when it comes to New Vegas?" Phoenicia Herodota rubs her temples, glaring balefully at August Lumina and Nihil Eschaton.
"Well, we're not blind. But in this instance? The technological solution isn't cost effective. It's too expensive. I could, theoretically, upgrade our detection net to monitor essence use if you gave me an unlimited budget and oh, two or three decades worth of labor," August Lumina replies. "On the other hand, maintaining connections in New Vegas is cost effective. And cheap. All I have to do is send the occasional bottle of wine to my good friend, Emerald Exemplar, and-"
"Your 'good friend' is a scum-sucking insane villainess who worships at the foot of one of the dark, eldritch entities we just put down," Selene Umbralis states flatly, glaring balefully at her colleage. August Lumina shrugs helplessly.
"If it works, it works. It's how we learned about this latest incursion. The New Vegas cabal are monsters, to be sure, but they're monsters who maintain a certain level of enlightened self-interest. We already have multiple treaties with them. We share information, the more insane Dark Magical Girls get quietly sent into our dear warden's care, we team up against world-ending threats-"
"We're barely keeping them in check as it is," Selene Umbralis growls. "I keep telling you all that maintaining ties with New Vegas is a bad idea. What happens when they stop playing nice? What happens when they stop holding up their end of the bargain? What happens when the rank and file learn the Council is cutting deals with these criminals? It'd leave us holding a giant bag filled with stinking excrement."
Phoenicia exhales slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What exactly is it you're proposing then, Selene?"
"That we take the army we've already assembled for the campaign against Ul'tharion and march on New Vegas," Selene Umbralis states flatly, and Phoenicia can just feel her eyebrow twitching at this point. Oh, goddess, no.
Not this shit again.
"I've locked up Dark Magical Girls. Rehabilitated them. Thrown them into the Temporal Stasis cells on Luna. I know more about Dark Magical Girls than any of you lot. And I can say, with absolute certainty, that leaving them to their own devices is a bad idea, and it's a miracle we've gotten away with it so far-"
"I didn't think you'd be so quick to advocate for war, my dear warden," August Lumina chides. "I'll grant that most of the Dark Magical Girls are raving, power-hungry lunatics, but some of them are decent, civilized folk. Didn't you just say you'd rehabilitated a few?"
"Considering the cells in Purgatory are still full, I've rehabilitated too few," Selene says.
"Girls, come on," Phoenicia claps her hands together. "We're getting nowhere here. Focus."
"War with New Vegas is unsustainable, even with our currently assembled force," Nihil Eschaton speaks up, and all the other girls at the table go quiet. "You forget that a third of all Magical Girls in existence are Dark, and that roughly three-quarters maintain ties with New Vegas. You'd have us strip the entire world of protection so we could bleed out our strength in a pointless war that would probably lead to more girls Falling than ever before. And for what?"
"We'd end a threat-"
"And create a hundred more in the process," Nihil's voice is cold, calculating, and there's a dangerous edge to it as she lets her words hang in the air. "You think those girls are going to let us barge into their homes and slaughter them in their beds just because we outnumber them, or because we have the element of surprise? No. They'll fight, and bleed us dry in the process. And then they'll scatter, infecting every corner of the globe, and then suddenly we'll be fighting a thousand guerilla wars on every front. You know this as well as I do. I've lectured you about this before, when I was in Phoenicia's seat."
Selene blushes. "Well – Well, I-"
"And let's not forget that New Vegas has their own share of powerhouses. Like Emerald Exemplar. Do you want to fight another Great Outer One after we've barely finished putting the last one down? Because she has her master on speed-dial," Nihil sighs.
"Nihil's right. Stop it already," Phoenicia cuts in, banging her fist against the table. "Selene, you know that we don't have the resources for a drawn-out war with New Vegas. Perhaps, in the future, that will change. But we don't have the luxury of living in the future."
"…" Selene grumbles. "Commander, you know I don't like the idea of making any more deals with New Vegas."
"Yeah, I know," Phoenicia sighs. "But it's looking like that's what we're going to have to do."
"Then I'll abstain from the rest of this conversation, since there's nothing kind I have to say about this… Lunacy," Selene states flatly, leaning back and folding her arms underneath her chest, looking very disgruntled.
Phoenicia rubs her temples in frustration. Goddess save her from overly-proud Magical Girls with giant sticks up their butts. "So. You want us to just stand by and let everything fall apart? Let the entire world burn because you're too proud to make a compromise for the sake of survival?"
Selene opens her mouth to protest but pauses, eyes narrowing as she digs her heels in. "And what happens when one of these 'necessary evils' turns on us? Emerald Exemplar was useful this time, yes. She warned us about Ul'tharion. But she'll turn on us like all of them wind up doing. I've seen how these girls act in Purgatory. Some of them find redemption – but most of the rest of them? They're vicious. The moment we show even the slightest chink in our armor, they'll exploit it, and where will that leave us?"
Nihil leans back in her chair, steepling her fingers, her tone calm but unyielding. "We can worry about sudden, unexpected betrayals when they actually occur. That hasn't happened yet, and it's unlikely to happen. The New Vegas Cabal are no fools, they have as much to lose if our deals go public as we do."
August taps her fingers on the table, her voice light and airy. "I concur. I have to add, too, that my cozy little arrangement with Emerald Exemplar was quite useful in the past – as it was useful here and now. She gave us a warning, from her eldritch master to be sure – but still a warning. One that we acted on in time. The battle against Ul'tharion could've turned out much worse, but because of that information, we were prepared. If it works, well…" August shrugs again, slurping down her coffee. "It works."
Selene leans forward, the great metal wings of her Raiment shifting slightly in agitation, but she remains quiet. Mercifully.
"I dislike all of these deals. We've already signed over five cities to Dark Magical Girl overlords…"
"Under the condition that the overlords shielded most of the mundane population from harm. And that's better than then nothing those places were getting due to resource strain. And those overlords sent help to our campaign against Ul'tharion when we needed it," Phoenicia Herodota sighs, massaging her temples. "And those cities signed themselves over. We don't interfere in mundane governance, remember?"
"Hmph…" Selene sniffs. Phoenicia takes that as her cue to continue talking.
"Look, nobody's pretending these deals are anything but risky, but right now, we don't have the luxury of picking and choosing our enemies. If a deal with a Dark Magical Girl saves us a lot of hardship in the future, we've really got no choice but to make it. We're stretched thin enough as it is."
"We're dancing with fire," Selene mutters, her gaze hardening. "Signing cities over to overlords, pretending like they're untouchable because they're too powerful, or their expertise is too valuable. And one day, it's going to burn us all."
Goddess, she's so dramatic.
Phoenicia takes a deep breath, deciding to steer the conversation toward something more productive. "Probably," she concedes. "But that's something we can deal with in the future if push comes to shove. Moving on. We need to talk about force projection because the way things are now? It's unsustainable. We're spread way too thin, and it's starting to show. Covering local threats is one thing, but when we're up against world-ending super-threats? The logistics are a nightmare."
August smirks knowingly, leaning back in her chair. "Here comes your pitch. I've heard rumors. You've been thinking about putting together some sort of super squad, haven't you?"
Phoenicia hesitates, then nods. "An Avengers-style squad. A superhero team. A rapid-response unit with overwhelming magical firepower that has enough mobility to deploy globally, directly under the Council's command. A unit we can send immediately to deal with big threats before they escalate."
Nihil immediately raises an amused eyebrow. "Oh my, Commander. You're actually referencing the Avengers? I didn't peg you for a Marvel girl…"
Phoenicia blushes, feeling a little embarrassed, but deciding to gallantly press on. "Oh shut up, you all know what I'm talking about. Avengers, Justice League, whatever. The point is, the way things are now, every time we need to rally enough girls to deal with something big, we have to wheel, deal, and practically poach girls from the regional representatives. It's inefficient, sloppy, and takes way more time than it should. Now more than ever, we need a team that's mobile, highly trained, and equipped to handle the worst."
"And where exactly are you planning to find the girls for this squad? Because I guarantee you, the regional reps aren't going to be thrilled about handing over their best fighters. They're already stretched thin," Nihil warns.
Phoenicia nods, letting out a disappointed huff. "Oh, believe me. I know. That's the biggest hurdle. The regional reps are protective of their girls, and rightly so. But this isn't about playing favorites; it's about survival. If we can show them that this squad isn't just about pulling their heavy hitters away but about creating a force multiplier for everyone, maybe we can convince them to loosen their grip."
"Force multiplier, huh?" Selene snorts. "Good luck selling that. They'll see it as centralization and a power grab. They're not going to be happy."
"We don't need them to be happy," Phoenicia shoots back. "We need them to understand the stakes. And we need the right girls on this squad. We need the right leader for it. Someone who's strong, experienced, who's known to be entirely neutral and unbiased..."
"Neutral?" Nihil repeats, her tone heavy with irony. "Unbiased? That narrows your list to… what, maybe one person? No, don't tell me…"
Phoenicia smiles faintly. "Exactly. Which is why I want to talk about Infinity Princess."
The room goes silent. Even Selene seems caught off guard. Nihil Eschaton raises her eyebrows ever higher, even as she pours herself another cup of tea.
"Infinity Princess? Really? I mean, I can see it, she is very famously apolitical. Mostly because she doesn't actually talk about anything besides work. At all. It's like pulling hen's teeth trying to get a sentence or two of conversation out of her," August Lumina says. "And she is quite powerful – her mana output is ridiculous, she's literally invincible, and I will admit she is very photogenic. But is she really leadership material? Maxine Steele is the regional rep for Terminus City, not Infinity Princess."
"That's exactly why Infinity Princess works as a candidate," Phoenicia replies easily. She expected this line of questioning. "The leader of this super-squad isn't supposed to play politics. They're supposed to lead actual operations against the most heinous foes we've got out there – they're supposed to act decisively in the heat of battle. And Infinity Princess has, by far, the most combat experience out of any Magical Girl in the MGA. In spades."
"Her debut against Lokwyn, the time when Paris, Texas got burnt to the ground, the raid on Nova Scotia – We've already been pulling her all over the place," Nihil Eschaton realizes.
"… She's also intimidating," Selene mutters, arms still crossed. "I'll give her that much, her silence makes her hard to read. And her track record really is impeccable…"
August Lumina sighs, rolling her eyes. "But we're not talking about the elephant in the room. Well, the two elephants in the room. The first, being that Infinity Princess has been sitting pretty in Terminus City for years, to the point where it's practically become her retirement home. Commander, I'm curious, how exactly were you planning on coercing her away from her current position?"
"Well.." Phoenicia Herodota hesitates. "… I'm still working on that."
"And then there's the second problem. Infinity Princess is creepy," August Lumina states flatly. Surprisingly enough, Selene Umbralis is nodding in the background.
"I agree with our resident mad scientist-" Selene begins.
"I object! I am only mildly unhinged, sometimes, not mad. I am perfectly rational and in control of my faculties! Most of the time!"
"… I agree with our resident mad scientist," Selene repeats, and August pouts. "We all know there's something wrong with Infinity Princess. She fights for literal days on end without complaint. She doesn't socialize. She doesn't emote. Talking to her is like talking to a robot. Once you get past her shiny exterior, it's painfully obvious something's wrong with that girl. She's not right in the head."
Phoenicia Herodota squeezes her eyes shut, and sighs. "She's not a sociopath. She's just… Damaged. Like a lot of the rest of us are."
"So she's… Defective?"
"She's special," Nihil Eschaton glares at August and Selene. "You horrid brats… You have no idea what that girl's been through, and here you are, casting judgment on her. Shame. Shame on the both of you."
"What's she really like, then?" Selene challenges.
"She's really quite sweet, once you've worked past her obvious trauma. Clumsily earnest. Withdrawn, shy," Nihil touches a finger to her lips, staring up at the ceiling. "Certainly not a sociopath, or a robot."
Selene stares. "…Sweet," Selene repeats flatly, as though the word itself is foreign when applied to Infinity Princess. "You're telling me the unbreakable, unshakable, invincible Infinity Princess is sweet?"
Nihil lowers her gaze from the ceiling and fixes Selene with an unyielding stare. "Yes, Selene. Sweet. Quiet, perhaps. Guarded, definitely. But there's warmth there, buried under everything she's endured. And she's fiercely protective of those she cares about. You might think she's all polish and power because that's all she shows to the world, but you've never actually bothered to look closer, have you?"
Selene's jaw tightens, but she doesn't immediately retort. Instead, August fills the silence.
"Point taken. Besides, from what I've heard… She has a girlfriend, now, doesn't she?"
Phoenicia Herodota, facepalms, even as a shit-eating grin spreads across August Lumina's cheeks. Goddess damn it all. "… Yeah. Yeah she has a girlfriend now."
Selene raises an eyebrow, her skepticism morphing into mild surprise. "Wait, what? Infinity Princess has a girlfriend? The woman who makes statues look expressive?"
"Apparently so," August chimes in, leaning forward with obvious interest. "Rumor has it she's some mortal—a civilian. Can you imagine? The great, stoic Infinity Princess dating a regular human? I can't decide if that's adorable or completely bizarre."
Phoenicia groans, rubbing her temples. "We don't actually know she's a regular human and – and besides, it's not a big deal. She's entitled to a personal life, like the rest of us. Let's not make this into something it isn't."
"Oh, but it is something," August says, her grin widening. "It's fascinating. A mortal! What's she like? Quiet and bookish? Or is she one of those fiery types who drags Infinity Princess out of her shell?"
"August, we are not turning this meeting into a gossip session," Phoenicia snaps, though the faint blush creeping across her cheeks betrays her frustration.
"Fine, fine," August says, waving a hand dismissively, though she's still clearly amused. "But you have to admit, it does add a whole new layer of intrigue to her."
Selene shakes her head, still processing. "I don't know what's more shocking—the fact that she's dating or the idea that someone managed to put up with her long enough to get close."
"She's not as unapproachable as you think," Nihil says, her tone softer now. "If anything, this proves she's human. Just like the rest of us."
"Yeah, well, forgive me if I'm not convinced until I see it with my own eyes," Selene mutters, leaning back in her chair.
Phoenicia sighs, exasperated. "Can we please move on? We still have an entire agenda to get through, and I'm not spending the rest of this meeting dissecting Infinity Princess' love life. Even if it is surprisingly relevant to this discussion."
"… Phee-phee, you aren't thinking about using Infinity Princess' girlfriend to lure her onto your All-star Squad, are you?" Nihil Eschaton asks.
… Erk.
"No, definitely not," Phoenicia lies as easily as she breathes. That isn't good enough, though, Nihil Eschaton's eyes are definitely narrowing. "But if I were, I'd probably use MAGI-CON to figure out who she is."
"Can't believe we're hosting MAGI-CON in Terminus City this year," August Lumina grumps, and Phoenicia relaxes a little as her colleague unwittingly changes the topic of conversation to something decidedly less awkward.
"What's wrong with Terminus City?" Selene asks.
August scoffs, crossing her arms. "What's right with Terminus City? It's crowded, noisy, and perpetually drenched in neon. Everything there feels like it's trying too hard to be edgy. Don't even get me started on the air quality – Or the soulless, cutthroat corporations and the mindless corpo-slaves that infest that wretched hive of a city. Or the fact that there is a disturbing lack of collaborators for my research division there. Although… Luminous Libromancer is quartered in Terminus City, isn't she? Hmm. Might pay her a little visit then, some of the papers she's been putting out have been very interesting…"
Selene quirks an eyebrow. "Luminous Libromancer? You mean that book-obsessed shut-in who practically lives in her tower?"
"Oh, she's more than just a shut-in," August replies with a sly smile. "Her recent work in ritual magic has been particularly enlightening – not to mention her paper on recursive spell layering."
Selene rolls her eyes. "You're geeking out, August. Reel it in, or you'll wind up on booth duty again."
"… Ugh," August Lumina makes a disgusted face. "Not booth duty again… Do you know how many hours of my life I've wasted smiling at overenthusiastic Magical Girl fans who think asking for autographs is a valid use of my time? Or explaining, for the hundredth time, that I'm not actually a 'mad scientist' but a visionary innovator?"
"A hundred and twelve hours," the assembled Council members chorus dully.
"A hundred and twelve hours!" August Lumina shudders, hugging herself as if she's reliving a particularly traumatic experience. "Do you have any idea how many sticky-fingered children have tugged at my lab coat? How many awkward photos I've had to endure while someone's glitter wand pokes me in the ribs? Or how many times I've had to feign enthusiasm for – for some muggle's fanfiction featuring me?"
"It's a good way to stay connected to the community, August," Nihil Eschaton chuckles.
"It's slavery! Slavery and torture! What happens at MAGI-CON is… is… Purgatory!"
"No it isn't. I run Purgatory, I would know," Selene smirks, and August Lumina glares at her.
"Not literal Purgatory, Selene," August snaps, flinging her hands in exasperation. "Although I wouldn't put it past you to weaponize it as some kind of public relations stunt. 'Come for the soul-crushing despair, stay for the autographs.'"
Selene shrugs, clearly unfazed. "Hey, if it gets more recruits through the door…"
"That's not how Pacting works! That's not how any of it works you – you dumb, big-tittied cow!"
"What did you just call me?!"
"You heard me!"
"Girls, girls," Phoenicia interrupts, pinching the bridge of her nose. Goddess save her from having to deal with these pouty children. "August, we all know MAGI-CON is a necessary evil. It's a revenue generator – and it keeps the public on our side and boosts morale. Plus, it's a rare chance to remind people that we're more than just headline fodder for global catastrophes."
"But I thought we weren't hosting MAGI-CON this year!" August whines. Nihil sends a knowing glance in Phoenicia's direction, and the commander of the MGA winces.
"… Maxine Steele was very persuasive, when I spoke to her," Phoenicia deflects. Because that's better than stating the truth outright. The truth being that Maxine Steele all but blackmailed Phoenicia Herodota into hosting MAGI-CON in Terminus City. One of the conditions for letting Infinity Princess go on this campaign.
It's really quite a shame she seems married to her current job, managing Terminus City. Quite a shame indeed. Goddess knows Phoenicia could use more girls by her side with that much of a backbone.
August crosses her arms, giving Phoenicia an exasperated look. "Fine, fine. I get it. Public image. Revenue. Morale. Whatever." She waves a hand dismissively. "But it's still hell, and I'll be in that booth with a smile plastered on my face, wishing for sweet, sweet oblivion."
Selene snickers. "It's cute when you pretend you don't enjoy the attention."
August narrows her eyes. "I don't enjoy it, and if I have to smile for another thousand horribly awkward selfies with fans, I swear to the goddess I'll start handing out reality bombs as party favors."
Nihil leans back in her chair, her lips curled in amusement. "Sounds like a fun MAGI-CON. Perhaps I'll join you in handing out party favors."
"Please don't, she might be serious," Phoenicia Herodota sighs, before letting the rest of the council devolve into pointless bickering. Well, this session promises to be about as productive as the others were. Not at all, naturally. Still, that gives Phoenicia Herodota time to ruminate, and think.
And finally breathe for the first time in a long time. So, this is what it's like to be in charge of the MGA. Goddess, is it exhausting. Phoenicia Herodota's been pulled a hundred different directions, having to juggle the MGA's interests against the interests of the mundane governments, the corporations and her constituents. She's had to wrangle her peers, handle delicate negotiations with allies from this world and others; 'allies' that always push for more, more influence, more power, more resources.
Every moment in this seat is a balancing act, every decision weighs heavily, each one ripples out with consequences the Supreme Commander of the MGA can't possibly predict. And there's almost nobody out there who can empathize, who truly understands the burdens Phoenicia's been saddled with.
Nihil Eschaton meets Phoenicia's eyes. The two Magical Girls share a glance. Understanding flashes in Nihil's red eyes – then concern. Phoenicia shakes her head slightly, waving off her senior's worry.
Well. Nihil Eschaton understands. She used to sit where Phoenicia currently sits – so she's the one person who really gets it, the one person who can commiserate over the screaming headaches these chaotic children cause with their incessant bickering. Nihil has been through it all too, the endless pressure of managing the magical and mundane worlds, keeping everyone in line, and trying to maintain some semblance of control when it feels like everything's spiraling out of her grasp.
But even Nihil's understanding doesn't make this weight any easier to bear. It feels like a heavy cloak that wraps itself tighter with every decision, every negotiation, every empty promise made by allies who only care about their own agendas. It's exhausting.
But, for now, as much as Phoenicia Herodota might wish to pass her mantle on to someone else, there's nobody else capable of carrying it.
Not yet, anyways…
"Oh, I'm absolutely serious," August says, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Reality bombs, free for the taking. Who wouldn't want a taste of my patented 'unfiltered truth'?"
Nihil applauds lightly, mockingly. "I'd pay to see that. MAGI-CON would never be the same again."
"Can we please get back to actually discussing how we're going to survive this weekend without, you know, detonating the entire public image of the MGA?" Phoenicia groans.
"Ugh, fine," August grumbles. "But if I have to endure another awkward fan in a glitter-strewn costume, I will make it my personal mission to ruin their selfies."
Phoenicia's lips curl into the faintest of smiles as she settles back in her seat. "You drama queen. Fine, then. Let's make a plan."
Selene raises an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Oh? For what?"
Phoenicia leans forward, her expression serious once more. "Survive MAGI-CON. Don't force the PR department into overdrive. And most importantly…" She pauses for dramatic effect, a wry smile pulling at her lips. "Keep all the fans alive until the end of the weekend."
The room falls into a heavy silence before August raises her hand. "Question. When you say alive…"
"With all their body parts still attached to their bodies," Phoenicia rolls her eyes. "Now. Let's actually get something useful done today, okay?"